Laser engraving starts in most companies with outsourcing. An advertising agency sends a batch of pens to an engraving shop, a metalworking plant orders nameplates, a gadget manufacturer subcontracts keychains. As long as the series are small and orders are rare, it’s a reasonable arrangement. The problem appears when invoices for laser engraving arrive every month and no one adds them up.
This text shows how engraving shops build their price lists (per piece, per minute, per square centimeter), how much machines cost at catalog prices, and how to calculate the threshold from which your own engraver becomes cheaper. We described the threshold formula in the textoutsource or buy: example from welding; here we apply it to engraving, where billing per piece changes the calculation.
Hard numbers are only rates from published engraving shop price lists and net catalog prices from shops, as of October 2026. The number of pieces, time per piece, and amortization period are assumptions showing the mechanism. Replace them with your own.
How engraving shops price laser engraving
Engraving shops with published price lists charge in three ways; each divides risk differently.
Per piece according to quantity.The most common model for gadgets. Laserotechnika (net price list, as of October 2026) charges for engraving up to 10 cm² from 6.00 PLN per individual piece to 1.55 PLN at 501–1000 pcs.; each centimeter over 10 cm² costs 0.25 PLN. Giewont (net price list, up to 5 cm²) drops, using the table for 500 pcs., to 0.85 PLN; each additional cm² is a 10% surcharge. Grawerlik (price list marked on the website as gross) charges from 5.50 PLN at 2–50 pcs. to 2.20 PLN at 5000–10000 pcs. The spread is several times over; intermediate thresholds are shown in the table below.
Per minute of laser work.A typical model for organic materials on a CO2 laser cutter. GMgraw (net): 3.0 PLN per minute or 150 PLN per work hour, 5.0 PLN per minute on a rotary attachment. Laserkrakow (closed engraving shop; price list as a historical example) charged 3.3 PLN per minute, 4.5 PLN with a rotary unit, and 7 PLN per minute for metal marking with CerMark preparation. The risk of a slow job (dense raster, photo on glass) is on the customer’s side here.
Per square centimeter.GMgraw (net): metal on fiber laser marker 2.0 PLN/cm², metal with CerMark preparation on CO2 4.0 PLN/cm². Laserbielsko (net): 1–5 cm² 3 PLN, 11–50 cm² 2 PLN. This model penalizes large logos, rewards small numbers.
Fixed fees are added to the rate, which for small orders weigh more than engraving: machine setup 10–30 PLN (Grawerlik, Giewont, Laserotechnika), minimum order 30–50 PLN (Giewont, Laserbielsko, Laserotechnika, grawer.wroc.pl), personalization 1.50–3.00 PLN/pcs., round engraving +50% and customer-supplied material +25% (Laserotechnika), express +50% or +100%.
| Quantity | Laserotechnika (net, up to 10 cm²) | grawer.wroc.pl (net, up to 10 cm², footer 2020) | Grawerlik (price list „gross”) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pcs. | 6.00 PLN | 50.00 PLN | 50 PLN (1–2 pcs.) |
| 50 pcs. | 2.75 PLN | 2.00 PLN | 5.50 PLN |
| 100 pcs. | 2.30 PLN | 1.80 PLN | 4.50 PLN |
| 500 pcs. | 1.75 PLN | 1.40 PLN | 4.00 PLN |
Grawerlik thresholds overlap at boundaries (e.g., „2–50” and „50–100”); the table uses the lower threshold rate.
Three typical orders and what they show
Nameplate, one piece.You pay either the minimum order charge or the price for a single item. Grawer.wroc.pl and Grawerlik charge PLN 50 for 1 item; Laserotechnika charges PLN 6.00 plus PLN 30 for setup, subject to a minimum of PLN 50 net. For a few items a year, this is inexpensive. If you need a nameplate every week, the limiting factor is the lead time (Laserotechnika states 7 working days), rather than the price.
