Simple, laser-cut greeting cards
Instruction
Have you been struggling to find the right settings to get soot-free paper-cut designs? After two years and three different laser machines, I'm still trying to get it right! You look at the cut-out paper cards shown on projects online, and they look perfect! Maybe they're using the blade tool? Too slow. Trying many options, this is the best laser-cut outcome I've achieved so far, and you could technically recreate this on any of the laser machines xTool sells.
This project is a simple holiday greeting card with a silhouetted cut image on the cover. It employs a simple patterned insert to create the effect you see in the photo. While there's a few steps, these are pretty easy to make.
NOTE: I use a tree image on my cards that I acquired from my CreativeFabrica account, so I've substituted a different design in the attached XCS file, remixed from one of the built-in shapes. Swap in your own favorite design!
⚠️ And, of course, it goes without saying that paper is flammable. 🔥 Never leave your engraver operating unattended, particularly when engraving flammable materials like paper or cardboard.
I conducted a bunch of tests to determine the best cutting settings for the folded blank cards I bought from Michaels.
I wanted clean cuts with no fuzzies, I wanted the cutouts to just drop down, not get blown around on the surface (that can interfere with other cuts), and I wanted to minimize burn marks.
I started with the honeycomb panel. That was a disaster. Pieces were blowing around everywhere. Eventually I decided to use the slats with the minimal number possible, supporting just the edge, seam, and middle panels of the card.
If you use this method, follow my suggestion in the video to use the slats and a masking tape marker to make it easy to position each new card in exactly the same place!
For the actual settings, I found xTool's EasySet reference (4th image above) to be useless. Not just useless—suboptimal. To minimize burning on paper, you want to use less power at a faster speed. So I knew 100% at 80mm/sec wasn't the right answer. Ultimately (after the somewhat failed test in the video), I settled on 40% at 250mm/sec.
Don't forget to measure thickness and properly position your design, then run, replenish, and repeat!
You can create inserts from any paper, fabric, or cardstock. I chose (and the settings are optimized for) pre-printed, patterned, scrapbook paper. It's best if there's good contrast between the card and the insert. From each 12 x 12 sheet, I was able to cut two inserts. You'll need one for each card.
You can attach the insert any number of ways, but I decided to use a quick few passes of Gorilla Spray glue. You don't want to spray the image side of the insert, because then it would be tacky to touch through the cutouts, even after the glue tries. So when spraying the inside of the card, you need a mask so glue doesn't get all over your card. I concluded the easiest solution would be to cut a piece of cardboard.
Did you know that xTool's EasySet library doesn't offer any corrugated cardboard cutting settings anymore? What's that about? Yeah, it's very flammable, so make sure you measure your material and safely observe the cutting process.
This setting should work for you, but you may need to tune it for the thickness of your cardboard.
Once you've cut everything, the assembly is pretty quick. If you're using spray glue, spray a light coat on the back of the card face, using the matte you created to ensure you're not applying glue to the edges or opposing face of the card. Remove the card from behind the mask, let it sit a few seconds, then carefully (and squarely) lay the insert, “good” side down, on the glued face of the card. Smooth out the paper with your hand. That's it. These are ready to use!