I Bought a Glowforge
This post does contain a Glowforge referral link. This referral link can save you up to $500 on a qualifying Glowforge purchase. It is at no additional cost to you, and it does give me a credit with Glowforge. That I can use to purchase proof-grade materials. Which is greatly appreciated.
So after years of going back and forth, I finally decided to pull the trigger and bought myself a Glowforge laser printer. Seriously, I wanted this printer before I had moved to Hawai’i. The price is daunting and, I could not convince myself to spend $3,000 – $6,000 on a laser printer. Fast forward a few years, I took a leap of faith, invested in myself to start a small business.
The reason why I was so intrigued by Glowforge is that I love to plan parties and give meaningful personalized gifts. This was something that could help me create decorations, personalize gifts, make signs, it even has the ability to laser on certain foods. The possibilities are endless.
Seriously I wish I had this when my husband and I were wedding planning. I could have made so much decor for our wedding. But now I have the opportunity to create so many things for our daughter. I’m really trying to not overdo it for her 1st birthday coming up, but no promises.
Now that I shared why I wanted/bought one, let me share a few things that you should know if you are interested in one too. The more info and research you do, the better. It really is a big investment. First off it can not laser things thicker than 2 inches. That means tumblers are a no-go but you can laser engrave flasks, shot glasses, ashtrays, plates just to name a few. If you decide on a Basic or Plus model the largest dimensions you can cut, engrave or score on will be 12in x 20in. With a Pro, you can print longer designs but it cant be thicker than a 1/4 inch to use the Pro Passthrough. Another thing to consider is when designing you will have to deal a lot with Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Vectornator, or any design software that can create SVG files. So be ready for the learning curve if you aren’t familiar with design software. It was a bit of a struggle starting out for me but I am learning something new each day. That helps keep me pushing to do more with my machine and designs.
You justly might think, why is it so restricted with such a high price point? An example of this is; To use the passthrough function on the Pro you have to manually shift the material through the machine until your project has fully printed. I just completed my first major passthrough project & I’m so happy with the results. It required some extra effort but in the end, it was totally worth it. I do really love my machine so far & I’m excited to create so many things.
The latest project that I just finished was a giant cutout name for my childhood best friend’s baby girl. Sincerely this project is so special. When I went to Arizona to visit family & friends I had her grandma write out the baby’s name. I was able to make adjustments in Adobe Illustrator so that I could print it to be 40 inches long on birch plywood. Now that cutout will get to be hung up in her nursery, with the special touch of her great grandma’s handwriting. Projects with meaning are just another justification of my purchase.
There will be lots more to come, as I am just scratching the surface with my machine. Currently, I am working on adding an online shop that everyone will be able to access here on noteworthy-by-noa.myshopify.com. In addition to a Facebook & Instagram shop.
If you are interested in purchasing a Glowforge yourself & would like to save some cash here is my referral link https://glowforge.us/r/VGZABECB
This can save you anywhere from $100-$500 depending on which model you decide to purchase. I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. So feel free to comment below & I will get back to you.