Las Vegas (NV) - Why bother printing your family photos onto paper when you can laser etch them into steel, plastic and even wood? At the PMA 08 show in Las Vegas, we were given a demonstration of the VersaLaser printer which uses a Carbon Dioxide laser to blast patterns into almost any material. Company reps even made us a cool laser-etched dog tag in about two minutes.

The VersaLaser printer is made by Universal Laser Systems, a Scottsdale Arizona-based company. While the printer itself isn’t new, the company has updated its software to make printing on different materials quite easy. Almost everything is in a template format and you simply pick the material and shape from the menu. Place your object to be etched inside the guide lines and then click start. Small photos take a few minutes, while 8 ½ X 11" jobs can take 30 minutes or more.

The larger VersaLaser printer costs $12500 while a smaller desktop model sells for $10000.