I have a file that I imported and did a bitmap trace on that came from a .png file which came from a pdf. Everything looks good so far. The file is intended to be used on a laser cutter I have yet to get.

At this time the line is very thick and I am trying to make it thinner. I have tried to join the nodes, or paths, to thin it but no luck yet. Are there expert tips on how to merge all the nodes and paths in a simple way?

Thank you

Welcome to the forum!

For the fastest answer, we would need to see the SVG file.  Possibly using Trace Bitmap did not produce exactly the kind of lines you need for cutting.  And seeing the file, we could tell you if it's the right kind of path.

Merging paths or joining nodes is something different from making a line thinner.  So it's hard to know how to answer.

If it's truly a single path, you can change the width in Object menu > Fill and Stroke > Stroke Style tab > Width.  However, I have a suspicion you don't have a single path, and may instead have 2 paths that are very close together, and filled in between so that they look like a line.  It's really hard to guess from your description.

So if that doesn't do what you want, please share your SVG file.  And also you might want to clarify what you want to do.

Sure, I can attach the file now.

I think you are correct, there are cewrtainly two paths parallel to one another. I also noticed that the original bitmap is still under the lines and I don't know if it needs to be removed for cutting or not. The cutting should be as close to the inside of the bitmap line in any case.

I think I was able to get through it correctly, and was also able to remove the original traced bitmap as well as sizing the way I want.

Can someone take a look at this file and give me feedback on whether or not it will work for laser cutting? I wasn't sure how to get an engraved arrow on there so I took a guess so that may be wrong.

Feedback is very mu appreciated. Thank you.

Yes, those look like proper paths.

But I'm not sure if that arrow head will get cut though.  It might.  Some cutters apparently can cut using raster images, and the arrow head is raster-ish content.  So it might cut, but I can't say for sure.

To make the arrow head definitely cuttable, you'll need to draw it.  You could make a simple triangle, or a modified triangle.  Use the Pen tool.  Click once on the canvas to start, click once at each corner, and when you come back around to the starting place, put the mouse inside that tiny box.  The box will turn red and get bigger when the mouse is in the right place.  Then click once, and the path will be finished.

If you want to make some of the lines curved, switch to the Node tool.  You can grab a line with the mouse and drag it, to make a curve.  Zoom in, and maybe use a grid with snapping, for precision.

The arrow is suppossed to be just a burn mark, not cut through. Just need it to show on the wood enough to see. I thougnt red was for cut and blue was for engrave.

I have heard people say that their cutter recognizes different colors for different kind of cuts.  But I couldn't say which cutters do that or if they all use the same colors.  But you can try it, and if it doesn't do what it's supposed to, try making a path with the Pen tool.