Back Up Reminder

No, this is not a reminder to turn back your clocks. When they were reminding us of that in church last night, for some reason it made me think that I've been putting off backing up my computer for a while.

PLEASE, remember to back up your data from time to time. Several years ago we lost more information than I could ever explain because we didn't have a good back up procedure in place. We now have a USB external hard drive that I use to back up our data as well as to archive our photos and our music.

This doesn't have to be a difficult or expensive task either.

Google "USB Hard Drive" and you'll get tons of options. I'll guess that 500GB drives will run easily under $100. And, as the description suggests, it is a USB connection so it is no more troublesome than plugging in your IPod or camera.

We are pretty good at backing ourselves up a couple times each year and we store the back up drive in a different building than where we keep our computers. That way, if we have the tragedy of a fire or flood, we should never lose both the computer and the backed up data.

These days you can use online storage if you like. I know it is secure but I'm not to the point where I'm ready to do that. I do have a friend who uses that method and he says that because it is basically available every time he goes on the web he backs up more often. That's a pretty strong argument for using web based back up. We used to have a tape back up built in to computer but one of the tapes somehow corrupted and with only one tape we found ourselves leaving the tape in the computer all the time. Basically we were not protected if something catastrophic happened to the building like a fire.

Ultimately, you have lots of options. Many being pretty affordable.
Please do not put off this important task.
Take it from me, learning the hard way is a major drag!

Windows 7 Update For Epilog Laser Customers

Well, for better or for worse, it's here.

Windows 7 has hit the street and we have some initial information for those who are wondering where they set in Bill Gates' new world.

First for those with Epilog Laser Systems, the official statement from headquarters can be found here-
http://www.epiloglaser.com/news_windows_7.htm

For some general information, I'll add a few tidbits that I've gathered over the past few days.

The most important fact that I've recently learned is that you can only expect to upgrade to Win7 from Vista. There is no easy path to upgrade an XP computer or certainly anything older. Personally this is disappointing to me. I know that I should have never assumed that we could upgrade from XP but I admit that this inability has caused me to change several plans that I had in place.

The next thing I want to discuss is the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit operating systems. Win7, like Vista, is available in both 32 and 64 bit options. Upgrading 32 bit to 32 bit should be pretty smooth as should 64 to 64 upgrades. If you want to upgrade a 32 bit Vista computer to 64 bit Win7, it appears that will be difficult.

A good comment came to me recently from a friend-
Many of the computers that have been sold in the last couple of years have 64-bit chip sets in them. While this would lead you to believe that your computer is 64-bit compatible, it really only means that the chip set can handle 64-bit processing. It doesn’t mean that the rest of your computer is 64-bit compatible. For most people, the easiest way to move from 32-bit computing to 64-bit computing is going to be with the purchase of a new computer.
Additionally, you need to be aware that your hard drive, network, display, printer, scanner, camera, audio, and other hardware devices may not have compatible drivers and that you will have to find these drivers (if they exist) online to make these devices work again.

It's important to know that Epilog only has 64 bit drivers for the Mini/Helix/EXT models.

Bottom line is that we've had several folks using beta versions of Win7 for some time and we expect that, in proper configurations, you'll have no trouble printing to your Epilog Laser from the new Windows 7 operating system. And, many early reviews for this OS have been quite positive. Much of the annoyances from Vista are gone but the useful features were kept. Plus Win7 is said to be faster in many staple applications. Faster booting, faster back from hibernation, just better performance. If you are considering an upgrade, I'd not stand in your way.

To engrave or not to engrave?

Recently, the question has come up several times as to what to do when a customer brings you a piece that they'd like you to engrave.

Tough question. One certainly with no one right or wrong answer.

Let me start by saying that, if we were still in the business of selling the service of engraving, I'd have a black and white policy and live with it for better or worse. Being wishy-washy will lead to a he-said/she-said situation between you and a customer somewhere along the way. I suggest any engraver should think hard about this, write out a policy, put it up on your wall for customers and employees to see and never vary from it.

Now, the two sides of the story as I see them. First, it hurts to tell a customer "No" at any time. You hate to see a customer leave disappointed. You hate to see money walk out the door. You hate to see a customer go to your competitor. You hate the idea that, with all the money you spent on engraving equipment, there are jobs you still can't do.

The other point of view says that, if you take the job you risk several issues. Regardless how certain you feel you know what the product is made of, what if you're wrong? How sure are you that the set up in CorelDraw will be as "easy" as you think? Regardless how certain you are that you can fixture the item, what if it slips? If you do have a problem with the engraving, how sure are you that the customer gave you an accurate replacement price and was honest with you about how easy finding a replacement would be?

