Laser engraving on glass, glasses, bottles and water bottles

Glass laser engraving: what it is and when it is needed

Laser engraving on glass marks the surface with a beam of light, without inks: the design comes out white and frosted, similar to blasting, and becomes part of the glass itself. It is used when a name, a logo or a date must stay on the object: the glasses of a venue, the bottles of a company or a winery, the wine glasses for an anniversary.

COOLASER works with four laser sources: CO₂, diode, fibre (including MOPA) and UV. On glass the CO₂ laser gives the classic frosted effect, while the UV laser marks glass cold, with a fine line suited to small lettering and details. UV engraving is a non-thermal process: it does not heat the glass, and the engraved glass is dishwasher-safe. Engraved glass is one of the workshop's laser-engraved personalised items.

Engraving glasses and bottles

Engraving glasses, wine glasses and bottles puts names, logos, dates, phrases and graphics on the glass, on a single piece or on a whole series. A restaurant or bar can have its logo on its dining-room glasses, a company or winery its brand on gift bottles, a private individual wine glasses for an anniversary. For venues there is also the page on personalisation for restaurants and hotels, with steel cutlery marked with the same logo as the wine glasses.

With variable data each piece in the series can carry a different text: each guest's name, a table number, a date. For live personalisation at trade fairs, weddings and corporate events there is the Laser Live service.

Rotary engraving on water bottles and tumblers

Rotary engraving is the system that turns a cylindrical object under the laser beam, so the graphic follows the curve of water bottles, tumblers, glasses and bottles without distortion. The lettering can sit on one side or, if the shape allows, wrap all the way round the object.

On painted water bottles and tumblers the laser removes the paint and exposes the metal beneath, with sharp contrast; on bare steel it leaves a dark mark. With a logo, water bottles and tumblers become personalised corporate gifts for events, trade fairs and staff, including each person's name.

Materials and objects

Laser engraving on glass and rotary engraving are done on these materials and items:

• Glass: glasses, wine glasses, bottles and other glass items.
• Painted or bare steel: water bottles, insulated bottles and tumblers.
• Wood and slate: chopping boards and coasters from the same orders, described on the page on engraving on wood, leather, acrylic and stone.

The product can be supplied by COOLASER, or the customer ships it to the workshop or, on request, hands it in at the workshop.

Sizes and limits

The limits of laser engraving on glass and of rotary engraving depend on the shape and size of the object. Cylindrical objects are held on the rotary attachment by rollers or by the chuck, which grips the rim of wider objects such as tumblers.

How it works

Engraving on glass, water bottles or tumblers is ordered in four steps:

1. Request: the form states the item, number of pieces, text or logo and lead time.
2. Quote: the workshop assesses the item and the result and prepares the price.
3. Engraving: text, position and size of the graphic are agreed beforehand; then the pieces are engraved and made in Italy, in the COOLASER workshop.
4. Delivery: shipping throughout Italy and abroad (outside the European Union, any duties and customs charges are paid by the recipient), or, on request, collection from the workshop.

What to prepare

A quote for engraving on glass needs the type of object, the number of pieces and the text or logo to be engraved. A logo works best as a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF), but PNG, JPG, WEBP or HEIC images are also fine; for a different name on each piece a list in an XLS file is handy. The form accepts up to 10 files, 20 MB each and 30 MB in total. Without files, dimensions and a description are enough.