We’ve had our GF for years now, and love it. We’ve recently been getting more and more requests for words engraved on things (everything from recipes to notes left by loved ones). I’ve used online programs like remove.bg, then spend 4 hours with Silhouette to try to clean it up.
I’m thinking there’s got to be a better/faster way to learn how to do this.
I’ve tried converting pic to BW (nope), I’ve tried scanning with different resolutions to create more contrast (that was a waste of time). I’m not terribly brilliant at doing this, but also don’t want to turn away good customers because I don’t have the time or the skill to complete these projects (I mean, I can the time but don’t feel it’s reasonable to charge someone for 4 hours of work when it should only take me 20 minutes to prep, right?). Anyway, what online programs can anyone suggest? Even if those programs have a ‘free’ option but also a ‘pay for instant conversion’ option…I’m looking for advice
If you’re getting enough requests it sounds like investing the time in developing the skill might be worth it?
Converting recipes to an engraving is a recurring topic here. The tricky part is that they’re all different so there is not really one rock solid method to prep every recipe.
The good news is that there’s one free program that can handle pretty much any recipe conversion you might come across: GIMP.
I know you asked about online tools but I’d recommend downloading GIMP and then reading up on other people’s recipe conversions. It’s not too difficult and the amount of time it takes will depend on the quality of the starting image. I’d recommend this over online services because it’s much more capable than any online system.
Here are a couple of links for you:
Get gimp here
Check out other recipe threads here
https://community.glowforge.com/search?q=Recipe%20engraving%20in%3Afirst
For fun I tried asking ChatGPT what it thought about how to do this, it’s pretty accurate! There’s a bit more detail to getting exactly right but these are definitely the major steps. I also requested that it gave me the answer in markdown which preserves the formatting for the forum here.
Preparing a Handwritten Recipe Card for Laser Engraving Using GIMP & Inkscape
1. Scan or Photograph the Recipe Card
- Scan at 300–600 DPI for the best detail.
- If using a phone, take a well-lit photo from directly above with even lighting.
2. Clean Up the Image in GIMP
- Open the image in GIMP.
- Convert it to grayscale:
- Go to Colors > Desaturate > Desaturate (choose Lightness, Luminosity, or Average).
- Increase contrast to make text stand out:
- Colors > Levels → Adjust black/white sliders to remove background noise.
- Colors > Brightness-Contrast → Increase contrast if needed.
- Use the Eraser tool to remove unwanted marks.
3. Remove Background (Make Text Transparent)
- Use the Select by Color Tool (
Shift + O
) to click the background. - Adjust Threshold until only the paper is selected, then press Delete
(ensure the layer has an Alpha channel: Layer > Transparency > Add Alpha Channel). - Clean up stray marks with the Eraser.
4. Export as PNG
- Save the cleaned-up image as a PNG with transparency:
- File > Export As > PNG
- Make sure “Save color values from transparent pixels” is checked.
5. Convert to Vector in Inkscape
- Open Inkscape and import the PNG.
- Select the image, then go to Path > Trace Bitmap.
- Use Brightness cutoff or Edge detection to convert handwriting to a vector.
- Adjust settings to retain detail (experiment with Threshold).
- Click OK, then delete the original PNG, leaving only the vector.
6. Save as SVG for Glowforge
- Resize if needed (set units to inches or mm).
- Save as SVG: File > Save As > Plain SVG.
7. Engrave with Glowforge
- Upload the SVG to Glowforge.
- Choose “HD Graphic” for sharp details or “Draft Photo” for a more natural look.
- Adjust settings based on your wood type (e.g., for bamboo: Speed 1000, Power 80, LPI 225).
- Run a test on scrap wood before engraving the final piece.
Would you like specific Glowforge settings for your cutting board material?
One of the hardest parts of these is getting rid of the lines. I tend to find that manually going over those with a white brush in my graphics program (I use getpaint.net) makes all the other steps pretty quick.
So basically adding a first step to the 2. Open the Image instructions above that says:
- Zoom in closely, then with a white brush colour over any paper lines.
Also, happy cake day! It’s your forum 4th anniversary
Do you happen to have an iPad?
Procreate ($12.99 one time purchase) and an Apple Pencil makes really quick work. It can sound like a splurge to use a stylus instead of a mouse but it really makes a huge difference speeding up workflow, especially for things like those lines.
Before you convert it to black-and-white if you use the select similar color tool you should be able to select almost all of the lines separate from the text. You’ll have to fiddle with the threshold but it should work really well.
ChatGPT missed a couple of big points.
First, I think of color as information and do not lose it until necessary. Then I can set the range to zero and click on the color I want to manipulate, and pull the mouse down or to the right while still holding the left button down. Done slowly the range increases bit by bit and you can see how much is grabbed. If you go too far, then moving the mouse up or left and the range will go down. You can then save this as a path so you can recall it as a mask at any time. (you can also export these paths as an SVG and so get a much better outline than Inkscape will manage.)
Then you can select grow and grow the area by 1 pixel and then use Feather to blur the change area. Feathers are lost when saved as a path).
After you have all the paths laid out, then is the time to go to grayscale and you can make each one a different gray or (as needed with most JPGs) use contrast to make the area just one color.
After exporting the paths as an SVG you can start with that in Inkscape and follow what ChatGBT says.