Equipment/InkscapeTips1

How to make the MakeSpace 41mm spacer

41mm is the distance from the top of your laser sheet to the indicator plastic on the laser lens, for best laser focus.

Start up Inkscape. I'm using Windows and Inkscape 0.48.

File->Document Properties->Page tab

• Set the Default units to mm (this makes the rest of inkscape sane to use)
• Set the Custom Size to mm (it shows 210 x 297mm by default, A4 portrait)

File->Document Properties still, now choose Grids tab

• change grid units to mm
• Spacing X,Y should be 1
• Major line every 10
• close the window

Tips while you go:

• '#' to turn grid on and off
• mouse wheel to zoom in and out (I think!)

Click the blue rectange on the left (or press F4)

• left-click-drag to draw it onto your sheet. The size is shown bottom middle of the screen, but don't worry about it overly.

Select the arrow tool (or press F1) to go back to selection mode

• left-click your rectangle to select it
• move it by left-click-dragging when you see the hand icon
• when it is selected, at the top of the screen you can adjust W and H to make it 41mm in each dimension
• X,Y is the position on the page, relative to bottom left

Next

• outline mode? notes about edge effects
• notes about objects as editable entities vs lines and curves
• creating text
• converting to path
• notes about laser thickness
• saving