Anybody using Adobe Express or IIIustrator for sign making . Seems easier to use. Can you download it to DXF or SVG ??? Thoughts of it ??
I have no experience with Express, but have used Illustrator a little.
As far as I know, Illustrator costs money and being that these are hobby-grade tables, it’s hard to justify spending money on software with very little benefit.
Inkscape is easy to use and very popular for sign making (your intended purpose) not to mention free.
When I think of Illustrator, I recall it as being more aimed towards photo editing and that sort of thing.
I assume you’re asking if you can “create an SVG or DXF” using either software above? I know you can create an SVG with Illustrator, and according to Google, so can Express.
With that said, there is no right or wrong software to use for design work. There are tons of different applications and each one will have their strengths and weaknesses. Pick what you like best and stick with it for your CAD.
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I do almost everything in Inkscape. It is free and open sourced with a great support community. You do need to understand how vector graphics work (which can take some time to learn) but once you get that, Inkscape is a very powerful tool. Inkscape likes to work in .SVG as its native format but it will accept almost any graphic input. I often use screenshot in .JPG, .PNG or others and trace them into .SVG in Inkscape.
Sheetcam has zero issues with Inkscape files for creating your toolpath.
I am a mechanical Engineer by training, so I still have fondness for true CAD packages when required. I use SolidWorks for any “Engineering” parts that I cut.
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I believe @jamesdhatch uses Adobe Illustrator on occasion.
Indeed. It was one of the options I provided when I was teaching CAD/CAM for maker machines (laser, 3D printers, CNC routers). @Kwikfab and @Madkow are correct. Illustrator can be used for 2D work on our tables but Inkscape (& yeah, Fusion 
) are better suited unless you’re already in the Illustrator/Adobe ecosystem and paying for the subscription. Affinity Designer is an inexpensive alternative to Illustrator but with a similar workflow, toolset and style if someone was bent in using Illustrator but wanted to get a taste of how it would work with our tables.
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