Laser-engraved city maps are consistently among the top-selling personalized gifts. Here's how to make one in under 5 minutes — the live map is free to explore, and the final GIS vector extraction costs just 2 credits.
Step 1: Open the Reticle Red Map Maker and search for any city, neighborhood, or address.
Step 2: Adjust the map layers — toggle roads, water, buildings, parks independently. Zoom to your perfect frame.
Step 3: Click Export → SVG (2 credits for the GIS vector extraction). The file is ready to open directly in LightBurn or xTool Creative Space.
Engraving tips: - Roads: 0.1mm line weight, engrave at high speed/low power for fine lines - Building fills: Hatch fill at 45° for depth - Water: Crosshatch or horizontal fill pattern at 0.15mm spacing
Bonus: For complex areas, you can run the exported images through the Vector Artist in Image Lab to optimize and clean up vector paths.
Map exports are 4096px resolution — large enough for any print or engrave project.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a laser-engraved city map?
Open the Reticle Red Map Maker at reticle-red.com/map-maker and search for any city, neighborhood, or address. Toggle the map layers (roads, water, buildings, parks) to your preference, zoom to your frame, then click Export → SVG (2 credits for the GIS vector extraction). The file is ready to import directly into LightBurn or xTool Creative Space. For large-format pieces (24"×36" and above), run the export through the AI Neural Vector Scan for cleaner nodes and no stray paths.
Is the Reticle Red Map Maker free?
The live map is free to explore — search any location, style the layers, and frame your composition without spending anything. Extracting the GIS vector layers as a laser-ready SVG (up to 4096px resolution) costs 2 credits, and there is no subscription required. The standard export is production-ready for most projects.
What file format does the Map Maker export for LightBurn?
The Map Maker exports SVG, which imports natively into LightBurn (File → Import) and xTool Creative Space without any conversion. In LightBurn, assign roads to a thin-line engraving layer, building fills to a hatch-fill layer, and water areas to a crosshatch layer for visual depth.