What is a common mistake when laser engraving glass?

Often, when a laser strikes glass, it will fracture the surface but not engrave deeply or remove the material needed to engrave fully. The fractured glass surface will produce a frosted appearance, but can be rough and chipped depending on the type of glass that is being engraved. While the frosted look is desired, no one wants a rough surface or chipping.

In order to produce a smooth frosted finish, try incorporating one or several of the tips below:

• Use a lower resolution, about 300 dpi, which will produce a better result on glass as you separate the dots you are engraving.
• Change the black in your graphic to 80 percent black.
• Sometimes, applying a thin, wet sheet of newspaper or a paper towel to the engraving area helps with heat dissipation and improve the engraving process. Just make sure there are no wrinkles in the paper after it is applied.
• Another way to dissipate heat is to apply a thin coat of liquid dish soap to the area you’re engraving – either with your finger or a paper towel.
• If there are shards of glass after engraving, polish the area with a non-scratch scour pad.

-Amy Dallman, Epilog Laser