Specifications
GRAPHICS SOFTWARE SETUP
Section 3-5
Save
By clicking Save, the “Save Engraving Setup” dialog box will appear and will allow you to enter in a
file name. All settings will be stored in this file that has a “.LAS” extension. DO NOT rename the
extension; the driver will not recognize the file as a laser settings file if it does not have the “.LAS”
extension name. These files can be stored in any directory on your hard drive or floppy disks and you
can have as many setting files as your disks can hold.
Load
To recall printer driver settings that have been previously saved, click on the “Load” button and
choose the desired .LAS settings file. The settings that are currently on screen will be replaced by
the settings from the .LAS file. You may abort this change by clicking Cancel; clicking OK will
approve the change.
Default (Windows 2000/XP only)
This button will reset the driver settings to the originally installed values.
Print Mode (Windows 2000/XP only)
In this dropdown list, you can choose from 4 different printing modes, Normal (default), Clipart, 3D, and
Rubber Stamp.
Clipart Mode
This control simulates laser printer output and is very useful if using a drawing with many colors,
shades of gray, or many outlines. It is recommended to turn this control ON when using DRAWN
clipart because there may be some underlying cutting lines hiding behind filled areas. Having this
control ON gives a what-you-see-is-what-you-get output very similar to laser printer output. The
entire drawing will be raster engraved, including all outlines, and only the Black color setting is used.
The driver automatically turns OFF its color-mapping feature and all colors are engraved as different
shades of gray, represented by a halftone pattern. The type of halftone pattern is based upon the
“Quality” setting of the driver the same way grayscale bitmaps are interpreted. Since clipart images
use a wide variety of colors, shades, and outlines, the only effective way of engraving these images is
to have this control turned ON. Clipart mode also provides greater compatibility with Windows
software that does not work well with vector devices such as the laser system. Do not activate this
control when printing photographs or bitmapped images; use it ONLY with DRAWN clipart.
3D
There are two ways to use this feature. The first method is used produce an engraving that has a
contoured depth, giving it a three dimensional feel. It is used in combination with grayscale bitmaps
by automatically assigning laser power levels to the shades of gray of the bitmap WITHOUT
converting the image to a halftone. These power settings are based off the setting you entered for
the color black, in the printer driver. The darkest shades of gray (black) will be assigned the value of
the setting for the black color. The lightest shade of gray (white) will automatically be assigned a 0%
power. All other shades of gray that fall between black and white will automatically be assigned an
appropriate power level that matches the darkness of the color. The engraving will appear “3D”
because the depth of the engraving will vary according to the image. Sometimes it takes several
passes to create enough relief in the engraving to get the desired results.
Special 3D software is required to produce the type of grayscale images that are compatible with this
mode. You cannot simply use ANY grayscale bitmap to produce a “3D” effect. Please contact our
Applications Department for the latest 3D software recommendations.
The second way to use the 3D feature is to engrave any photograph, lightly onto the surface of hard
materials such as black marble, anodized aluminum, painted brass, micro-surfaced engravers plastic,
etc., to produce unbelievable photographic quality. Using the appropriate materials and settings, the
end result is an engraving that looks more like a photograph than a halftoned or diffusion dithered
image does. To use the 3D feature in this method you must first set up a few things.