Tips for LaserSoft 7.2

LaserSoft is from Light Object. We are using it with the T9+ Controller

The tips are somewhat general, and may apply to any 2D vector design program you may be using:

• Make a copy of your file… Cause you are about to make your art way less editable
• In preferences convert the whole thing to millimeters including type and strokes
• Outline all your text
• Lines only no fills – .1mm (.005 in) stroke weight – skipping this won’t always throw an import error but doing it will make your life more simple.
• Un-group all your stuff… this will cause an import error ever time.
• Remove all the unused layers, guides and stuff you aren’t doing something with.
• Remove any overlapped or double lines if any of your art has shared cut lines. Only keep one. Sometimes it can help to use the “clean up” and/or “simplify” functions.
• Use different stroke color on objects to put things on different layers when you import into LaserSoft – Illustrator layers mean nothing
• Export Settings: dxf
  • Autocad version = 2004/2005/2006
  • Artwork Scale 1mm = 1mm
  • number of colors = (depends on your work… engraving or cutting)
  • Raster file format = PNG
  • Options = Alter paths for Appearance, Outline text (in case you forgot)

Tip for LaserCut 5.3

Here are some tips form our members that have used it to make laser-cut designs.

The tips are somewhat general, and may apply to any 2D vector design program you may be using:

• Make a copy of your file… Cause you are about to make your art way less editable
• In preferences convert the whole thing to millimeters including type and strokes
• outline all your text
• Lines only no fills – .1mm (.005 in) stroke weight
• Un-group all your stuff… I don’t know why, but it seems to junk up the file.
• Remove all the unused layers, guides and stuff you aren’t doing something with.
• Remove any overlapped or double lines if any of your art has shared cut lines. Only keep one. Sometimes it can help to use the “clean up” and/or “simplify” functions.
• Get the total dimensions of your art… you will need it later. Select all, look at the measurements and write that down.
• If you are mixing cutting and other stuff put them on layers with names. Example: Cut, engrave, score, null, etc.
• To engrave, Make a copy of the art and raster it. If you do not dither it to 1-bit black/white, the laser software will for you. Black = laser fires, white = laser doesn’t fire. Grey = will get dithered to a pattern of white and black dots to approximate partial lasering.
• Export Settings: dxf
  • Autocad version = 2000/LT200 OR 2004/2005/2006 (I am still not sure)
  • Artwork Scale 1mm = 1mm
  • number of colors = (depends on your work… engraving or cutting)
  • Raster file format = PNG
  • Options = Alter paths for Appearance, Outline text (in case you forgot)

From Crafty regarding how to make sure Illustrator units are reflected on your laser-cut piece:

I use an in art “measuring stick” as the unit conversion on out software is not reliable depending on the version of the illustrator you are exporting from. I using the flowing low tech technique to quickly and reliably resize my art and have very good results

• Drop a 1200mm x 800mm box around the art
• Import the art and select Draw> Resize > Choose 1200 x 800
• Move the art to the “laser bed” on the software
• Delete the box you used to size it
• Proceed with all the other art clean up steps
  I have very specific reasons for using that order of operation and can explain to anybody who wants to chit chat about. c/Rachel

”’Details from Tips & Tricks class given by Crafty:”’

”on 7 May 2016, Crafty gave the talk and demo using Illustrator 19.2.1”

• How to set up your file
  • File > New
  • Everything in mm (millimeters) since that is the ONLY unit of measure the laser understands
  • We do not want “Align new objects to pixel grid” since there is a size mismatch between pixels and mm and the snap to grid may produce unexpected results
  • 1200 x 800 mm – this is the size of the laser bed and will allow you to properly size your work in Illustrator and not have to trial and error in the laser software to get the right size
• How to use layers (or not)
  • Layer 1 will always be the 1200 x 800 box
    • Draw a box
    • Transform (x, y, width, height): 0, 0, 1200, 800
    • Stroke: 0.1 mm
    • Lock Layer
  • When you want to add any artwork, create a new layer that is a sibling of Layer 1
  • Add Layer
    • Do your drawing here
    • Enclosed shapes only for etching (meaning a closed loop – any open loops will result is a bad file for etching)
    • Cutting doesn’t require shapes to be closed
    • Stroke weight doesn’t mean anything to the laser. We either etch inside an enclosed shape or we are cutting on the line (and there is not way to change the “size” of the laser when it cuts/etches)
• What not to do
  • TODO
• How to inspect your file before export
  • When you are ready to prepare your file for export, you will need to have everything in one layer. You can have a layer inside a layer, which is fine, but there must be only one layer as the root item in the “layer tree”
  • Settings required prior to exporting
    • Color: no fill – importing file into laser software will fail if there are any fills. And remember, fills don’t mean anything to the laser
    • Stroke:
      • From Color Palette, set to grayscale & 100% black (be sure not to select fill on the color palette dialog)
      • 0.01 mm weight
  • Do a select all to make sure all drawings are within the bounding box of Layer 1 (the 1200 x 800 box)
  • Breaking apart objects
    • What is your art made out of?
    • The laser needs Paths only (Groups or Compound shapes are no good)
    • Select Compound Object and Release to Layers
      • Right-click on the selected compound object and click “Release Compound Path”
    • Select Groups – Release Groups
      • Select group, Object > Ungroup
    • Sometimes, when you release objects the fills change, but don’t worry since the laser doesn’t care about fills
• How to export your file
  • File > Export – choose DXF
• Basic manipulation in LaserCut 5.3
• How to use the trace function to create vectors (aka Image Trace)
  • Tracing an image (png, gif, etc)
  • Object > Image Trace
  • Select Black & White Logo
  • Image Trace panel – Advanced – Ignore White, click Expand (on toolbar)
    • This will not give white objects on top of black, it will only have the black objects with “holes” showing white underneath
• Creating file for etching existing objects
  • TODO
• Stencil theory
  • TODO
• Typography manipulation
  • TODO
• Additional Information
  • Ghost Object
    • Can also use clear acrylic (perhaps with a level and right angle) to align the piece on the bed
    • 0 power, really fast
    • Then you can use an acrylic overlay and hit “Laser” on the keypad to align
  • Registration Shape (aka Key Shape)
    • Cutting and Etching using Layers in the Laser software – to prepare for this, we do some things in the AI file (Key Shapes)
    • Separate art into cutting and etching pieces with a “registration box”
    • In the Laser software, put each item with its key shape into separate layers then align all groups/layers horizontally/vertically (align top, align left)
• LaserCut software
  • Import DXF file (that was exported from AI)
  • Move entire artwork, including bounding box, to line up (more or less) with the grid
  • Select bounding box (and nothing else) and delete it
  • The only thing that should exist now is your artwork, and it should be on the grid at the correct size
  • If you want layers
    • Select object(s), click color at bottom of App to put that object in a layer identified by the color
    • Select another object(s), create a second layer
    • In layer area on right, you can reorder layers if you want (laser will do one layer at a time, starting at the top and working down)
    • Typically, you will want to etch first and cut second (so that the piece remains intact while etching)
  • Set Laser origin (top right, top left, etc)
  • Download to laser
  • Position material (level, square, acrylic, etc)
  • Position Laser (X, Y, Z axes) and use spacer tool to make sure correct height for focus and smallest, most accurate lasering
  • Run Box, adjust materials and/or laser position(s) as necessary, Run Box again, etc
  • Click Start and step back