Laser Engraving and DPI Scan Gap

On laser-related forums there is often talk about engraving quality. Engraving quality depends on a lot of variables, your mechanical setup, the controller you are using, the material you are engraving on, and the time of graphic you are engraving onto that material. Most of the talk I hear is focused on the mythical DPI (dots per inch). Unfortunately, some of what is discussed is misleading, impossible to use, or just plain wrong. So today, I am taking a look at the relationship between DPI and the graphics you are engraving. And, we touch

Material Madness

Due to my curiosity and love of searching out and testing new materials to work with on my laser, my laser center has shelves full of untested or tested-but-not-perfected items waiting for my attention. Occasionally, I need to focus on just one material and make a decision of whether it should be kept and promoted in future products or should it go to my bin of dashed dreams (big gray trash barrel).