A Beginner's Guide to Engraving Acrylic with a Laser

Engraving acrylic with a laser can lead to truly stunning results—whether you're creating signage, ornaments, or personalized gifts. If you're new to laser cutting or just getting started with acrylic, this guide will walk you through the essentials and provide helpful tips to get beautiful, clean engraves every time.

Understanding the Types of Acrylic

Before you dive into engraving, it's important to know the two main types of acrylic: cast acrylic and extruded acrylic. Both are laser-safe, but they behave differently during the engraving and cutting process.

Cast Acrylic

Cast acrylic is made by pouring liquid acrylic between tempered glass sheets where it hardens into solid sheets. Here's why many makers love it:

• Frosty Engrave Appearance: When engraved, cast acrylic produces a frosted, textured look—perfect for designs that need contrast or depth.

• Clean Cutting: It cuts well with a laser and is known for its excellent optical quality.

This type is ideal for projects where clarity and frosted engraving are desired.

Extruded Acrylic

Extruded acrylic is manufactured by melting acrylic pellets and pushing them through a mold. You’ll often find this in mirror acrylics and specialty sheets. Key characteristics include:

• Clearer Engrave: Engraving tends to be more polished and less frosted than cast acrylic.

• Softer Material: Because it's softer, it can be cut at higher speeds. However, timing is everything:

  • Engrave first, then cut.

  • Remove immediately after cutting, as the layers can adhere back together if left too long in the machine.

Front vs. Back Engraving: Which Is Better?

You can engrave acrylic from either the front or back, depending on the visual effect you want to achieve.

• Front Engraving: This results in a classic frosted appearance.

• Back Engraving: For translucent, clear, or mirrored acrylics, flip the sheet over, reverse the design in your software, and engrave from the back. The result? A smooth, dimensional finish that looks polished and professional from the front.

💡 Tip: This method works beautifully for mirrored acrylics—especially when paired with reverse engraving techniques.

Reverse Engraving: Make Your Design Pop

Reverse engraving is when you engrave the background instead of the main design. For example, in a project featuring dragonflies, you could engrave everything except the dragonflies, allowing them to shine through the mirror finish while the background takes on a frosted look. It's a clever way to create visual contrast and highlight certain elements.

Pro Tips for Clean, Consistent Engraving

Here are a few bonus tricks to help perfect your acrylic engraving:

1. Try Defocusing the Lens

Some acrylics engrave more smoothly when the laser is slightly out of focus. For example, when working with ⅛” thick acrylic, setting your laser focus to 0.3” instead of 0.12” can result in a more even, matte finish. Experiment with small test shapes to find what works best for your machine and material.

2. Use Liquid Dish Soap for Cleaner Results

Removing the masking from the engraving side and applying a thin layer of liquid dish soap helps:

• Reduce laser flashback

• Keep the surface clean

• Prevent scorch marks

You can also unmask both sides and apply soap to each. Once finished engraving, rinse the piece with water and pat dry.

Show Us What You Make!

We hope these tips help you on your acrylic engraving journey. Whether you're experimenting with defocus settings or diving into reverse engraving, there’s so much room for creativity.

Tag us @craftclosetsupply on social media—we’d love to see your creations and share them with our community!