If you’ve been looking for the right device to get into laser cutting and engraving, the new xTool M2 might be it. Combining an inkjet printer with a fully enclosed laser is what won us over and made us happy first-time laser owners.
The M2 is xTool’s desktop laser cutter and engraver, built around a swappable tool-head system that lets you cut, engrave, or print from the same machine. It works with a wide range of common materials, opening up everything from stickers and labels to signs, drinkware, gifts, artwork, and one-off projects around the house.
If you can dedicate a chunk of desk space, the M2 makes it surprisingly easy to add customization to everyday projects and could even be the starting point for a small business.
Design and features
The xTool M2 is an enclosed desktop diode laser cutter and engraver, making it a more approachable option than larger CO₂ machines or specialized fiber lasers.
We tested the 10W version, though xTool also offers a 20W laser and an optional infrared module for additional materials.
The M2’s laser can be easily swapped out for a different laser or the full-color inkjet module. The magnetic head takes seconds to swap out with just a single cable.
The device looks like an oversized flatbed printer; it has a low-profile white body and a large transparent orange lid. The enclosed design carries a Class 1 laser safety rating, with safeguards that stop the laser if the lid is opened, along with tilt and flame detection.
Smoke is routed through an exhaust port, which can be vented outside or connected to a filtered air purifier. At roughly 24 x 22 inches, it takes up a good portion of a desk, plus additional space depending on how you choose to ventilate or filter the fumes.
The low profile works especially well for flat materials, but taller, bulky, or flexible objects can require some creativity. With the baseplate installed, maximum processing height is just over an inch (26mm), so keeping materials flat is important, and masking tape and magnets quickly become useful accessories.
Laser autofocus and built-in air assist are two features that make the M2 especially easy to use. Bright LED lighting does a great job illuminating the work area, while three cameras handle monitoring, positioning, and flame detection.
As for the technicals, the M2 has a 16.7 x 12.6-inch laser work area, with the 10W laser rated to cut up to 8 mm of basswood in a single pass.
The inkjet module, meanwhile, uses water-based CMYK dye ink and prints at up to 1200 x 1200 dpi. It has a smaller working area at 11.8 x 11.5 inches, in part because a small section of the bed is reserved for the inkjet’s automatic cap mechanism.
When it comes to connectivity, the M2 connects over Wi-Fi or USB.
Setup and usability
Setup is surprisingly straightforward despite everything the M2 can do. The machine arrives mostly assembled, with many of the smaller components packed inside, and xTool’s videos do a good job walking you through the remaining steps.
The Deluxe bundle makes the initial unboxing feel more complicated simply because there are so many extra parts and pieces, but most are part of the rotary attachment and not required to get things going.
The videos and xTool Studio walk you through setup, calibration, and your first couple of cuts. Once that’s out of the way, xTool Studio is relatively easy to get the hang of.
The built-in cameras give you a live view of the internal workbed for positioning, and features like Capture and Trace make it easy to line up a design with an existing object.
There’s also a huge library of material presets, design elements, and projects for inspiration, which is particularly helpful when you’re still figuring out what to make. xTool says Studio has more than 1,300 tested materials and 110,000 preset parameter combinations.
The software is quite good once you get comfortable with it, though it can feel both basic and complicated at first. There are also a growing number of AI features for generating and editing designs, which use a credit system. You get some credits included, and re-ups are reasonably priced, but you can just as easily create something in ChatGPT or your favorite AI tool and import it into Studio. The mobile app can handle many of the same basics as the desktop software, though it’s still a little more limited.
Once you know what you’re doing, you can go from an idea to starting a job in just a few minutes. The bigger learning curve is figuring out the materials themselves.
We spent plenty of time adjusting settings, running second passes, taping things down, and figuring out why one material behaved differently from another. xTool’s presets give you a good starting point, but even xTool recommends testing settings on scrap material first.
We found ourselves regularly bopping back and forth between the computer and M2, since you need to physically press the button on the machine before starting a job. You should be nearby and keeping an eye on the laser anyway, but it gets tedious when you’re repeatedly tweaking settings. The desktop app has an excellent live camera view, although a job started there can’t then be monitored from your phone (currently).
Accessories
There are a few key optional accessories that work with the M2. First and foremost is the inkjet module, which is included with the Print & Cut bundle for around $100 extra (well worth it).
Then there’s the rotary attachment, which lets you laser engrave bottles, tumblers, balls, and other round objects up to about four inches (100mm) in diameter.
This is included in the Deluxe bundle along with the inkjet module and a large material pack for a few hundred dollars extra. It’s a generous bundle but can be a little overwhelming at first with all the extra parts and pieces.
Outside of the bundles, the accessory you may appreciate most is the Desktop Air Purifier. Cutting and engraving materials like wood and paper creates noticeable smoke and odor, and having a dedicated filtration system makes using the M2 indoors much more practical. The alternative is venting the exhaust out a window.
