Engraving time by area and resolution
Quick answer
A 100 by 100 mm engraving at 300 DPI with a 6000 mm/min scan speed takes roughly 23 minutes. Doubling the DPI doubles the number of scan lines and therefore doubles the time.
The scan geometry is exact. The overscan allowance for acceleration at the end of each line is a convention, since it depends on the controller.
Assumes the head scans the full width on every line, which is what most controllers do unless the job is optimised to skip blank space.
Time scales linearly with DPI. Halving the DPI halves the job, and on wood the difference between 254 and 508 DPI is often invisible.
Machines and engraving blanks
- OESDLTD
Thick 15 PCS 0.8mm Black Anodized Aluminum Metal Business Cards
$20.99 Check pricePrices change often - GOH DODD
24 PCS Slate Coasters for Laser Engraving, Natural Stone Drink Coaster Bulk
$24.99 Check pricePrices change often
Common questions
What DPI should I engrave at?
For wood and leather, 254 to 300 DPI is plenty and going higher mostly adds time rather than detail, because the beam spot is wider than the line spacing at that point. For photo engraving on anodised aluminium or slate, 400 to 500 DPI can be worth it. Always weigh it against the time, since DPI and duration scale together exactly.
Why does my engraving take longer than the estimate?
Acceleration at the end of each scan line is the usual reason, and it hurts most on narrow tall designs where the head spends much of its time speeding up and slowing down rather than at full speed. The overscan allowance here covers a typical case, but a design 20 mm wide and 200 mm tall can take half again as long as this suggests.
Is it faster to rotate the design?
Often yes, and it costs nothing to try. Engraving is done in horizontal scan lines, so a design that is wide and short has fewer, longer lines and spends proportionally less time accelerating than the same design rotated to be tall and narrow. Rotating a long thin design 90 degrees can cut a meaningful amount of time.
Does power affect engraving time?
Not directly, since time is set by geometry and speed alone. It matters indirectly: too little power means you need a second pass, which doubles the time, and too much means scorching that you then spend time sanding off. Getting the power right on scrap first is usually the fastest route to a finished piece.