Pantograph 101
A pantograph is a rotary cutter used to make markings with some precision using a pattern or template. The rotary cutter is on one arm of a parallelogram frame and a stylus used to trace the pattern or template is on another. The arms of the frame can be adjusted to reduce or enlarge the engraving from the pattern. Using a template produces a very clean, even engraving as the stylus rides inside the grooves of the template (that is the way name badges are made using letter templates). When tracing a flat pattern, the resulting engraving is pretty much free-hand and depends on the skill and steadiness of the operator.
On some of the really cheap pantographs, a vibrating tool is used. When magnified, the zig-zag pattern of the vibrating engraving tip can be seen. On a professional pantograph, the engraving tool is a motor driven rotary cutter (somewhat like a woodworking router only on a much smaller scale). A magnified image will show the swirl marks of the cutter and the ends of the lines will be rounded. A stamped mark using a die will have much more squared ends on the lines.