In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: A middle of the range laser cutter costs about US$1000. This is quite a high price if you are just wanting to experiment with a laser cutter. Contact your local university or polytechnic and ask if you can pay to use their laser cutter. This will give you a chance to find out what model of laser cutters you like best, before investing a large amount of money in purchasing your own. If you want to buy your own laser cutter, consider buying a used model to reduce the cost. Laser cutters can cut and engrave wood, plastic, cardboard, foam, fabric, and thin sheets of metal. Any material containing chlorine cannot be used due to the toxic fumes they produce. Avoid PVC, vinyl, and printed circuit boards.  Glass can be engraved but cannot be cut. Thick metal cannot be cut. This could be a photo, a computer drawing, or computer text. Start with a simple image at first and try more complex images as you gain experience with the machine. If you are using a photo, make sure it has plenty of contrast and not many shadows. Check the side of the laser cutter or the user manual to find out what software to use. Save the image file to your computer. Open the software and click “import” to upload the image to the programme. Popular software options are Adobe Illustrator and CoreIDRAW. These can be downloaded online. It is important that the image size is not larger than the size of your material, otherwise you will end up with sections of the image missing. Go to the setting of the image and change the dimensions to match the size of your material. For example, if your material is 10 centimetres (3.9 in) x 20 centimetres (7.9 in), enter 10 centimetres (3.9 in) as the width and 20 centimetres (7.9 in) as the height. Make sure that you have selected the correct unit of measurement. In the settings of the image, select “photo-optimised” if you are cutting a photo. If you are printing a digital drawing or text, select a resolution of at least 333dpi (dots per inch). This will optimise the image for laser processing.  As you get used to the laser cutter you are using, experiment with different effects. In the algorithm effects toolbar you can vary the depth and patterns of engraving. If you are cutting a picture of people, select “ordered dithering” in the algorithms toolbar. This effect will help the people to stand out.
Summary: Find a laser cutter to use. Decide what material you want to cut or engrave. Choose an image to cut or engrave onto your chosen material. Upload the image into software that is compatible with your laser cutter. Set the dimensions of your image to match the size of your material. Optimize your image for laser cutting.

Problem: Article: If you still live with your parents or guardian, ask them if you can go to the party. If you have strict parents, you might need to stretch the truth in order to go to the party. However, it's not responsible to lie to them. You should always be open with them; if you are caught lying, you could be grounded. You should also get a confirmation from the party's host that you are welcome to come. If you know your parents won’t let you go, try one of these options: Try to convince your parents to let you go to the party for a couple of hours. You could tell them things that would put their fears at ease, such as letting them know responsible adults will be there or that you will take a friend and promise to watch out for each other. You should also promise to not engage in any illegal activities, such as underage drinking. Make sure to wear what feels comfortable or something you feel confident in. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and dress the way you want. Most house parties are informal, but others have dress themes that might be fun to follow. If you know people who are planning to get dressed up for the party, coordinate with them so that you all match. Matching with your friends at a party is a good way for people to notice and talk to you. You have to be careful when traveling to a house party. Many house parties are an excuse for teenagers or college kids to drink underage. If you are a driver, consider this before traveling to the party. There is no shame in taking a cab to the party or public transportation. Your parents will appreciate your responsibility if you choose to take a cab instead of drive to a party. Respect the house you are in by picking up after yourself. You could even pay it forward by throwing away other people’s trash. Remember that someone lives at this house and might live there with a family. Show your gratitude to the host and their house by cleaning up after yourself. Your actions might even inspire others to clean up after themselves as well. Be aware of how much you drink at the party. You should be able to keep an accurate count of how many drinks you’ve consumed. While it is not your place to tell people when they can drink or not, you should keep an eye out for anyone in need. It is common for young, inexperienced drinkers to drink a toxic amount of alcohol. If you see somebody looks too drunk, try to assist them if appropriate.  You could let the drunk person’s friends know this person is in need. Careful not to overstep your boundaries when getting involved with extremely intoxicated people. Some people can handle themselves more than you’d think. If you see any abuse or signs of date rape, talk to the owners of the house and take action. Get a group together to intervene. In the worst case scenario, you may need to threaten to call the police or actually make that call. Don’t feel pressured to stay at the party until the very end. You can leave whenever you want. Sometimes it is best to stop in to a party for an hour and leave. This works for some people and is infuriating for others. Do whatever feels best for you. Try not to leave a mess or damage anything. Respect the host and help clean up before you leave.
Summary:
Get permission to attend the party. Get dressed for the party. Travel to the party safely. Clean up after yourself. Moderate your drinking and others. Leave when you want.