Our prefered file format is Corel Draw (version 12 or older). Next best is DWG (any version) and then DXF (2002 or older). We can handle other file formats, but please inquire before you send them.

We need to have some way to make sure that your drawing was scaled correctly by our system. The best way is for you to place a 1" square somewhere on the drawing labeled "1 inch square for scaling" (or something like that). You can also place a couple of dimensions on the parts, but you don't need to dimension everything. We have to delete the dimensions before we cut, so having a bunch of them just adds to our setup time. One or two is enough for us to make sure everything is scaled correctly.

If you have different cutting requirements (for example, depth cuts or score lines), make them a different color. The best colors are: black, red, green, cyan, magenta, blue, yellow (in that order). Be sure to give some indication as to what each color means.

Nesting

Nesting means placing multiple parts (or multiple copies of the same parts) on a single sheet for cutting. Some of our customers nest their own parts, but we generally do our own nesting. Unless you're using a full sheet (48" x 48"), it's probably best to let us nest your parts.

If you have multiple parts, you can include them all in the same drawing file. When doing this, leave enough space around each part so a rectangular selection box can be drawn around each part (translation - if you draw a rectangle around a part, the entire part should be in the rectangle, but nothing else should be in the rectangle). This will make it easier for us to select each part for nesting purposes. You do not need to "group" the various components of a part (for example the outline and any holes cut in the part).

Things to be aware of

The width of the laser beam is about 0.007". It varies a little depending on the thickness and composition of the material, but 0.007" is a good average. The laser will follow the lines you've drawn meaning a little will be take off each side. This matters if you need precise sizes. For example, if you wanted a hole that was exactly 0.250" in diameter, you'd have to draw it a little small (about 0.246") because the width of the beam will oversize the hole a little. On the other hand, if you wanted a circle that was exactly 1.000", you'd have to draw it a little big (about 1.004") because the laser will undersize the part a little. Holes are oversized, parts are undersized.

Sending us your files

You can make your first contact with us using the contact page. If you want to send us an email directly, you can send it to josh @ bclaserworks.com.

When sending us files to be engraved, we can handle gif, jpg, tiff, bmp, png, and other formats. We typically engrave at 250 dpi, so your image should be at least that high of a resolution. Don't worry about sending us a huge file. Our email system can handle it if yours can.

Pictures should be high contrast meaining that the darks are real dark and the lights are real light. There should also be a strong contrast between the subject (the person, dog, flower, whatever in the picture) and the background. Laser engraving is a low contrast process, so starting with a good picture is important. The coloring of the picture isn't important because we turn the picture into a gray-scale image before engraving it anyway. It's the contrast that's important.

When you send us the picture, be sure to indicate what size you want the final engraving. Also, let us know if we're supposed to delete the background, crop the picture, or do any other processing of it before engraving.

If you want to snail-mail us a picture for engraving, or a drawing for cutting, you can send it to the address on our contact page.

If you can't send us CAD files, we can create them for you. There won't be a charge for simple parts. Even for fairly complex parts, the charge is rarely over $30. You can mail us a drawing or even just a sketch of your parts. We'll interpret it for you and send back a copy to make sure we got it right. Our address is available on the contact page.