Paper, in all its varieties, is a superior material for laser cutting and engraving. It is able to be cut or engraved easily and with high speed and precision. A laser cutter is able to be utilized to create all kinds of customized paper items. Some examples are postcards, business cards, paper artwork, or book covers.
Listed below are the best types of Paper for Laser-cutting.
- Cardboard: Cardboard is paper. Produced from recycled paper, sawdust, or cellulose. Egg cartons, playing cards, toilet paper, and kitchen tissue tubes are made from this thicker paper. Containerboard, corrugated fiberboard, and bleached and unbleached board are cardboard kinds.
- Cardstock: Smooth, multicolored cardstock. It is able to be rough and shiny. Consequently, it is mainly utilized for postcards, business cards, scrapbooks, and design. Cardstock comes in several sizes.
- Copy Paper: It is used as a feedstock in copiers and laser printers. It is able to be found in every workplace anywhere in the world. It is typically dazzling white and has a basic grammage of 70-90 g/m2.
1. Cardboard
Cardboard is a particular type of paper or working material. It is able to be produced from recycled paper, sawdust, or cellulose. It is much stiffer than usual paper and is used for different types of packaging, not only egg cartons but for playing cards or tubes for toilet paper and kitchen tissue. Different types of cardboard include containerboard, corrugated fiberboard, or bleached and unbleached board.
Containerboard is used to make packaging containers and corrugated fiberboard, which consists of a corrugated layer between two flat cover layers. This is commonly used for larger carton boxes due to its sturdiness. The unbleached board usually is slightly grey and manufactured from the natural pulp. The bleached board is made in the same way but with some natural or synthetic pigment and bleached pulp.
Cardboard is able to be bought in a large variety of qualities and sizes. The choice of grade and size is able to determine the average price. The price for paper and cardboard is fluent, but it is quite a cheap and versatile raw material. It is best cut with a CO2 laser.
2. Cardstock
Cardstock has a smooth, often colorful surface. However, it is able to be textured and even glossy. Thus, it is mainly used for design and artwork, as well as for postcards, business cards, or in scrapbooks. There are many different-sized cardstock sheets available. One is able to either take the measures for the format (e.g., DIN A4, DIN A3, etc.) or the so-called grammage. The grammage denotes the weight of one square meter of the cardstock. Commonly, the weight lies somewhere between 135 and 300 g/m². Another possible measure is the thickness of the sheet. This is measured in thousands of an inch in the United States. Cardstock is priced similarly to cardboard based on size, grammage, thickness, and surface attractiveness. Cardstock, like all other types of paper or cardboard, is best cut using a CO2 laser system.
3. Copy Paper
Copy paper is the paper type best known to consumers. It is the feedstock for copy machines and laser printers. Hence, it is able to be found in any office around the globe. It usually has a bright white color and a basic grammage of 70-90 g/m². Copy paper is manufactured from pristine chemical pulp with an addition of 10 – 15 % of pigments to ensure the white color. It has to have a relatively smooth surface that is able to retain dust. It must be sturdy enough to prevent curling but flexible enough to run smoothly through a printer.
The second widely used variety of copy paper is digital printing paper. This type is often used to print out photographs. Hence, the grammage is a bit higher than for ordinary copy paper with 40-400 g/m². The paper surface is able to be coated or uncoated, depending on the printer type. For example, the paper surface must have relatively homogenous porosity to enable the ink to cover the sheet equally when using an inkjet printer.
Copy paper comes in different formats, the most common one being A4. A package with 500 sheets of standard copy paper comes at an average price tag of 5 $. The most efficient way of laser-cutting copy paper is with a CO2 laser.
4. Corrugated Cardboard
Corrugated Cardboard is a unique, very robust type of cardboard known as industrial corrugated fiberboard. It consists of a flat top and a bottom layer with a corrugated layer in between. Large cardboard boxes often employ it because of its stability and durability. It is one of the most common materials used for delivery boxes. It has incredible physical properties, such as a high tear, bending, and impact resistance. The corrugated cardboard layer in the middle has an average grammage of about 130 g/m² (in the UK, it is only 90 g/m²). The size of a corrugated cardboard sheet is able to be arbitrary. However, the intermediate layer’s corrugated flutes in the USA are distinguished by letters from A through F. Those flute sizes are related to the number of flutes per meter (108 – 420) and the flute thickness (4.8 – 0.8 mm). The average price is hard to determine because corrugated cardboard is able to be bought in any imaginable size. The best laser to cut or engrave corrugated cardboard is a CO2 laser (like the LS-1420 from Boss Laser).
5. Bond paper
Bond paper is a thin paper of high quality. It has a grammage of about 50 to 90 g/m². Initially, it was used for printing official documents like government bonds; hence, the name. Nowadays, one is able to use it for letterheads or graphic art and design. Artists utilize it successfully for works with pencils, pens, or markers. Since bond paper is often made from rag pulp, it is a vital piece but mostly has a rough surface. Bond paper is used for high-quality print materials due to its exceptional appearance. Examples (besides the original usage for government bonds) include business cards, invoices, drawings, or other works of fine art.
The price is higher than ordinary office paper due to its higher quality. However, the average cost enormously depends on the sheets’ format, grammage, and texture. The best laser cutter is, again, a CO2 laser. It must be ensured that not too much laser power is applied. This avoids the burning of the paper. Additionally, sufficient airflow must be used to obtain the best results.