I could go on and on making arguments for or against either approach but I'll go back to what I said earlier. There is certainly good money to be made by engraving things customers bring to you so if you choose to take these jobs, YOU get to set the rules. Set them once, clearly, and don't make any exceptions. If you are going to engrave things people bring to you, bill the job accordingly. Charge for what it takes to set up the job. If it takes you 15 minutes to set text and edit a photo, figure that in to your price. If you need to buy or use some engraving material to make a jig or fixture to do the job, figure that in to your price. If the job is going to require a good amount of clean up after engraving, figure that in to your price. Finally when figuring price, guess high. A customer will always be thankful if you give them an invoice lower than the original quote but you know what happens if it goes the other way.

Last, if you mess up and have to replace the piece, do it without making a fuss to the customer. Behind the scenes you can throw whatever kind of fit you see necessary but don't let the customer see you sweat. It looks unprofessional and besides, it's not their fault. They don't deserve to be made to feel guilty for your flub.

To close this post, please let me say that I'm not suggesting either side of this debate, you must decide for yourself, but we DID engrave items that folks brought to us. My father wouldn't pass up a buck if it was covered with stink so we simply got good at learning how to use our equipment and learning how to research new materials. In the end it was very profitable for us. A giant pain in the neck at times, but profitable.

Good luck with your decision!

Meet our new neighbors

Please allow me to take a break from the business day to share some fun from our family's life...

Unexpectedly, the Fox Family has moved in to our back yard. While the video is not great (they're a little camera shy so I didn't want to try and get any closer), if you watch carefully at about the 30-35 second mark you'll see the mom and her 6 kits.

Riggins is not happy about having to share his yard!

"What could we be doing better?"

In good economies and bad, a question I'm frequently asked by laser owners is, "What else can I be doing with my laser?"
I think that's a great question and one that I should try to get to in days to come but I'd like to tackle another topic first. It's one that stands to make some people more than a little defensive, uneasy, maybe angry.
The question that I think we all should ask ourselves more often is, "What could we be doing better!?!"
The football fans out there may remember Marv Levy, Buffalo Bills head coach for their record 4 straight trips to the Super Bowl. While I've never seen a formal quotation, it's been reported that Coach Levy felt that one of major strengths of the franchise at that time was their ability to self scout. Basically, they constantly asked themselves, "What could we be doing better or differently?"
While the answers to this question are sometimes not pretty, they can be critical to the success of any franchise or business. When is the last time you or someone you trust took a hard, honest look at your business and how you're operating these days? Of course, the investigation may bring some difficult issues to the table but isn't it always better to acknowledge problems as opposed to ignoring them? And, to take the glass-half-full approach, maybe you'll find that you're doing things very efficiently. If nothing else, it'll give you peace of mind that at least this part of your life is running smoothly.
In good economic times and in difficult economic times, I have to agree with Marv that asking yourself, "What could we be doing differently?" might be the difference between outstanding achievement and failure.

Windows 7

We're already starting to field questions about Windows 7.
The short answer is that we don't have enough knowledge to endorse it yet.
The longer answer is that we do have reason to believe that the new Microsoft Operating System is going to be a very nice change for those of you who hated Vista. I have only heard of precious little testing of the Epilog drivers on Win7 and those tests have gone nicely.
While Epilog itself has not officially endorsed the use of Win7, in coming weeks I may have the need to get a new computer and I'm likely to immediately update it with the beta version of Win7 that is available for download.
I guess I may be the Guinea pig for y'all.....

Leasing a Laser

For whatever reason, in our sales region we do not deliver a lot of lasers under lease agreements. There have been more inquiries about leases of late however so let's talk about them for a few moments.
First off, few, if any, laser manufacturers and/or distributors offer direct funding. It is generally done through a third party funding source. We have several options for our clients and they are also free to use their own agent. We have a very short list of lease companies with whom we will not work.
Second, and this is BIG, many new to leasing are under the misconception that a lease is a trial of some sort. They figure that they'll get a lease and if it doesn't work out, they'll just *send it back*. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you enter a 60 month lease for a laser, you are bound to that 5 year contract with the lease company. Anything other than completing the deal in the agreed to 60 month time frame is difficult and expensive. Again, do not mistake a lease for some sort of test or trial program.
Third, leases have both up and down sides to them. They will, most often, cost more than a bank loan would when all is said and done at the end of the term. However, they give you a chance for some significant tax benefits and they tend to keep credit available for other needs. And regardless of who you are considering, be sure your credit is not checked too often as the checks do lower your credit score. Shop your options without submitting applications at first. Good agents will understand this approach.
At the end of the day, my best advice to you is to ask your accountant whether a lease or a loan of some sort is the better deal for you and your business. Your laser sales professional should not care where you get the money to acquire your equipment. If you're getting pushed in to a specific funding option, I'd suggest that you should ask "WHY??". There may be very good reasons for the salesperson's suggestion but there may be less noble reasoning as well.
To wrap up, leases can be a great option for a laser buyer, but they are not for everyone. Ask around (including your accountant and lawyer) and be sure you completely understand the agreement that you're entering. It will be with you for a long time.

