Lightburn Laser Software Price
Addison Mauldin
LightBurn Laser Software: A Comprehensive Review
If you are looking for a software to control your laser cutter, you might have come across LightBurn. LightBurn is a layout, editing, and control software that works with a variety of laser controllers and machines. In this article, we will review LightBurn's features, price, compatibility, and pros and cons.
What is LightBurn?
LightBurn is a software that allows you to import, edit, and create vector graphics and images for your laser cutter. You can also apply settings like power, speed, number of passes, cut order, and more. LightBurn can send the result directly to your laser cutter without the need of additional software.
What are the features of LightBurn?
LightBurn has a lot of features that make it a powerful and versatile software for laser cutting. Some of the features are:
- Supports common vector graphic and image formats (including AI, PDF, SVG, DXF, PLT, PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP)
- Allows you to arrange, edit, and create new vector shapes within the editor
- Offers powerful tools like offsetting, boolean operations, welding, and node editing
- Supports text creation and editing with fonts installed on your system
- Enables you to preview the cut before sending it to the laser
- Lets you control the position, size, rotation, and alignment of your design
- Provides layer-based settings for different colors and materials
- Includes a camera feature that allows you to align your design with the material on the bed
- Has a library feature that lets you save and reuse your settings and designs
- Supports rotary axis for engraving cylindrical objects
- Allows you to trace images and convert them to vectors
- Has a built-in image editor that lets you adjust brightness, contrast, gamma, dithering, etc.
- Supports multiple languages and units (mm/inches)
How much does LightBurn cost?
LightBurn has two types of licenses: GCode and DSP. The GCode license works with most GCode based controllers like Grbl, Smoothieware, Grbl-LPC, and Marlin. The DSP license works with most Ruida, Trocen, TopWisdom, and GCode based controllers. The GCode license costs $60 while the DSP license costs $120. You can also add DSP or Galvo support to your existing license for $60 or $90 respectively. The licenses are valid for life and include updates for a year. You can renew your updates for $30 per year.
What are the compatibility and requirements of LightBurn?
LightBurn is compatible with Windows 7 or newer (32 or 64 bit), MacOS 10.11 or newer, and 64 bit Linux operating systems. It requires at least 8GB of RAM and a USB or Ethernet connection to your laser controller. LightBurn supports most Ruida, Trocen, TopWisdom, and GCode based controllers. However, it does not support the stock M2-Nano board in the popular K40 laser. You can check the full list of supported controllers on LightBurn's website or download the free trial and try it for yourself.
What are the pros and cons of LightBurn?
LightBurn is a well-designed and user-friendly software that offers many features and options for laser cutting. Some of the pros of LightBurn are:
- It is easy to install and use
- It has a clean and intuitive interface
- It supports a wide range of controllers and machines
- It allows you to create and edit vector graphics and images within the software
- It has a camera feature that helps with alignment and positioning
- It has a library feature that saves your settings and designs
- It has a built-in image editor that optimizes your images for engraving
- It has a preview feature that shows you how the e8e8a447ac