On glazed ceramic the laser does not engrave the clay: it acts on the glaze. The mark is crisp and permanent, ideal for tiles, mugs and decorative tableware.
Settings: what really matters
The result depends almost entirely on the glaze, not on your settings. A dark glaze gives a very visible light mark; a pale glaze may give nothing at all. A test tile from the same batch is the only way to know.
With CO2, work at high power and fast speed, single pass: the aim is to micro-fracture the glaze, not to carve it. A fibre source marks some glazes far more finely.
On a mug the surface is curved: without a rotary, keep the design about 30 mm wide to stay within the focal range.
Risks and finishing
Ceramic can crack under thermal stress, especially a thin or already-cracked piece. Wear glasses and do not lean over the part.
A mark on glaze is not certified food-safe: avoid areas that touch lips or food, and do not count on heavy dishwasher cycles.
A gentle soapy brushing removes micro-flakes and makes the mark crisper to the eye and to the touch.
Every figure on LaserSettings comes with the machine, the laser source, the material and the thickness it was tested on. A setting published for a 10 W diode says nothing about a 40 W CO2, and a setting for 3 mm says nothing about 6 mm: check those four things before you copy any number.
Settings are confirmed or disputed by the members who reproduce them, so reliability comes from cross-checking rather than popularity. Photos of the result — cut edges, engraving shades, scorching — tell you more than a single number found on a forum.
Whatever the material, treat a published setting as a starting point: run a small power/speed test grid on an offcut, clean the lens, redo the focus, work with fume extraction and air assist, wear glasses rated for your wavelength and never leave the machine unattended.