Usage and Operation

Have you ever had a client or project requiring the italic version of a typeface, but the typeface you are using doesn’t have an italic font? Many people experience this problem when designing with roman, hand-written, and calligraphic style typefaces. Here we’ll show you a quick and easy technique for (...)

Adding an Italic / Oblique Effect to a non-Italic Font – CorelDRAW X7

How do I make a non-italic typeface/font appear italicized?

There are a lot of variables which determines whether your 2D barcode engraving will be successful. The contrast you can achieve on the PCB, the amount of data contained within the 2D barcode, size of barcode and most importantly, the scanner you’re using. When you’re trying to engrave a very (...)

Bar Code Engraving Suggestions

How can I engrave a very small bar code with the laser?

11/05/2023

Bearing Rails

Keep your bearing rails clean to promote smooth performance.

Remove Assembly Cover To begin the cleaning and greasing of the bearing rails, shut off the laser and remove the power cord from the machine. Loosen, but do not remove, the five Phillips head screws along the back of the X-Axis Assembly, as well as the two screws on the (...)

Using Center-Center There are many ways to use Center Engraving on the Epilog Laser Dashboard. Let’s take a logo we want to engrave at the center of a coaster. In the Epilog Dashboard, choose the Advanced Tab. Next to Centering Point you’ll see a list of all (...)

Center-Center vs Custom Center Engraving

Learn about preset positioning to center your artwork along with techniques to center offset graphics.

Starting with CorelDRAW X5, Corel decided that the default line width would be .007. Because most laser drivers need to see line widths of less than .007 to vector cut, this presents an issue for those wanting to cut objects using the laser. For this exercise we’ll show you how (...)

Changing the Default Pen Width in CorelDRAW X6

How can I change the default line width in CorelDRAW X6?

Please find the attachment for an in-depth description.

Cleaning and Maintenance – Mini / Helix

How do I keep my Helix/Mini clean?

Ensuring your optics are clean will help your laser system perform its best. If smoke, resin, or other contaminants are allowed to accumulate too heavily, they will reduce the available laser power and may cause damage. Dirty optics can also greatly reduce the engraving and cutting quality of your machine (...)

Cleaning Optics – Mini / Helix

How do I clean the optics in my laser system?

09/10/2024

Cleaning the X-Axis Linear Encoder

My engraving is drifting across the page and looks wavy. What is happening?

Procedure: Cleaning the X-Axis Linear Encoder Machines: Epilog Mini 18/24, Helix, 36EXT Laser, and FiberMark. If you are seeing wavy engraving, or the engraving seems to be drifting across the page, you probably have a dirty linear encoder. Cleaning it is a quick process that we will explain below. Before (...)

Remove Assembly Cover To begin the procedure of cleaning your encoder strip, Shut off the laser and remove the power cord from the machine. Loosen, but do not remove, the five Phillips head screws along the back of the x-axis assembly, as well as the two screws on the front. (...)

Cleaning Your Encoder Strip

A clean linear encoder strip helps your machine achieve accurate positioning.

Remove Left Side Panel To begin by the optics cleaning procedure, start by shutting off the laser and remove the power cord from the machine. Remove the left side panel by removing the four Phillips head screws on the side of the machine and the two screws on the (...)

Cleaning Your Optics

Cleaning your lens and mirrors is an essential part of routine maintenance.

Some of our users have reported unsatisfactory engraving results when using CorelDRAW. We believe this is caused by certain Color Management settings, which can result in a “pixilated” output when using the color black or when using the Color Mapping feature (see image below.) This issue can be resolved by (...)

Color Management Settings CorelDRAW X5, X6, X7

How do I adjust the Color Management Settings in CorelDRAW to Eliminate Pixelated Engravings?

This article will go through the steps to convert vector artwork from CMYK to RGB in CorelDraw. Start by selecting all of your artwork with the Pick Tool (CTRL + A). Next open the Replace Objects Wizard, by selecting Edit / Find & Replace / Replace Objects from the drop-down (...)

Converting Vector Artwork from CMYK to RGB – CorelDRAW

How do I convert my vector artwork from CMYK to RGB using CorelDRAW?

Click here to see a walk-through video on how to create 3D artwork for the laser.

Creating 3D Artwork

How to create 3D artwork for the laser

05/17/2023

Creating a 3D Effect With the Laser on Acrylic and Glass

How can I use the laser to create a 3D effect on glass and acrylic?

1) This 3D effect will work for any block style font and many other types of shapes, but for this exercise we are going to apply the effect to the letter “E”. Start with a capital letter “E” to the specifications below. Font: Arial Black Size: 310 pt Convert to (...)

Setup the Artwork Here we have a snowflake design that we’ve replicated in an offset grid pattern to be transformed into a 3D sphere design. Select the design and drag it into the Symbols tab. Name the design And set the export type to graphic. Delete the (...)

Creating a 3D Sphere Design for Laser Engraving

Create a spherical look using Adobe Illustrator’s 3D Revolve feature.

One of the most common questions we receive is regarding name badge layout. Although it looks easy, finding a quick way to create multiple name badges can create some major complications. Since working with PhotoLaser Plus, we’ve discovered a great benefit of the software is that it does an excellent (...)

Creating a Multiple Name Badge Layout using Print Merge

How do I create a PhotoLaser Plus file with a name badge layout using print merge?

When we’re running custom engraving jobs, there is nothing better than combining our features of Red Dot Pointer and Center-Center Engraving to quickly position the product. While at the MakerFaire in San Mateo we were providing custom engravings on cell phones and laptops and found ourselves repeatedly using a tip (...)

Creating a Quick Bounding Box for the Red Dot Pointer

How can I preview the area where I am going to engrave?

Did you know you can use the badge layout tool in PhotoLaser Plus to create serial tags with variable data? It’s a quick and easy way to create a serialized tag system that can be engraved and cut with the laser. In this article we’ll be looking at how to (...)

Creating a Serial Tag with Variable Data in PhotoLaser Plus

How do I create a serialized tag in PhotoLaser Plus?

Because of their large work area and laser-friendly material, skateboards are becoming a fast favorite for custom engraving. While the task can seem a bit challenging, we’ll show you how, with just a few supplies from your hardware store you can create a very useful jig that will hold your (...)

Creating a Skateboard Jig in CorelDRAW X5

How can I create a custom jig to hold a skateboard for laser engraving?