Laser Personalized Leather Notebook

I made these coasters as a Christmas gift last year at the TechShop in San Francisco.

You will need:
* Access to a laser cutter
* Leather notebook.  I used a Rustic River Discovery.
* Painters tape
* Blank newsprint or butcher paper

You'll need to design your monogram using vector graphics software like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDraw.  You can use the attached file as a starting point.

When your design is done, try etching it into paper or cutting out paper outlines of larger letters.  You can use these to get a sense of size and placement on the notebook itself.  I suggest setting a custom home for the laser to adjust placement rather than using software.  You can also try etching on paper taped directly to the front of the notebook to ensure your positioning is just right before etching on the actual leather.  It pays to test as much as possible here since you only get one shot with the notebook itself. 

When you are confident in the design, etch away!  I etched both the inside and outside of the notebook in separate passes.