Rowmark, based in Findlay, Ohio, makes some of the most widely used engraving plastics in North America. Sign shops, awards shops and electrical contractors use them for nameplates, door signs and lamacoids. This guide covers the lines laser engravers use most, how to find good settings, and where Rowmark fits in tactile signage. Synergy is an authorized Canadian distributor of Rowmark.

How two-ply engraving plastic works

Most Rowmark laser products are two-ply: a thin cap layer bonded to a core of a contrasting colour. The laser removes the cap where you engrave and exposes the core. You get a sharp, two-colour mark with no paint or ink.

Because the cap is thin, you only need enough power to remove it cleanly. Too much power melts into the core and leaves a rough, discoloured edge.

The lines engravers use most

LaserMAX. Rowmark’s main two-ply acrylic for laser engraving. It’s the usual choice for nameplates, door signs, award plates and lamacoids. It comes in a wide range of colour combinations, with matte and gloss caps and metallic-look options. The most common sheet thickness is 1/16″. Check the current Rowmark colour chart for what’s available.

UltraGrave. A two-ply line in matte and satin finishes. Ask us which UltraGrave products suit laser work on your machine.

Ultra-Mattes. A non-glare two-ply line. A flat, low-glare surface reads well under bright or uneven lighting, which is why it is popular for interior signs.

LaserMark. A brushed metallic-look line, in finishes such as aluminum, bronze, copper and gold. It gives the look of metal for plaques and nameplates without the weight or cost of real metal.

LaserGloss Exterior. A two-ply line rated for outdoor use. If a sign is going outside, use an exterior-rated product rather than a standard interior one.

FlexiBrass and FlexiColor. Flexible, thin products for curved surfaces and small labels.

Rowmark makes other lines too, including LaserMAX Tri-Layer, LaserGlow and ADA Alternative. Our Rowmark page lists what we carry.

Finding the right settings

We don’t publish a settings table here. Good settings depend on the machine, the wattage, the lens, the product line and even the colour, and a table copied between machines does more harm than good.

Start from a tested source instead:

Epilog’s material settings. Epilog publishes recommended settings by machine and wattage, and the Epilog driver lets you save your own.
Rowmark’s recommended settings for the specific product line.
Your own test grid. On a scrap of the actual sheet, engrave a small grid of squares, varying speed across and power down. Pick the square where the cap clears completely and the core stays clean and smooth. Save that setting with the product name and colour.

A few principles that hold on any CO₂ machine:

Engrave the cap, not the core. Use the lowest power that clears the cap in one pass.
Frequency only applies to vector cutting on Epilog machines. For cutting acrylic, follow Epilog’s guidance for your model rather than guessing.
Cut with care. Too slow builds heat and leaves a melted or yellowed edge. Too fast leaves the piece attached. Find the middle on scrap first.
Test each colour. A setting that works on white over black may need a change on red over white.

If you’d like the settings we use for a product on your machine, call us.

Tactile and Braille signs in Canada

In Canada, accessible signage follows CSA B651 (accessible design for the built environment), your provincial building code and, in Ontario, the AODA standards. US “ADA” rules are often quoted on product sheets but are not the Canadian reference. Check the current edition of CSA B651 and your local code for character height, contrast, mounting height and Braille rules.

Two things a laser can and can’t do here:

Raised characters are made by cutting letters from a thin cap or sheet and bonding them to the sign face, or with a tactile sign system such as Rowmark ADA Alternative. A laser cuts the parts cleanly, but it removes material. It doesn’t raise anything.
Braille dots are added mechanically, most often by drilling small holes and pressing in acrylic spheres. They are not engraved.

A non-glare, high-contrast surface helps for the sign face, which is where Ultra-Mattes is a common choice.

Tips for consistent results

Keep the lens clean. A dirty lens spreads the beam and makes engraving uneven across the bed. Clean it before important runs.

Check focus. Two-ply sheet is thin, so small focus errors show. If you switch between sheet thicknesses, re-check focus even if your machine has autofocus.

Run a test on each new colour before you commit a full sheet.

Store sheets flat in their packaging, away from heat, so they don’t warp.

Buying Rowmark in Canada

We stock Rowmark in our Canadian warehouses and ship across Canada. See our engraving plastics page, or shop individual sheets at laserengraving.ca, our online store.

Making lamacoids? Read Making Lamacoids In-House.

Engraving Rowmark Plastics: A Practical Guide