The maker space is ever-expanding, and while lasers aren’t new inventions by any means, the thought of having one in your home is something you might not have considered before.
While you used to need large areas and lots of equipment and training to use lasers, now you can have quite powerful machines that fit on a desk as all-in-one units. From desktop CO2-based systems which allow you to cut and engrave many materials to simple “Galvo” style machines which work at lightning speeds, there’s never been a better time than now to own your own laser. Still not sold? Here’s why you would own a laser engraver.
Laser Engravers Are Now Easier To Use Than Ever Before
You might think of lasers as being industrial tools (and they are) but, recently, companies like xTool, Monport, OMTech, and others, have been working to make at-home laser engraving easy enough so anyone can do it.
Now, lasers are still dangerous, and you still need to take precautions when using them. Lasers need to be properly ventilated and, depending on the laser source, you’ll need various safety glasses (or enclosures) to keep your eyes safe when engraving. However, you no longer have to try and source parts from several manufacturers and figure things out yourself. Simply buy the system, plug it in, and you’re ready to go!
Free Software Gives You A Head Start
Laser software used to be very complicated. Now, however, companies like xTool are making their own software that works exclusively with their lasers. There’s software like Lightburn which works with a huge range of lasers, but if you stick within the xTool ecosystem, then a lot of the guesswork is removed for you.
xTool Creative Space is a simple piece of software that communicates with the brand’s lasers seamlessly, and even wirelessly. XCS, as it’s called, also has an entire library of pre-built settings for you to browse through. In my experience, these settings are pretty spot on when available and give you a place to start without even knowing how the laser works.You really could buy an xTool F1, get a slate coaster, and custom engrave it for a wedding in a matter of minutes.
So, if you’ve wanted to add a laser to your maker space, but have been intimidated by the thought of doing so, then don’t let that stop you. Lasers can be quite simple these days, and offer room to grow as many machines support Lightburn if you want to move to more advanced levels in the future.
Custom Gifts and Goodies for Your Own Home
Once you own a laser engraving system, you’ll find that you think differently about gifts, and can now offer unique and personal items that you can’t just buy in a store. At least, not in its entirety. To give you an idea, here are some simple examples.
Customize a Cutting Board for a Heartfelt Wedding Gift
As someone who runs a small business based around laser engraving, wedding presents are hot sellers for sure. You could take a trip to Marshalls (or Home Goods, or TJ Maxx, or Hobby Lobby—you get the drift) and buy a wooden cutting board. Note that I said wood. Unless you have a specific laser and know what you’re doing, steer clear of plastic or stone cutting boards.
Once you have the cutting board, you can fire up XCS (or whatever software your laser needs), and simply type in the last name of whoever is getting married. Find a fun font on a site like Creative Fabrica or DaFont, and you’re ready to engrave. Choose the wood that most closely matches what you bought, and click go!
Make Christmas More Exciting With Unique Gifts
Some of the best things to make around Christmastime are ornaments.You can easily buy or create your own ornament design that can quickly be engraved and cut out on your laser. Ornaments can be personalized on a person-by-person basis or even just for the entire family.
You can also make customized rolling pins with a rotary attachment on your laser, cutting boards, slate coasters, and so much more. If you like escape rooms or just annoying people, hide their present on the inside of a puzzle box and make them really work for their gift this year!
Create Custom Hats and More for a Fraction of What It Costs To Buy
This one takes a bit more than just a laser engraver to do, but, if you have a hat press (or have been looking for an excuse to buy one), then you can make custom hats with your laser! There’s laser-safe leatherette that has pre-applied adhesive on it, which you can engrave then cut with relative ease. Once you have the patch, be it for your business, birthday, vacation, or anything else, simply use a heat press to apply the patch.
Personalize Your Own Items so They Can’t Get Lost
Personalization is the name of the game when it comes to lasers, as you can simply type a new phrase or name into the software and out pops a custom item. With a laser, you can make custom name tags for a wide range of things.
Want to put a name tag on your diaper bag or purse? Absolutely. What about hanging a tag off your Stanley tumbler so that way it doesn’t get lost? You bet. Personalized keychain and wallet? Easy as pie!
Now, with the ideas above, you could easily start a side hustle and bring in some extra money. Whether you want to just fund the cost of the laser, get new toys, or replace your full-time income, laser engravers provide a very good way to do just that.
You can build entire businesses around a niche or go more broadly and do just about anything that someone would want. It’s really up to you. As I mentioned, in addition to writing, I also run a laser engraving business out of my home, and it’s always fun to get orders from clients that test my limits and make me go outside my comfort zone. Then, at the end, there’s an awesome product I wasn’t even sure how to make before I started.
