How do you line up a laser engraving on a blank every time?
You set the wood square on the bed, hit start, and the engraving lands a few millimeters off the edge. Again. Here’s how to line up laser engraving the way Laser 101 does it, for the price of one scrap sheet: burn the outline of the blank first, then drop every blank onto that line. Now you know exactly where the laser will engrave and cut.
Applies to
- Process
- Diode and CO₂ lasers in LightBurn
- Materials
- Pre-cut blanks: wood squares, coasters, tiles
- When
- One-off or small batches that don’t justify a cut jig
- Shown on
- 10 W Ray5 diode with 4 × 4 in (100 mm) wood blanks
Why it matters
Eyeballing a blank onto the bed works until it doesn’t. A few millimeters off and the design runs over the edge, or the cut line clips the art.
The outline makes the file and the bed agree. The square on screen is the square on the scrap. Put the blank on the line and the design lands where the preview showed it.
It also lets you use every millimeter. Laser 101 turns the 100 mm square 45° in the file because the ornament is too tall to fit straight. A 100 mm square is about 141 mm corner to corner. Rotate the outline on the scrap too, and the blank sits diagonal, matching the file.
What good looks like
- A clean, thin outline on scrap that the blank covers edge to edge
- The design sits inside the outline in the preview with no overhang
- Reloading is just: new blank on the line, press start
How to apply it
- Draw a rectangle at the blank’s exact size on its own layer (Laser 101 uses a blue layer, 100 × 100 mm).
- Rotate it if a diagonal fit gives the design more room, then place the design inside it.
- Select only the outline and burn it on a scrap sheet at a light setting. LightBurn’s Cut Selected Graphics (or turning the design layers’ output off) keeps the rest from running.
- Set the blank exactly on the burned line.
- Turn the outline layer’s output off, select the design, and run it.
- For the next one, drop a new blank on the same line and start again.
Exceptions & tradeoffs
Big batch of the same product? Graduate to a cut jig with pockets. The outline is perfect for a handful, but a jig holds the part so it can’t slide.
Mind you, this only works if the job origin stays put. Bump the scrap sheet or change the start point and the outline is lying to you.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the outline layer on for the real jobTurn its output off; otherwise it burns a line around (or through) the blank
- Burning the outline at full cut powerA light mark is enough; you only need to see it
- Nudging the scrap sheet while loading blanksTape or pin the scrap down before the first burn
- Setting the file’s square straight when the art only fits diagonallyRotate the outline 45° and use the full corner-to-corner length
Frequently asked questions
- How do I make sure my laser engraves in the right spot?Burn the blank’s outline on scrap first, then place the blank on that line. The outline proves where the laser is about to work before you risk the real blank.
- Why turn the blank diagonally?A square’s diagonal is about 1.41× its side, so a tall design that won’t fit straight often fits corner to corner. Laser 101 does this to get the biggest ornament out of a 4 × 4 in blank.
- Do I need a jig for this?Not for a few pieces. The burned outline is a zero-effort jig. For a production run, cut a pocket jig so the blanks can’t slide.
- Does this work on a diode laser?Yes. The video does it on a 10 W Ray5 diode, and the idea works on any laser running LightBurn.
Drawing a 100 × 100 mm square on its own layer the size of the blank — How To Align Your Laser Perfectly EVERY TIME! (For Beginners) ↗ at 01:06.
Turning the square diagonally so a taller ornament fits the 4 × 4 in blank — How To Align Your Laser Perfectly EVERY TIME! (For Beginners) ↗ at 01:29.
Burning only the outline on scrap, then placing the blank on it — How To Align Your Laser Perfectly EVERY TIME! (For Beginners) ↗ at 02:13.
Reloading the next blank on the same outline for repeat runs — How To Align Your Laser Perfectly EVERY TIME! (For Beginners) ↗ at 03:49.
The outline-on-scrap trick and the diagonal fit are Laser 101’s. The layer-output steps and the mistakes list are ours.