Laser cut paper can be a dramatic addition to your design palette, but it has some unique characteristics that need to be considered early in the design process. Familiarity with the following items will help you achieve the full potential of this new medium.


Laser cut paper can be a dramatic addition to your design palette, but it has some unique characteristics that need to be considered early in the design process. Familiarity with the following items will help you achieve the full potential of this new medium.

• There is typically some discoloration on the target side of every sheet. Selecting an approved stock, printing a light flood coat to hide it or laser cutting the sheet from the backside can control the effect.

• Designs can be created by drawing either the laser cut holes, or drawing the surrounding paper. It is important, however, to keep in mind which you are doing and not change your style part-way through the art.

• The three dimensional quality of a laser cut is accentuated by the shadows of the holes, so a light tone as background helps the shadows to “work”. Also, if the design is cut on too dark a surface, or has a very dark background behind the cut, much of the visual impact of the cut could be lost.

• If the designs openings are too small, the color or pattern behind them will not show through, although the shadows of the holes may still work and the holes will merely appear dark.

• Holes go all the way through the stock. This sounds obvious, but you need to consider what you print on the backside, it could be cut away. Backing up both sides of a print job accurately becomes an important issue.

• An equal balance of open space and paper often yields the most visually pleasing combination. Although there are some beautiful exceptions, it is a good place to start your design thinking.