Custom laser engraving on various items makes a good personalized gift for your friends and family. One of the best everyday items you can do a custom laser engraving with is tumblers. After all, they’re suitable for any kind of drink and come in various colors and sizes.
And with the growing popularity of personalized products, custom laser-engraved designs on tumblers are definitely trendy nowadays, serving as great personalized gifts for your loved ones. So, without further ado, here are the steps you need to follow in order to do custom laser engraving on any tumblers.
Locate the Center of the Tumbler
There’s nothing as terrible as engraving a design that’s not centered on a tumbler. So, to ensure that your tumbler design is centered as you do the custom laser engraving process, you can use a reference found on the tumbler.
For instance, a design already included in the tumbler itself can make a good reference for the center point. Once you’ve located your center, the next step is to draw a line along the center using a pencil and a speed square.
Do the Measurements for the Tumbler’s Circumference
Next, we’ll have to find out the spaces where we can engrave the designs on the tumbler. To do this, you’ll have to measure both the tumbler’s top and bottom circumferences to create the proper template. In addition, you will also have to measure the area where you’re engraving the design as well.
It’s ideal to use a fabric ruler or a tape measure for the measurements so you can wrap it around the tumbler’s circumferences and measure them accurately.
Place Your Tumbler Inside Your Rotary Tool
Now that you’re done with the necessary measurements and have readied your design for engraving, it’s now time to put your tumbler inside your rotary tool. You will now have to make use of the left and right buttons found in the machine’s control panel to make sure that the line you drew on the tumbler is precise. Also, make sure to inspect the lens to see if they are concentrated correctly at each end of your tumbler.
Centering the Design
Afterward, we can now proceed with centering the design you’ll engrave on your chosen tumbler. The design can be any text or image of your client’s choice. If your tumbler has a reference point or any design you can use as a guide, it’s ideal to place that image under your template for reference purposes.
Once you’ve placed your guide underneath your template, the next thing you’ll do is create a box surrounding your design. After completing the box, you will now have to make a line at the center of your newly created box for accuracy.
To ensure that the design is at the center point of your template, you can check in your settings if your center design is at the “0.0” coordinates of both your X and Y-axis.
Finishing the Design for Export
You can now remove the guide underneath your template once you’re done and satisfied with your template. The next step in this process is to export your design. Upon the exporting process, make sure to choose the “R14” option. Take note that the units you’ll use are in inches.
Next, choose “curves” for the “Export Text As” option, formatting the design into a “.bmp” format. Depending on your client’s preferences, you may add color to the design or simply leave it without color.
Importing the Design into your Software
After saving and exporting your design, the next step is to import it into the software you’ll use for engraving on your tumbler. For instance, you can use RDWorks, a free laser engraving program. Once you’ve imported the file and opened it at RDWorks, select the entire design and alter the color, turning the design into a single layer.
You will then have to choose your box and alter its color again. Once you’re done with that, it’s time to go to the top right portion of the software. From there, you will see the following: Layer, Mode, Output, and Hide. You’ll want to choose the “No” option for the second layer. Lastly, you will change the mode to “Laser Cut” for the specified layer.
Start the Laser Engraving Process
The next step is to rotate your design to 90 degrees. Make sure to alter your origin and set it to “left-center,” as well. In addition, you must make the necessary adjustments prior to starting the laser engraving process. Take note of the following settings down below when setting things up for your custom laser engraving process:
- Speed: 10
- Power: 65
- DPI image: 300
After inputting the following settings, you will now proceed to make sure the red dot is aligned at the top left center portion of your tumbler. Finally, go to Origin and choose Frame. Once you’ve done all that, it’s now time to press the “Start” button and begin the laser engraving process.
Cleaning the Residue Left on the Tumbler
Your tumbler may be left with some residue after finishing the engraving process. Don’t worry—you can clean this off your tumbler. Just let it sit for a few seconds before removing the residue with water and some cleaner.
After cleaning up the residue on your tumbler, you can now appreciate your tumbler with its fantastic laser engraved design.
Wrapping Up
Starting a business for custom laser engraved items such as tumblers can seem like a difficult job. But as long as you have the essential tools and products, continuously practice, and follow our helpful guide for custom laser engraving above, your business will be a blast.