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D
different_Diamond6657
Participant
October 27, 2025
Pergunta

Export Illustrator File as SVG with millimeter as unit?

  • October 27, 2025
  • 1 resposta
  • 285 Visualizações

Hello,

 

I want to use an Illustrator File that I exported as an SVG to follow a path, but I have issues with rescaling and finding the correct coordinates as this is not accurate enough.

Is there a way to export Illustrator files as an SVG (or another format that I can open as a text file) while keeping the units as millimeter?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

 

Best regards,

Michael

1 Resposta

B
Community Expert
Bobby HendersonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 27, 2025

How are you saving your SVG file? Are you using the SVG option under the File>Save As command? Or are you using the Export For Screens dialog? Different options are available in the two dialog boxes.

 

Usually when SVG files are exported they'll use the units of measure of the Illustrator document. In document setup, change the units setting from Inches to Millimeters.

 

Generally speaking, path accuracy can be improved by bumping the default setting of 2 decimal places up to 3 or 4.

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Brad @ Roaring MouseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 28, 2025

"Usually when SVG files are exported they'll use the units of measure of the Illustrator document. In document setup, change the units setting from Inches to Millimeters."

Don't think so. Illustrator measurements are based on Postscript points no matter what, so even if the Units are set to Metric, they will always be converted to points in the writing of a SVG file, or, in reality, with no setting whatsover, which means the SVG code will default to pixels as the measurement, e.g a box 100 points x 100 points will be assumed as 100px x 100px

 

The more important and deciding factor is what level of precision the file is exported as. Especially for scaling, it should be at least "4" (decimal places). 

B
Community Expert
Bobby HendersonCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 28, 2025

That's interesting. I was under the impression the SVG code would honor the dimensions in the Illustrator document. I'll occasionally have to export SVG files from Illustrator as vinyl cut-only jobs to output in Onyx Thrive. Apparently Onyx is just doing a good job of converting the points values back into inches.

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