Exclusive, self-made Christmas card | Trotec laser DIY sample

Spread some style this holiday season with a modern Christmas card! It's the ideal way to send your wishes to the fashionistas, graphic designers, and/or architects in your life.

Preparation

Materials

Card stock sheets (350+ gsm)
The quantity of sheets depends on the number of cards you wish to create. For this project, we used Brown Silver card stock from GMUND's 925 collection.

Trotec Laser and Accessories

Speedy 400 (120 W)
1.5" lens
Honeycomb cutting tabletop or aluminum cutting grid table

You can use any laser system from the Speedy series for this application. Due to their array of features specifically designed for industrial production, systems from the GS series are optimized for processing large greeting card volumes.

Tip

Different engraving shades can be achieved on paper — from bright, white lines to deep, black contours. The trick lies in adjusting the power, speed, and Z-offset settings. For instance, a low power setting will yield lighter results, while a higher power setting will produce darker engravings.

Read More About Paper Processing

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PDF

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Step by step

Step 1

Step 1: Prepare the Artwork

Create your own design, or download our template (below) and adjust the graphics to your liking. Send the finalized artwork to JobControl® using the recommended print settings below.

PRINT SETTINGS

process mode	resolution	cut line
Standard	500 dpi	none

halftone	others
color	enhanced geometries inner geometries first

Step 2

Step 2: Laser Process the Card Stock

Place your card stock sheet on the honeycomb cutting tabletop or aluminum cutting grid table. Cover the remaining work area (e.g., with standard printing paper). This technique concentrate the vacuum's suction force on your card stock, which prevents it from moving while being laser processed.

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	Advanced
1	on	High Quality
1	on	High Quality
1	on	-
1	on	Correction "30"
1	on	-

Step 3

Step 3: Fold the Card

When the card stock has been laser processed, remove the cutout from your laser. Fold the sheet along the crease line, which is engraved along the centre of the card.

Some types of paper can produce traces of smoke. In most cases, the residue can be gently removed with a damp cloth.

More Ideas

For those who like a little surprise, give a pop-out Christmas card
If you're aiming for a craftier Christmas card, try creating one from felt and wood
Make your own Christmas trees from cardboard or TroGlass
Create other Christmas decorations, such as a candle, stocking, ornament, or decorative tree for your desk

Speedy series
The ideal laser engraver and cutter for personalization.

Discover laser engravers and cutters

Questions about applications or settings?
We're happy to advise you from A for Air assist to Z for z-offset.

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