For Fall 2026, the Digital Design Studio (DDS) is piloting a new laser engraving service in collaboration with CEEO to support learning opportunities at no cost. Students will be allotted a total of 3 laser jobs per semester. Users in need of a large volume or multiple iterations of a print may be better served by other spaces within the Tufts Maker Network.
Looking for our 3D printing service? We've paused our 3d printing service to make space to pilot our laser engraving service. For a list of other 3d printing resources on campus visit the Tufts Maker Network.
Getting started with laser engraving
- New to laser engraving and curious about creating your own file? XTool Studio is a free fabrication design app that's great for beginners (and is also installed on all DDS workstations). The software also includes template and example files if you’re just getting started.
- Looking for designs created by others that are free to use and modify? Thingiverse has a variety of vector-based .svg and .dxf files that may be suitable for cutting/engraving in our machine, and make great inspiration or starting points for editing/customizing.
- Available materials at the DDS include cardboard and wood. You cannot bring your own materials to work with.
- The maximum size of a print is approximately 12” x 18” - please note that the larger a piece is, especially if it includes a lot of raster engraving, the longer it will take to produce.
Printing with the laser engraver
- Whether you have a file or not, you can drop by the DDS between 1pm-4:00pm on Fridays to consult with staff and print your file. We are happy to walk through any stage of the process with you!
- When we’ve ensured that your file is ready to be produced, we will add it to the queue of requests. Please keep in mind that laser jobs are produced in the order in which they’ve been requested - we cannot guarantee delivery by a specific date (keep this in mind if you plan on using the service for academic assignments).
- When your item is available for pick up we will email you. Prints can be picked up at the Digital Design Studio during staffed hours.
- Again, students are permitted 3 laser jobs per semester. This limit lets us make the service available to all while managing demand while we gauge interest and assess our workflows!