Photo Engraving on Wood, Slate & Acrylic — Fast Results (CO₂ vs Fiber)
Get beautiful photo engravings — CO₂ for wood & clear acrylic (back-engrave = engrave from the back so it looks crisp from the front), fiber for slate & stainless. Start with a 30–40 mm test tile and the beginner-safe presets below.
- Wood & clear acrylic → CO₂
- Slate & stainless → Fiber
- Always begin with a 30–40 mm test tile
Who is this for?
- DIY creators & hobbyists: photo gifts on wood or clear acrylic — clean highlights, no muddy midtones.
- Side-hustle & Etsy sellers: repeatable settings, faster first-article approval, fewer remakes.
- Pro studios & sign shops: slate coasters and stainless plates with crisp, high-contrast dot patterns.
- Education & makerspaces: a 45–60 min repeatable workflow, safety-aware and beginner-friendly.
- Corporate gifting teams: consistent batches, simple jigs, and settings you can log and re-use.
Work across materials? This guide shows where CO₂ shines and where fiber is the right tool.
CO₂ owners targeting wood and cast acrylic (back engraving) who want fine line spacing (interval) control and dot-pattern (dither) strategies (Floyd/Jarvis/Stucki); fiber users aiming for tight dot fields on slate and stainless (black anneal, optional MOPA color). Expect starter recipes, parameter sweeps, and batch-consistency practices.
Quick decision: CO₂ or Fiber?
CO₂ (≈50 W)
Forgiving on light woods; best for clear acrylic (back engraving = mirror the image and engrave from the back).
- Wood: smooth tones, stable workflow
- Acrylic: crisp look through the front face
- Use a dot pattern (dither) + fine line spacing
Fiber (20–50 W)
Crisp, high contrast on slate; black/color marks on stainless (MOPA).
- Slate: tight dots, bright mark
- Stainless: start with black anneal; color best for logos
- Always dither; avoid continuous grayscale
If you do both wood and stainless often, many shops run CO₂ + fiber together.
Path A — CO₂ Route: Wood & Clear Acrylic
What “good” looks like
- Wood: smooth tones, readable faces, controlled highlights, minimal smoke.
- Acrylic (back-engrave): frosted detail viewed through a glass-like front.
Tip: Keep highlights clean; overburn flattens midtones.
Photo prep (3 simple steps)
- Convert to grayscale; crop and straighten.
- Add local contrast/clarity; tune midtones with Curves (avoid blown highlights).
- Export at final size ~300 PPI.
Pick a dot pattern (dither) you can trust
Your laser makes dots, not continuous gray. A dot pattern (dither) turns tones into dots you can engrave predictably.
- Light woods: Floyd–Steinberg for smoother tone; Jarvis for a touch more detail.
- Seeing grain banding? Use a finer line spacing (interval) or rotate artwork 90°.
Start here: beginner-safe settings (fine-tune after a 30–40 mm test tile)
| Material | Speed | Power | Line spacing (interval) | Dither | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birch plywood | 250–400 mm/s (≈15,000–24,000 mm/min) | 12–22% | 0.08–0.12 mm | Jarvis / Stucki | Mask to reduce smoke; light sand after. |
| Basswood | 300–500 mm/s (≈18,000–30,000 mm/min) | 10–18% | 0.10–0.15 mm | Floyd–Steinberg | Lower power to preserve highlights. |
Lock settings with a 30–40 mm test tile — 3 quick moves
- Engrave A/B/C/D quadrants with small changes (power ±10–20% or line spacing ±0.02 mm).
- Pick the square that keeps highlights clean and midtones readable.
- Run a narrow sweep only if you still need fine tuning.
Common mistakes → fast fixes
- Muddy / low contrast → lower power 20–30% or increase speed; add midtone contrast before dithering.
- Wood grain banding → finer line spacing; rotate artwork 90°; try Floyd–Steinberg.
- Smoky edges → masking tape; stronger air assist; wipe clean.
45–60s overview: import → dot pattern (dither) → test tile → final.
Path B — Fiber Route: Slate & Stainless
What “good” looks like
- Slate: bright, chalk-white detail, crisp edges, no char.
- Stainless: readable “photo-style” dot pattern (black mark); color best for logos.
A slight negative focus can tighten dots on slate.
Photo prep (same 3 steps, one small tweak)
- Same as CO₂: grayscale → tone → ~300 PPI export.
- Push local contrast a bit higher; avoid crushed blacks that clump into big dots.
Pick a dot pattern (dither) for tight, crisp dots
- Slate & metals: Stucki for tighter dots; Jarvis as a general default.
- Always dither on fiber; avoid continuous grayscale.
Starter presets (get in the ballpark fast)
| Material | Speed | Power | Frequency / Hatch | Dither | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slate coaster | 600–1500 mm/s (≈36,000–90,000 mm/min) | Low–mid (just enough to lighten) | Medium frequency; fine hatch | Stucki / Jarvis | Refocus carefully; the lowest clean power wins. |
| Stainless (black mark) | Low speed | Multiple passes | Fine, consistent hatch | Stucki / Jarvis | Convert the photo to dots; start with black anneal. Surface must be oil-free. |
Controller units may show mm/min — convert accordingly. Lock exact values with a test tile.
Test tile workflow — 3 steps
- Find the lowest power that yields a clean light mark on slate / solid black on steel.
- Adjust frequency/hatch to avoid halos or merged dots.
- Commit settings; sweep only if a finer tweak is required.
Common mistakes → fast fixes
- Slate looks gray/flat → tighten dots (Stucki), slightly lower power; refocus.
- Stainless is brown/light → reduce speed, add passes; refine hatch; clean surface (IPA).
- Detail clumps → reduce dot gain (lower power/shorter pulse); increase spacing slightly.
Fiber overview: slate coaster + stainless black mark.
Downloads
Photo Engraving Starter Kit — includes:
- 40 mm four-quadrant test tile (SVG)
- 120 × 60 mm parameter sweep strip (SVG)
- Starter presets (CSV) for wood, slate, acrylic, stainless
- Synthetic photo test card (PNG)
- Quick README for LightBurn/XCS
Upload the files to your CDN, then replace the links above.
Troubleshooting (quick reference)
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Muddy / low contrast | Overburn; power too high | Lower power 20–30% or increase speed; add midtone contrast before dithering. |
| Highlights blown | Dot gain too high | Reduce power 10–20%; widen line spacing slightly; re-dither with milder sharpening. |
| Wood banding | Grain emphasis; coarse spacing | Use a finer line spacing; rotate artwork 90°; try Floyd–Steinberg. |
| Acrylic looks flat | Front engraving; soft focus | Mirror + back-engrave; refocus; slightly tighten spacing. |
| Slate too gray | Dots too loose; power too high | Stucki dither; slightly lower power; refocus for sharp dots. |