Event

Inkscape 101: Laser-Cutting Tokens & Coasters

Create custom coasters or tokens to fill a 12x12 eight-inch plywood sheet. This is a beginners class for Inkscape, the free, scalable, vector-based editing software.

Class size is limited to 12 students.

Inkscape is an open-source alternative to Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw and other illustration software. We will be learning the basics of this program to design files for the laser cutter. Line thickness, fills and colors all can be used to change how the laser cuts and engraves into materials, and slight changes to settings can yield different and sometimes surprising results.
About the Laser Cutter

The Epilog Legend 36EXT Laser cutter is a versatile tool. It will cut and engrave many types of materials ranging from acrylic, wood, anodized aluminum, and even mother of pearl. It can engrave and mark glass, metal, marble and stone as well to create a variety of projects. The laser excels in fine, intricate work and cutting wood is one of the best ways to learn about design and power settings for this tool.
Learn the basics of working with Laser including:

Safe operation of the laser system
Setting up files for vector cutting
Raster engraving and etching
Color-coding lines for a variety of engraving effects
Using the Epilog print software to create consistent results
Material preparation and clean-up

Requirements:

Laptop (Mac OS X or Windows)
Vector Editing software: Inkscape (Free!!!)
Mouse with a scroll wheel

Includes:

12" x 12" sheet of 1/8 plywood for making coasters/tokens
Cardboard and paper for practice

Billy Davis, the class instructor, is a Tacoma-area native with a diverse background in print production, non-profit marketing, print design, and project management. A former real estate photographer and marketing consultant, he is the Marketing Director at FabLab Tacoma, as well as a co-founder.