xTool X1 price, specifications and availability announced

xTool’s new modular laser platform can swap between CO2, diode, fibre, MOPA and UV lasers. For photographers, that means engraving images onto wood, slate, metal and more, with framing, packaging and studio props in the same machine. xTool has launched the X1, a flagship desktop laser engraver and cutter that is on sale and shipping now. On paper it’s a maker and small-business machine. We think it’s worth a closer look for photographers too, particularly anyone who sells prints, runs a small studio or wants to turn their images into physical products. Two motion systems in one Most desktop lasers make you choose between a fast galvo head with a small working area and a slower gantry with plenty of space. The X1 combines both. A high-speed “Flying-Galvo” system is mounted on a large-format gantry, and the two are driven together through a synchronised four-axis linkage. xTool quotes galvo speeds...