How to Make Your Own Laser-Cut Business Cards With Inkscape (Georgia Tech Invention Studio)

Ever want to stand out when going to career fairs or talking with employers? This tutorial will go over using Inkscape, GIMP, and Trotec software to engrave and laser-cut your own business cards!

Step 1: Prepare Materials

For this project, after some experimenting, I found that 1/16" basswood had the best balance between quality, rigidity, and thinness of a business card. Any thinner material felt like it was going to snap after laser engraving it. Stores such as Blick Art Materials often sell these sheets individually for around $2, or you can buy in bulk on Amazon such as here.

Step 2: Download a Template for Inkscape Below or Observe the Following Video

Step 3: Follow the GIMP Tutorial Below to Format the Back Image of Your Card

https://www.instructables.com/id/Format-High-Quality-Images-in-GIMP-for-Laser-Cutti/

Step 4: Finalize Your File, Ctrl+p to Send to the Laser Cutter Software

Step 5: For Trotec 300 Laser Cutter, the Following Settings Work Well

Step 6: Finished!