Why this matters
Match source detail and scan spacing to the physical laser spot and material instead of assuming more DPI always means more detail.
How it works
- Line Interval is the physical spacing between scan lines; DPI is another way of expressing scan density.
- Once scan spacing is smaller than what the laser spot and material can resolve, lines overlap rather than creating unlimited new detail.
- Interval Test is designed to help determine a useful spacing for a laser/material combination.
Practical workflow
- Focus the laser consistently before evaluating resolution.
- Run an Interval Test on the actual material.
- Identify the interval where lines are distinct but coverage is complete for the desired appearance.
- Resize or prepare the image to a sensible effective resolution.
- Compare quality and job time, not DPI alone.
What to watch for
- Extremely small intervals increase job time and heat.
- Source pixels cannot create physical detail smaller than the machine/material process can reproduce.