Harry Potter character montage on white Canvas

Step 2: Secure the Canvas

Canvas can sag or shift.

Make sure it is:

• perfectly flat
• tightly stretched
• firmly held down

If it’s soft stretched canvas, place a flat sacrificial board underneath.

Step 3: Start With Test Settings

Every laser is different, so always run a test grid first.

For diode lasers (5W–20W)

Start with:

• Power: 15–30%
• Speed: 2000–4000 mm/min
• Passes: 1

For CO₂ lasers

Start with:

• Power: 8–15%
• Speed: 300–500 mm/s
• Passes: 1

The goal is to remove paint without burning through the fabric.

Step 4: Engraving Black Painted Canvas

This is usually the easiest.

The laser removes the black paint and exposes the light canvas underneath.

Best settings:

• lower power
• faster speed
• high DPI (300–600)

This gives a clean “etched illustration” look.

Great for:

• portraits
• line art
• logos
• text

Step 5: Engraving White Painted Canvas

This works differently.

Instead of revealing a lighter layer, the laser creates a burned darker mark.

Use:

• slightly lower speed
• moderate power

The result is a sepia / brown engraved effect.

This is more artistic and less crisp than black canvas.

Step 6: Use Grayscale Carefully

For photo engraving:

• convert image to grayscale
• increase contrast
• sharpen edges

Black canvas especially works well for photo engraving.