Creating an Image File

 Engraver Master is the default software that comes with a Bachin diode laser engraver.  While there are many other options out there, this one is pretty simple to use while you get things figured out.  In this post, I'll walk you through how to create an external image and get it ready to upload to the software.

Step 1: Find the image you want.

The first step in all of this is to find the image you want.  If it's something out on the internet, make sure it is a free-use image.  If you are creating your own image, there are a lot of design software programs to do that.  Personally, I like to use Microsoft Publisher.  I use it a lot to create documents and images for work, so it makes sense to me to use it.  If you have another program to create images, that's great.  These steps should still work for you.

Find Microsoft Publisher in the lower left of a PC by typing in "Publisher". 

In Publisher, I create/upload the image on a blank page and zoom in as far as possible while still keeping the full image on the screen.  This is important for image quality in the next step.  For this example, I'll use my logo.



Step 2: Capture the image.

To do this, I use the Snipping Tool available on a PC.  Either in the start menu or in the search bar, find the Snipping Tool.  It allows you to capture a part of what's on your screen.  The icon looks like this:

And the program looks like this: 


Click on the 'New' tab at the top and drag across everything you want in the image.  Keep in mind that anything within what you drag will be considered part of your 'image', so if there are additional lines or markings, they will engrave too.  For my logo, it would make the screen look like this:


Here's the important part of snipping the image: you need to get as close to the edges of what you want to engrave as you can when dragging across the image.  If there is whit space around the outside when you snip, it will throw off your engraving later in the process.  My snipped image looks like this:


I put a blue background on it so you can see how close to the edges of the image you need to get.  In practice, you wouldn't save the background on it.

From here, click on 'File' in the Snipping Tool and save the image as  JPEG file.  This saves the file for later use.  

Other Helpful Links (Coming soon):
Taking an Image from Upload to Burn in Engraver Master
Centering the Engraving on your Product
Speed and Power
My Preferred Settings for Hardwood Engraving
Line vs. Full Mode

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