With a CO/2 laser engraver you can engrave a photograph onto stone, wood, or metal

If you want to make your photographic prints unique, ”print” them onto stone, wood, or metal. There are several ways to accomplish this. One is to use a CO/2 laser engraver. The other way is to use a UV-curable inkjet printer that is designed to handle stone, wood, metal, floor tiles, wall sections, even concrete.

You can also create 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works of art with a laser engraver/cutter.

Architects can utilize a laser engraver to decorate their models. The laser cutter can cut the model out of plexiglass, wood, or cardboard. We presently use a Universal Laser Systems M-300 for this purpose. Trotec is now providing a larger and 50% more powerful laser cutter/engraver to FLAAR so we can test, evaluate, and write-up our recommendations.

We are also excited about the laser engraver technology to help museums and archaeological projects reproduce precise copies of archaeological artifacts. The Vytek F/X laser system would be ideal for this application.

Trotec laser engraver	Universal laser engraver

For further information on flatbed cutters for foam material and other rigid materials

If you have questions about flatbed cutters, you ought to contact individuals who have experience both with flatbed cutters AND with UV-curable flatbed printers. After all, it's foam boards, Coroplast, Sintra, Styrene, plexiglas and many other materials you will need to understand how to cut.

One place that where we know the people personally, is Global Imaging (toll free 800 787-9801). They know about the reality of UV-curable flatbed printers, and know XY cutters.

They also know image capture (medium format digital cameras, as an example). In other words, they are at a professional level. This is not a low-bid box pusher where they don't know the difference between UV and solvent ink.

If you are accustomed to priority treatment relative to UV printers, and have a printshop that needs to learn at a high level, might as well start at the top (the CEO of Global Imaging): Greg Lamb, glamb@globalimaginginc.com.

Most recently updated Oct 9, 2006

First posted May 1, 2006

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Medium Format Digital Camera Initiative For over 30 years Nicholas Hellmuth has used Rolleiflex and Hasselblad cameras to record the flora, fauna, and Maya archaeology of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Now, for the last six years, he is extending his medium format experience to digital photography. Since FLAAR works both in a studio as well as out on location, we are an ideal focus for judging portability. We have experience with large format digital scan backs (the excellent BetterLight) and we also use Nikon (D300) and Canon (EOS 5D) digital cameras. A full-service digital pro should have at least one medium format digital system and should consider large format digital options as well. FLAAR also has an 80-megapixel large format camera (yes, they do exist, we have a Cruse). Although we started with a Leaf Valeo 22 coupled with a Mamiya 645 AFD body and lenses, we are open to showcasing all bodies as well as other digital backs. Indeed we tested an Imacon 4-shot back on a Hasselblad H1 body. For a month (February 2006) it was possible to evaluate a MegaVision black-and-white dedicated back for fine art photography. We are also considering the Rolleiflex 6008 AF, one of the outstanding medium format cameras that still offers European precision. However in the last 40 years we have not received any Rollei (or Franke & Heidecke) equipment for evaluation, so we can comment only on the Hasselblad and Mamiya (loaned briefly two years ago by Mamiya America). Camera resellers or manufacturers who wish to have their cameras, lenses, and backs included in the digital photography evaluation initiative are welcome to send their equipment for evaluation. Curently all the medium format backs are coming from Global Imaging Inc, Greg Lamb, CEO (contact 800 787-9802, press 4, fax 212 722-0988). This is one of the few camera stores in the entire US or Canada that offers ALL major brands of medium format (so they have no incentive to push one brand over the other). However we are also open to receiving medium format backs directly from the manufacturer. Over 381,154 visitors came to this www.digital-photography.org web site to learn which cameras, lighting, tripods, and accessories have proven themselves during evaluation by FLAAR. Since we deliberately do not review low-end cameras, our reviews attract a sophisticated audience. The total "visit" count is 791.562 during 2007, but we prefer to use the visitor count, 381.154 as being more realistic. FLAAR is the de facto source of information on medium format digital cameras because we are university based, independent, blunt, and we are one of the few review sources that dares to review advertising specs, advertising claims, and advertising hype. We can afford to reveal all the pros and cons because FLAAR is a research institute. Photographers feel they can trust a university research professor who has devoted years to understanding the pros and cons of each aspect of a digital camera system and workflow. You can download our colorful FLAAR Reports on our medium format digital camera initiative.