Laser engraving is an easy and exciting way to customize personal items and make unique gifts. But once you’ve picked out the best laser engraver for you, where do you go next?
In this article, we’ve listed some of the best laser engraving ideas you can make with your laser machine right away. Some have detailed instructions, and others come with a short description. Get inspired, choose your favorite designs, and fire up your laser engraver or laser cutter.
Great Laser Cutting and Laser Engraving Ideas for 2024
Curved Photo Frames
Laser engraving your precious moments is one of the best laser cutting ideas to create as a gift. And with this curved wooden frame template you can position your laser cut photo frames without needing any external support or accessory.
There are six different ready-to-download frame templates that you can quickly load up in your laser’s software and engrave your photos on these frames. You can scale these frames according to your picture’s sizes and personalize them to suit your needs.
It’s an easy and quick laser cutting project for the weekend and might also be a great type of project if you’re looking to make money with your laser engraver or laser cutter.
- Designed by: badcapyeahlaser
- Where to get: Etsy
Graffiti Laser Engraved Dice
Laser engraving gaming boards is a fantastic idea, but you can level up your game plan by creating customized, laser engraved dice. In this project, we’ll look at Graffiti designs engraved on dice.
The maker has detailed the entire process of laser engraving a design on the dice and has even included files for several dice types. You can take inspiration from these designs and create unique dice for your specific games.
It’s a slightly tricky project, and you’ll need lots of trial and error to figure out the dice material and laser settings that are best for you. But, the end result is worth it and makes for a fun addition to your gaming setup.
- Designed by: How2Douggie
- Where to get: Instructables
Sequential Discovery Puzzle Box
Puzzles are a fantastic way to learn the skill of problem-solving. And when you combine it with a laser engraver, the puzzle becomes that much cooler.
The sequential puzzle box is intricately designed to store your mysteries in a small, hidden compartment. You need to decipher the puzzle and solve it in a particular sequence to unlock the hidden case in the end.
As one of the many wood engraving projects, it’s exciting and involves considerable laser cutting and laser engraving. Luckily, Durss is a professional in creating puzzle boxes and has made the process easy and less puzzling for makers of any proficiency.
- Designed by: Durss
- Where to get: Instructables
Customizable Spotify Code Tags
Spotify has made music sharing an exciting thing with Spotify code. With this feature, you can digitally scan the code from your friend’s phone and listen to your favorite songs on the Spotify app.
OutwardB went a step ahead and has given you an easy way to physically create these Spotify codes using laser engraving and 3D printing. You can personalize these tags with your logos and emojis and add any shapes you’d like.
The file includes detailed instructions for laser engraving and 3D printing, and there are plenty of examples you can check out for free. It’s an excellent gift for your loved ones to share songs and playlists with a broader audience.
- Designed by: OutwardB
- Where to get: Thingiverse
Laser Engraved Wine Tumblers
Personalized wine tumblers can be a great workplace or a Christmas gift for your colleagues and family. These can also be exciting items to test out your laser’s engraving capabilities on metal pieces.
Usually, most tumblers are powder-coated, making them suitable for CO2 or diode laser technology machines. All you need is a rotary device and a combination of slow speed and high laser power to engrave your designs on the tumbler’s surface.
It’s one of the easier-to-create laser engraving projects, and you can replicate the engraving process on other drinking accessories such as cans, bottles, and cups.
- Where to get: Epilog
Butterfly Wing Earrings
Laser cut jewelry is one of the most popular laser cutter ideas. It is easy to create and gives you a lot of artistic freedom. These butterfly earrings are a great way to show off your creative skills in a minimalistic way. You can choose to download the vector files for these designs or create your own using image tracing on an iPad or dedicated laser cutter software.
The maker of this project has taken this idea to a different level and created several pleasing designs. While they have provided some guidelines and insight into their project, you have total creative freedom for creating your own versions. To start, you can experiment with thin hardwood on your laser cutter and see what looks best in your own designs.
- Designed by: amandamedmonds
- Where to get: Glowforge
Laser Engraved USB Keychains
Laser engraving on keychains is not a new idea, but this project embeds a USB flash drive within the keychain itself and lets you personalize the wooden cover.
It’s one of the more involved laser engraving projects, but the result is worth the effort. You can customize your flash drives to display any fitting design or insignia. The wood casing makes it easy to carry your files with you, and the laser engraving gives it a personalized touch.
You can use this laser engraving idea to customize your existing plastic USB drives or even metal ones. Even though you’d be best off with a laser engraver for metal if that’s the direction you want to go in.
Regardless of the laser engraver or laser cutter you use, a laser engraved USB keychain makes for an excellent tech gift.
- Designed by: Paoson Woodwork
- Where to get: Instructables
Full-size Playing Cards
Regular playing cards are fun to play with, but you can quickly spoil or lose them. With a laser engraver, you can notch up your card game by creating customized playing cards on any type of plywood.
You can take this idea and create an entire set of playing cards with unique designs or directly use this existing one.
This laser engraver project is an excellent topic for conversation at the table, and you can impress your friends and colleagues with your laser engraving skills.
