Lumina Blisslights laser faq

What are Lasers?

A LASER ( L ight A mplification by S timulated E mission of R adiation) is an optical source that emits
coherent beams of near monochromatic energy. This is in contrast to the common incandescent light bulb which
emits incoherent photons over a generally wide spectrum of wavelengths.

That's the technical definition of a laser. However, you don't have to be a physics major to appreciate the
elegance and beauty of holding in the palm of your hand a truly fascinating miracle of modern engineering.

Lasers come in all colors, output powers, and designs. Green lasers (532nm), yellow lasers (594nm) , blue lasers
(473nm), and red lasers (660nm). There are low powered pen-design (<5mW) lasers used by educators as visual
pointers for presentations in class room settings. Lasers are used by amateur astronomers to point out star
constellations and astronomical bodies. Some portable models are used by construction professionals for
alignment of building materials.

More powerful held hand lasers (>50mW) are used for search and rescue, holographic photography, and science
experiments. Many nightclub owners use laser display systems to produce eye-popping laser light special effects.

Business owners can use lasers to demonstrate corporate logos or advertising messages. The military also uses
lasers as signaling and observation devices. The medical community use lasers from dermatology treatments to
helping patients with overcoming smoking addictions. Lasers are a marvel of modern technology that are used
everyday in many applications by many non-professional and professionals.

At LUMINA, we are continuously searching for the most unique, high-quality, and distinctive laser products that will
amaze your friends, wow your guests, or make you more productive at your job.

Our high-quality lasers don't come with high price tags. We cater to customers at every budget level. We would
love to hear about all your new ideas and personal request for using lasers. If you do not see exactly what you are
looking for, please call us and let us know - we can special order almost any type of laser!

Laser FAQs

What lasers can do
There are many creative ways lasers can be used in a production. Most of these uses fall into the two broad
categories of seeing beams in mid-air, and seeing graphics on a surface.

With beams, the audience sees “structures” in mid-air, such as fans, cones and shafts of light. Usually theatrical
fog or haze is required to make the light shapes more visible. Beams can be fast or slow; they can give an event a
“Star Wars” excitement, or a New Age mystical calm. In many countries, beams routinely (and safely) scan the
crowd, literally "touching" the audience members.

Laser graphics can display a client’s logo, animate their product, tell a story, or simply entertain. Because of
technology requirements, these images are cartoon-like outlines, without any interior fill or detail. This can be a
limitation, but it also helps make laser graphic shows very different and attention-getting, compared with
ubiquitous video images.

Often beams and graphics are combined. For example, “screen and beam” shows use graphics on a single center
screen or two side screens, with beams coming from below the screen(s) and over the audience.

Laser graphics can be seen on just about any relatively smooth, relatively light surface. You can use conventional
projection screens, an indoor or outdoor wall, water screens, inflatable screens, buildings and even mountains.

(Incidentally, laser companies are sometimes asked to project logos on clouds. This is impractical; Mother Nature
does not often provide the required smooth, low, dense cloud cover.)

Laser powers and visibility

The power of a laser beam is measured in watts and milliwatts (1/1000 watt). The minimum power needed for a
laser light show in a dark, medium-sized room (like a hotel ballroom) is about 500 milliwatts to 1 watt. Somewhere
between 5 and 20 watts is typical for indoor use. In large arenas and outdoors, 10 to 80 watts is common.

Wattage alone does not determine how visible the beam will be. For example, a 1 watt green laser beam can
appear as bright as a 3 watt red beam, since the eye sees green light better than red or green. Therefore, when
deciding how much laser power to use for your show, there are many factors the laser company will consider.
These include:

Laser color: Green is most visible You can use a less powerful (and thus easier-to-use and less expensive) laser
if green is acceptable.

Ambient light: Keep your event as dark as possible during the laser show. The laser won’t need extra wattage to
“punch through” ambient light.

Laser beam divergence: Some types of lasers have tighter beams than others. Low-divergence beams look
brighter since the light is concentrated in a smaller area.

Amount of fog and smoke: Fog helps the laser beams be more visible. If you can’t use a lot of fog, then you’ll
need a more powerful laser.

Area projected: If the audience is spread out, then the laser’s power will be spread over a larger area. A higher
wattage laser is required.

Audience safety: In many parts of the world, the audience is scanned with laser beams. The beam power and
divergence must be sufficient that the beam and scanned effects are visible, but that there is no eye hazard. One
solution is to have the beam be at full power when above the audience, but at a lower power when scanning the
audience.

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