New owner (well, almost)

[Jules]

Welcome Holly! I can’t wait to see the stuff you make with it. (They are a stone cold blast!)

[Xabbess]

Welcome and congratulations, Holly! Believe me, I know the excitement you have right now. Been there, done that…and still being there and doing that. Be sure to post what you make so we can all share with you.

[cas.wood]

Bob Vila! I used to watch him on PBS as a kid too, still wish I had that kind of workshop at my disposal. Can’t wait to see what kind of fun stuff you create. There are some crazy talented folks in this community. So many fun ideas to tackle.

[ChristyM]

Welcome!

[cynd11]

Oh, you are gonna have so much fun! You can spend your waiting time getting your software chops up to snuff. There are lots of tutorials in the Glowforge Tips and Tricks section.

[holly.j.dutton]

Fortunately I have a good head start there Long-time user of Photoshop and Illustrator (like, v1 of PS, and AI when it was part of Aldus, I think). So I’m just blowing the dust off of those a bit.

[rbtdanforth]

Welcome to our universe!
I did not see that you have been using any graphic software. If not already proficient in a vector and an image software I would suggest Inkscape and Gimp as they are both free and powerful. No program is free of the need to learn it, however. As you have not yet received your Glowforge. there is no better time than now to become familiar with them. so you can make real any idea you get.

[ptodd]

That’s awesome! Very excited for you! Read as much as you can on the forum … there is a wealth of information here.

[holly.j.dutton]

Thanks! I’ve already got the Adobe CC suite, so I’m good to go there!

[evansd2]

Useful:

Overall welcome Maybe too entry level?

Getting started

The Glowforge team recommends working through your first prints by following along with the examples shown here to learn where everything is: They have also recently added instructions with video on using the Manual settings here: Working with Manual Settings And there are methods for Enhancing your Photo Engraves and Cutting Out a Shape as well. (You can click on the topic headers in the left-hand column for even more information.) That particular page is also handy if you have any p…

This will help you figure out how to cut new materials, really useful skill to have.

New material cut test method

Don’t know what settings to use on a material? The only way to be sure is to test. Good news! You can effectively test on a thin strip on the edge of your material, it’s fast and easy. I use this shape to do so (SVG attached): [Material_test] Click here to download/save Or click here for the ZIP: Material_test.zip (3.3 KB) To use: Set the first operation to score (the numbers). You’ll use these to identify your cut pieces later. Set each of the curve shapes to a power/speed combo t…

Essential if you’re going to cut anything non PG (which you will, probably)

Cheapest 12" wide masking tape

Like @jbmanning5, I get perfectear plus from signwarehouse.com for $40 for a 300 foot roll, shipped. I’ve used both perfectear and transferrite, I prefer perfectear, but they aren’t that different. I was also tipped off to this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085635HFN

What else might you need?

Newbie here... Recommendations for Accessories?

My first recommendation is to search the forums thoroughly. There are a bunch of posts like this that go deep. Lemme find one for you. (Be sure to read the discussions that are linked in there too. It’s a rabbit hole but it will answer questions you don’t even know you have.) Also there are a lot of “getting started” posts that can really get you headed in the right direction, here’s a good one:

[UrJac]

Welcome to the crowd!! You’re gonna have a great time!

[drelleum]

Welcome welcome welcome! Now would also be a good time to get any venting situation setup if you haven’t already. Of course, if you got a filter then there’s no need to vent…

[rbtdanforth]

@drelleum

if you got a filter then there’s no need to vent…

But looking to arrange a washable pre-filter is a really good idea.

[holly.j.dutton]

I’ll be venting out a window - is that something which would benefit from a pre-filter? (I’m thinking: no)

[rbtdanforth]

Not with a window vent, but I have found an in line exhaust fan good for getting the smoke out faster and leaving less time to build up anywhere.

[drelleum]

In-line externally controllable exhaust is a good idea if for no other reason than to be able to continue blowing air out the exhaust after a print has finished and the GF fans turn off. There’s a lot of information on the forums about booster fans, as well as a number of DIY window vents

[holly.j.dutton]

This works as a pull, I assume?

Thanks!

[designvh619]

Congrats and Welcome! You will get to the point where everything you look at can be made by you. So all that money spent buying stuff will be spent on getting materials to make stuff!

[drelleum]

What I have set up just added more pull to the exhaust line. I have my booster right at the exit of my line where it connects to the outside of the garage. Just search for window venting solutions and you’ll find a lot of different builds of varying complexity, many including boosters.