Gone are the days of photographs and printing on paper. It’s now digital screens and photos on your phone. However, whether it’s for advertising or to preserve a special memory, you can now print your unique images on mediums other than paper.
Printing with Lasers
New C02 laser-engraving machines are not your ordinary laser printers. They use actual lasers to engrave or etch images into different mediums. They work similar to a printer, with a laser head that moves back and forth across the medium’s surface, delivering targeted bursts of heat to create an image. The “printed” copies will either be lighter or darker than the surface medium.
Engraving on glass creates a particularly beautiful frosting effect, while engraving on wood can create darker, scorch-like effects. Like a printer, laser engraving machines use bitmaps, allowing more intricate designs as well as making them easier to use.
Laser engraving machines can only produce monochromatic images. However, these machines can still convey different shades as well as depth and contrast. Using a laser engraver is almost as easy as using a printer. You need to provide a bitmap image of a photo, design, or logo, and you can start transferring the image into your chosen medium.
Use Every Surface Imaginable
Laser engravers can be used on almost any surface. They have a lighter touch than traditional rotary engraving machines, and you can use even use them on thin, fragile glass. Lasers do minimal damage to a medium’s surface, allowing you to use more different types of materials with almost zero chances of ruining or damaging them.
You can use lasers to engrave on materials as hard as steel or as soft as your denim jeans. You can even personalize your leather accessories or bags, to make them more unique or a little bit more interesting. Curved surfaces — like wine glasses — pose no problems for laser engravers.
Unlike rotary engravers, which need a bit of adjusting to handle curved surfaces, using lasers allows you to engrave the image directly into a curved surface without any need for adjustment. You can use laser engravers on almost any uneven surface, whether it’s an undulating wooden signage or a spherical glass globe.
Create Striking Souvenirs and Mementos
Laser engravers work particularly well in creating small mementos and corporate souvenirs. Share your beautiful memories in the form of functional keepsakes that your friends can appreciate. Share photos of your newborn, your wedding, or just a fun trip in the form of small magnets, dog tags, or paperweights.
Laser engravers are also widely used for corporate souvenirs. Logos and images are easily translated into whatever medium the company desires. If you own a brewery, etching your logo into your glasses is a great way to market your brand. You can even sell your branded merchandise and get your customers to advertise your products in their own homes.
Sometimes, paper isn’t just good enough. Etch your images on glass, metals, wood, or whatever material you can dream of; laser engravers can handle the job quickly and beautifully.