Have a question on Leasing or want a lease agent referral? Contact us at-
http://www.classact.net/contactus.asp?catid=19710&fileID=9439

Some More Laser Basics

You have looked around a little bit and this whole "laser engraving" thing sounds interesting. What do you need to know to decide if this is the right road for you? (BTW, yes, we know that some of this is a bit repetitive, but the repeats should be useful in this discussion)

First, let's talk about some of the basics. With what materials do you want to work? Do you want to work with wood, plastics and acrylics, glass, marble, leather, and a long list of organic materials? If so, then CO2 lasers are the road for you. The wavelength of light that is created for the CO2 laser beam is friendly to many materials, most of which are organic in nature. If you want to work with metal, you need to know, is it coated or bare metal? I you have a bare metal, you'll most often look at Fiber lasers. The Fiber wavelength is friendly to many metals and you can engrave (more on this in a moment) directly in or on the metal without a solution. If you will work with coated metal (anodized, painted, screen printed, powder coated, etc) most will gravitate to the CO2 lasers although Fibers will also work in many cases. Again, there are some notable exceptions to these comments. CO2 lasers can work with bare metal but in most cases the power needed is quite high, say 400 watts or so, or you'll need to use a marking solution. Sometimes Fiber lasers can work with plastics or coated metals. Ultimately, let your sales professional give you their best advice on what format will be best for the material you need to laser.

The next step is figuring out, what do you want to do with a laser? To help you start this thought process, let's do a little work on terminology. Generally, but certainly not always, "Engraving" means using the laser beam to burn in to a material to achieve a desired depth and contrast. "Cutting" is usually the term used when someone wants to use the laser to burn completely through material resulting in a piece that falls out of the original part. "Marking" is a term that usually refers to, in some way, creating a nearly smooth surface image on your part. So, with that, do you want to Engrave, Cut or Mark materials?

Third, you'll want to look at some estimated production details. How many pieces of a product do you expect to produce in a specific amount of time? In many cases the power of your laser tube will dictate the speed at which you can produce product. A low power laser (25-35 watts) does much the same thing that a high powered laser (75-120watts) does, it just does the job(s) slower. You need to have an educated guess as to your daily production level so that you do not buy a laser that is incapable of reaching said level. Next, you need to know what the largest single sized piece is that will go in to your laser. Yes, that means length and width, but don't forget height or diameter. If you are working with a 12x24 laser table and you need to decorate a 16x20 cabinet door, you will likely find that to be difficult, if not impossible. Also, if you have a rotary attachment, be sure that the Z-axis clearance allows you room to engrave the largest diameter piece that you expect to use. Or, if you need to engrave a "tall" item such as a jewelry box or knife block, be sure you have the clearance. As mentioned in a previous post, there is no doubt at all that the most common complaint we hear after someone buys a laser is, "I wish I had bought _____" with the blank being filled in by "more power" or "a larger table". In some instances you can upgrade the power of your laser tube but there's no way to make your table bigger. Be sure, to the best of your ability, you purchase the right laser when you are first shopping.

Next, investigate the options available. Some accessories can be purchased at any time. The rotary attachment, for instance, is something that you can buy when you purchase your laser or at any time down the road. However, the Dual Head option is something that needs to be installed at the factory when your laser is being built. Look carefully in to your options and understand where you have flexibility and where you need to decide before placing your order.

Fifth, where are you going to put your laser? Is it going in to an established workshop? In to your home? In to a mall kiosk? Knowing this will help you select other components. As an example, if you are in a workshop, you'll probably have no trouble using an exhaust fan and blowing the residue and odor created by the laser engraving to the out doors. If you're in a mall or if you travel and do craft shows, you may not have this option and then you'll need to look at filtration equipment. Understand your environment and select an air evacuation method that works best for your situation. Also in this paragraph we should look at the computer. How many people need to print to the laser? Where will your computer(s) be placed and how will you hook up to the laser? If you will have only one workstation and it will be close to the laser, then you don't really have too much to worry about. You'll hook up to your laser with a short cable (USB or Ethernet) that creates direct communication. If you have several people who need the ability to send jobs to the laser, you will need to work with a network. Hook the laser in to a hub and then you can have an unlimited number of computers that can send job files to the laser. Keep in mind that this can be a bad thing as inexperienced workers can send art files that are not properly configured to your laser. Sometimes this is only an annoyance but other times it can cause havoc in your laser if a poorly constructed file is run.

