Laser cut vs score vs engrave: what is the difference?

By meshcast.app · Updated November 2026

This guide was drafted with AI assistance.

Three operations, one beam

A laser cutter does only one thing: it puts a focused beam of light on the material. What changes between cutting, scoring and engraving is how much energy lands on each spot, which you control with power, speed, and the number of passes. The names describe the result:

Cut

Cutting uses enough energy, at a slow enough speed, to burn through the full thickness. The beam follows a vector path. Because the beam has width, it removes a thin strip, the kerf, so the finished part is slightly smaller than the line you drew. If parts need to fit together, read laser kerf: what it is and how to measure it.

Thicker material needs slower speed or more power, and sometimes several passes. Always test on a scrap of the same sheet, because plywood glue pockets and acrylic type change the result.

Score

Scoring is a light line-follow. The beam runs along a path at lower power or higher speed, so it marks the surface without cutting through. Typical jobs:

• Fold lines in cardboard, card stock or thin leather, so the material bends exactly where you want.
• Guide marks showing where to glue, drill or attach another piece.
• Fine decorative lines, such as the outline of an inset detail.

Score and line engraving are close cousins. Both follow a vector line. The difference is mostly depth and intent: a score is a functional mark, an engraved line is decorative. Many programs treat them as the same operation with different settings.

Engrave

Engraving removes or darkens the top of the material. There are two main styles.

Line engraving

The beam traces a vector line, just like scoring, but usually at a depth and look chosen for appearance. It is quick and gives thin, crisp lines. Good for outlines, signature strokes and layer guides.

Fill engraving

The beam sweeps back and forth in rows, like a printer, covering a whole filled area. Fill is how you make solid letters, logos and shaded images. It takes longer, because every row of the area must be traced, and the line spacing (the interval) controls how dense and dark it looks. Too wide an interval leaves visible stripes; too tight wastes time and can overburn.

One practical point: small text engraved as fill needs strokes thick enough to resolve. Hair-thin script strokes may fill poorly at small sizes. For fonts that engrave and cut well, see our guide to the best fonts for laser cutting names.

Colour to operation mapping

Laser software cannot guess your intent from a bare line. The most common way to communicate is stroke colour: each colour in the file becomes a layer, and each layer is assigned an operation, speed and power in the machine software.

Meshcast laser exports follow one simple convention, so the same two assignments work every time:

• Red, #ff0000: cut lines
• Blue, #0000ff: engrave and score marks

In the DXF version the same split is expressed as layers named CUT and ENGRAVE. When you import an SVG, check that the software kept the colours as separate layers. If everything lands on one layer, you may cut your engraving, which is the most common beginner mistake. For more on the formats, see SVG vs DXF for laser cutting.

You can use more colours if you want more operations, such as one colour for scoring and another for fill engraving. Just remember that colour only matters because your software maps it. Hairline or fill status also matters in some programs: a filled shape can be treated as an area to engrave, while a stroked path is treated as a line.

Order of operations: engrave and score first, cut last

Run the operations in this order:

1. Engrave (fill, then line)
2. Score
3. Cut, inside shapes first, then the outer outline

The reasons are practical:

• Cut parts move. Once a part is free, the airflow, the weight of the lid or a little vibration can shift it. A marking pass after the cut would land in the wrong place. Marks first means the sheet is still one rigid piece.
• Registration stays correct. The material is flat, held and aligned for the whole job until the last moment.
• Inner cuts before outer cuts. Holes and cut-outs inside a shape come first, while the part is still anchored to the sheet. The outer outline releases the part last.
• Small parts do not fall through. Cutting last avoids tiny pieces dropping into the honeycomb or catching the head.

Many programs sort by layer order, so rank engraving layers above cutting layers in the list. Some can also optimise the cut order for travel time, but check that it does not put the outer outline first.

Putting it together: a real example

Take a name ornament made with the laser Christmas ornament tool. The outline and hanging hole are cut. The name can be engraved, or cut as a second glued layer. In the first case, the sequence is: engrave the name, then cut the hanging hole, then cut the outer shape.

A stacked model from the laser STL slicer works the same way. Each layer has its number and the outline of the next layer engraved, and the layer itself is cut out last. See how to make a stacked laser cut sculpture for the full workflow.

Run a test grid

Settings differ between machines, lens, material and even sheets from the same pack, so a number copied from the internet is a guess. Make a small test grid instead:

1. Draw a row of small squares, each assigned to one operation at a different power or speed.
2. Label each square with the setting, either by engraving a number or by keeping a notebook.
3. Run it on scrap of the material you plan to use.
4. Pick the lowest power that cuts all the way through for cutting, and the setting that gives the mark you like for engraving and scoring.
5. Write the result down for that material and thickness.

A few minutes of testing saves sheets of ruined material. Check that dimensions are right before you start, using why your SVG imports at the wrong size if anything looks off.

Made by meshcast.app. More laser tools and guides live on the laser cutter tools hub.