I have been using inkscape for about 2 years  I change measurments to inches and I export to a program called sheetcam which creates a G code  my laptop had some issues so I got a new one and downloaded Inkscape and when I export from my new laptop the object id fifty+ times its size  I compared properites to my old laptop and everything seems right but im sure I am missing something   please help thanks Thom

Was the export dialog Base Unit set to inches?

Not sure what that means.  I open “ document properties” and changed to inches in 2 places.  I do that every time.   Would love it if I could change that permanently. Not sure if that is what you are referring to  

Referring to the dialog window that appears when saving a copy as DXF.

To make Inkscape open every time with inches in the Document properties, set the properties thus, particularly the scale (change the W/H to your liking):

Then save as a Template with the default checkbox ticked:

I did a file today with the dialog base set to inches and it worked perfectly  thank you so much   now  I don't understand how to save as a template   I apologize for my stupidity but I am a metal fabricator and car builder and am a little slow on computers thanks again 

No problemo... I use Inkscape and SheetCam for the CNC plasma cutter at the local makerspace.

If I want to have Inkscape always open with inches, I'll open a blank document, set the units in the Document properties and set the scale for 96. In this example, I'll also set the page size to 48x48, but  I'll change that depending on the piece I'm working on. Then I'll use the Save Template menu to set the default file, so every new Inkscape document will open with inches ready to go.