A Chromebook is a fine place to design and prepare a job. Driving the laser is a different question — here is the honest split.
Try Vextrify freePrepare on the Chromebook, run the laser from a Windows PC or a Mac. The popular laser programs are built for Windows or macOS and do not run in ChromeOS. Browser tools do: Vextrify prepares photos, removes backgrounds, vectorizes logos and lays out the job in Chrome, then exports a PNG or SVG for the laser program on the other computer.
In Vextrify's browser tools you choose one of 12 material profiles for a photo, compare ten dithering methods plus grayscale in a live preview, remove a background, turn a logo into SVG outlines, add text or a QR code and export at the DPI and size you will engrave at. A free account is needed to load and process images.
Laser control needs a program on the computer the laser is plugged into. Vextrify's desktop app drives GRBL diode and Ruida CO2 lasers on macOS (Apple Silicon) and Windows. If your Chromebook has the Linux development environment turned on, Linux programs can be installed, but whether the laser's USB connection works there depends on the device — test it before you rely on it.
Many small shops design on whatever is at hand — a Chromebook, a tablet, a borrowed laptop — and keep one computer at the laser. Prepare the photo or design in the browser, save the recipe so the next order looks the same, export, and open the file on the laser computer.
Not in ChromeOS. LightBurn's current versions run on Windows and macOS.
Yes. Vextrify's browser tools prepare photos, remove backgrounds, vectorize logos and lay out jobs in Chrome, and export PNG or SVG files.
Usually not directly. Vextrify's laser control runs on macOS and Windows. Linux apps on ChromeOS may work, but USB access to the laser depends on the device, so test it first.