March 2023 Update

One of my favorite things about Glowforge is how it opens a world of almost unlimited possibilities. Want to try leatherworking? You bet. Personalize an axe handle? No problem. Make your very own AI clockwork laser pants? We got you covered.

Whenever I’m in front of my Glowforge, I know I’ve got an opportunity to stretch my creative muscles. It’s a tool that never stops growing with you.

Like now. 8 years into my Glowforge adventure, I had a new idea.

It started because I needed to buy a chef’s knife. Luckily I had a great resource at hand: our SVP of software engineering, Michael Natkin, is also a James Beard award nominated cookbook author. (He’s also won an Oscar, so - handy guy to have around).

Michael told me about lots of options, but we wound up discussing a traditional Chinese vegetable cleaver. One of the Wirecutter recommendations was just $45, so I figured I’d give it a try. But when I got it, it felt a little generic.

And then I remembered: once you have your Glowforge, every problem is a laser problem.

35 minutes of scoring and engraving later, and I finished my new, second-favorite cutting tool.

I’m still learning how to use my Glowforge, and I want that for you too!

Our latest project to help you do that is our newly revamped Help & Learning Center. It’s a great resource for making the most of your Glowforge. I love the deep dives our team takes, like this in-depth guide to preparing photos for engraving using Photoshop. Or this guide to personalizing a gift with a hand-drawn sketch.

And we know you like them, too, so we’ve been working hard to give you faster, easier access to answers to your questions.

Speaking of deep learning, it’s been barely a month since we launched Magic Canvas, our AI-powered art generator, and we’re still learning about all of the amazing things it can do. Glowforge creators immediately started showing off their unique and inspired designs. (A cute mouse reading a book. An armored Easter bunny. The Norse goddess Freya. It really is an impressive range.)

I’ve started saying it’s “so easy a dog can use it”—because one did, to make a cute squirrel design, of course. The great thing about Magic Canvas is that it’s easy and powerful, and every day Glowforge owners learn how it can bring their creative ideas to life.

And I’ve been learning right along with you! I can spend hours exploring my ideas with Magic Canvas. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up:

  • Get specific with your prompts. Sometimes it’s fun to just try “dog, boat” and see what happens, but then you can refine your request. “Armored bear warrior in the forest,” for example, will give you delightful results.
  • Try changing art styles to get radically different interpretations of your prompt. That armored bear looks pretty amazing in heroic portrait, but the real fun comes when you try that prompt in super cute.
  • Learn from the starter prompts. When you first click the Magic Canvas button, you’ll see a bunch of sample images. Click one and look at the prompt for inspiration.
  • Keep trying! Sometimes I don’t know what I’m looking for until I see it. Keep pushing the “Make more Magic!” button to explore all the possibilities.
  • Once you’ve found your picture, use the “Adjust image” feature to increase contrast, sharpness, and brightness, and to erase anything you don’t want. That’ll help give you perfect results when you’re ready to print.

We’re all on this amazing journey learning together. I love seeing what you create!

PS: You can discuss the latest update here.

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