5. Generate G-code – Snapmaker

G-code is a programming language that the machine understands and is a series of commands that tells the machine what actions to perform - where to move, what speed to use, what temperatures to set, and much more. Before you start laser engraving, you need to download the software Snapmaker Luban from our website and install it. And you need to generate the G-code file from the image you want to engrave.

5.1 Generating G-code Workflow

The workflow of G-code generating is:

Select the Laser G-code Generator -> Upload file (Or enter text by clicking T) -> Configure

the parameters in Editor -> Configure the parameters in Process -> Generate G-code.

Note 1: Make sure you have selected the correct machine model Original in the top left corner.

Note 2: You can upload multiple files to different modes to engrave them in the same G-code file.

Note 3: Left click the image to modify the parameters, and right click it to pop up the operation menu.

Note 4: Auto Preview is enabled by default, which shows the dynamic preview after you modify the parameters. When Auto Preview is disabled, you need to click Preview to check the current status.

5.2 Engraving Mode

B&W: The engraved image will be in black and white without any grey color.

Greyscale: The engraved image will be in different shades of grey depending on its original color.

Vector: This effect is used for engraving vector graphics. The engraved image will be in black and white without any grey color.

Text: You can select the font and enter the text as you need. You can also upload your own fonts.

Note: If you're using a 1600mW laser module purchased separately, the Vector and Text modes both can be used for engraving and cutting. When laser cutting, you can set the Multi-pass and Power settings to a desirable level based on the materials you use.

5.3 Parameters in B&W Mode

Some parameters in B&W mode are listed below to help you familiarize with their meanings. You can learn about all the parameters by reading the prompts, which will appear when you hover your cursor over the tags in our software.

Invert: Inverts black to white and vise versa.

B&W: Set the proportion of the black color based on the original color of the image. The bigger this value is, the bigger the proportion of the black color will be.

5.4 Parameters in Greyscale Mode

Some parameters in Greyscale mode are listed below to help you familiarize with their meanings. You can learn about all the parameters by reading the prompts, which will appear when you hover your cursor over the tags in our software.

Contrast: The difference between the lightest color and the darkest color. The contrast is more obvious when this value is bigger.

Brightness: The engraved picture is brighter when this value is bigger.

White Clip: Set the threshold to turn the color that is not pure white into pure white. 0 means pure black and 255 means pure white and each of the colors in between is assigned a specific number. If White Clip is set to 88, colors whose number is larger than 88 will be turned into pure white (255).