Vector vs raster in Light Lane: five modes, one clear decision

Vector engraving moves the laser along paths. For an outline, it traces the edge of dark shapes. For a fill, it creates closely spaced horizontal scanlines inside shapes. The path is mathematically defined and the motion is efficient. The laser only fires where it needs to. Vector cuts and scores are fast and precise.

Raster engraving scans in rows, like a printer. The laser moves left to right along a row, firing at each pixel position according to the image data. Then it steps down one line and scans the next. Every pixel in the image area gets evaluated. This is slower than vector for simple shapes but it reproduces tonal content that vector cannot achieve.

For a logo on 3mm birch plywood: if the logo is a solid black shape with clean outlines, Vector Fill gives you a clean engrave with sharp edges and efficient travel. If the logo has gradient shading or comes from a photograph, Raster Dither or Raster Grayscale captures the tonal nuance that vector modes would flatten to hard edges.

For a name tag on anodized aluminum: the text is clean vector paths, so Vector Outline or Vector Fill are the right choice. Clean, fast, precise ablation along the letterform paths. Raster Threshold on the same text would produce the same visual result but much slower, because the raster pass scans the entire bounding box rather than just the letters.

For a portrait photo on oak: vector modes cannot reproduce tone at all. Use Raster Dither to convert the continuous-tone photograph into a dot pattern the laser can engrave. Floyd-Steinberg dithering usually produces the most natural-looking result on wood grain.

Light Lane lets you preview the toolpath before burning. After you generate G-code, the color-coded preview shows exactly how the laser will move. Yellow to red colors indicate power intensity. You can see whether vector paths or raster rows were generated before touching your material.