Hey welcome to the forum.
We’re all willing to help and give you guidance, so let me be the first to point you to the best resource we have here: The forum search.
Your question has been asked many times, and you can read up on that and so much more. In fact, it just came up very recently, here’s the thread:
Now as for your questions about engraving techniques, that’s one of the biggest and most complicated topics out there. There are lots of threads, but I think most people will tell you that yes, removing the protective masking tape first will give you the best results.
You’ll probably find this very interesting:
Anyway, your questions don’t have a simple answer, I’m afraid the best advice I can give you is to experiment, test, and search/read the forum as much as you can stand it, there’s so much good information here.
Here’s a good getting started post:
Specifically for this project, I’d recommend searching the forum for “engraving tips” and reading through the tips and tricks section for anything that points you in that direction.