Laser Engraving Colour Infill - Printing At It's Best!

Laser engraving is a specialised printing method used to apply company logos or text onto wood and acrylic products, for an exquisite and personalised branded finish.  

Laser engraving however, can be enhanced considerably by adding colour and is just one of the printing techniques Polmac (UK) Ltd uses to print onto it’s custom made, wood presentation boxes and packaging.

 Laser Engraving Over Masking Tape

The surface of the wood is first sealed with a clear lacquer finish to prevent the paint ‘bleeding’ onto the wood. 

Masking tape, with a weak adhesive application, used to mask paintwork, is an excellent masking medium. However, it's important to ensure the masking tape can be removed quickly and easily after painting, to prevent the paint lifting.

A special paper mask can also be applied to the engraving area and smoothed down with a squeegee to remove any air bubbles underneath. This is done by applying pressure at the centre of the paper mask and working out towards the edges.  

After laser engraving, the squeegee is used again to remove any air bubbles that may have been missed and to smooth down any paper edges that have curled up.

 

The depth of the engraving should not be too shallow or too deep. If too shallow, the paint may not be deep enough to hold the paint filling. If too deep, it may be difficult to work into the engraved crevices.

On average, the depth of the engraving should be about the thickness of a standard metal staple.  

Heavy body, acrylic paint in various colours is then carefully applied to the engraving, using a flat head paint brush, a large ‘Q-tip’ cotton swab, or a squeegee.

                                                  Applying Acrylic Paint With A Squeegee              

 

The paint is carefully worked into the engraving, to ensure all the crevices are filled with acrylic paint. Once this process is completed the engraving is set aside and the paint allowed to dry.

Before the paint is completely dry, the masking tape, or paper mask is carefully removed by lifting the corners and working towards the centre. If the paint is completely dry, there is a danger it will adhere too strongly to the masking tape, or paper mask and may ‘lift’ the paint from the engraving. 

                                                             Removing Masking Tape

After the masking tape, or paper mask is removed, ‘weeding’ takes place, using a sharp scalpel, or craft knife. This process removes any excess paper mask, or paint still on the wood surface. 

 Weeding Excess Masking Tape & Paint

Excess paint can also be removed by careful scrubbing with a damp cloth, if the paint is not too dry. However, if this process is unsuccessful, excess paper, or paint can be removed by careful, fine sanding. 

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