I’m thinking of using the laser to cut out small foldable boxes (for advent calendar presents) out of cardstock which has some pretty pattern printed on it.
Has anyone experience with something like that? Such as where to source the material?
The approved material list does list paper and cardstock, but I’m not sure if there are concerns about paper with print on it. I’d wouldn’t expect issues unless it has some plastic coating of sorts.
I’ve definitely cut cardstock before. You’ll want to use the aluminum honeycomb grates, and do your best to keep things from blowing away. Print on the paper shouldn’t be an issue from a fumes point of view, though you’ll want to bring some scrap to get your settings dialed in so things don’t scorch.
Thanks @Metal_Janet and @Phillip_Ma for opening the space for my guest and myself, and showing me the amazing art you’ve been making. And thanks @JDMc for the tips. We ended up taping the paper down to the honeycomb to prevent it from getting blown away. The downward airflow from the nozzle actually helps push the paper down too.
Learned a few things about laser cutting. Looks like faster with more power worked better than slower with less power to get a cleaner cut. Initially we had some issues with corners getting burned.