The project is easy to design and engrave, and you can use any wood of your choice. Just keep the wood use consistent, you don’t want any visible difference between the cards!
- Designed by:ClarkEngravings
- Where to get: Etsy
Engraved Leather Belts
Leather is an easy-to-engrave material. It’s not difficult to reproduce fine details on it with just about any laser engraver or laser cutter. It’s only logical that engraved leather items are one of the go-to items for customized gifts.
You can burn designs on a belt by laser engraving patterns, sketches, or quotes with a laser engraver. A quality engraved belt is an excellent addition to anyone’s wardrobe. You can extend this to wallets, leather belts, sunglass pouches, and other leather accessories.
The mentioned project is easy to execute, and you can always reposition the belt within your engraver if its length exceeds the laser engraving area (it likely will).
Where to get: Trotec
LED Night Lights
Laser engraving on acrylic material diffuses light in an interesting manner. It acts as an optical fiber, and light will pass through the laser engravings like water flowing in a stream.
This LED night light is an excellent example of an acrylic laser engraving project to create unique designs for night lamps or decorative purposes. You can personalize the lamp by laser engraving any design of your choice and can go a step ahead by laser cutting it out in a unique shape.
Utkarsh has laid out detailed instructions for creating the night lamp, making it easy for beginners to develop their unique designs. It certainly has a wow factor and is a nice gift for any occasion.
- Designed by: Utkarsh Kumar Gupta
- Where to get: Instructables
Luggage Tags
Luggage tags are great informational tools and can come in handy to find lost packages. But that doesn’t mean they need to be plain and boring.
You can create customized luggage tags by laser engraving your information on one side and a design on the other. This project on Etsy has some attractive premade designs for you to quickly engrave on your luggage tags.
Optionally, you can create your own tags by downloading your chosen image and converting it into your laser engraving software. It’s a quick and easy way to personalize your bags while ensuring they’re not lost on the journey. Or as far as that is possible.
- Designed by: JBSDesignStudio
- Where to get: Etsy
Coasters
Personalized coasters can be a great marketing tool for clubs and restaurants, but also an excellent item for households. They’re quick to make and can be a good project to test out the capabilities of your new laser engraver.
This Etsy Project gives you access to around 200 coaster designs designed for laser cutters. You have plenty of choices to select from, and the files are available in several different formats ensuring broad compatibility with different laser engraving machines and software solutions.
- Designed by: TShirtPrinted
- Where to get: Etsy
Custom Rubber Stamps
Customized packaging substantially impacts brand value and can be a good idea to increase your brand’s recognition among customers.
Rubber stamps can be a quick way to create a personalized company logo and packaging on a small scale. You can customize them per your needs and easily mark your bags, pouches, and envelopes in a jiffy.
Furthermore, you can extend this idea and experiment with engraved stamps to create various designs on your walls, clothes, and personal accessories.
- Designed by: masterURlaser
- Where to get: Instructables
Bookmarks
Bookmarks can be great personalized items for avid readers who’d consider them almost an extension of their personalities. And what better way to create your unique bookmarks than to laser engrave them?
This project contains six different bookmark designs along with three keychain laser engravings. You can customize the bookmark sizes and materials according to your needs. The files are easy to use, and if you’re a tinkerer, you can customize them by adding your own images or texts.
You can improve this idea by creating unique bookmarks for individual books. Choose your favorite quote from the book, and engrave it on your personalized bookmark.
Cutting Boards
Home and professional chefs alike love a good cutting board that’s personalized to them. These boards are easy to make, and you can customize them with any designs and shapes you’d like.
You have the option to create a cutting board from scratch or engrave it on a pre-existing one. If you decide to start from scratch, you’ll have complete control over the board’s size, thickness, and color. You can even give it a custom shape by laser cutting it out of wood stock yourself.
Ideal engraving ideas would be to burn a famous cooking quote or etch your favorite cooking recipe making it a personal gift.
Where to get: Epilog
Laser Engraved Journals
You can add a personal touch to journals with a laser engraver and make them an exciting gift for your friends, family, and colleagues.
Wood and cardboard are the ideal material choices; you can customize them quickly with hundreds of free designs. You can use an existing journal and try mixing laser engraving and laser cutting techniques to create a unique-looking journal cover.
This specific project utilizes a paper binding machine that is cheap and readily available online. You can use this method or engrave it on a plain journal if you’d like to save on costs.
- Designed by: brichtl
- Where to get: Instructables
Cooking Utensils
Personalized cooking utensils along with the above-mentioned engraved cutting board help complete a cooking set and make for an ideal gift for cooking enthusiasts and culinary students alike.
Wooden rolling pins, ladles, knives, and spoons are easy to laser engrave with basic settings. While wood is an ideal material, you can choose to go with plastic or powder-coated metals on CO2 and diode laser engravers. Just make sure to check the exact plastic material, not all are suited for laser engraving or cutting.
These wood engraving projects are also excellent for commercial kitchens and as dinnerware in fancy restaurants. You can pitch these laser engraving ideas to your local restaurant and make a small profit from your hobby.
