K40 laser software

It depends on the board inside. A stock K40 with an M2 Nano board runs with K40 Whisperer or MeerK40t, both free. LightBurn does not support that stock board, and neither does Vextrify's live control. After an upgrade to a Ruida controller, LightBurn and Vextrify can drive the K40 like any Ruida CO2 laser. Either way, Vextrify can prepare the photo or design and hand it over as a clean SVG.

• Stock M2 Nano → K40 Whisperer or MeerK40t
• Upgraded to Ruida → LightBurn or Vextrify
• Any K40 → Vextrify for preparation and SVG export

K40 Whisperer is the classic free tool for the stock board: it reads SVG and DXF files, uses colours to separate engrave and cut, and is simple once set up. MeerK40t is a free, open-source alternative that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and offers more control, at the cost of a steeper learning curve. Both focus on driving the machine; neither brings serious photo preparation.

• K40 Whisperer: free, simple, SVG and DXF
• MeerK40t: free, open-source, cross-platform
• Both: control first, little photo preparation

Vextrify does not drive the M2 Nano board, but it covers the part those tools leave out. Photo Studio prepares photos for CO2 engraving with material profiles and dither patterns, background removal isolates the subject, and Vectorize and Contour turn logos and shapes into clean SVG paths for cutting. Export the result as SVG or PNG and open it in K40 Whisperer or MeerK40t — the browser tier does this for free, on any computer.

• Photo prep with material profiles and dither patterns
• Vectorize and contour to clean SVG cut paths
• Free in the browser, export to K40 Whisperer or MeerK40t

Many K40 owners replace the stock board with a Ruida controller to get a display panel, proper power control and support in mainstream software. A K40 with a Ruida controller behaves like the larger CO2 machines: LightBurn and Vextrify drive it over USB, and Vextrify adds framing, a dry run, camera alignment on the workpiece and photo preparation in the same app, on macOS and Windows.

• Ruida upgrade → display, power control, mainstream software
• Vextrify: framing, dry run, live control over USB
• Camera alignment and photo prep in the same app

If you plan to keep the stock board, use K40 Whisperer or MeerK40t for control and Vextrify for preparation. An upgrade is a hardware change with its own wiring and safety considerations — follow the board maker's instructions. Settings for your K40 come from a material test on your own machine, because tubes, mirrors and alignment vary a lot between K40s.

• Stock board: Vextrify prepares, another tool drives
• Upgrades are hardware work — follow the board maker
• Settings from your own material test