Laser Engraving – How to Start a Laser Engraving Business From Home

If you’re looking for a home or small business that will stand the test of time regardless of the economy, laser engraving may be right for you. One of the nicest things about a laser engraving business is that you can set up in a retail location, add it to another business or just work from home. The versatility of this business also makes it possible to start form home where you have less overhead and then later move it to a small retail location. In that location you could also have on an add-on business or two.

With laser machines or systems you can specialize in creating specific types of laser parts manufacturer or make a variety. You can (etch, cut or mark) engrave pens, laptops, luggage tags, plaques, trophies, toys, key chains, even wine bottles. The list is endless. You may come up with something unique also.

You can engrave on wood, rubber, stone, acrylic, leather, glass, fabric and all types of materials

First of all you’ll need to buy or possibly lease a laser engraving machine. The machines today are compact and not bulky. They don’t take up a lot of room. And you can do a lot with them.

It takes about $10,000 if you buy a laser machine or system, however you can lease them also. They don’t take up a lot of room. A work space of about 12″ by 18″should be enough. Leasing a laser engraving machine may cost about $250 a month or so. You should be able to earn it back fast each month. You don’t want a long term lease because you may find you love the business and can see you’re going to make a great small business out of it and should own the machine. But leasing would give you a chance to find out if it’ll work for you.

Epilog laser systems will require a computer – but the usual Windows XP or Vista will work fine with it. In addition you’ll need graphics software such as CorelDraw, AutoCAD and Adobe. There is a printer driver on the Epilog system so you can print images from these programs.

Once you’re set up you’ll find that making a laser engraving is simple. From setting the size of the page, importing your image and putting it on the page just where you want it. You can make other changes and add text too.

Two decisions you’ll need to make are deciding on the size of the table and what tube wattage you’ll want. The best way to do this is to get an actual demonstration of the laser engraving and cutting systems.

Laser engraving has become very popular today with many people engraving laptops, other electronics and many other items as mentioned above. Businesses order trophies, plaques and all sorts or promotional materials. Get the word out about your business locally to get some good experience fast. Then you can go after the laser engraving business online and specialize or not. The small start-up costs and versatility of this business makes it one of the greatest choices if you want to work from home or in a retail location.