DXF Export Removal in Illustrator: Impact on Professional Fabrication Workflows

Question

Hello Adobe Community,I am posting to raise a concern and ask for guidance regarding the recent removal of DXF export functionality in Adobe Illustrator.Based on what I’ve been able to find, Adobe’s position appears to be that Illustrator is intended for design rather than engineering use, and that DXF support was removed due to maintenance cost. Unfortunately, this change has had a significant and immediate impact on my professional workflow.I run a small metal art business and have used Illustrator for years to design vector artwork that is then sent to laser cutters. Illustrator has been ideal for this because it handles large, complex designs far more efficiently than CAD tools like Fusion, which tend to become slow and cumbersome at scale. I was using Illustrator strictly for design and not engineering.  The DXF export was the critical bridge between creative design and physical fabrication.With this capability removed, that workflow is now broken. As a result, I recently missed a Christmas delivery for a long-time customer, which is extremely frustrating and damaging for a small business. This is not a minor inconvenience... it directly affects my ability to deliver for clients.I am hoping someone from Adobe is can answer these concerns.  I mean you could have left it in, but offered no support moving forward...or another way to achieve the same results.  None the less I would like information on:Clarify the roadmap for DXF support in Illustrator, orSuggest an officially supported alternative workflow for users who rely on Illustrator for fabrication-oriented design.In the meantime, I would also appreciate input from the community:How are you currently exporting Illustrator artwork to DXF?Are you using another tool with a similar design experience that still supports proper DXF output?At this point, I am actively evaluating alternative software because I need a reliable path from design to fabrication.Thank you for your time, and I appreciate any guidance or feedback.

Kurt Gold · Accepted Answer

The tricky part that sometimes may be pretty confusing: If your initial document is a large canvas document (and thus does not allow to export to .dxf) and if this file is changed to a "normal" non-large-canvas document (e.g. 20 × 40 mm), then the .dxf export option will still not be availabe in the small document.