Black looks dark brown when engraved.

[Ben Dalton]

Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem... When I am laser engraving white plastic with black lettering, the engraved areas look dark brown instead of black. No matter how much I clean it post-process, it still doesn't look true black. I've also messed around a lot with settings, but no matter what I try, I get the same result. I might just be obsessive compulsive, because it is a really dark brown, but for some reason it bugs me that I can't get as black with my laser as I can with my rotary machine. Is this just an inherent property because it is burning through to the black layer, or is there a way to avoid it so it looks true black? An help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Gary Hair]

I would guess that you are out of focus and using too much power. Black should be black.

You should also verify it's laserable material, not for rotary engraving.

[Tony Lenkic]

Ben,

Do you get same results with all three laser you list in your signature?

[Kev Williams]

I engrave tons of white/black. It simply doesn't get as black with a laser as it will by tooling. It's all a matter of heat.

FWIW, I get a darker black with Duets than I do Rowmark... however, one thing I don't like about Duets - at least the White I have now- is that the white edge chips badly when cut with my shear. As bad as my shear may be, it's never chipped any other material like this. Might be an anomaly because the first sheet I bought didn't do that...

[John Lifer]

Try Southeast material. The white face/black background gives me a solid black. Looks same as back. Bit different settings than Rowmark,but good stuff.

[Ray Scott]

Laser in the multi-color Rowark plastic is as much an art as it is a science. Try these suggestions and see what your results are.

1) Only while engraving, turn down the air pressure from the nozzle as much as possible. You always need some air flowing from the nozzle to protect the lens, but try to reduce the air flow to nearly nothing. You can do this with 1) a simple air flow control valve, 2) air pressure regulator, or 3) a voltage control unit for the air pump.

2) Engrave the project in two passes. The first pass will barely break into the black layer. The second pass should dig just a bit deeper.

3) allow the plastic to set (cool down and solidify) before you clean it. Clean with only soapy water. Using any solvent will cause the dust sediment to mix into the engraved areas.

Thank You,