Plain-language definitions, because the terms get used loosely and it causes real confusion when people share settings.
Engraving — removing material from the surface to a shallow depth, producing a visible recess. Power is high enough to ablate, low enough not to cut through. What you do on wood, acrylic and slate.
Marking — changing the surface without meaningfully removing material: oxidising, annealing, bleaching or removing a coating. Anodised aluminium, powder-coated tumblers and annealed stainless are marked, not engraved. This matters because marking usually needs less power than people assume.
Cutting — cutting all the way through, in one or more passes.
Scoring — a deliberate partial cut, deeper than an engrave, used for fold lines and decorative grooves.
Deep engraving — many passes to reach a measurable depth, usually on metal with a fiber source. 20–60 passes, not three.
Why the distinction matters: if someone shares "100% power, 300mm/s, 4 passes" for stainless, that's an annealing mark. Applying the same numbers to plywood makes a fire, not an engrave. Always check which operation a setting refers to — the materials database here labels every entry.
LaserPecker publish their own documentation on this topic — worth reading alongside these community notes.
Official article