This thread is for discussion of the engrave setting we introduced in the April 2018 update.
You can find this preset available in the materials drop-down (type “mac” to search for it).
In order to use this setting, you’ll need to remove the crumb tray from your Glowforge and put scraps of Proofgrade™ or other materials under your laptop so that it lays flat. Layer materials beneath your laptop until the top surface is at least 1.6 inches (4 cm) above the bottom of your Glowforge.
It’s easiest to do small engravings, engrave only the flat areas, and keep text at 8 point or larger. Full-body engravings are possible, but it becomes more important to use a jig for exact alignment, and to keep the laptop perfectly parallel with the base of the Glowforge.
The color of the engraving may vary from white to grey; also, the engraving may darken over time. These settings are only for the metal portion of the laptop; avoid engraving the white Apple logo.
We want to reiterate: engraving your laptop is entirely at your own risk. The engraving could come out poorly, it could land in the wrong location, it could void the warranty of your laptop, or it could even damage your laptop. As with all prints, watch carefully and do not leave your Glowforge unattended while printing.
This is a beta release, so our support team can’t handle your questions yet - but we’ll jump in when we think we can help, and try to update this post with the best advice from the thread below.
Ya’ll need bed risers! Measure the thickness of your MacBook, subtract the height printed on the side of one of these risers, if the result falls in the range of 0" to 0.5", then use that riser and enter the resulting height as your focus height.
I just looked through thousands of my images… and nothing seems “right” to engrave on this Macbook Pro with that big ol’ Apple logo smack dab in the middle. I think it needs more of a graphic design approach.
While I don’t have a Mac to test it, I did try to see what settings it will set. Didn’t really set anything. Not sure how this works. Maybe I have to put a Mac in the forge?
I really like that so much more than a pattern that I would probably get tired of in a year…that really makes me want to get a MacBook so I can engrave a pic of your cute dog on it.
I was totally going to dissuade you of that belief with a picture of him (grinning proudly) and his partially decomposed possum find from last week, but I won’t put everyone through that. I will say though that a paw did end up getting drug into the house…
We have been testing Apple engraving over the last couple of days (iPod, Macbook Pro, …).
