The laser cutter cuts through material by essentially vaporizing it away where it makes contact. The result is an incredibly fine and precise cut with relatively little material removed in the process. The width of the line removed by the laser as it cuts is referred to as the "kerf" of the laser. In many use cases, such as cutting out the shape of a flower, this is not something that needs to be compensated for. Where it does become an important consideration is when making parts that are intended to fit together snugly, like joints to snap together the walls of a wooden box.
DXF files were originally designed to be readable by a variety of programs, so the file format is simple and does not include groups or compound paths. Both of those can be found in SVG files! Before you export a DXF file you'll want to follow three key steps:
Select everything in your file by either highlighting it all (click and drag a square around the artwork) or by hitting ctrl+A.
From the “Object” dropdown in the top menu, select “Ungroup” (Shift+Ctrl+G).
Next, with everything still selected, go to the “Path” dropdown in the top menu, and select “Break Apart” (Shift+Ctrl+K).
Finally, some designs and pieces still might not be paths. Visit the “Object” and select “Object to Path”
Now you're ready to export to DXF!