PNG to PLT Converter

Convert PNG or JPG images to PLT (HPGL) vector files for laser engraving.

No signup requiredAlways free to use256-bit secureNever leaves your device

PLT files hold vector paths — the pen-up, pen-down instructions that cutting, plotting and engraving machines follow. If your artwork started life as a PNG or JPG, it has to be traced into those paths before a machine can use it. This tool does that conversion in your browser: drop in one image or hundreds, adjust the threshold if you need to, and download the PLT files individually or as a ZIP. The tracer follows the exact pixel boundary of your artwork, so straight edges stay straight and square shapes like barcodes and QR codes keep their geometry. Nothing is uploaded — the conversion runs entirely on your own machine, so there's no queue, no sign-up and no cap on how many files you convert. The same tracer also outputs DXF (for CNC and CAD) and SVG (for web and design) if you need a different format.

Drag & drop your file here

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PNG, JPG, BMP or GIF · Max 50MB

How to use PNG to PLT Converter

  1. 1

    Drop in one image or a whole batch of PNG/JPG files at once.

  2. 2

    Check the live preview and adjust the threshold slider until the artwork traces cleanly — dark pixels become vector paths, light pixels are dropped.

  3. 3

    Convert. Each image is traced to closed contours, auto-cropped to its content, with its aspect ratio preserved exactly.

  4. 4

    Download each PLT (named to match its source) or grab the whole batch as a ZIP, then load it into your machine's software, which sets the physical size when the file is loaded.

Things to know

Tracing works from shapes and edges, not photos

Logos, text, line art and codes vectorise cleanly because they have clear boundaries between ink and background. Photographs and heavily shaded images are continuous tone with no clean edges to follow, so they don't trace usefully — start from high-contrast artwork.

The threshold slider decides what counts as ink

Every pixel darker than the threshold is treated as ink and traced; lighter pixels are dropped. Raise it if fine detail is being lost, lower it if noise or anti-aliasing fringes are appearing. The live preview shows exactly what will be traced before you commit a batch.

Output is traced outlines, not a recreation or a fill

A PLT file describes pen moves — pen-up to jump, pen-down to draw a line — so every shape becomes a closed outline contour, not a solid fill and not a recreation of an original vector file. There are no curves, since the format has none; all edges are straight-line segments.

Axis-aligned shapes keep their geometry

The tracer follows the exact pixel boundary, so straight edges stay straight and square shapes — barcode bars, QR modules, square corners — keep their proportions. This was verified against a real reference file, where the codes in the regenerated output still decoded correctly.

Physical size is set when the file is loaded

PLT preserves your artwork's aspect ratio exactly and scales the longest side to a standard value, but the real dimensions are set by your machine's software when the file is loaded. The absolute numbers in the file don't fix the finished size.

Check the result before a full run, and nothing leaves your browser

Convert one file and run it through your machine's software — or a quick test on material — before committing a large batch, so you can confirm detail, geometry and (for codes) scannability. Every image is traced locally with JavaScript; nothing is uploaded, so there's no per-file cost and no limit.

Why Criply

Private by default

Client-side tools never upload your files. Server-side tools delete them immediately after processing.

No account needed

Just upload and go. No email, no password, no account — ever.

Works on any device

Fully browser-based. Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile with nothing to install.

Frequently asked questions

A PLT file is plain-text HPGL — a vector format of pen-up/pen-down move commands. Cutting, plotting and engraving machines of many kinds read it: vinyl and sign cutters, pen plotters, CNC routers and engraving machines. This tool outputs PLT that such software reads directly.

Related tools

Convert PNG, JPG, BMP, or GIF images into PLT (HPGL) vector files — the pen-up/pen-down paths that cutting, plotting and engraving machines follow, from vinyl and sign cutters to pen plotters, CNC routers and engravers. Batch-convert hundreds at once, adjust the black/white threshold with a live preview, and download individually or as a ZIP. Everything runs in your browser: no signup, no upload, no cap on how many files you convert.