Interview with Dan Shapiro, creator of the Glowforge laser cutter

I certainly get your point, but it doesn’t change the fact that their use of the word “printer” has caused a lot of unnecessary confusion in the marketplace. Perhaps that was just part of their original plan to get people talking about it more.

And If the Glowforge is indeed a printer then so is any CNC milling machine, as it too receives vector files and cuts or engraves the medium and has the ability to make signs. But then again I have never considered a vinyl cutter to be a printer just because it makes signs either. It’s literally a vinyl cutter. It cuts out signs, it doesn’t print them (unless of course it also has a print head option in addition to the knife).

3 Likes