6. Two-ply Paper
Two-ply paper is mainly used for kitchen tissue, paper towels, and toilet paper. However, larger versions of the two-ply paper are used in the construction business. Naturally, two-ply paper construction is much sturdier than its household equivalent. Furthermore, the size of the former one is much larger. This means that the construction of two-ply paper needs slightly more laser power than household paper in the cutting process. It must be emphasized that the laser power must be lower than other materials, such as wood or metal. There must be sufficient airflow when cutting or engraving this type of paper. On the other hand, too much airflow is bad as well because the paper is easily blown away, which ruins the cutting process. The best choice for cutting this kind of paper is a CO2 laser. It yields excellent results in a very short time.
7. Construction Paper
Construction paper is sometimes referred to as sugar paper. It has a rough surface, which is often colored. Historically, this strong paper was used to make sugar sacks. It has a grammage of 120-130 g/m2. These are quite large values for paper sheets. Thus, construction paper has one of the highest weights of all paper sorts.
One fun fact about construction paper is that the TV show South Park was initially based on construction paper figures animated with the stop motion technique. It is an excellent choice for making silhouettes or stencils. Construction paper laser cutting is great for creating silhouettes, stencils, or stop-motion videos. The best option is a CO2 laser with a 9.3 or 10.6-micrometer wavelength like the LS-1630 series from Boss Laser. Lasers with shorter wavelengths are not advisable because those wavelengths are not absorbed very well by this type of paper.
Construction paper is available in all standard formats (e. g. A3, A4, etc.). The average cost per sheet is dependent on the size, but for an A4 sheet, it is about 10 cents.
8. Art Paper
Art paper is among the highest quality papers available when it comes to paper. It weighs between 100 and 230 g/m2, making it fairly hefty. This type of paper is often triple-coated on the surface and is able to have a matte or glossy look. Art paper is used for book covers, calendars, brochures, and other offset printed materials due to its excellent quality and aesthetics. Several extremely high-quality art paper varieties are based on cotton fibers, even though the majority of art paper types are cellulose-based (like any other paper). Art paper is able to be easily cut or engraved with a CO2 laser cutter. The power settings must be relatively low, and sufficient airflow has to be established. This must be ensured not to burn the paper.
What is Laser-cutting?
Laser-cutting is a method to separate a wide variety of materials. A laser is able to cut wood, paper, plastic, fibers, and even metals. There are many different types of laser cutters available. They differ in the output power, the wavelength of the laser beam, and their accuracy. Laser-cutting is a fast, reliable, and precise tool that is able to be utilized for individual designs as well as for industrial-scale production. The laser cutter size, speed, precision, and the type of laser (gas, solid state, fiber laser) have to be chosen according to the specific needs of the cutting project. Knowing the Laser Cutting: Definition, Process, and Use are critical in determining the best laser cutting equipment for a given application.
What can you do with Paper Laser-cutting?
A laser cutter is able to be used to produce a wide variety of goods thanks to the fact that laser cutting is not only quick and precise but very inexpensive. This is especially true for laser-cutting paper. For example, one is able to produce stencils, art designs and complex shapes, and laser-engraved business cards.
However, there are plenty of other options for projects related to paper laser-cutting – only one’s imagination sets the limit.
Why use Laser-cutting to Cut Paper?
Laser-cutting of paper is fast and accurate, and relatively cost-effective. A laser is able to produce dozens or even hundreds of identical paper cut-outs. A laser cutter uses a digital input file, which determines the shapes and cutting edges. Once such a file is created, the laser cutter is able to repeat the same cutting procedure repeatedly. A laser is able to cut complex or delicate shapes with a precision that is superior to any mechanical cutting tool, like scissors or knives.
How to Laser Cut a Paper?
Laser-cutting paper is able to be tricky for a beginner. Hence, listed below are the seven steps to laser-cut paper.
- Firstly, adjust the focal length of the laser. The shorter, the better, as it minimizes the divergence of the laser beam.
- Secondly, ensure that the laser optics are clean. This applies to any cutting material.
- Thirdly, the airflow for cooling must be as high as possible. Make sure that the flow does not blow the paper away.
- Fourth, choose a low-power setting. Between 10 and 20 % must be enough. This depends on the laser flow – the power must be below 10 watts.
- Fifth, the speed must not exceed about 30 mm/s and must not be slower than 20 mm/s.
- Sixth, make sure the settings are correct by practicing on a scrap of paper that wanted to cut or engrave.
- Cut away is the last step on How to Laser Cut a Paper.
Can I make a Customized Cut Paper?
Yes, of course. One is able to choose the type of paper freely. Only adjust the laser settings accordingly. Additionally, make a test run before starting the actual cutting process. One must not have trouble when the laser cutter input file is ready in a suitable format and resolution (at least 300 dpi).
Can I use Laser-cutting for Various Types of Papers?
Yes, the best-suited laser cutter works with a CO2 laser. Such a laser emits light with 9.3 or 10.6-micrometer wavelengths. This is suitable for any type of paper cutting.
Can you make Art made of Paper using Laser-cutting?
Yes, a laser cutter is an excellent tool for paper-based artwork. Laser cuts are very precise; even the most complex shapes are able to be cut out from paper. This allows all kinds of designs, even those that are not able to be cut out with conventional knives, scissors, or blades.
Is there a Type of Paper that cannot be Laser Cut?
Yes, there are a type of paper that are cannot be laser cut. There are several reasons why ceratin types of paper are unable to be laser cut, including material composition, flammability, reflectivity, trhickness and density, and coatings. Some of the certain types of bad paper for laser cutting are themally sensitive paper, highly flammable paper, magnetic paper, reflective paper, and coated carbonless paper.