---
title: "The Lasernet Shape Tool and the Benefits of Overlay-Free Forms"
slug: "lasernet-shape-tool-and-the-benefits-of-overlay-free-forms"
description: "From Lasernet 7, the Shape tool allows for lines, tables, rectangles, and rounded rectangles to be easily created in Lasernet forms."
tags: ["Overlays", "Lasernet 7", "Overlay files", "Lasernet 8 ", "Shape"]
updated: 2026-03-04T10:26:10Z
published: 2026-03-04T10:26:10Z
canonical: "kb.lasernetgroup.com/lasernet-shape-tool-and-the-benefits-of-overlay-free-forms"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.lasernetgroup.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Lasernet Shape Tool and the Benefits of Overlay-Free Forms

With the release of Lasernet 7 came the introduction of the **Shape** tool, which allows for lines, tables, rectangles, and rounded rectangles to be easily created in Lasernet forms.

Version 8 introduced new advanced styles and formatting options. These options allow for styles to be consistent throughout forms so that there can be fewer variations in fonts, therefore reducing font information stored in documents.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/c831ef63-c6b3-48ee-b443-3e33644e4e2e/Images/Documentation/image-HN45JEWZ.png)

The majority of Overlays can be recreated within Lasernet by using a combination of the **Shape** tool, **Style** options, and the **Image** tool. Overlay-free documents have a number of benefits, some of which are listed as follows.

## Benefits of Overlay-Free Forms

The major benefit is greatly reduced file sizes compared to documents generated with an **Overlay**. This means that:

- Documents will be generated faster as there is less data to process.
- After generation, documents will pass through the rest of the Lasernet process faster as there is less data.
- There is increased document throughput efficiency.

If documents are being emailed or archived, they:

- Take up less storage space.
- Be faster to transfer as there is less data to transfer.
- Will reduce network load.

Changes to existing forms are easier and quicker because:

- Changes can be made dynamically without the need for external applications.
- There are no external files, so **Overlay files** cannot be lost.

### Example

The following image shows an example of two documents created in Lasernet. One has been created using an **Overlay**, and the other using the built-in Lasernet form tools and style options.

With the exception of minor design amendments, the two documents are almost indistinguishable. All data is displayed consistently, regardless of **Overlay** or Overlay-free output.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/c831ef63-c6b3-48ee-b443-3e33644e4e2e/Images/Documentation/image-5TJMWV1I.png)

## Overlay-free vs Overlay

The major advantage here is the resulting file size. The document created using an overlay was 57kb compared to 12 kb for the Overlay-free version—a 77% reduction in output file size.

In practice, this would mean that if Lasernet generated and stored one million overlay-free documents, 45GB of space would be saved compared to creating a document with overlays—a significant saving for such a simple change.

If you would like some assistance in redesigning your Lasernet forms to take advantage of the benefits listed above, contact [Lasernet Support](https://support.lasernetgroup.com/new-ticket) to discuss how to best make them work for your requirements.