Place a portrait's eyes, nose and mouth on the most even area of a real wood slice before engraving. Dark growth rings and dramatic grain can be attractive around the face yet compete with its midtones. The image file can be technically sharp and still become difficult to read on a particular slice. Choose placement using the actual blank, not a plain white mockup.
The xTool wood-photo guide discusses resin content, grain, rings, color and flatness as reasons wood photos behave differently. Its machine-specific settings do not transfer to TYVOK. The practical inference here is to put the face in the most visually quiet part of the selected small slice and use strong grain as a border where possible.
Map the portrait against the wood
Photograph the exact slice straight on under even light. Overlay the intended crop at final size. A ring crossing a cheek may be harmless; one crossing the eyes may erase expression after the burn adds more dark detail. Rotate the crop within the available surface, but keep any hanging hole, bark edge or irregular rim clear. If no clean area remains, use another slice or a simpler portrait.
| Slice feature | Placement decision |
|---|---|
| Dark concentric ring | Keep eyes and fine hair detail away from it |
| Light central patch | Favor this area for the face, after a material test |
| Raised or cupped surface | Reject or safely flatten the blank before marking |
| Loose bark edge | Keep artwork and fixture pressure inside sound wood |
Make one small tone coupon on a spare of similar wood. Inspect light hair, skin midtones and the darkest background. Do not promise that a digital grayscale map will produce the same values on every slice. The wood itself is part of the image.
Keep the P2 proof within its real setup
The TYVOK P2 is a compact blue-diode galvo. Confirm that the full mark fits the selected live field and that the uneven slice can be safely supported. Test on known laser-compatible wood, follow focus guidance, ventilate and supervise. The source guide's material examples are demonstrations, not a guaranteed P2 portrait recipe.
A repeated order also needs a new-lot contrast sample. If a digitally faded border looks harsh before wood variation is involved, inspect overlapping photo gradients in the artwork first. These are separate causes with different fixes.
Will sanding remove a growth-ring contrast problem?
Sanding may level a surface, but it will not make naturally dark and light wood zones identical. Test the finished surface on a spare slice and reposition the face if the grain still overwhelms it.
Can I run the same photo settings on every slice?
Use the approved sample as a starting reference only. Natural color, resin and flatness differ. Inspect each new batch and test again when the wood changes.
