LightBurn: The Best Laser Software for CO2 Laser Engravers

OMTech Laser Updated On September 08, 2023

How Good is LightBurn Software?

Are you a hobbyist or business owner trying to find the right CO2 laser engraving software for you? You’re not alone. Our clients often ask us which CO2 laser engraving software is best for their first engraver or to upgrade their equipment.

The answer is LightBurn laser software. LightBurn is a very good software for laser engraving. It’s the industry standard program because it facilitates the intuitive manipulation of design files with laser-specific processes in mind.

What is LightBurn Software Used For?

LightBurn is the best laser engraving software for editing, layout, and laser control for CO2 laser engravers. With LightBurn, you can import design files in many different supported formats, including AI, PDF, SVG, DXF, PLT, PNG, JPG, GIF and BMP.

To prove our point, we’ve compiled a list of 5 reasons why we believe LightBurn is the best laser software for CO2 laser engravers.

1. Intuitive Design Platform

First and foremost, let's address the design platform. One of the reasons why LightBurn software stands out as a clear leader for CO2 laser engraving and a staple of OMTech’s Cabinet Models is its ease of use and intuitive design platform. Many users are astounded by the fact that they can get up and run this software in a matter of minutes and can learn the software controls in no time at all. Through the drag-and-drop interface, users can pull in images quickly, easily change design characteristics, and export it all to their CO2 laser engraver quickly and easily. This ease of use and intuitive approach truly makes this software stand out from other design platforms. It’s an easy decision if you’re selecting a software platform on usability alone.

2. LightBurn Supports Many Different CO2 Laser Engravers

Another great characteristic of LightBurn software is its widespread support for different types of CO2 laser engraver controllers. Whether you are using a Ruida, Trocen, TopWisdom, or GCode controller, this software is going to be compatible with your controller and ensure that you can use your engraver effectively. One important consideration here is that if you ever decide to change your engraver controller, there is a high likelihood that this software will support the new controller.

If you do happen to switch between LightBurn-supported controllers, the transition of the software layer will be completely seamless! This is a huge benefit when you consider the fact that some CO2 laser engraver software platforms only support a limited scope of controllers or CO2 lasers, effectively locking you into certain controllers and limiting your creative capabilities.

Lastly, keep in mind that LightBurn laser software is compatible with our Cabinet Model line. These CO2 laser engravers, equipped with a Ruida controller, truly do stand apart from the competition. With over 10 years of experience in the industry designing top-quality laser engravers, OMTech has quickly become a leader in the laser engraver space, built with only the top of the line components.

3. LightBurn Laser Software Has Great Resources Available

LightBurn software has invested countless hours in ensuring you’re successful when using it for your design needs. Whether through the video LightBurn tutorial section, the documentation section, the blog, or the support forum, users have access to an extraordinary amount of educational resources to ensure they are up-to-speed using their CO2 laser engraver. In fact, a recent survey showed that a significant number of OMTech users utilize the LightBurn forum frequently. The LightBurn forum allows users to post questions and answers, helping others learn new skills in the software while building the scope of the knowledge base itself.

LIGHTBURN RESOURCE OPTIONS:

VIDEO LightBurn TUTORIALS

If you’re a visual learner, this is a great place to start. This software has compiled a ton of videos to walk through some of the initial stages of getting set up and starting off your first project.

DOCUMENTATION SECTION

If you prefer digging into this software's technical documentation rather than watching videos, this is the place to start. This documentation section is constantly updated ensuring you have access to the latest design, configuration, and implementation information for this software.

OMTECH TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Since this software is so widely accepted as a leader in the laser engraver software space, we’ve put together a deep dive training course to support users with an immersive educational program. Broken down into 12 in-depth sections, this training course is perfect for users of any experience level.

LightBurn FORUM SUPPORT

Lastly, support is critical. If you do happen to run into any challenges while using this software, you can rest easy knowing that you have access to phenomenal assistance through the support forum. This active community of enthusiasts and LightBurn Support Specialists is constantly addressing questions and concerns about this software. If you run into technical challenges, you can ask questions and have them answered quickly!

4. Constant Improvements in Laser Software

As CO2 laser engraving projects become more complex and intricate with technological advancement, the capabilities of your laser engraver’s software need to constantly improve. For this reason, it’s critical to use a CO2 laser engraving software that meets the evolving requirements of your engraver. LightBurn laser software addresses this challenge by constantly releasing updates and new iterations to their software platform. This iterative process allows this software to stay up-to-date and ready to fulfill any cutting-edge projects you have in mind. So as your design challenges evolve, OMTech will be here every step of the way to support you in all of your CO2 laser engraving needs by equipping our engravers with the most cutting edge components!

5. Designed For CO2 Laser Engraving

Lastly, consider the intention of your design platform. Many design platforms out there can design projects for your CO2 laser engraver controller, but the software platform isn’t actually designed to accommodate CO2 laser engravers. Why is this important? Well, suppose you are using a software platform that isn’t designed for CO2 laser engraving. In that case, you may encounter challenges when trying to get your design exported from the given platform and uploaded to the CO2 laser engraver controller. We suggest avoiding this headache by working with a design platform that is pre-configured and designed to work with CO2 laser engravers. LightBurn laser software is the answer!

Your Next Steps with LightBurn Laser Software

You’re now ready to get started with LightBurn software, right? Hopefully, this article has provided some useful tips and information for why we believe this laser software stands out as a clear leader in the CO2 laser engraver design space. Be sure to check out some other articles around CO2 laser engravers on our Resource Hub. We also offer LightBurn software at low cost through the OMTech website if you want to purchase it separately from your engraver.

If you are looking to learn more about CO2 laser engravers and would like to speak with a laser engraver specialist, feel free to reach out to our technical support team! We love helping engravers of all experience levels on their CO2 laser engraving journey!

Author Bio

Dalton J.

Dalton J. graduated from the University of Arizona with a BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering. Dalton has a deep passion for emerging tech, IoT, and all things in the Maker space!