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Laser Engraving Requirements

We laser-engrave on our metal cards instead of printing - here's our design requirements

Laser Engraving Requirements for Linq Card Metal & Hyper Linq Card Metal

We offer laser engraving for:

  • Linq Card Metal

Laser engraving etches your design into the metal and reveals the silver metal underneath. Because it’s a single-color process (no ink), there are important requirements and limitations to ensure your design looks clean and professional.

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How Laser Engraving Works

  • A laser removes the top coating on the metal card.

  • The result is a single-color engraving (silver) on the card surface.

  • It cannot produce:

    • Shades of grey

    • Gradients

    • Photo-like detail

All designs must be able to be converted to one flat color and still look correct.

File Type Requirements

To get the best possible engraving quality, please provide:

Preferred (Best Option):

  • AI (Adobe Illustrator)

  • SVG (Vector)

These give us scalable, high-resolution vector art, which engraves the cleanest.

Acceptable (If High Resolution):

  • PNG or PDF

    • Must be at least 500 dpi for clear, sharp engraving

Not Accepted:

  • JPEG (.jpg)

    • These often compress and blur edges, which does not translate well to engraving.

Design Requirements & Limitations

To ensure your design engraves correctly, please follow these guidelines:

Not Allowed

  • No Shading

    • Engraving cannot create shades of grey. Any shading effects will be lost.

  • No Gradients

    • Smooth gradients between colors don’t work with a single-color engraving process.

  • No Overlapping Elements

    • Overlapping shapes/colors will blend together when converted to one color.

    • Any design element you want to remain visible must be separate and distinct.

  • No Low-Resolution Files

    • Low-res artwork can cause:

      • Fuzzy or jagged edges

      • Thin lines disappearing entirely

    • Always use high-resolution or vector files.

  • No Portraits or Photos

    • Photos and portraits contain:

      • Complex color information

      • Shading and gradients

    • These do not convert well to single-color engraving.

Allowed / Recommended

  • ✅ Single-Color Designs

    • Logos, icons, and text that still look good when converted to solid one-color art.

    • Simple, bold shapes and clear lettering work best.

If you’re unsure whether your logo or artwork will engrave well, it’s a good sign it may need simplification first.