Instead of the 10W laser, you can also get the M2 bundled with a 20W laser, although it makes everything considerably more expensive. The extra power is mostly useful if you plan on cutting thicker materials, and you can always add this later. There’s also a separate 3W 1064nm Infrared Laser Module designed for engraving metals and certain plastics.
Performance
The M2 is a workhorse. As someone who’s used to inkjet printers, UV printers, and 3D printers, it’s refreshing to work with a laser without constantly thinking about ink or another major consumable running out.
Between its engraving, cutting, printing, and the range of materials it can work with, the device is also extremely versatile. And xTool has a large community library called Atomm, where there are tons of inspiration and designs you can download.
Of course, the inkjet and rotary unlock even more versatility. One of our favorite and cleanest successes was engraving a powder-coated metal cup, where the laser removed the coating to reveal the metal underneath.
The result looked incredibly clean and professional. Our most common use case, though, was printing and cutting. It’s incredibly convenient to put a piece of paper, sticker sheet, gift bag, or other flat material directly onto the bed and use the cameras to position a print exactly where you want it.
Print & Cut makes this even easier, and our custom stickers were always a crowd-pleaser. It’s especially great for those who like to recycle and be resourceful—you can upgrade old shopping bags or find a free spot to print on a mostly used piece of sticker paper. The precision goes a long way for making the most of everything.
Engraving a leather belt took some trial and error but came out pretty nice. Engraving a cotton shirt took even more trial and error; we never really figured it out despite hearing about other success stories. You likely won’t be using the inkjet to print directly onto clothing since it uses water-based ink, but there are various creative ways to use the M2 for clothing projects.
Flatter and more solid items like notebooks, paper, and wood were usually easiest and produced the most predictable results. Engraving wood came out spectacularly but wasn’t our favorite given all the soot, which can easily smudge across the surface. There are plenty of documented tricks, including masking the surface first, to help prevent this.
Trial and error is the biggest theme when working with new materials. Presets usually give you a good starting point, but we still found ourselves adjusting power and speed or running a second pass. Once you dial in the settings for something, though, repeating it is much easier.
The inkjet quality itself is good, but not quite the rich and vibrant output of a UV printer. To our eyes, it’s closer to what you’d get from a good traditional inkjet, but the ability to print precisely and on different materials can make the finished product look much more polished and professional.
For our stickers, adding an inexpensive glossy holographic laminate from Amazon made the colors pop more and gave the finished product a much more premium look. Printing onto wood is less impressive-looking between colors and bleeding, but we’ve seen tricks like doing a base coat or painting it with Elmer’s glue first.
Speed and noise vary by project. Many prints and cuts take just a few minutes, while more complicated cuts can take many minutes. A half sheet of stickers between printing and cutting only took about 6 minutes. We had some engravings that would take over 30 minutes. Inkjet printing isn’t much louder than a normal printer, but laser jobs with the air purifier are considerably louder, with a vacuum-like sound.
Cutting wood and paper produces obvious fumes. The Desktop Air Purifier helps, but doesn’t completely eliminate the smell, so ventilation is something you’ll need to consider.
We never really had to push the 10W laser beyond what it could do with especially thick or difficult materials, but that will depend heavily on your use case. Ours has mostly been making custom things for our kids, personalizing stuff we already own, and creating gifts or decorations. We made return address labels with a little cartoon image of our house that we absolutely adore.
Maintenance has been minimal so far. After more than 50 jobs, we’ve mostly just cleaned out scraps and residue and given the interior an occasional wipe-down. xTool Studio also has a device self-check and built-in maintenance tools for when they’re needed.
Final Thoughts
The M2 is one of the best ways to get into laser cutting, and xTool is one of the best brands to do it with. The hardware is easy to learn, and xTool has enough software, materials, tutorials, accessories, and community support that there’s plenty of room to grow.
The biggest drawbacks are practical ones: the M2 takes up a substantial amount of desk space, and you’ll need to plan for ventilation, whether that means running the exhaust out a window or adding an air purifier.
Our advice is to start with at least one recurring use case in mind. Once you get it, you’ll be discovering new abilities and projects for months. AI tools like ChatGPT can seriously help fuel creativity and help bring an idea to life.
Being able to print or laser so freely and precisely is a game-changer for quick customizations on everyday belongings, and you’ll probably start looking at things around the house differently once you have the option.
At the current Anniversary Sale price, it’s $499 for the standalone M2 or $599 for the color print and cut bundle, which we’d definitely recommend for the extra hundred bucks. These prices feel like an almost absurd amount of capability for the money.
The Deluxe bundle makes more sense if you already know that engraving tumblers, bottles, or other round objects is important to you. Otherwise, you can always expand later.
