Stone Laser Engraving Settings for TOOCAA NOVA and L2

At TOOCAA, we love how stone turns a simple laser project into something that feels permanent. Unlike wood or leather, an engraved mark on stone doesn't fade, scratch off, or wear down with handling — it becomes part of the surface itself. That's what makes stone such a popular choice for coasters, plaques, and keepsakes that are meant to last a lifetime.

Stone is also one of the more unpredictable materials we work with. Unlike a manufactured sheet of acrylic or plywood, every piece of natural stone is a little different — mineral content, surface texture, and even the specific quarry it came from can all change how it reacts to a laser. A setting that gives you a bold, frosted mark on one coaster might look faint or uneven on the next, even from the same batch. Because of this, we always encourage a small test before committing to your final piece.

In this guide, we'll share what we know about engraving stone on the TOOCAA L2 and TOOCAA NOVA, including the one reference setting we've published so far, and — more importantly — how we recommend you use the Material Test feature in TOOCAA Studio to dial in reliable settings for whichever stone you're working with.

Choose Your Stones Type

We currently offer a few different stone and stone-like surfaces, and we think it's worth understanding how each one behaves before you start.

• Square Rock Coaster: Our most tested stone material, and the one we have published reference settings for below. It has a naturally textured, matte surface that takes an engraving with strong, frosted contrast.
• Sardonyx: A banded, semi-precious stone with natural color variation from piece to piece. Because no two pieces look quite the same, we'd always recommend a Material Test on your specific piece before engraving your final design.
• Marble: Has a smooth, often glossy surface with natural veining. Marble can be engraved beautifully, but its polish and mineral density vary a lot between slabs, so results are less predictable than on a matte stone.
• Ceramics: Aren't technically stone, but we group them here because they respond to a laser in a similar way — the glaze or surface coating is what actually marks, rather than the ceramic body itself, so a glazed, coated ceramic tends to engrave with much better contrast than an unglazed one.

A few things we'd always keep in mind with any stone material:

• Surface texture: Rougher, matte stones like our Square Rock Coaster tend to hold a frosted engraving more evenly than smooth or polished stones.
• Color and mineral content: Darker, more uniform stones generally give more consistent contrast than stones with heavy veining or color variation.
• Glaze or coating: For ceramics, the glaze does most of the work; unglazed or unfinished ceramic will mark very differently.
• Dust, not fumes: Stone engraving produces fine mineral dust rather than smoke, so we'd still recommend good ventilation and wiping your workspace down afterward.

Because stone varies so much piece to piece, we always recommend running a Material Test before starting your final project — we'll walk through exactly how below.

TOOCAA NOVA and L2 10 W Stones Settings

Right now, we only have one officially tested reference setting for stone, using our 10W diode module:

We haven't yet published cutting settings for the Square Rock Coaster, or any settings — engraving or cutting — for the Square Rock Coaster on our 20W or 40W modules, or for Sardonyx, Marble, or Ceramics on any module. Rather than estimate numbers we haven't tested ourselves, we'd rather show you how to find your own reliable settings using the tool built for exactly this purpose.

Finding Your Best Stone Settings with the Material Test Feature

Because stone varies so much from piece to piece — and because we simply haven't tested every stone type across every module yet — we built the Material Test feature into TOOCAA Studio to help you find the right settings for your exact material, in just a few minutes.

Here's how we recommend running a Material Test for stone:

1. Open TOOCAA Studio and connect your machine: Select your device (L2 or NOVA) and confirm which laser module you have installed.
2. Select the closest material profile as your starting point: Choose the stone in our material library that's closest to what you're working with — for example, Square Rock Coaster — as a reference for your test range.
3. Generate a Material Test grid: Use the Array tool's Quick Copy function to lay out a grid of small test swatches, then assign a range of power and speed values across the grid — TOOCAA Studio steps through the combinations automatically so you can compare them side by side on one piece of scrap stone.
4. Focus carefully and run the test: Stone is unforgiving of poor focus, so we always recommend double-checking focus (or using auto-focus on the NOVA) before running your test grid.
5. Inspect the results and pick your favorite cell: Look for the combination that gives you the clearest, most even frosted mark without chipping or excess dust buildup.

We genuinely believe this gives you a better result than a published table ever could, because it's tuned to your exact piece, its texture, and your specific machine.

How to Set Up TOOCAA Studio for a Stone Project

Whether you're on the L2 or the NOVA, we designed the workflow in TOOCAA Studio to feel the same across both machines.

Step 1: Open TOOCAA Studio

You'll see an empty workspace with a dashed-line rectangle representing your machine's working area.

Step 2: Select Your Device

Choose TOOCAA L2 or TOOCAA NOVA from the top-right corner.

Step 3: Connect Your Machine

Connect via USB (or WiFi on the NOVA). We'd remind you to confirm your ventilation or exhaust is working before you start — stone engraving produces fine mineral dust, and good airflow keeps your workspace comfortable and your lens cleaner for longer.

Step 4: Select Your Material

Open the Material panel, choose Stone, and select your specific stone if it's already in our library — or create a custom profile if it isn't.

Step 5: Import or Create Your Design

You can import your own file, or browse the design library in the left sidebar of TOOCAA Studio — it's stocked with free, ready-to-use design assets that are genuinely good-looking, so you don't have to start from a blank canvas.

