Trotec Laser International
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Phone: +43-7201-15288
E-Mail: trotec@troteclaser.com
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Exclusive, self-made Christmas card
Learn how to produce a modern and elegant Christmas card using your Trotec laser and a simple piece of paper, and surprise your dearest with an engraved and cut card.
Preparation
Required material:
- Anything goes, but you will get the best results using paper (or material) with a weight of more than 150g. We used a noble, two-tone cardboard from the GMUND 925 series.
Machine used:
- Speedy 400
- 120 watts with 1.5" lens
You can use any product from the Speedy series to produce this sample. For larger quantities or serial production of greeting cards, the GS series is the best solution for you.
Important:
- For the best cutting results, we recommend using the honeycomb cutting tabletop. The minimum contact area will help keep residue on the back of the material to a minimum.
- Alternatively, you can use the aluminum cutting grid table.
Step by Step
Step 1: Import /create design template
Create your own design or use our template. Due to the special characteristics of the paper, we have been able to create two different levels of engraving. You can test this using the grayscale matrix.
Print settings
| process mode | resolution | cut line |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 500 dpi | none |
| halftone | others |
|---|---|
| color | enhanced geometries inner geometries first |
Step 2: Laser process
Put the paper on the honeycomb cutting tabletop and cover the rest of the table. This ensures full vacuum of the engraving table and prevents the paper from shifting.
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 vary depending on the type of paper you are using. Use the grayscale matrix to find the optimum parameters for your paper.
- For an perfect cutting result we used different laser parameters for the complex geometries of the tree and the outer contour of the card.
Step 3: Post-processing
The crease line allows you to easily fold the card. Some types of paper tend to produce traces of smoke. In most cases they can be removed with a damp cloth.
Inspirations
- The Trotec laser allows you to add the recipients' names on the card simply and quickly. The serial print function of CorelDraw allows you to add a complete list of different names automatically.