- Designed by: Trotec
- Where to get: Rolling Pin, Kitchen Utensils
Business Cards
Laser engraved business cards are an excellent way of advertising your business while showing off your skills in a unique manner. They stand out in any collection of paper business cards, and your prospects will likely keep them for their novelty.
For materials, you can choose thin wood, MDF, or cardboard. If you have the budget, you can even engrave on metal business card blanks for a more premium-looking card. The main thing to remember is to adjust your laser power and speed according to the material.
Where to get: Trotec
Laser Engraved Mirror Glass
Just like laser engraving acrylic, laser engraving mirror glass can be tricky at first, but if done right, you can yield high-quality results that add to the decor of your place.
You can choose from various designs, and both CO2 and fiber laser machines are able to engrave on the mirror’s surface. It’s especially important to wear protective laser goggles because the laser beam will reflect in many directions.
Where to get: Trotec
QR Cubes
Post-covid QR codes have become a common sight in many restaurants and cafes. This laser-engraved QR code cube is an exciting take on the otherwise dull QR sticker.
You can engrave your menus, social IDs, websites, WiFi passcodes, and anything else you’d like your customer to know about the place. These are highly customizable and one of the cooler laser cutting projects.
These are more durable than paper stickers and can be a friendly marketing technique for your business. You can choose these for your homes and businesses and make the QR scanning a little more fun.
Laser Engraved Instruments
Guitars are a personal item to many, and laser engraving a photo or your favorite design is a great way to customize it.
You can engrave on guitars, violins, piano tops, organs, and basically any other instrument that fits within your engraver. This project has all the detailed steps and instructions to make your laser engraving personalized.
You will need to play around with the laser beam settings to get the perfect match, but the more time you spend setting up the laser, the better the final laser engraving results will be.
- Designed by: Trotec Laser Canada
- Where to get: Instructables
Personalized Calendar Keyring
With a laser engraver, you can make personalized calendars to help you remember the precious moments of your loved ones. This project lets you carry these calendars around by formatting them in the shape of a keyring.
There are over 800 templates in the file in three different formats. You can engrave on wood, acrylic, and MDF and etch down your unique date. The seller has good reviews on their Etsy shop, and people seem to love these designs. It’s a lovely valentine’s or anniversary gift to mark your loving memories.
- Designed by: HappyProjectGift
- Where to get: Etsy
Warning Labels
Warning and safety labels are a quick way to inform a laser cutter or 3D printer’s users about the laser machine’s safety parameters. Laser engraving these labels is one of the best and easiest ways to inform everyone involved.
This laser engraving idea contains a single design for the warning label. It’s specifically for use near a laser engraving machine, but you can customize it for basically any purpose. You can use scrap material and even use the warning sign as a testing piece for the laser’s settings.
- Designed by: builttospec
- Where to get: Thingiverse
Laser Engrave Your Phone
It’s one of the more adventurous, perhaps most satisfying, laser engraving ideas. Instead of using a personalized mobile phone case, you can directly engrave your design on the back of the phone using a laser engraver.
You can engrave on metal and glass surfaces with this technique. Plastic is not the best suited for this, as it might quickly burn, and you might end up creating harmful fumes in the process.
Start with low power and high speed, and ensure all safety precautions during the process. It’s an easy laser cutting project if you get the settings right. The detailed instructions are listed in the link below and make it relatively straightforward.
- Designed by: tinkrmind
- Where to get: Instructables
Custom Awards
Laser engraved awards are quick and easy to create. When they are made with a good laser cutter, they look highly professional. This idea is great for creating personalized items on short notice.
You receive 10 different file designs with this project on Etsy. These files are customizable and come with their own stands as well. The frames are intended to be used with wood, whereas the award templates work best with acrylic material.
That said, you can use whichever material you think will look best for your final design. The beauty of all these laser engraving ideas is that you can use them as inspiration and customize them to suit your needs.
- Designed by: AlioTrophyUA
- Where to get: Etsy
Custom Clock Faces
Creating custom clock faces is a fun and practical laser project. This laser engraving idea uses laminate sheets instead of wooden and plastic to give a contrasting look to the final piece.
The maker has utilized a white-on-black laser laminate sheet for the clock face. It’s a straightforward design, and you can download a DXF file to edit and create your own clock faces.
It’s an excellent project for beginners, but keep in mind that you will likely need some kind of clock mechanism to get a working clock out of it.
- Designed by: kitronik
- Where to get: Instructables
Conclusion
Laser engraving offers endless possibilities for customizing and personalizing a wide range of items. From Spotify code tags to LED night lights, there are plenty of laser engraving ideas for everyone, regardless of skill level or preferred material.
With the resources available online, you can access step-by-step instructions, premade designs, or even create your own unique designs.
Whether you’re looking for a special gift or just want to add a personal touch to your belongings, these laser engraving and laser cutting projects are fun and creative ways to make it happen.
Let us know which ones you chose for your engraving project and how the results were on your laser machines. If you have any other exciting laser cutter ideas or inputs for the article, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
