Cutting paper card stock without burn marks?

Space Teams LASERS
1

I’m interested in making some replacement covers for some of my VHS collection.

I would be using a white card stock, pre-printed and coated on the printed side.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I’m certified on large and small lasers, and I’m guessing that I want to use a smaller laser and as little power as possible to avoid burn marks. Not sure if it’s better to cut with the printed side up, or down.

Would it be best to mount my prints to some plywood to avoid extra burning, or would that just make it worse?

I have some ideas for how to make sure that my prints align with my cuts manually, but I would love to hear from other folks who’ve gone down this road before.

2

I have a background in printing and I know that normally one would just print a bunch of them and have 'em die cut, but we’re talking about really small runs and even one-offs.

I could cut them by hand with an X-acto and ruler, but would prefer to avoid this if I can do it with a laser.

3

The vinyl cutter can do card stock.

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4

I had considered this option! Does the ASMBLY vinyl cutter have an optical registration module?

I’ve owned and operated a bunch of vinyl cutters over the past ten or so years, but I thought that lining up my cuts would be easier and more reliable on a laser. (I can imagine the rollers sliding a bit on the glossy side of the paper)

I might just get some sample stock to test on the small lasers before having the color prints run…

5

I dont recall it having a registration system.

6

If it is practical to temporarily tack your paper onto a backing material, that can shield the delicate paper from the flares that come up from the honeycomb metal. Even something as simple as stiff cardboard might work?

Could get tricky if you use one of the air-assist lasers though since the air could blow around your paper as you finish the cuts. Which of course you might solve by leaving small tabs uncut and easy to hand-cut later.

Ooh, just to throw out another idea: Lightburn offers a “perforation” mode on line cuts where it will automatically turn the laser on and off as it follows a line. You might find a sweet spot there.

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7

I’ve cut paper without it getting burned on the large lasers

8

good to know! I’ll probably use one of the small lasers anyhow just to free up space for the more popular lasers! haha I’d like to get more familiar with the lil guys anyways.