A laser cut name puzzle is one of the most popular personalized gifts you can make. There's just one problem with these wooden name puzzles. If you've ever made a layered wood project before, you know the routine. You cut all the pieces, paint every tiny layer by hand, wait for everything to dry, and then finally glue it all together.
Painting is honestly one of my least favorite parts of making layered wood projects. So when I tested the xTool M2, I wanted to see if it could eliminate that entire painting step. It did. The M2 printed my colors directly onto the basswood, then cut out every puzzle piece in the exact same position. The pieces came off the machine already finished and ready to assemble.
In this tutorial, I'll show you exactly how I made a full-color laser cut name puzzle from start to finish. You'll learn how to assign colors to a laser file right inside xTool Studio, how the print-then-cut workflow works, and what to expect from printed color on natural wood.
Project at a glance: Time: About 30 minutes | Cost: one sheet of 3mm basswood plus the design file | Difficulty: Beginner
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Quick Links / Table of Contents
- Materials & Tools
- How to Make a Laser Cut Name Puzzle Step by Step
- Tips & Troubleshooting
- FAQ
- Downloads & Design Files
- Call to Action & Community Invite
- More Projects You'll Love
Materials & Tools
Here's everything you'll need to make your own laser cut name puzzle:
- xTool M2 Laser – This is the machine I used because it prints full color and laser cuts in one unit. Grab one here. Use code KERRI116 at checkout to see if additional savings apply to your order.
- 3mm Basswood – This is the basswood I used. It cuts cleanly and the light color shows off printed designs.
- Alphabet Puzzle Laser File – The exact file I used from Creative Fabrica. I love that it includes little finger cutouts for small hands.
- Wood Glue or Craft Glue – I like Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue for the final assembly.
- xTool Studio Software (free with the machine)
If you want unlimited access to laser files, fonts, and SVGs, a Creative Fabrica subscription gets you unlimited downloads for $3.99/month and includes a commercial license. You'll find that link in the Downloads section below.
How to Make a Laser Cut Name Puzzle Step by Step
Step 1: Download the Alphabet Puzzle File
I found this alphabet puzzle laser file on Creative Fabrica, which is where I get most of my fonts, SVGs, and laser files. The exact file is linked in the Materials list above and the Downloads section below.
I thought this design was really clever because each letter has a little finger cutout. Those cutouts make it so much easier for little hands to lift the puzzle pieces out.
If you're still building your design library, check out my guide on where to get the best fonts and graphics for more of my favorite sources.
Step 2: Set Up the Name in xTool Studio
Open xTool Studio and import your name. This file comes with the whole alphabet, so you just pull out the letters you need and arrange them on the puzzle base the way you want.
Take your time here. A quick preview now saves you a sheet of basswood later.
Step 3: Assign Colors to Each Layer
Here's something you'll quickly notice when you start working with laser files. Most SVGs are designed for cutting, not full-color printing. That's because traditionally you'd cut all the pieces first and then paint them afterwards.
Since the xTool M2 prints your design before it cuts it, the file needs colors assigned to each layer. You can absolutely do that in another program like Inkscape. But this is one area where I think xTool Studio really stands out.
Instead of opening a second program and recoloring every tiny piece, I simply clicked on each layer right inside xTool Studio and assigned the colors I wanted. This saved me a ton of time and made the whole process feel much more beginner friendly.
Step 4: Load the Basswood and Print
Make sure the color print module is installed on the machine first. Then place your 3mm basswood in the machine and send the design to the print module. Watching the colors print directly onto unfinished basswood was honestly really cool.
For the full-color print, I set the print concentration to 80% on the basswood. Concentration controls how heavily the ink lays down, and 80% gave me nice, even color.
Step 5: Swap to the Laser Module
Once the printing finished, I swapped over to the laser module. This is probably one of my favorite features of this machine.
The modules are magnetic. All I had to do was unplug one cable, lift the printer off, snap the laser module into place, and plug the cable back in. The whole swap takes about 5 seconds.
I've owned lasers where swapping modules meant removing screws and disconnecting cables. Compared to that, this felt incredibly easy.
Step 6: Cut the Puzzle Pieces
Start the cut and let the laser do its thing. Because the material never leaves the machine between printing and cutting, every cut line landed exactly where it should on the printed design.
To cut the 3mm basswood, I used 100% power at a speed of 4 mm/s for 1 pass.
Step 7: Glue Everything Together
After everything was cut out, all I had to do was glue the base layers together. The letter pieces stay loose so they can be lifted in and out.
Normally I'd still have dozens of little wooden pieces spread across my table waiting to be painted. Instead, they came off the machine already finished. That alone eliminated the most time-consuming part of making layered wood projects.
Watch me make this in my xTool M2 review:
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Expect softer colors on wood: The xTool M2 doesn't print white ink. It uses the color of your material as the background, so natural basswood softens the colors a bit. I think it gives the puzzle a softer, more natural look that fits wood really well.
- Preview before you print: Colors on your screen will always look more vibrant than colors printed on raw wood. Keep that in mind when choosing your palette.
- Test on scrap first: Run a small test print and cut on a scrap corner of basswood before committing to the full puzzle.
- Choose files with finger cutouts: If the puzzle is for a toddler, those little cutouts make the pieces much easier to grab.
- Business angle: Personalized name puzzles are a favorite baby shower and first birthday gift. Skipping the painting step means you can make more of them in less time. If you're new to lasers, my guide to the best laser engraver for beginners can help you pick a machine.
FAQ
Q: Can you make a wooden name puzzle with a laser cutter? A: Yes! A laser cutter cuts the letters and base cleanly from wood like 3mm basswood. With a machine like the xTool M2, you can even print full-color designs onto the wood before cutting, so no painting is needed.
Q: Do you have to paint a laser cut name puzzle? A: Not if your machine can print color first. The xTool M2 prints the colors directly onto the wood, then cuts the pieces in the same position. With a cut-only laser, you'd cut the pieces and paint them by hand afterwards.
Q: Why do printed colors look softer on wood? A: Most printers that print on wood, including the xTool M2, don't use white ink. The wood itself becomes the background color, which mutes the printed colors compared to what you see on screen.
Q: What is the best wood for a laser cut name puzzle? A: I used 3mm basswood. It's light in color, so printed designs show up nicely, and it cuts easily. I also cut basswood on other machines, like in my basswood cutting tutorial with the WeCreat Vista.
Q: Can I use this puzzle file with a regular laser? A: Yes. The file is a standard laser cutting file. On a cut-only laser you would cut everything first, then paint each layer, which is the traditional workflow this project replaces.
Downloads & Design Files
- Alphabet Puzzle Custom Name Laser File (linked in the Materials list above)
- Creative Fabrica Subscription – $3.99/mo Unlimited Downloads (includes commercial license)
- Compatible with xTool Studio, LightBurn, and most laser software
Community Invite
Now it's your turn! Pick a name, assign your colors, and let the machine do the painting for you. I can't wait to see whose name you make first.
Share your creations, I'd love to see them! Tag @KerriCraftsIt on Instagram or post in my Kerri Crafts It Facebook Group.
And if you're a Cricut crafter too, you might enjoy my book, Cricut For Dummies.
