Why this matters
Know when a black/white decision is appropriate and when preserving tonal variation is essential to the engraving.
How it works
- Threshold reduces pixels to a binary light/dark decision and is best suited to artwork that is fundamentally two-tone.
- Grayscale-style processing retains intensity information and relies on the selected image mode and laser behavior to represent tones.
- Using Threshold on a photograph can remove subtle tonal detail abruptly.
Practical workflow
- Classify the source: logo/line art or continuous-tone image.
- Use Threshold for already clean two-tone artwork or intentionally graphic results.
- Use a tonal or dithering workflow for photographs and shaded artwork.
- Inspect the processed preview at realistic engraving size.
- Test a small sample on the actual material.
What to watch for
- Do not use Threshold simply because it produces a crisp screen preview.
- Grayscale capability and useful tonal response depend on machine/material behavior.