xTool Laser Settings Guide: Power, Speed, and Materials for Beginners

Getting your first laser results right involves understanding three parameters — power, speed, and passes — and how they interact with your specific material. This guide explains the fundamentals, gives practical starting points for common materials, and covers the most frequent problems new xTool users encounter and how to fix them.

The Three Parameters That Control Every Laser Job

Power (%)

Power is the percentage of the laser's maximum output applied to the job. 100% power delivers the machine's full rated wattage at the focal point. More power means more energy per unit area, which means deeper cuts, more material removal, and more char on organic materials. For engraving, high power with high speed produces a different result than low power with low speed even at the same energy density — the former engraves more aggressively.

General rule: For cutting, use high power (70–100%). For engraving, start lower (30–60%) and adjust for depth and contrast.

Speed (mm/s)

Speed is how fast the laser head moves across the material. Slower speed = more time per unit area = more energy delivered = deeper cut or darker engrave. Higher speed = less energy per unit area = shallower cut or lighter engrave.

General rule: For cutting, use lower speed (10–50mm/s on most materials). For engraving, higher speeds (200–600mm/s) produce faster, lighter marks; lower speeds (50–150mm/s) produce deeper, darker marks.

Passes

The number of times the laser traverses the same path. For cutting, multiple passes allow the laser to progressively cut through material that a single pass at the same settings would not fully cut. Each pass removes more material. For engraving, multiple passes deepen the engraving without increasing char from a single high-power pass.

xTool Creative Space — Built-in Material Presets

xTool Creative Space (XCS) includes tested material presets for all xTool machines. For your first jobs, use these presets — they are a reliable starting point developed by xTool's testing team and are regularly updated. Access them in XCS by selecting your material from the dropdown in the processing settings panel. Always run a small test on scrap material before committing to the full job, even with presets, as material density and coating vary between suppliers.

Starting Settings by Material

These are starting point ranges — your specific machine, material thickness, and material density will require adjustment. Always test first.

3mm Basswood (Diode 40W)

• Cutting: Power 90–100%, Speed 25–35mm/s, 1 pass
• Engraving (light): Power 30–40%, Speed 400–600mm/s, 1 pass
• Engraving (deep): Power 60–80%, Speed 100–200mm/s, 1–2 passes

3mm Acrylic — Opaque (Diode 40W)

• Cutting: Power 90–100%, Speed 20–30mm/s, 1–2 passes
• Engraving: Power 40–60%, Speed 300–500mm/s, 1 pass
• Note: Clear acrylic cannot be cut by diode lasers — CO2 required

3mm Acrylic — Any Colour (CO2 55W, xTool P2S)

• Cutting: Power 70–85%, Speed 30–40mm/s, 1 pass
• Engraving: Power 25–40%, Speed 400–600mm/s, 1 pass
• Edge quality tip: Air assist on for cutting to maximise flame-polished edge quality

3mm Leather

• Cutting: Power 80–100%, Speed 15–25mm/s, 1–2 passes
• Engraving: Power 25–45%, Speed 300–500mm/s, 1 pass
• Note: Genuine leather varies significantly in density — always test a piece from the same batch

Anodised Aluminium (Diode)

• Engraving: Power 80–100%, Speed 200–400mm/s, 1 pass
• Note: The laser removes the anodised layer, revealing the bare aluminium beneath. Contrast depends on anodising thickness and colour

Stainless Steel (Fiber, xTool F1 Ultra)

• Marking: Power 60–80%, Speed 300–600mm/s, 1 pass
• Deep engraving: Power 90–100%, Speed 50–100mm/s, 3–5 passes
• Colour on steel (MOPA): Colour varies by pulse width — use the XCS colour mapping presets as a starting point

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Incomplete cut — material not cutting through

Causes: Power too low; speed too high; material thicker than settings assume; focus height incorrect; multiple passes needed.

Fix: Increase power by 10–15%, reduce speed by 20%, or add a second pass. Check that the material is flat on the bed (bowing causes inconsistent focal distance). Verify focus is set correctly for your material thickness.

Excessive char and burning on wood

Causes: Speed too low (too much dwell time); power too high; air assist not engaged.

Fix: Increase speed by 20–30% and reduce power slightly. Ensure air assist is running during cutting — it removes combustion gases and reduces secondary burning. Masking tape on the wood surface before cutting also significantly reduces char and smoke staining.

Engraving too light or too dark

Too light: Increase power, reduce speed, or add a pass.

Too dark / over-engraved: Reduce power by 10–20%, increase speed. For high-contrast engraving without depth, high speed and lower power often produces cleaner results than low speed and high power.

Stringing and ooze on acrylic engraving

Cause: Power too high for engraving — melting rather than vaporising the surface.

Fix: Reduce power significantly (try 20–30%), increase speed. For acrylic engraving, cooler and faster usually produces a cleaner result than slower and hotter.

Lines visible between engraving passes

Cause: Line interval (spacing between scan lines) is too wide relative to the beam spot size.

Fix: Reduce the line interval in XCS settings. A tighter interval produces a more uniform engrave surface but takes longer. 0.1mm is a common starting point for fine engraving.

Metal marking uneven or inconsistent

Cause: Surface is not flat; focus height varying across the part; metal surface has varying reflectivity or coating.

Fix: Ensure the part is perfectly flat and secure. For curved surfaces, use xTool's curved surface engraving mode (available on F2 Ultra, F1 Ultra) which adjusts focus dynamically as the contour changes.

xTool Creative Space vs LightBurn

xTool Creative Space (XCS) is xTool's free, dedicated software. It handles design creation, import, and machine control. Material presets are built in, camera positioning works natively, and the workflow from design to job start is streamlined. For beginners and most small business applications, XCS covers everything needed.

LightBurn (paid licence, ~€50) is compatible with all xTool machines and offers more granular control over parameters — useful for advanced users who need fine-tuned settings, complex job sequencing, or integration with existing design workflows from RD-Works or similar.

Available from Eolas Prints

Eolas Prints is an authorised xTool reseller based in Cantabria, Spain. If you have questions about settings for a specific material or application on any xTool machine, contact us — our team works with xTool hardware daily and can advise on specific configurations.