An Anti-VDay Vibe
If the love fest around VDay is starting to get on your nerves, or if the plastic consumerist story makes you feel a little ill, I've put together a couple of cards to give VDay the finger.
The folks at Instructables have (perhaps not unreasonably) asked me to obscure a certain word in the photos. If you're a grown up, & not likely to be offended by swear words, you can see the undistorted image in all it's irreverent glory at the link below.
Work Up Your Vector Design
Use a vector graphics platform like Corel or Adobe Illustrator, or even an open-source package like inkscape to pull together the raster & vector layout for the design you're looking to create.
Create a Fixture
I really like to use fixtures when I'm working on the laser cutter. It helps index your workpiece, elevates it above the honeycomb to reduce flashback, & allowing your cuts to "drop" into the well is an excellent way to be sure that you produced a clean cut in your stock.
Prototype/Iterations
I almost always find that I'll need to make multiple test runs to refine my design & my settings. Prototypes give you an opportunity to make final adjustments, eliminate burn through, get the raster depth you're looking for, & any other issues.
Run Your Final Cuts & Add a Light Filter
Once you have your design & your setting dialed in, you're ready to run your final production cuts & get your cards ready for display.
Have a great weekend, even if you don't have a F%$*#&G Valentine.
My designs are being release as "Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5"