What are the design guidelines for laser engraved products?
Note
Laser-engraved products are currently a part of our Early Access Catalog. This means that mockup previews are not yet available in the Product Creator, and pre-made mockups are not provided for these products. To ensure complete confidence in the final product, we suggest placing a sample order before offering these products to your customers.
Laser-engraved products feature designs, logos, photos, or text permanently etched onto their surfaces using laser technology. This process removes a thin layer of material, creating a precise, durable, and detailed design that becomes an integral part of the product.
The engraving technology uses varying laser intensities to replicate different shades of gray, making it possible to engrave not only solid-color graphics but also detailed grayscale images.
For the best results with your laser-engraved products, be sure to follow the design dos and don’ts below.
General design dos
- Use a file in one of the supported formats: .png, .svg, or .jpg.
- The engraving process can capture small details effectively, which means that intricate designs are fully supported.
- Both vector and raster images can be used for engraving designs.
Design dos for vector (SVG) design files
- If using text in vector design files, be sure to outline it before saving the SVG file. Non-outlined fonts may get converted to default fonts if the Print Provider doesn’t have the original font.
Design dos for solid-color graphics
- To engrave solid-color graphics with consistent intensity, it’s best to create designs using solid black elements on a transparent background. Alternatively, you can use a file with black-and-white graphics, ensuring that the white is pure (#FFFFFF) so it is completely excluded from the engraving process.
Design dos for grayscale photos
- For photographic or gradient images, we recommend converting the image to grayscale to better predict the engraving results. Typically, photographs with medium contrast yield the best results.
- For color gradients, high contrast is better to enhance the distinction between light and dark areas, ensuring smoother and more defined transitions. Keep in mind that the engraving results for grayscale images can vary based on the material, its color, and the underlying color revealed during the etching process.
Design don’ts
- Avoid using semi-transparent designs. If using gradients, make sure to have enough contrast between light and dark colors.
- Don’t use any transparent pixels around the design, as they will get cropped off.