Creating non-engraved areas

LightBurn Software Questions
1

We are looking to purchase additional lasers which will use Lightburn. Our issue is we engrave maps and when we attempt to create a map, we will place text indicating roads, points of interest and markers to enhance the map. We use Adobe Illustrator to create these, and we will either outline the text with a white outline or create a white box to block out the underlying map, allowing the text to have separation from the map. When this is imported into Lightburn, the Whit portions are imported in as vectors exposing the underlying map. If the object is selected as an engraving, it will only black out the area essentially leaving the text unreadable.
Is there a way to bring in a white object which will obscure the underlying image?

2

2 options:

  1. rasterize the graphics so that everything gets flattened
  2. design for lasering in mind. This essentially means all vectors will be flattened to a single layer. You cannot rely on painter’s algorithm to obscure shapes. You must actually remove the portions of the shape you don’t want visible.
3

Removing the portions is not a feasible option We have over 2500 files currently created which we cut on lasers using this format. These files are typically sent to the laser using their print drivers and are correctly interpreted. That format allows us to send them in a pdf format which gets converted at the laser software.
Our process really only involves two steps. 1. an image is engraved and 2. vectors are cut. Both of these steps are brough into the software in one import/send.

4

So it sounds like you have an existing laser system and workflow that you’re migrating from. You will not have the same workflow in LightBurn as LightBurn doesn’t rely on a printer driver model.

You could approximate this workflow by rasterizing the engraved portion of the design and leaving the cut portion of the design as a vector in AI. Then export to PDF. LightBurn will pickup the image and vector layers.

5

Thanks, we will play with these settings and see if there is a solution.

6

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