Comparing Three lid candidates. v04 Periodic Element (centered, symbol 70pt). v09 Offset Frame (asymmetric, rounded frame, symbol bumped to 66pt). v09n Same as v09, no frame.
All three pair with s08 — Botanical Field Notes on the side.
v04Periodic Element
Symmetric, centered. Number top-left · category top-right · symbol center · name & latin bottom
Adjustments for v04
- Symbol bumped 60pt → 70pt for stronger lid-down recognition.
- Category top-right wraps tightly (max-width 1.4 in) and right-aligns so long labels like "Root & Rhizome" never crowd the symbol.
- Latin single-line with ellipsis if it exceeds the safe area (Asafoetida's "Ferula assa-foetida" sits right at the edge).
Character
Reads as a chemistry-cell quote. Information-dense without feeling busy because everything is anchored to a clean centerline.
v04 stress-tested across the top 20
v09Offset Frame
Asymmetric, framed. Symbol top-left · N° top-right · category & name share the bottom in a grid
Adjustments for v09
- Symbol bumped 50pt → 66pt per Scott — bigger lid-down presence.
- Rounded frame (0.10 in inner radius) — verify the laser resolves the curve cleanly before committing.
- Bottom row is a 2-col grid: category fixed-width on the left (0.65 in), name wraps right-aligned. Collision impossible regardless of name length.
Character
Reads as a stamped tag. Quieter than v04 because info is in the corners — the eye lands on the symbol first, picks up the rest after.
v09 stress-tested across the top 20
v09nNo Frame
Same layout as v09 (bigger symbol, corner meta, bottom grid) — but no surrounding frame
v09n · Ga · No.01 · clean
Same as v09, frame removed
- If the laser can't render the rounded frame cleanly at this scale, this is the fallback.
- Reads more open — the bamboo edge becomes the boundary instead of the engraved line.
Trade-off
Frame gives the design a contained, label-like quality. No frame is quieter and pushes the eye fully to the symbol. Both are valid — pick what reads better engraved.
v09n stress-tested across the top 20