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How to Make a Stamp on Glowforge

Disclaimer: Glowforge referral code will give me a little kick back if you consider using the code. Thank you!

Glowforge referral code: https://glowforge.us/f/QIWZJDPC

Digitizing your art work is the most important part. In order to do so you will need software.

My software of choice is Adobe Illustrator (AI). You can use Inkscape, GIMP, BoxySVG, Pixlr, Gravit, Affinity Designer, and DesignEvo. I have not used any other software other than Adobe Illustrator, but I wanted to list some alternatives for those who are just starting or experienced.

The video linked below will show you how I made an vector graphic from borrowing an image from the internet. It shows two ways of using a tracing tool and then manually tracing the art work with a digital tool.

This video shows how to use the pen tool and image trace tool. Two good tools with different applications.

Where to begin? Here is written step by step process, but you can skip to the video located at the bottom.

This process is for the more advanced, but still can be achieved by a beginner with extra research. Save often if your computer is older or make sure autosave is on. 

Open your software.

You can either start a new file or open an existing one. Keep in mind that you will have to make sure this is a solid graphic in order for the stamp to work. 

  1. You will turn your graphic into white. The light areas of the artwork will not be marked with the laser. The dark areas will be engraved by the laser. Keep in mind the greyscale areas will be engraved.
  2. Imagine trace the artwork. 
  3. Offset the artwork and make a solid shape. This will give you the dimensions for the backer of the stamp.  
  4. Once the artwork is vectorized and is offset into one solid shape. Open both artwork in Adobe Photoshop (AP). 
  5. After opening it in (AP), make a copy and rasterize the artwork. The offset shape of the artwork is used for reference. 
  6. For the graphic, follow the steps:
    1. On the toolbar, select LAYER
    2. Under the LAYER tab, hover over LAYER STYLE
    3. Choose OUTER GLOW and the Outer Glow pop – up menu will initiate. 
      1. Layer > Layer Style > Outer Glow 
      2. OUTER GLOW SETTINGS: 
        1. STRUCTURE
          1. BLEND MODE: Screen or Normal will work
          2. OPACITY: 100% (indicates how dark the transparent glow will show in the preview
          3. NOISE: 0%
        2. ELEMENTS
          1. TECHNIQUE: Precise
          2. SPREAD: 0%
          3. SIZE: 8px (width of glow)
        3. QUALITY
          1. CONTOUR: (Shape of the taper) leave Anti-aliased Unchecked
          2. RANGE: 60%
          3. JITTER: 0%

When finished with adjusting the Outer Glow to desired settings, SAVE AS .PNG 

  1. Keep in mind that all the black in the artfile will be engraved. 
  2. The white areas will be left unengraved. 
  3. The transparent areas will be engraved in a varied formation. 

After digitizing the artwork, I put the material into the Glowforge to be engraved and cut.

How to make a stamp with a glowforge (Part 2) Materials & Final Process

  1. Conclusion
    1. The best material to use in the Glowforge is the Orange Stamp Material from Amazon. 
      1. The reasons why:
        1. The material has enough give to itself when pushed with downward pressure for a stamp with low detailed design. It just needs a backer that will allow equal surface pressure when pushing flat against the marking material of choice. 
        2. It holds its shape and cleans up neatly. 
        3. Cost effective. It doesn’t cost as much for a square foot of material. This will allow for multiple designs to be created with just one sheet. There are other sizes offered. 
      2. Cons
        1. High detailed stamps will need additional pressure for it to show up
        2. Rubber stinks and can be harmful. Be sure to clean the  machine after if necessary. 
    2. The most rigid material to use for stamp making is the Linocut Battleship Grey. 
      1. Linocut holds true to its shape and density. Though it is not optimal for stamp making. 
      2. There is potential for creating multi-color prints by making a registration mark. 
      3. I will hopefully do an experiment when I can find a good way to create downward pressure on the linocut material to get the best detail. 
    3. The other materials are great to use, but just not for the laser. Most likely it will take some time in getting use to these materials and figuring out what is the best ways to apply them to my creator skill. I hoped you enjoyed this experiment.