Glowforge Pro Settings for Leather

Cutting Settings

Engraving Settings

How to Set Up Leather on the Glowforge Pro

1. 1Secure your leather flat on the work bed using clamps, magnets, or a honeycomb pin set to prevent movement during the job.
2. 2Set your focus distance accurately — use the auto-focus probe if your machine has one, or measure manually with the focus gauge.
3. 3Ensure your water cooling system is running and the coolant temperature is between 15–25°C before starting the laser.
4. 4Verify your leather is vegetable-tanned, not chrome-tanned. Chrome-tanned leather releases toxic hexavalent chromium fumes when lasered and must never be used.
5. 5Enable air assist if available. A steady stream of air at the cut point removes debris, reduces charring, and helps prevent flare-ups.
6. 6Enter the speed, power, and pass count from the settings table above into LightBurn. The table lists both mm/min and mm/s — LightBurn defaults to mm/s, so use the mm/s value unless you have switched units. Use the “Cut” or “Engrave” layer settings panel.
7. 7Run a small test cut or engrave on a scrap piece of leather before committing to your final project piece. Adjust power up or down by 5–10% based on results.

What to Expect When Lasering Leather

Laser-engraved leather darkens in the engraved areas, creating a branded or burned appearance with a distinctive smell similar to a campfire. Cut edges will be sealed and slightly darkened. The depth and darkness of engraving depends on power — lower power produces a subtle golden tone, while higher power creates a deep dark brown. Expect a noticeable odor; good ventilation is essential. The 45W CO2 tube produces clean cuts on most non-metals, often in a single pass. Its 10.6µm wavelength gives acrylic a flame-polished edge that diode lasers cannot match, and cuts run faster and cooler than any diode at a comparable task.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ✗Running at full power on the first attempt — always start with a test piece at the recommended settings and adjust incrementally. Going straight to maximum power risks burning through the material or causing fire.
• ✗Treating a CO2 laser like a diode and running slow multi-pass cuts — at 45W you can usually cut in a single faster pass, and over-slow cuts melt edges and waste tube hours.
• ✗Using chrome-tanned leather instead of vegetable-tanned leather — chrome-tanned leather releases toxic hexavalent chromium fumes when heated. This is dangerous and must be avoided. Always verify the tanning method before lasering any leather.
• ✗Setting power too high when engraving leather — it is easy to burn through thin leather. Start with low power and increase gradually.

Tips for Leather on Laser Machines

• ✓Vegetable-tanned leather gives the best engraving contrast and smell.
• ✓Use low power for engraving to avoid burning through thin leather.
• ✓Dampen the surface slightly for a cleaner, darker engrave.
• ✓Air assist helps prevent flare-ups on thinner hides.
• ✓Test on a scrap piece -- leather thickness and density vary widely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Materials for Glowforge Pro

Leather Settings for Other Machines