Series of 50 mugs on a rotary unit.Glass and ceramics are a job for a CO2 laser cutter with a rotary attachment. Laserotechnika charges 2.75 PLN/pcs. plus 50% for round engraving, i.e., about 4.13 PLN/pcs., and for the series, assuming rounding, about 206 PLN net. GMgraw bills the rotary unit per minute (5.0 PLN); time per mug depends on the graphic, so let’s assume two minutes: 10 PLN/pcs. and 500 PLN for the series. The same work, two models, twofold difference: „per minute” is expensive for slow jobs.
Series of 500 metal keychains. A job for a fiber laser marker (fiber optic, i.e., a laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm, where the beam is generated in an optical fiber). Per-piece rates: Giewont, using the table for 500 pcs.: 0.85 PLN (up to 5 cm²), grawer.wroc.pl 1.40 PLN, Laserotechnika 1.75 PLN, Grawerlik 4.00 PLN. Let’s calculate, assuming 500 pcs.: 425, 700, 875, and 2,000 PLN. The spread is almost fivefold. If each keychain has a different number, personalization 1.50–3.00 PLN/pcs. may cost more than engraving.
Conclusion: the cost of the service increases with the number of pieces, the cost of your own machine is mostly fixed, so the break-even point can be calculated.
How much does your own machine cost: catalog prices, not estimates
Net catalog prices from three Polish shops (A, B, C), as of October 2026, only those included in the calculation below: 20 W fiber laser marker — shop A 8,000 PLN, shop B (economy version) 8,500 PLN; 40 W CO2 laser cutter — shop C 5,000 PLN. Full listings by power and field are in texts about how to choose a laser marker and what a CO2 laser cutter is good for.
In none of these shops is a computer included in the package. Add: rotary unit 1,067.04–2,439.02 PLN (shops C and B), fume extraction with filtration 3,000 or 4,500 PLN (shop A), protective window 180.50–486.99 PLN (shop C, depending on wavelength). If the machine is to stand in a hall with people, add an enclosure: at shop B 14,000 PLN; at shop A the closed version costs 6,000 PLN more than the open one.
Roboteus provides indicative prices (as of October 2026): CO2 laser cutter RBL 9060 from 15,854.00 PLN net, RBL 1610 from 27,561.00 PLN net, UV marker RBZ 1515UV from 19,512.00 PLN net — indicative price, configuration for the process, because field, lens, rotary unit, enclosure, and fume extraction depend on details. Fiber laser marker RBZ 2020 (Raycus 50 W, field 200×200 mm) and plotter RBL 1390 have process-specific pricing. Parameters are on the pages of Roboteus laser markers and Roboteus CO2 laser cutters; enter the indicative price or amount from the quote in the calculation.
Calculation: series at an engraving shop vs. your own machine
With per-piece billing, the threshold is calculated in pieces. You need: I (investment: machine, fume extraction, protective window, fixture, enclosure, computer), n (years over which you amortize it), S (annual fixed costs), k (your own variable cost per piece: mainly operator time) and s (effective service rate per piece, including fixed fees and personalization).
N* = (I / n + S) / (s − k)
Above N* pieces per year your own machine is cheaper. If s is less than or equal to k, it will never pay for itself.
Let’s assume an investment in a 20 W fiber: marker (shop B, economy version) 8,500 PLN, cheaper fume extraction (shop A) 3,000 PLN, 1064 nm protective window (shop B) 324.39 PLN (net catalog prices, as of October 2026); total, taking these three items, I = 11,824.39 PLN. Let’s further assume n = 5 years and S = 1,000 PLN per year. The annual fixed cost of the workstation is then, assuming rounding, 3,365 PLN.
The mark itself is created in a fraction of a second (RBZ 2020 works at speeds up to 7000 mm/s), but the keychain must be placed, positioned, started, and removed; energy at a consumption of around 500–1000 W (according to product sheets) is negligible on a minute scale. So let’s assume one minute of operator work per piece at an hourly cost of 60 PLN, i.e., k = 1.00 PLN/pcs.
| Variant | s − k [PLN/pcs.] | Threshold N* [pcs./year] |
|---|---|---|
| A: let’s assume keychains, fiber 20 W, s = 1.75 (Laserotechnika) | 0.75 | approx. 4,490 |
| B: as A, s = 0.85 (Giewont) | −0.15 | never |
| C: as B, fixture for 20 pcs. | 0.60 | approx. 5,610 |
| D: let’s assume mugs on CO2 40 W | 2.13 | approx. 1,350 |
In variants A–D, s is the bare rate from the engraving shop table. In practice, add fixed fees and packaging (Laserotechnika: 0.50 PLN/pcs. for packaging and 30 PLN for setup) — s increases and the threshold drops; this is how step 1 of the calculator works.
