This page lists 66 community-tested settings for Slate. Slate and stone engrave by fracturing the surface — the laser removes material to reveal a lighter color. Invert your image for best results.
Slate is a natural stone that laser engraves by ablating the dark surface to reveal a lighter,
matte white mark underneath. No coating needed — the contrast is built in.
Invert your image in LightBurn for slate — dark areas in your design will be light on the finished
piece. Coasters are the most popular slate blank. Some makers spray with Rustoleum crystal clear enamel first to
brighten the result further.
Equivalent to ~66mm/s. Reported on LightBurn forum (forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/best-setting-for-engraving-slate/35426) and LA Hobby Guy community (lahobbyguy.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2916). Range is 3000–5000mm/min at 45–65%. Air assist OFF — blowing air scatters slate dust unevenly and can prevent the whitening effect. DPI: 300 DPI. Wipe slate clean after engraving.
crealityfalcon.com tutorial 'Step by Step to Laser Engraving a Slate with Creality' recommends 12000 mm/min at 80% power. LA Hobby Guy thread (t=5219) 'Falcon 2 (22w) with Slate coasters' reports user batch-engraved 480 coasters at these settings with excellent results. LightBurn forum (t=118915) community confirms 22W at 12000/80% as a solid starting point; some users prefer 6000 mm/min / 40% for deeper contrast.
crealityfalcon.com tutorial 'Step by Step to Laser Engraving a Slate with Creality' recommends 12000 mm/min at 80% for their general Falcon line; however, the 5W tops out around 10000 mm/min and community members on LA Hobby Guy (t=2916) report 8000 mm/min at 80% as a practical starting point on 5W/10W machines. Slate needs high speed to avoid over-ablating — lower speed increases depth but reduces contrast.
Same laser module as X20 Pro; same community settings apply. Atomstack officially lists slate as an engravable material for the A20 Pro. Source: lahobbyguy.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2916 and forum.lightburnsoftware.com/t/lightburn-grayscale-engraving-on-slate-using-lasermatic-mk2-20w-diode-laser/171784 (LaserMatic 20W diode, same power class).
Community-tested on 20W diode lasers via LA Hobby Guy (lahobbyguy.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2916 'Settings for Slate'). Multiple users with 20W machines (including Atomstack X20 Pro) report 4000mm/min at 55% power as a reliable starting point. Lower power + faster speed consistently yields cleaner, lighter contrast. Wiping slate with acetone before engraving improves results. No clear coat needed post-engrave.
Good white engrave on slate. Invert your image first. Even at 6W the S6 Pro produces satisfying results on slate — it's one of the easiest materials for low-power diodes. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after to reveal contrast.
Bright white slate engrave at production speed. Invert your image. The P2's large bed fits a 3×3 grid of standard 10cm coasters in one job. Wipe clean after engraving. Consistent results across the full sheet with the P2's even power delivery.
Bright white engrave on slate. Invert your image before sending. The S10 Pro produces excellent slate results — one of the most satisfying materials for diode lasers. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after to reveal full contrast.
Slate engraves white at these settings. Invert your image before sending. Even 5W produces good results on slate — the material is very receptive to CO2 and diode wavelengths. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after to see full contrast. One of the easiest materials for a beginner machine.
Bright white engrave on slate. Invert your image first. The S30 Pro's large bed fits 9 standard 10×10cm coasters in a 3×3 grid — run the whole batch in one job. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after to reveal the full contrast of the white marks against dark stone.
Bright white engrave on slate. Invert your image before sending. The LM3 handles slate as well as any diode laser — 20W is more than sufficient for stone marking. Wipe clean with a damp cloth immediately after engraving for best contrast.
Bright white engrave on slate. Invert your image in Beam Studio. The Beamo produces excellent slate results — CO2 wavelength works well on stone. The small bed fits standard 10×10cm coasters perfectly. Wipe clean after engraving to reveal full contrast.
Very fast slate engraving on the large bed — engrave multiple slate coasters in a single job. The 900×600mm bed fits 12-16 standard coasters in one pass. Consistent bright white result across the whole sheet with the Nova 35's even power distribution.
Bright, consistent white engrave on slate with no banding — one area where the Epilog clearly outperforms budget CO2 machines. The servo-driven head maintains even speed across the slate surface. Wipe clean after engraving. Great for wedding gifts and memorial items.
Clean white engrave on slate. Invert your image before engraving. Even at 10W the TS2 produces excellent results on slate — one of the easiest materials to get right with a diode laser. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after the job.
Slate engraves white at these settings. Invert your image so engraved areas appear bright. Even a 5W diode produces excellent contrast on slate — this is one of the A5 Pro's best use cases. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after to remove dust.
Bright white engrave on slate. Invert your image in the Glowforge App (use the 'invert' button in the artwork panel). Wipe with a damp cloth after to reveal contrast. Slate is forgiving — hard to over-engrave, but higher power does increase brightness of the mark.
Bright white engrave on slate. Always invert your image so engraved areas appear light against the dark stone. Wipe the slate clean with a damp cloth immediately after engraving to reveal the full contrast — the white dust obscures the result until cleaned.
Crisp white engrave on slate. Invert your image so engraved areas appear light. Wipe with a damp cloth after to reveal full contrast. The S1's camera makes it easy to align artwork on irregularly shaped slate pieces.
Slate engraves white at these settings. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after to reveal the full contrast. Invert your image so engraved areas appear bright. Slate is forgiving — hard to over-engrave.
Bright white engrave on slate. Invert your image in LightBurn so the engraved areas appear light. Wipe the slate with a damp cloth after engraving to remove dust and reveal full contrast. No coating needed.
Bright white mark on black slate. Invert your image in LightBurn. No air assist — it scatters debris onto the lens. Wipe surface with damp cloth after. Use Stucki or Jarvis dithering for photos.
A top-rated community setting for Slate on the xTool F1 is speed 400 mm/s, power 90%. There are 66 community-tested settings for Slate across 57 machines on this page.
Can a diode laser engrave or cut Slate?
Yes — there are 36 community settings for Slate on diode lasers and 22 on CO₂ lasers. CO₂ lasers generally cut faster and cleaner, but modern high-wattage diode lasers handle most stone work well.
Do I need air assist for Slate?
3% of the community settings for Slate use air assist. Air assist is optional for most operations but can improve edge quality on cuts.
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