• About Rayzist Photomask
• Sandcarving glossary
• About sandcarving
• About the photomask
• Making a photomask
• Sandcarving industry
• Getting started
• Marketing, pricing, profits
• Business to Business
• Sandcarving workshops
• Sandcarving events
• Placing an order
• Idea gallery
• Technical support

Getting Started

Whether you are interested in sandcarving for business or recreation, you only need a few items to get started:

1. A complete sandcarving system, which includes the cabinet, pressure pot, dust filtration system, hose and nozzle
2. Abrasive etching material such as aluminum oxide or silicon carbide
3. UV Letralite™ exposure unit to make your photomask
4. Photoresist film
5. Air compressor

Your total initial investment, including the cost of the sandcarving system, is typically less than $4200.

Recommended Software & Printer Information

Software

Vector (line art) Based Artwork

1. Adobe™ Illustrator
2. CorelDraw™
3. Inkscape

Bitmap (photo manipulation) Software

1. Adobe™ Photoshop
2. Corel™ Photo-Paint
3. GIMP

Printers

For the sandcarving industry you need a have a Laser printer with a minimum resolution of 600dpi. Inkjet printers will not work without specialized inkjet film. It is recommended that you test any laser printer that you plan on buying with UV Vellum, to ensure that the printer can print very opaque blacks. If the printer has a toner saver or EconoMode, make sure that this feature is turned off. We have found through our experience that Hewlett Packard printers have been most reliable. If you want to have the ability to produce half tone photos, you need to make sure your printer has Postscript. You will need Postscript to set a line screen for your photo.