Cutting a square template for aligning engravings

There are many different ways to find the right place to put your engraving. One of the simplest methods is to cut a square, with a few markers. Using this square you can place your object to be engraved, overlay it with the template in the position you are about to engrave, and then use the engraver preview function to align the preview laser with the square template. This article shows one of the most simple templates. It's also a good exercise for practising alignment, one of the keys to a perfect result.

Firstly, create an 80mm x 80mm square, with 0.2 point lines marking out 1,2,3,4 and 5mm in from the edge. This is printed out onto the card or other material that you will use as your template. You can download the image here.

The next step is to cut a hole by following the 5mm line. This will remove the central 70mm of the template (80mm minus 5mm from each edge).

Put the printed card under the engraver, and tape it down if it is raised from the surface underneath. Remember you are cutting, so you need something protective beneath it.
Using the shape tool, create a 70mm square
Align the card in exactly the same way you will when you are using it as a template for other engravings. Use the preview to very carefully align the laser to the inner square. This may take 2 or 3 minutes to get it just right, but it is a good discipline to learn early!
The cutting settings will depend on the material. While doing this I discovered that shiny white card is difficult to cut. I turned the card over the matte side which was much more receptive to the laser. I settled on the following parameters:

Note we are only concerned with the cut settings. The shapes are always engraved in cut mode, where the laser follows the line. I cut at a low depth 3 times, to prevent burning the card. I needed to cut 3 times because even the matte white side of the card was still quite reflective for the cutting laser. I also found that where the laser hit my black printed line it cut easily. Where it missed the line by a fraction of a millimetre, it still didn't cut the whole way through:
The final result is a template you can use for aligning items by laying the card on them and previewing the laser.

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Computer software versions - Windows & Mac

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