Laser Engraving Wood

[James Cogbill]

Howdy All,
I'm experimenting with laser engraving text into oak. Any suggestions or ideas for how to make the letters look less burnt? Or any ideas for how to make it "burn" less? Thanks!

[Ross Moshinsky]

Lower DPI. Less Power. You're possibly out of focus which can leave a darker mark.

[gary l roberts]

Speed up, lower power. Oak is not the best of woods due to grain. Maple, walnut and cherry are better.

[Joe Pelonio]

If you want it deep, go with plenty of power and lower speed, then do a second pass at lower power higher speed to clean up the dark scorched look. It will take some trial and error to get the right settings for your machine.

[Lee DeRaud]

Any suggestions or ideas for how to make the letters look less burnt?Ok, I'll bite: why?
If you're going to color-fill, the burn doesn't matter.
If you're not going to color-fill, the added contrast from the burn is a feature, not a bug. (IMHO)