Variant A: the threshold falls, assuming rounding, at about 4,490 pieces per year, i.e., nine series of 500 keychains.
Variant B is a trap: if the engraving shop charges, using Giewont’s table, 0.85 PLN, and your own operator costs 1.00 PLN per piece, the machine will never pay for itself.
Variant C is the answer to B: a fixture for 20 keychains and five minutes of operator work per batch give k = 0.25 PLN/pcs., and the threshold returns, assuming rounding, to approximately 5,610 pieces per year. The same fixture would also lower the threshold in variant A.
Variant D is mugs: let’s assume a 40 W CO2 laser cutter (shop C) at 5,000 PLN, a rotary unit (shop B) 1,097.56 PLN, the same fume extraction and CO2 protective glasses (shop C) 284.10 PLN, total, assuming rounding, approximately 9,382 PLN; assuming s = 4.13 PLN (Laserotechnika with rotary unit) and k = 2.00 PLN (two minutes of operator work), the threshold is approximately 1,350 mugs per year, i.e., 27 series of 50.
The most important conclusion is not about the machine, but about the fixture: the difference s − k depends on how many pieces the operator places on the table at once. Before you compare machine prices, calculate your own k.
Hidden costs of outsourcing and ownership
An engraving shop invoice doesn’t show the full cost of outsourcing. Add to s what you incur in addition to it.
- Transport and packaging.Workpieces travel both ways; Laserotechnika charges 0.50 PLN/pcs. for unpacking and packaging.
- Time.Standard lead time 7 working days (Laserotechnika), express with a 50% or 100% surcharge. Shipping waits for the engraving shop.
- Quality and samples.Unknown material requires parameter adjustment (Laserkrakow charged 20 PLN for this); agree on who pays for damaged pieces.
- Confidentiality.Serial numbers, customer logos, and information about how much of what you produce go to the engraving shop.
Your own machine also has costs outside the price list. Operator and training (shops A, B, and C declare free training; check if it’s in the offer for you). Consumables: protective windows for fiber 23.09–138.21 PLN (shop C), F-theta lenses 421.14–1,626.02 PLN, and in a CO2 laser cutter a glass tube at 975.61–3,869.11 PLN depending on power and brand (shop prices), with a declared lifespan by shops from 4,500 to 12,000 hours. Fume extraction filters and space in the hall. Finally, occupational safety: an open galvo head or table without an enclosure is a class 4 laser (this is how the laser manufacturer classifies it; class definitions according to PN-EN 60825-1 are provided by CIOP-PIB), so you need glasses according to PN-EN 207 for your wavelength and risk assessment at the workstation; the selection of enclosure and glasses is detailed in the text on marker selection.
Break-even threshold calculator in 5 steps
- Sum up invoices for engraving from 12 months.Add transport, packaging, setups, and personalization; divide by the number of pieces: this is s.
- Count pieces per year and divide them by material.Metal, wood, glass, and plastics are different machines; which type of source is suitable for what is described in the textlaser engraver — diode, CO2, or fiber. If you need two sources, calculate two thresholds.
- Configure I.Machine (catalog price or process-specific quote), fume extraction, glasses, fixture, enclosure, computer, first set of consumables. Set n according to company policy or lease period.
- Measure k.Ask for a demonstration on your own parts and measure the time of the entire cycle, not just the mark; add consumables and enter S.
- Calculate N* and compare with the number of pieces.Make a pessimistic variant (lower s, higher k, shorter n). Close to the threshold don’t buy on paper; clearly above it,request a quote for specific parts.
When to still outsource laser engraving
Sporadic work. A few plates per year won’t come close to the threshold, and a minimum order of 30–50 PLN is a small cost.
