This “how to” blog is courtesy of Trotec Laser. The original can be found here.
We decorated two Leuchtturm1917® notebooks with a Speedy 400. The emerald sketchbook was enhanced with a contrasting engraving. The smaller notebook has a flexible cover that was laser cut to reveal a coloured second layer.
Required Materials
- Leuchtturm1917® Sketchbook Master (A4+), Hardcover – emerald
- Leuchtturm1917® Jottbook Medium (A5) – navy
- Spray glue
- Piece of paper – the more contrasting, the better
Used Trotec Laser:
Speedy 400, 80 watts, 2-inch lens
Laser engraving the sketchbook
The sketchbook was refined with a fine engraving and personalized with a name.
Open the PDF design and enter your chosen name. As always, you can also use your own design.
Parameters used:
The following parameters produce a brown engraving on the emerald sketchbook:
Engraving: Power: 20% – Speed: 30% – Frequency: 500 ppi – Air Assist: ON – Z-Offset: -1
Note: Other colours may react differently.
Laser cutting the notebook
The Jottbook has a flexible cover that can be easily cut with a laser. We have created a tree design for our notebook. To give more stability to the fine details, we’ve glued a piece of paper on the inside of the cover after the laser process.
Step 1: vacuum table
Use the vacuum table and cover the surface around the workpiece to focus the vacuum suction.
Step 2: air flow shutter
If using an air flow shutter, please close it to achieve optimal suction on the table and not on the exhaust slots.
Step 3: laser process
Open the design and send it to the laser.
Parameters used:
Cutting: Power: 20% – Speed: 0.5% – Frequency: 1000 Hz – Air Assist: OFF – Z-Offset: -1
Step 4: finishing
Take a piece of paper that fits to your design and a spray glue. Glue the paper on the inside of the cover to protect your laser cut design and give the cover more stability.
You could also use a glue stick, but the spray glue helps to achieve maximum coverage.
