When you first start laser engraving, there are a few mistakes we all make without even realizing it. The frustrating part is that you can be using what you think are perfect settings and still get poor results.
I've made every one of these myself. They're the things that slow people down in the early days and waste material that costs money. Here's what they are, and more importantly, how to fix each one so you get consistent results every time.
Jump to: Focus · Cleaning · Same settings, different material · Color · Framing · Skipping the test
1. Not focusing properly
This is the first one and probably the most important. If your engraving looks blurry, low resolution or just soft, focus is usually the reason.
When I started, I'd be so excited to engrave that I'd put my item in, focus it roughly, close enough, and go straight to the software. Sometimes it was fine. A lot of the time it wasn't, and I didn't know what I was doing wrong. Even being slightly out of focus changes the way the laser interacts with the material.
Now I focus manually every single time, and I take extra care to get the two focus dots lined up on top of each other. If I want to be extra safe, I run the autofocus in the software as well.
Same photo, same kind of card. The difference is focus. Those extra few seconds are one of the simplest things you can do for the biggest impact on your results.
2. Not preparing your material
This one sounds simple, but it's easy to overlook and it makes a real difference. Fingerprints, oil, dust or dirt on the surface create a barrier between the material and the laser beam, and that can give you a weaker or patchy result.
I've had jobs where I had the right settings, I'd focused properly, and it still didn't look right. It turned out there were fingerprints and smudges on a shiny metal surface, and they ruined the engraving and the piece.
The fix:
- Spray the surface with 99.9% IPA (isopropyl alcohol).
- Give it a wipe down with a clean cloth or paper towel.
- Handle it by the edges from then on, and you're good to go.
Do this on anything that picks up fingerprints, dirt or dust, and those inconsistencies go away.
3. Using the same settings on different materials
It sounds obvious, but it's easily done when you're starting out. You find settings that work really well on wood and think, right, I'll try them on leather. It doesn't work like that.
Wood, leather and metals all react to the laser differently, so each one needs its own settings. These two keychains were engraved with exactly the same settings, and you can see they haven't come out the same.
Whenever I get a new material, or a different version of one, I do two things:
- Run a material test to find the best settings.
- Do a test engraving to make sure it looks right before the real job.
It feels slower at first, but it takes the guesswork out, stops you wasting material and gives you safer ground to stand on.
4. Forgetting that color changes everything
This one catches a lot of people out because it isn't obvious. The same object, made of the same material, but in a different color, can engrave very differently. A black coated item might absorb the laser much more than a blue, red or pink one.
I've engraved something in black, then used the exact same settings on blue or purple, and it's barely touched the surface. I've had to turn the power right up to make up for it.
A good rule of thumb: treat every color almost as a new material. Run a material test on each color, and save the settings as you work them out so you don't have to do it again.
5. Not framing properly
This is how you end up with engravings that are off center, wonky or misaligned. Most lasers now come with a camera, and it's easy to rely on it completely.
The thing to understand, especially with galvo lasers like the ones behind me in the video, is that the camera isn't sitting directly above the middle of the bed. It takes its picture from an angle and from a height, so what you see on screen isn't always exactly where the laser will engrave.
- Place your design using the camera image.
- Run Framing and look at where the outline actually lands on your item.
- Adjust the design: make it a little bigger or smaller, or nudge it left and right until the placement is right.
- If you move the item on the bed, update the camera picture before you go any further.
That last step is an easy one to forget. You frame, adjust the item on the bed, go back to xTool Studio, see the design looks off center on the old picture, move it to match, and then it engraves in the wrong place. Always update the picture after you reframe.
This is where a jig saves you every time. My self-centering jigs pull the item into the center under the laser, so you know exactly where it is, and they take a lot of those small mistakes out of the process. You'll find them in the F1 and F2 jigs and the F1 Ultra and F2 Ultra jigs.
6. Skipping the material test
We're all guilty of this one in the beginning. You buy exactly the amount of material you need for the job. Maybe it's a customer's tumbler, you've only got one, and now there's a lot of pressure on getting it right first time.
Always buy extra. If you're buying pencils, buy extra pencils. Pens, buy extra pens. Tumblers, buy an extra tumbler. Then run a material test grid in xTool Studio on the spare to find the best settings.
If you skip it and freestyle straight onto a customer's item, especially one they've given you, you risk ruining it and you put yourself through a nervous few minutes. Once you've done the test, save the settings, and next time you'll already have tested settings ready to go.
If you want a starting point before you test, my free Laser Settings Library has nearly 300 settings I've tested on xTool machines. Run a quick test on a spare anyway, because materials vary.
Build on a strong foundation
Get these basics right and your skills, and your results, will grow quickly. Focus carefully, clean your material, test each new material and color, frame and update your picture, and always have a spare to test on.
Which of these have caught you out? Let me know in the comments on the video. I try to answer all of them.
