Why I Don't Print Anymore: Laser Engraving vs Printing

I don't print because laser engraving needs no ink, solvent, plate chemistry or toner, and the mark it makes can't chip, peel or rub off. I spent most of my working life in commercial printing, running litho presses, large-format inkjets and digital presses. I sold that business in 2017, spent five years as International Head of Marketing for the company that bought it, and then left to engrave wood full time. I haven't looked back.

From litho presses to a non-compete clause

I worked for, then owned, a commercial printing business in Crewe. We ran the full range: litho presses for big offset runs, large-format inkjets for banners and signage, and digital presses for shorter runs and variable data. It was a proper print business, and for a long time it was a good one.

In 2017 I ran into financial difficulties and sold the business for a nominal fee to a larger international printing group. I stayed on afterwards and spent five years as their International Head of Marketing.

Starting Cherry Grove Craft wasn't part of a grand plan. I wanted something to top up my pension, and my contract meant I couldn't compete with the business I'd sold, so printing was off the table. Engraving wasn't. I checked with the CEO directly, got a clear green light, and six months later I left to do it full time.

What actually goes into commercial printing

From the outside, print and engraving can look like the same job with different tools. They aren't, and the difference is most of what changed my mind for good.

Litho has traditionally used isopropyl alcohol in the fountain solution that keeps the non-image areas of the plate clean, although many presses now run with reduced or no alcohol. Sheetfed inks were traditionally built on mineral oil, with vegetable-oil inks now common, and they have to dry or cure on the paper, often under heat or UV lamps running all day. Making plates on the older analogue kit I learned on meant chemical developers and fixers, with the waste that goes with them.

Large-format inkjet isn't much cleaner. "Eco-solvent" inks still give off volatile organic compounds, and UV-cured inks bring their own concerns with uncured monomer. Digital presses swap ink for toner, which is fine plastic particles fused to the paper with heat, and older machines give off ozone from the corona wires that charge the drum.

None of this makes printing wrong. It makes good print, at scale. But it does mean a pressroom smells like a pressroom, some waste needs a licensed collection, and solvent vapour is part of the working day.

A laser engraver needs none of it. There is no ink, no solvent, no plate chemistry, no toner and no curing lamp. The laser marks the material itself rather than adding a layer on top that can peel or fade. What comes into my workshop is a sheet of FSC-certified oak veneered MDF, solid oak, FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523), birch plywood or natural slate, and what goes out is the finished piece.

What I didn't expect

I didn't get into this for the environmental angle, if I'm honest. What surprised me was how it felt to work with wood instead of paper and ink.

The bigger surprise was the customers. In print, most of the work I quoted came down to price: three suppliers on a spreadsheet and whoever was cheapest that week. That's a reasonable way to buy print, but not a very warm way to run a business. Cherry Grove Craft customers are a different crowd, more likely to tell me what the piece is for and why it matters to them. I don't know whether that's the material, the personalisation or just a different kind of buyer, but it has been the best part of the change, by some distance.

What I don't miss

I don't miss the smell of solvent. I don't miss colour management: proofing, re-proofing, chasing a Pantone match through yet another press run. And I don't miss a payroll that had to be met every month whether the work was there or not.

What I have now is the smell of freshly cut oak, and a workshop two metres from my own front door.

Ordering from us

Everything is engraved to order in our workshop in North Wales. Choose a product, add your wording or logo where the listing offers it, and add to basket. Bulk discounts apply automatically at checkout, per product: 10% off 20+, 15% off 50+, 20% off 100+, 25% off 250+, 30% off 500+ and 35% off 1,000+.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Frequently asked questions

Does laser engraving fade like printed signage?
No. There is no ink on the surface to fade, chip or peel; the laser marks the material itself. The wood's own colour can mellow over years in strong sunlight, but the engraved wording stays.

Can you engrave in full colour, like a printed sign?
No, and I won't pretend otherwise. Engraving works in the natural tone of the material, the contrast between engraved and unengraved wood. If a design needs full-colour photographic detail, printing is the right tool.

Is engraving more expensive than printing?
For a one-off, sometimes. For anything handled every day, such as a keyring, a door sign or a name badge, engraving usually costs less over its life because nothing needs replacing when the ink wears off.

What materials do you engrave?
FSC-certified oak veneered MDF, solid oak, FSC-certified Moso bamboo (certificate BV-COC-190523), birch plywood and natural slate. There are no inks or laminates; some oak pieces have a Danish oil finish.

Also see: sustainable alternatives to printed signage, our materials and sustainability page, wooden signs and hotel and hospitality signs.