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PhotoGrav 2.xx Parameter Sets for Other Materials
There are several named parameter sets available for new engraving materials or for materials that PhotoGraV did not originally include. These materials include Black Granite, LaserTile, and Alumamark. The named parameter sets are available below as self-extracting zipped files. To download and use these files, click the desired link and, in the resulting dialog box, specify a folder for saving the downloaded ".exe" file. After the download is complete, find the folder and double click on the ".exe" file you just downloaded. In the resulting WinZip dialog box, specify to which folder the file should be unzipped and then click "Unzip". The named parameter set file (.prm file) will be unzipped and placed in the folder you specified.
To use the named parameter set (.prm file) in PhotoGraV, just open the image in PhotoGraV as usual and click the "Load Params" button and specify the folder and file name for the parameter set. Specifying the named parameter set is equivalent to selecting a material, i.e., you should NOT specify a material after using the "Load Params" button. Now, just click the "Auto Process" or "Interactive Process" button and the input image will be processed for the material corresponding to the named parameter set.
The named parameter sets use as backgrounds materials that were provided with the original PhotoGraV software and therefore do not be alarmed if the material name does not appear to be correct. Also, use the speed and power settings suggested below for the named parameter sets.
Black Granite - Black Granite.exe
The parameters for black granite have been compiled using input from engravers around the country who engrave a lot of photos on black granite. For a 50 watt machine, the suggested intial settings are Speed = 80%, Power = 16% at 600 dpi. For 500 dpi, the suggested initial settings are Speed = 80% and Power = 19%. Black granite is a difficult material for engraving photos and selection of the proper material is quite important. One should try to get granite that is as black as possible and which has as little "flecking" as possible in the material. With the proper material and with a little experimentation to determine the best speed & power settings for your machine, you can get superb engraving of photos on black granite.
LaserTile - LaserTile.exe
The "White/Black IPI Laser Plastic - #LZ902" material was used as the background for this named parameter set so that material will be the one that appears to be selected but the parameters have been set for LaserTiles. For a 50 watt machine, the suggested initial settings are Speed = 50%, Power = 100% at 300 dpi. For 250 dpi, the suggested initial settings are Speed = 42% and Power = 100%.
Alumamark - Alumamark.exe
This self-extracting zipped file actually expands to two files: (1) the named parameter set for Alumamark and (2) a letter sent to the Alumamark manufacturer just before the 2002 ARA show. This letter describes the experiments that were done to create the parameter set and also specifies the speed, power, and dpi parameters for the Alumamark material.
The background for the simulation image for this parameter set will be white rather than silver or gold since we used "White/Black Plastic" as the representative background material for the parameter set.
Glass - Glass.exe
The "Black Painted Acrylic" material was used as the background for this named parameter set so that material will be the one that appears to be selected but the parameters have been set for Glass. For a 50 watt machine, the suggested initial settings are Speed = 80%, Power = 80% at 300 dpi. See the Glass engraving tip sheet for more info.
Light Brown Pottery - PotteryLightBrown.prm
PhotoGrav 2.xx New Parameter Sets
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