Material outside your own source.Fiber won’t engrave glass (the 1064 nm beam passes through it), and a CO2 laser cutter won’t mark bare metal without preparation, which engraving shops charge separately for (GMgraw: 4.0 PLN/cm² for CerMark vs. 2.0 PLN/cm² on fiber). If you have fiber for keychains, still outsource mugs.
Large formats.Graphics on a table surface require a plotter field of 1300 × 900 mm (this is what Decor Manufaktura declares). If such an order comes in once a quarter, the engraving shop is cheaper than the RBL 1390 plotter.
Seasonal peaks.A hybrid arrangement (your own machine for steady load, engraving shop for pre-holiday peaks) usually works out cheaper.
Most frequently asked questions
How much does laser engraving cost at an engraving shop?
From published price lists (as of October 2026): per piece from 0.95 PLN net at quantities up to 300 pcs. (Giewont, up to 5 cm²) to 50 PLN per individual piece (grawer.wroc.pl, Grawerlik); per minute of CO2 laser 3.0 PLN net and per cm² on metal 2.0 PLN net (GMgraw); plus fixed fees.
How much does metal laser engraving cost at an engraving shop?
On a fiber laser marker, metal marking is fast (GMgraw: 2.0 PLN/cm²). More expensive is metal marking on a CO2 laser plotter with preparation (GMgraw: 4.0 PLN/cm²; Laserkrakow charged 7 PLN per minute) and anything requiring a rotary unit: Laserotechnika adds 50% for round engraving.
From how many pieces does your own engraver pay for itself?
It depends on the investment, fixed costs, and the difference between the service rate and your own cost per piece. In the calculation from this text, the threshold fell at about 4,490 or, assuming a fixture, about 5,610 keychains per year for a 20 W fiber. With a cheaper engraving shop and slow machine loading, the machine may never pay for itself.
What is the difference between laser engraving and laser marking?
Engraving removes material and leaves an indentation; marking changes the appearance of the surface without material loss — through annealing, discoloration, foaming, or coating removal. Methods and their comparison with printing are described in the text onlaser marking of parts.
Sources
- https://laserotechnika.pl/index.php?id_cms=8&controller=cms — net price list per piece by quantity, fixed fees, surcharges for rotary unit and customer-supplied material
- https://giewont.eu/laser/grawerowanie — net price list up to 5 cm², machine setup, minimum order
- https://grawerlik.pl/cennik-brutto-uslug-znakowania/ — price list per piece, setup, personalization
- https://www.grawer.wroc.pl/cenniki/grawerowanie.html — net price list up to 10 cm², minimum order (footer from 2020)
- https://gmgraw.pl/cennik-uslug/ — rates per cm² (fiber, CerMark) and per minute (CO2, rotary unit)
- https://laserbielsko.pl/cennik/ — rates per cm², minimum order
- https://laserkrakow.pl/cennik/ — rates per minute and additional fees (engraving shop closed, historical example)
- https://decormanufaktura.pl/cennik/cennik-grawerowania-laserem/ — working field 1300 × 900 mm
- https://www.ciop.pl/CIOPPortalWAR/file/99433/Ochrona_przed_promieniowaniem_laserowym_MatInf_M.Okrasa_I.PN.06.pdf — laser classes according to PN-EN 60825-1, glasses according to PN-EN 207
- https://roboteus.com/pl/maszyny/znakowarki-laserowe/znakowarka-fiber-rbz-2020/ — RBZ 2020 parameters
- https://roboteus.com/pl/maszyny/znakowarki-laserowe/rbz1515uv/ — RBZ 1515UV parameters and indicative price
- https://roboteus.com/pl/maszyny/plotery-laserowe-co2/ — plotters RBL 9060, 1390, 1610; indicative prices RBL 9060 and RBL 1610
Editorial note
Rates from engraving shop price lists and net catalog prices of machines and equipment come from pages published as of October 2026 and may change; some price lists do not specify whether they give net or gross amounts. The number of pieces, time per piece, operator cost, and amortization period in the calculation are assumptions illustrating the formula, not market data. Engraving parameters depend on the machine, material, and graphic, and this text does not replace the manufacturer’s instructions or occupational safety regulations for working with laser devices.