How to engrave on leaf?

Overview

There's something truly magical about engraving intricate patterns onto a natural leaf. What used to be a super tedious, hand-carved art form practiced in various cultures is now way easier and more precise thanks to affordable diode lasers. It's like bringing a bit of tech wizardry into the heart of nature!

This blog walks you through everything you need to create a stunning leaf engraving using NEJE 5 & E40 Module! Once you try it, you'll be hooked.

Step 1: Choose the Right Leaves

Not every leaf is laser-friendly—some just don't cooperate. Here's what works best:

• Flat and smooth: Avoid ones with big, bumpy veins that mess with the laser focus.
• Moderately thick: Thicker leaves are sturdier and less likely to tear or burn too quickly.
• Right moisture level: Fresh leaves are great because a little moisture helps prevent scorching, but don't go overboard with super wet ones (they can diffuse the beam). Fully dried and pressed leaves are awesome if you want something that lasts forever.

Top recommendations: Magnolia leaves, ficus leaves, maple leaves (especially dried ones), or bay leaves. Steer clear of brittle, curly, or heavily textured leaves—they'll just frustrate you.

Step 2: Prepare the leaf

Grab a nice, vibrant leaf that's completely dry. The better the leaf, the better the engraving! (The leaf in this tutorial has been dried.)

Gently clean it with a soft-bristled brush or a slightly damp, lint-free cloth to remove dirt. After placing it on the honey bed, use magnets to secure the leaf in place.

Step 3: Set Up NEJE Diode Laser Engraver

①Power on your NEJE Machine, connect it, and open Light-burn. Import the image or design you want to engrave.

②Tweak the image settings: Select your image, bump up the gamma a touch to avoid over-burning dark areas. Switch to grayscale mode (or dithered if you prefer), and definitely turn on the "Negative Image" (invert) option—this is key for that beautiful leaf engraving effect.

(Different Gamma can cause different effect!)

③Set the parameter for engraving! The leaves are made of extremely thin organic material, so the engraving speed needs to be fast, and the specific values should be adjusted based on the actual results. Here, I choose 17000mm/min, 100%power. Select 'Grayscale' and Enable ‘Negative Image’.

Note:

1. If the leaf tears or burns too much: Drop power by 5% increments.
2. If it's not engraving through cleanly (no translucent glow in sunlight): Bump power up by 5%.

④Preview and Start the engraving! Make your design width match or slightly exceed the leaf's, but keep the length shorter—leaves plenty of border so you can remove it without snapping your artwork.

Enjoy and Preserve Your Leaf Art!

Frame it in an acrylic photo holder or a specimen album for display. Keep it out of direct sun and humidity to avoid fading or warping. Don't leave it exposed to air too long; dust and oxidation can turn it yellow over time. If you run into issues, it's usually just a quick parameter tweak away from perfection. Happy engraving!