Exclusive, self-made Christmas card
Exclusive, self-made Christmas card
Wow your friends and family with a laser cut Christmas card this year! All you'll need is a Trotec laser, some paper and a whole lot of Christmas spirit.
Preparation
You Will Need
- The sky is your only limit, but you will see the best results if you use paper (or any material) with a weight of 150gsm or more. We decided to use a LaserPaper in Gold.
Machine Used
- Speedy 400
- 120 watts with 1.5" lens
You can use any machine from the entire Speedy range to produce this Christmas card. For larger quantities and mass production, the GS series would be the best suited solution.
Important
- For best cutting results, we suggest using the honeycomb cutting tabletop. The minimal contact area will help reduce residue build-up on the back of the material.
- Alternatively, you can use the aluminium cutting grid table.
Step by step
Step 1: Import / Create the Design Template
You can create your own design for the Christmas card if you wish, or you can use our free template. Due to the special characteristics of the paper, we have easily been able to create two different levels of engraving - you can test these by using the greyscale matrix.
PRINT SETTINGS
Process Mode | Resolution | Cut Line |
---|---|---|
Standard | 500 dpi | none |
Halftone | Others |
---|---|
Colour | Enhanced geometries, inner geometries first |
Step 2: Laser Process
Place the paper on top of the honeycomb cutting table, ensuring that you cover up the rest of the table. This will create a vacuum and prevent the paper from slipping or shifting throughout the laser process.
LASER PARAMETERS
Colour | Process | Power (%) | Speed (%) | ppi/HZ |
---|---|---|---|---|
Black | Engraving CO2 | 40 | 70 | 500 |
Red | Engraving CO2 | 14 | 70 | 500 |
Blue | Cutting CO2 | 5.0. | 3 | 1000 |
Cyan | Cutting CO2 | 5.1. | 1 | 1000 |
Green | Cutting CO2 | 15 | 3 | 1000 |
Passes | Air Assist | Z-Offset | Advanced |
---|---|---|---|
1 | on | 0 | High Quality |
1 | on | 0 | High Quality |
1 | on | 0 | - |
1 | on | 0 | Correction "30" |
1 | on | 0 | - |
Info:
- The laser parameters can vary depending of the type of power you have chosen to use. Try using the grayscale matrix to find the optimum parameters for your desired paper.
- For the perfect cutting result, we used different laser parameters for the fine geometries of the tree and the outer contour of the card itself.
Step 3: Post-Processing
- The crease line will allow you to fold the card perfectly without any difficulties.
- Be aware that some kinds of paper can produce a lot of smoke. In most of these cases, the smudge marks can be removed with a slightly damp cloth
Inspirations
- If you want, you can add the recipients' name to the Christmas card! It is simple and easy - the serial print function of CorelDraw will allow you to add a complete list of different names automatically.