Step 6: Adjust the Size

Fine-tune your design's dimensions using the Size (mm) fields in the top-left corner.

Step 7: Assign Colors to Set Up Layers

Give each part of your design a different color so you can process them separately — each color becomes its own layer.

Step 8: Set the Layer Mode

Use Fill mode for the areas you want to engrave. Line mode only scores a thin vector line rather than filling in a shape.

Step 9: Run Your Material Test

Since stone varies so much piece to piece, we'd always suggest running the Material Test workflow above before your final design — even for our Square Rock Coaster, where we do have a starting reference.

Step 10: Focus the Laser

On the L2, lower the focus lever until it touches your material and lock it in place. On the NOVA, we recommend using auto-focus along with the live camera preview to confirm placement.

Step 11: Run a Final Test Shape Then Start the Job

Even after your Material Test, we always suggest engraving one more small shape at your chosen settings on the same piece of scrap stone before committing to your full design.

Step 12: Finish and Remove Your Piece

Let any dust settle and clear the workspace before opening the enclosure and removing your finished piece. We'd recommend a soft brush or compressed air to clear dust from the engraved area before handling.

A few stone-specific habits we'd recommend keeping:

• Secure your stone before engraving: Uneven or loose stone can throw off your focus mid-job — make sure your piece sits flat and stable on the bed.
• Clean your lens more often: Stone dust is finer and more abrasive than wood or leather residue, so we'd suggest checking and cleaning your lens more frequently during longer stone projects.
• Expect natural variation: Even two coasters from the same batch can engrave slightly differently — this is part of what makes each stone piece unique, not a flaw in your settings.

What Can You Make with Stone?

Stone's permanence and natural texture make it a favorite for pieces meant to be kept, not just used.

• Personalized Coasters: Engraved names, monograms, or designs turn a simple stone coaster into a lasting keepsake or housewarming gift.
• Plant Markers: Durable, weatherproof labels for garden beds and potted plants.
• Memorial Pieces: Stone's permanence makes it a meaningful choice for commemorative plaques and keepsakes.
• Wedding and Event Favors: Personalized stone coasters or tiles make memorable, long-lasting favors.
• Home Décor: Engraved marble or ceramic tiles add a natural, textured accent to shelves and walls.
• Business Coasters: Branded stone coasters make a distinctive, durable giveaway for cafés, bars, and offices.
• Pet Memorial Stones: A lasting way to commemorate a pet with a name, date, or paw print design.
• Photo and Pattern Tiles: Photo-realistic engravings on ceramic or marble tiles make striking wall art.

Stone Project Examples

Here are a few of our favorite project ideas using the stone materials covered in this guide.

• Engraved Rock Coasters: A monogram or simple pattern engraved on our Square Rock Coaster makes a set of coasters that feel personal and durable.
• Marble Photo Tiles: A photo or portrait engraved on a marble tile makes a striking, gallery-style keepsake.
• Slate-Style Garden Markers: Plant names and care notes engraved onto stone stay legible outdoors for years.
• Sardonyx Pendants: Small engraved pieces of Sardonyx make one-of-a-kind jewelry, with each piece's natural banding giving it a unique look.
• Ceramic Coasters with Custom Art: A glazed ceramic coaster engraved with a custom design or logo makes a polished, giftable item.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which stone engraves best?

In our testing, the Square Rock Coaster's matte, textured surface gives the most consistent, frosted contrast of the stone materials we offer. Smoother or more polished stones like marble can look beautiful, but results vary more from piece to piece.

Can your machines cut stone?

No. Our diode modules aren't designed to cut through stone — they can only engrave or mark the surface.

Why haven't you published settings for every stone type?

Natural stone varies enormously piece to piece — even within the same quarry or batch — so a single published number rarely gives everyone the same result. Instead of guessing, we'd rather point you to the Material Test feature in TOOCAA Studio, which lets you find the ideal settings for your exact piece in a few minutes.

Why should I run a material test on stone specifically?

Because natural stone has so much inherent variation, a setting that works beautifully on one coaster may look faint or uneven on the next — even from the same order. A quick Material Test on scrap or an inconspicuous spot avoids wasting a finished piece.

Can I use the same settings on the L2 and NOVA?

Yes, when you're using the same laser module at the same power, our L2 and NOVA share the same underlying laser technology, so settings you dial in on one should carry over closely to the other. We'd still recommend a quick confirmation test, since individual units are calibrated separately.

Why does my engraved stone look dusty or unevenly frosted?

This is often just the natural texture and mineral variation of the stone coming through — try adjusting power and speed slightly, and make sure you're clearing dust from the surface between passes if you're running more than one.

Conclusion

We think stone is one of the most rewarding materials to work with precisely because every piece is a little different — but that same quality means we can't hand you one set of numbers and expect it to work everywhere. We've shared the one reference setting we've published so far for our Square Rock Coaster, and walked you through the Material Test workflow we recommend for that material, for our other stone options, and for any new stone you bring to the table.

Whichever machine and stone you're working with, our core advice stays the same: set up your device correctly in TOOCAA Studio, focus carefully, keep your lens clean, and run a Material Test before committing to your final piece. With those habits in place, we're confident both the TOOCAA L2 and TOOCAA NOVA can turn stone into coasters, keepsakes, and décor that are built to last.