How to Personalize a DIY Business Card Holder with xTool

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Craft Supplies Needed:

Some supplies were provided at no cost. If the exact supplies are unavailable, links may lead to similar products.

• xTool M1 Laser
• Business Card Holder

The business card holder I purchased came in a two-pack. There are many different colors to choose from to match your own preferences.

SVG Design:

For this tutorial, I am not sharing an SVG design.

As a business owner, I used my brand's logo design for my business card holder.

The best thing about this tutorial is you can recreate this unique idea with any SVG file. So feel free to personalize it with your own design.

Prep the xTool M1 Laser:

The business card holder I am using has a height of .75 inches and is thicker than the M1 laser can handle without modifications.

I need to take the bottom of the laser off, so need a new laser base.

A great option is a larger piece of wood. Since my one piece of wood isn't large enough to fit the entire base of the laser, I have also added a few squares to keep my laser machine level.

Place the laser on top of the wood pieces.

On the laser bed, there are a couple of small screws that can be removed so the laser floor can be lifted out.

I removed them once, but have never put them back in place so the laser bed is easier to remove and replace as needed.

By removing that bottom, the laser will have the space to engrave on my business card holder, and it won't need any additional risers.

With the laser bed removed you can now see my piece of wood. This wood will become my new laser bed.

xTool Creative Space Instructions:

Open xTool Creative Space, and drag and drop your SVG file.

In the right side panel, select Engrave. You can see how that fills in the image and looks more like the design you want to engrave.

Change the Manual Settings to Power 30% and Speed to 40.

Testing:

Before we move any further, I want to tell you to test your settings before you place your actual product in the laser.

The business card holders I purchased came in a set of two, which was perfect because that gave me one to test on.

In an xTool Facebook Group, I researched settings others had used on PU Leather and found one with Power at 20% and Speed at 80. This is where I started.

With the second card holder, I tested different settings and you can see how the engraving gets darker.

I raised the power with each test and lowered the speed until I got the look I wanted.

That is how I found my Manual Settings of Power to 30% and Speed to 40.

I always test, because I don't want to ruin my final project.

Back to xTool Creative Space:

Power on the laser and connect either through Bluetooth or a cable.

Place the business card holder in the laser machine and shut the lid to engage the camera.

Now you'll be able to see the camera view from Creative Space.

Drag and resize the design so it fits over the cardholder.

For the thickness, select the square icon with a ruler. This will auto-measure the material.

Remember, we removed the laser floor so it is best to let the machine measure and not just type in .75 inches, the thickness of the business card holder.

Select Framing, once processed make sure the design is still centered on the holder. If it isn't just drag the design so it is centered on the holder how you want it.

Select Start in Creative Space and hit the Start button on the front of the machine.

The design will start to be engraved. It is really fun to watch!

Your xTool M1 will beep when finished, and xTool Creative Space will also let you know.

Open the lid to remove your unique business card holder. I absolutely love how mine turned out!

The inside of my letters is darker because those parts were each done instead of along the width of the design like the rest of the engraving.

Now I have a cute way to hold my new business cards without them getting bent in my purse!

Personalized business card holders make great gifts for friends and colleagues, or make one to hold your business cards!

Another great way to use this business card holder is as a DIY card wallet. It holds a driver's license and credit cards perfectly.

Tips and Tricks:

• Always test Power and Speed settings to find the perfect look.
• Want to engrave something thicker than a business card holder? Raise the machine about the same thickness as the item you want to engrave. Then make sure to Auto-Measure the thickness in xTool Creative Space before engraving.

xTool M1 Laser:

To learn more about the xTool M1 laser, visit my unboxing post where I share all of the steps to getting set up and ready to cut.