This application teaches a method of producing an article of glass by cutting it out of a sheet of flat glass. Flat glass is formed in a glass ribbon forming apparatus and is discharged therefrom at a temperature in excess of 1000.degree.F. The hot flat glass is moved under at least a pair of focused laser beams which cut patterns in the glass having a common starting and ending point. In such a manner, a glass article is cut from the ribbon. The article is removed from the remaining portion of the ribbon and cooled in a controlled manner to produce a final glass article. The cooling operation may be rapid or slow so as to produce a tempered or an annealed article.