Laser materials · Cardboard and paper

Laser cutting cardboard, cardstock and paper

Paper and cardboard cut quickly on any laser, which makes them perfect for prototypes, packaging, invitations and papercut art. The challenges are keeping thin material flat and keeping it from burning.

What each one is good for

Prototype in cardboard first

Cardboard is the cheapest way to check a design. Cut a box or a set of interlocking parts in cardboard of roughly the same thickness as your final material, check the fit and proportions, then cut it in plywood. Enter the cardboard’s measured thickness when you generate the test version; corrugated board compresses, so expect a slightly looser fit than wood.

Keeping it flat

Thin material lifts and moves, which throws off the cut. Hold paper flat with magnets or the honeycomb pins, tape the corners outside the cut area, and use a sheet of scrap card underneath very thin paper. Cut small internal details before the outer outline so the piece doesn’t shift before it’s finished.

Stopping scorching and fires

• Fast and low power. Paper needs very little energy. Too slow and the edges brown or the sheet catches fire.
• Keep air assist low. Strong air can blow paper away; you want just enough to stop flare-ups.
• Clean the bed. Paper scraps under the honeycomb catch fire easily. Empty the tray often.
• Never walk away. Paper and cardboard ignite more easily than anything else you are likely to cut.

Scoring and folding

For boxes and cards, score fold lines with a light, fast pass instead of cutting through. In laser files from the app, blue lines are scores and red lines are cuts, so you can give the scores their own low-power setting. Packaging and tuck boxes are covered by the Packaging & Presentation studio in the app.

Layered papercuts

Stacked cardstock makes lightboxes and shadow boxes. The topographic map generator works in card as well as wood, and card is a good material for a first try at a layered piece before committing to plywood.

Settings

Starting values for cardstock, copy and kraft paper and corrugated cardboard are on the xTool settings page and the other brand pages. Because paper varies so much in weight, a quick test card is worth the minute it takes.