Using Silhouette Design Store SVGs

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If you’ve done much shopping in the Silhouette Design Store, you’ve probably noticed the option to include an SVG file with your purchase. But how do you know whether or not you really need the SVG? Or what to do with the SVG once you’ve purchased it? This tutorial will help answer those questions!

Do you really need an SVG?

If you plan to only use the design with your Silhouette, the answer is “no”. All Design Store shapes come in .studio format, which is the Silhouette proprietary file type. That’s all you need when working with a Silhouette machine*.

However, if you plan to use the design in any other application or with any other brand of machine, you will definitely need the SVG. Examples include:

• Adobe Illustrator
• Gimp
• Glowforge
• Inkscape
• Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint
• PaintShop Pro
• other brands of digital cutters (Cricut, Brother ScanNCut, etc)

There is one exception to this rule, however. I always choose the SVG and Commercial Use options for the weekly Design Store freebies. These options are also free and you never know when they might come in handy!

*Because .studio files are proprietary, they cannot be sold by anyone other than the Silhouette Design Store. For this reason, SVG files are the perfect option when purchasing files from other sources. Keep in mind that you will need Designer Edition or above in order to open the SVG in Silhouette Studio.

How to purchase and download a Design Store SVG

Step 1: Purchase the SVG version of the shape

In this example, I’m using the Home Sweet Home design by Kristen Magee (Design Store ID 256747).

If you have credit in your Design Store account, click on the Express option to bypass the checkout process and add the Studio file directly to your Library, then click Proceed.

Step 2: Download the file to your hard drive

When you see the second popup message, click on Download Item, then Direct Download. (You can also set up your account to automatically download your order each time.) Be sure to make a note of which folder you specify for the download. I have a folder on my desktop labeled “Silhouette Design Store”

If you don’t have credit in your account, you will be given the Direct Download option once you complete the traditional checkout process.

Step 3: Unzip the File

Once the file is downloaded, unzip the file so that the design will be ready to use in Silhouette Studio.

What if I already own the .studio file?

If you’ve already purchased a design in .studio format and later on decide you need the SVG option as well, does that mean you have to purchase the designs all over again? Not exactly. Let’s use the Crafting is Always a Good Idea design (Design Store ID 293930) as an example.

One of my absolute favorite things about the Silhouette Design Store is that I can very easily tell which shapes I’ve already purchased.

Notice that once I click on the thumbnail for the design, there is no option to add the shapes to my cart or use the Express Checkout feature since I already own this design.

However, once I check the box for SVG, the Express Checkout and “Add to Cart” options reappear. The price shown is the difference between the purchase price of an SVG and the Studio format previously purchased.

The SVG format can then be purchased and downloaded in the same manner as described previously.

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I hope this tutorial has made it easier for you to decide when to purchase an SVG from the Silhouette Design Store as well as how to dowload and access the ones you’ve already purchased. If you have any questions, leave a comment below or come ask over in the Silhouette Crafters by Design Facebook group. I’m always happy to help!

Until next time,

Lycia Evanoff

Lycia is a lifelong crafter whose goal is to help others find value, confidence, and joy in whatever they create.  She geeks out on using technology to supercharge craft projects with Silhouette Studio, Design Space, Glowforge, sublimation, etc.! Lycia teaches these skills and more through online tutorials and videos as well as in-person classes at both the local and national levels.

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