Microsoft recently called on me to engrave several MacBook Pros for Macworld 2009 to promote Office:Mac 2008. If you’re a big fan of Office 2008 and Macs, make sure to head to Macworld 2009 for the chance to win one of several Office-branded 15″ Macbook Pros. Apple just announced that Macworld 2009 will be their last, spelling the end of the trade show. The company also mentioned that Steve Jobs will not be giving his traditional keynote presentation this year. Macworld is scheduled to take place in San Francisco from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8.

Consistently, one of my favorite materials to laser engrave is wood. The endless variation of grain patterns makes every outcome unique. Each species reacts differently to the laser light; balsa engraves deep and cuts like butter, laser-cut Plyboo edges are turned a dark ebony, the varying grain density of Pine creates deep waves of grain. When Nemo Design asked me to engrave pine presentation boxes for them, I gladly agreed to the project. The designer took full advantage of the 3d nature of engraved wood with this letterpress motif -

Two passes were used, creating multiple levels of depth in the pieces to separate the blocks from the gutters. The art was bled over the edges of the boxes and tapered around the rounded edges perfectly. This close-up shows how the varying grain density of Pine accentuates the ridges -

Possibly the best aspect of engraving pine is the smell, which instantly reminded me of cold winter nights spent reading by the fireplace.

WARNING : DO NOT LASER ENGRAVE MOLESKINES WITHOUT THE PROPER FILTRATION SYSTEM. BURNING THEM CREATES HIGHLY TOXIC GASES INCLUDING PHOSGENE AND CHLORINE GAS. THE HYDROCHLORIC ACID PRODUCED WILL CORRODE EVERYTHING IT CONTACTS.

Unfortunately, I am no longer engraving directly onto Moleskine notebooks because the cover material (PVC) is dangerous to engrave. Although the final product is safe, burning PVC with a laser off-gasses toxic gases such as chlorine and phosgene gas : (
I’ll be offering a far superior, reusable, safe and natural alternative in late September mid-November. I’d like to thank everyone for their support! Your patience will be rewarded. Feel free to enter your email address to receive updates.

My mahogany Iphone case arrived the other day in a beautiful laser-cut package from the Dutch company, Miniot. The build quality of the case is astounding; the wood volume buttons, perforated speaker grills, and magnetic closure all functioned perfectly. The standard case is incredibly beautiful, but a little laser customization never hurt. I decided to laser engrave the silhouette of a tree into the rich brown mahogany. The warm nature of the wood and the deeply engraved tree have drastically improved the feel of this previously cold hunk of aluminum and glass.

New to the Artist series: RAZAUNO! on Vimeo.

I’d like to welcome Venezuelan artist Max Vogel aka RAZAUNO to the Engrave Your Book artist series. This isn’t the first time Max has experimented with laser art; he was featured in the February issue of Juxtapoz magazine for his laser engraved wood pieces.

The pictures below are from his recent solo show in Paris, “Better Known As Brooklyn”, which featured wall size hand-painted letter-forms, custom skateboard decks, and laser engraved wood panels. Be on the lookout for other laser collaborations with Razauno.

The folks at NOTCOT just posted images of one of my laser engraved Moleskine designs as seen through a microscope. The close-up depicts the triangular tip of the USB symbol. The images are engraved at 400dpi, so the lines are not visible with the naked eye, but under a microscope at 200x magnification, one can see the individual passes of the laser beam. I simply cannot imagine a more in-depth product write-up - thanks NOTCOT! Design your own laser engraved Moleskine notebook at Engrave Your Book.

One word - BRILLIANT! UK-based designer and artist, Nicky, AKA “monster-munch“, designed this clever engraved Moleskine. The strap takes place of the more traditional fig leaf - what a great parody of the classic Adam and Eve paintings! When Nicky is not crafting cheeky ad campaigns for the creative firm Poke, she is busy making one-of-a-kind sock monsters like this scary guy below. Great work Nicky!

Design your own custom engraved Moleskine at Engrave Your Book for the chance to win the next design of the month competition and two free engraved books.

Check out the new line of laser-cut acrylic jewelry that I produce for my friends at The Opulent Project . “The silhouettes of earrings worn by royalty are made from a plastic often used as nametags for service workers and the silhouette of ornate chandeliers are cut from fluorescent light panel covers.” I love the way the light refracts through the prismatic florescent light diffuser material! Get a pair for Mothers-day (5-11) ASAP!