First of all:
How durable are laser engraved photos on metal?
Do they scratch or rub off?
Secondly:
It seems to cost around $30-$100 each to get something metal laser engraved with a photo. It may be more cost effective to buy an engraver when doing a large number.
Can anyone recommend a good laser engraver capable of doing photos on metal?
And is one that does metal also going to be capable of glass?
Thank you very much. What about scratches - are they easily ruined?
You really want a fibre laser for that kind of work. It works at a different frequency and is ideal for engraving metal (and cutting it at higher outputs). You’re looking for about $2k+ for something that will do a good job starting at about 20W. At 20W it will do better than 100W CO2 laser in a fraction of the time and ten fold better again than a high power (20W) diode laser. If you’re happy to go slow you can make some decent impressions with a diode laser but will need a marking spray to help on some metals.
They don’t rub off.
You can get home units from places like Snapmaker and Creality.
Commercial units I would recommend https://www.gweikecnc.com/