Make a paper catalog cover

Step by step instructions

See how you can produce unique catalog covers, brochures or other printed items with paper.

Preparation

Required material:

1 sheet of heavy laserable paper
material to cover the engraving table

Machine used:

Speedy 360
120 Watt
2" lens
aluminum cutting grid table or honeycomb table

For this sample you can use any laser machine from the Speedy laser engraver series.

Important:

For the inner part, use paper with at least 150 g/m² to secure sufficient volume of the finished item
Make sure that "Send Beziers and paths to driver" is activated in your software. Otherwise the registration marks are not recognized by JobControl^® Vision.

Step by Step

Step 1: Create your design

Make your own design and adapt it to your needs. Print your design on your paper or have it professionally printed.
Because this sample is being engraved and cut, we put a hair cross in the middle of the print file instead of registration marks. This hair cross helps you to position the job precisely.

Send the graphic for the outer shell to the laser using the settings below:

Print settings:

Process mode	Resolution	Cut line
Standard	500 dpi	none

Halftone	Others
Colors	enhanced geometries, inner geometries first

Step 2: Laser process

Determine the correct the parameter settings for the laser machine and laser power you're using.

Tip:

Change the order of the colors in JobControl from red to blue so that the material is scratched first and cut second.

Laser parameters:

Color	Process	Power (%)	Speed (%)	ppi/Hz
black	Engraving CO₂	20	50	500
red	Engraving CO₂	12	1.5	1000
blue	Cutting CO₂	5	1.5	1000

Passes	Air Assist	Z-Offset	Advanced
1	on	+2.5 mm	-
1	on	-	-
1	on	+2 mm	-

Step 3: Post-processing

Take the cover out of your laser and insert the core of the catalog. Or if you are using a commercial printer, forward the cut-out cover to your printing representative to attach it to the catalog.