Line, Fill or Offset Fill: Which LightBurn Mode Should I Use?
A beginner's guide to LightBurn's three main vector layer modes and when to reach for each one.
Every vector layer in LightBurn has a mode that tells the laser how to treat your shapes. Here’s the short version.
Line: follow the outline
Line mode traces the outline of your artwork. Use it for cutting and for outline-style marking. Slow, high-power passes can cut deep or all the way through, while fast, low-power passes only mark the surface.
Fill: engrave the inside
Fill mode etches closely spaced parallel lines across the inside of a shape. The Line Interval setting controls the spacing, while speed and power control how dark or deep the result is. This is the usual choice for engraving solid areas and text.
Overlaps can catch you out. Where shapes overlap on the same layer, that area isn’t engraved. If they’re on different layers, it’s engraved twice.
Offset Fill: work in rings
Offset Fill etches concentric lines that follow the shape’s outline, like nested rings. It can reduce travel time on designs with large hollow areas. It isn’t generally recommended for complex shapes, and intricate designs or small line intervals can make LightBurn hang while it calculates.
Why won’t my shape fill?
Fill and Offset Fill only work on closed shapes, where the start and end points are the same. If a shape won’t fill, check whether it’s open.