Laser cutting and printing: Print&Cut in focus

Printing and laser cutting, two technologies that have become increasingly popular working in conjunction to create striking applications.
The accuracy of laser technology provides enormous benefits to processing printed materials and allows manufacturers to stand out from the crowd.
Whilst the combination is widely used in the signage and display sectors, many other industries are now incorporating the different technologies to create stand out products.

Read on to find out more!

Why print & cut?

The combination of the two technologies opens new possibilities up to businesses. Laser cutting brings a range of different advantages to many different substrates, for example, laser cut cast acrylic will have a flame polished edge without the need for any post-processing. This advantage brings particular benefits to printed acrylics allows companies to create stand out applications. Print & cut applications are not limited to large scale applications however, the application can be used to bring even the smallest designs to life.

For example, laser-cut greeting or business cards are considered a premium product, which is partially thanks to the lasers ability to not only accurately cut the material but also to replicate fine details that are difficult to achieve with other technologies. The main advantage that the combination of the two technologies offers companies, however, is the diversification of products. Combining the technologies allows businesses to bring work in-house, or expand their product offering, for example, signage companies can offer promotional products.

Businesses that are new to either technology or are looking to combine them for the first time may wonder whether print & cut is a time-consuming process, for example, is manual alignment of print marks needed? Read on to find out about JobControl Vision®, the perfect tool for accurate processing of printed materials with a Trotec laser machine.

JobControl Vision®: making print & cut a breeze

JobControl Vision®, an additional software and camera for Speedy Laser engravers* and SP laser cutting machines, makes the processing of pre-printed materials a breeze. The main advantage of the optional software is that it removes the need for manual alignment of materials significantly improving set up times. The software and camera also read the registration marks before processing and compare them to those in the print file, automatically adjusting any deviations. An added advantage is that you not only save set up times, costly miscuts can also be avoided.

Discover JobControl Vision®

*Speedy 300 models and above

Try it yourself

Any new application introduced to your business may seem like a challenge,
which is why we've created some helpful tutorials to help you trial print & cut products.

Both of these guides show you how you can easily create two different print & cut applications using your laser cutting machine and provide design
files and example laser parameters to allow you to easily produce the sample designs. Why not try your own designs and share them with us on social media?

Try our memory game tutorial

Try the print&cut birthday card tutorial

Application examples: Print&Cut in action

In December we teamed up with Mimaki's exclusive distributor for the UK & Ireland, Hybrid Services, to bring viewers an engaging and informative webinar about
how laser cutting and UV printing can be combined to take businesses to the next level. Among the topics covered in the webinar we showcased how businesses
can maximise the potential of printing and laser cutting equipment, particularly when used together based on the industry experience of the hosts.

Watch the full webinar hosted by Alex Beckingham and Bryan Jater from Trotec UK alongside Hybrid’s Mimaki experts Ashley Carr and Richard Williams.

Contact Trotec today