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Laser etching best practices

Updated October 21, 2026

Prepare solid black, bold artwork and find the right controls for laser-etched products

Laser etching, also called laser engraving, burns your design into a product's surface. The design takes on the tone of the material instead of printed color, so use solid black, bold artwork and check each product's own artwork area before you design.

Laser etching artwork requirements​

Laser etching artwork must be solid black with bold, simple shapes. Follow these rules:

  • One color: Design in solid black only. Laser etching doesn't reproduce printed colors.
  • Small details: Keep lines thick and details bold. Very thin lines can engrave faint or broken, and small details close together can blur. Simplify or separate small elements.
  • Gradients and shadows: Avoid gradients, drop shadows and glows. Laser marking is binary, so soft transitions turn into patches. Use solid shapes instead.
  • File type: Upload a JPG or PNG. Use PNG if your artwork has transparency.
  • Color profile: Use sRGB.

Laser etching has no fixed pixel minimum that applies to every product. Use the size and resolution the product designer shows for the product you pick.

Products that use laser etching​

Laser-etched products in the catalog currently include:

  • Insulated Tumbler with a Straw
  • Pinnacle Vacuum Insulated Travel Tumbler With Straw

Not every drinkware product uses laser etching. Before you design, check that the product's method is Laser etched.

Design a laser-etched product​

A laser-etched product starts from the product catalog, like any other on-demand product:

  1. Go to Products and click Create new product > Design a new product.
  2. Choose a product whose method is Laser etched and click Design now.
  3. If the Laser artwork requirements dialog opens, review its One color, Small details and Gradient & shadow guidance, then click I understand.
  4. On the Artwork tab, click Upload image to add your JPG or PNG artwork.
  5. Open the Engraving tab to find the engraving controls.

To see the laser artwork guidance again, click Read all art requirements on the Artwork tab. It reopens Laser artwork requirements.

Engraving controls​

The Engraving tab in the product designer has two controls for laser-etched products: the Detail level slider and the Invert artwork colors control. To find them, open the laser-etched product's designer and click the Engraving tab.

Laser etching area and placement​

The laser etching area is specific to each product. Keep your artwork inside the decoration area the product designer shows, and use that product's displayed size and resolution. Current examples:

  • Pinnacle Vacuum Insulated Travel Tumbler With Straw: 3 × 4 inches at 300 dots per inch (DPI)
  • Insulated Tumbler with a Straw: 2.5 × 4 inches at 300 DPI

These sizes belong to these two products. There's no single laser etching size for every product.

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