Most failed laser stamps fail on two clicks: mirroring and inverting. Here is why both are needed, and what keeps fine letters from breaking.
Reviewed by the Vextrify team, tested in our own laser workshops · Updated · How we test
Try Vextrify freeA stamp prints its own mirror image, so the design must be mirrored before engraving. And because the laser removes material, everything that should not print has to be engraved away: the design is inverted, so the background is lasered and the letters stay raised. If one of the two is missing, the stamp prints backwards or prints the background.
If thin lines stand straight up, they bend or tear under pressure. A sloped shoulder — the raised parts widen towards the base — supports them. In a depth-map workflow this comes from a soft falloff around each raised shape; in an SVG relief from a bevel. Keep text large enough for the rubber you use and test the smallest size first.
Use rubber that is sold as laser-engravable. Never laser PVC or other chlorinated plastics: they release corrosive and toxic gases that harm you and the machine. Laser rubber produces fine dust and odour, so good extraction matters, and the surface usually needs cleaning after engraving.
In Relief Studio, load the design as a depth map or SVG. Invert depth flips a depth map; for an SVG, Recessed instead of raised flips the shape, and the bevel builds the shoulder. Mirror the output, set the maximum depth from your own test, and save the result as a preset in the stamp family so the next stamp uses the same settings.
Yes. A stamp prints its mirror image, so the design is mirrored before engraving so that the print reads correctly.
The background. The design is inverted so the laser removes everything except the parts that should print.
No. PVC releases corrosive and toxic gases when lasered. Use rubber sold as laser-engravable.