Finally, we should look at the work area around your laser. Do you have enough lighting to clearly see your finished products? If not, how can you properly clean, assemble and package your products? Do you have enough table space to do those same tasks? It can be a real headache to try and clean parts if you don't have a decent amount of elbow room. Do you have storage areas near your laser? You'll need somewhere to put your rotary attachment, cutting table and extra lenses as well as your masking tapes, cleaning solutions, tools, etc. A good amount of cabinet or shelf space is never something that you'll regret.

So, this will complete my thoughts for today, I hope you find them helpful as you think about a potential laser purchase.

How To Buy a Laser -- Part II

So, now that you feel you have a good handle on what format size and what tube power you'll need, what else has to be purchased with your laser?

First, let's run down the list for a "Turn Key Package". When you purchase a laser, you'll also need to be sure that you have a computer, graphic software, an exhaust fan or filter and then any other application specific accessories.

Let's look at the computer. Most reasonably new computers these days have plenty of memory and graphics capability. The reason for this?? Computer Video Games!! Those things are memory hogs and to keep the computer from stalling in the midst of a good chase, the computer needs to be able to quickly process tons of graphic information. For that reason, most new computers will also do a good job of processing info within your graphic software program. Ask your laser sales rep for their suggested specs on a computer work station for their laser but this should not be a tough (or overly expensive) buy in this day and age. By the way, one easy-to-overlook area of a computer purchase is the monitor. Buy a good sized screen!! I'd say 19" or more. Yep, it'll cost more but your eyes will thank you every day.

As far as graphic software goes, find out whether you need proprietary software. If you do, then you're stuck and you need to buy what the rep tells you to buy. Many lasers these days are open architecture and will run nicely with most any software. Of course, you are going to be a Laser Professional so you don't want to drive your Million Dollar Company with 2-bit software. Use something proven like Corel Graphic Suite or the Adobe Creative Suite packages. We like Corel. It is pretty affordable but more important, it is plenty powerful when it comes to its ability to edit photos, logos, clipart, text, etc. Additionally you'll find a great deal of help when it comes to learning how to use Corel with your laser.

On now to the exhaust. Lasers burn things and when things burn they create smoke. I don't know about you but I don't want my 10 or 20 thousand dollar investment to be gunked up with residue from wood or plastic. Get a fan that removes the appropriate amount of air from your laser cabinet. If you have a vacuum table like Epilog does, the exhaust is important as it also provides the power for the suction. Now the question is, to vent to the outdoors or not? If you can and if you want to you'll use an exhaust fan, run some ducts (use the hard stuff, not the cheap plastic lines that collapse and stop air flow) from the laser to the fan and then from the fan to a vent or chimney in your work area. Have the distance you are moving the air be as short as you can make it. Lengthening the distance you are pulling/pushing the air lessens the effectiveness of your fan. When you get to your vent, put a flapper in the line somewhere to prevent air from blowing back in to the system from the outside when the fan is not on.

Don't want to exhaust to the outdoors? OK, use a filter. Filters today do a great job of evacuating the laser cabinets and absorbing odor and particulate from the laser cabinet. Down side of a filter? $$$$$$$$ They cost much more money to buy and more money still to maintain. You'll go through prefilters and filter cartridges that could cost you hundreds of dollars per year. Down Down side of fans? You're pulling the heat or air conditioned air out of your room and pumping it outside. Bottom line is that you must exhaust your laser and we recommend fans whenever possible. We'll gladly give you more info on either system on your request.

Now, on to accessories. This list will be different for the different manufacturers that you talk with. We sell Epilog and we feel that they do a great job of incorporating standard features so you're not constantly being upsold. Need Radiance Optics? They're in there on most models. Need a cutting grid? It's in there on most models? Need air assist? It's there on all models (although you will need to buy or supply an air pump). One accessory that we do offer as a separate purchase is a rotary attachment. If you need to engrave around a circumference, you'll need a rotary. Now, please understand that last sentence. If you have a flashlight and you just want to put a name down the side, run it as a flat item and life will be just fine thank you. But, if you need to around the outside of the handle then you'll need a rotary. Pens are almost always done as flat items. Mugs and glassware are almost always done with a rotary. Other accessories should be discussed with your sales rep. Many are sold only to accomplish very specific applications and you should only buy them if you really need them. This avoids the purchase of excessive numbers of large and expensive paperweights in your work room.

Finally, training. Yes, training! While some people can use Corel and run the laser well enough from day one, others need a bit of a jump start. If you need it, do not be proud, get it! You will only be a good engraver if you learn how to be one. We have been engravers since the mid 70s and I'll tell you that we only know what we know for one of two reasons - because someone taught us how to do something or because we figured out a way to do something. Almost every time the process was easier when we let someone help us learn a lesson. And, in many instances, even when there were fees for the instruction, it was probably cheaper to buy a lesson than it would have been to waste the time and spoil the products trying to figure things out ourselves.

Have a question or comment on this post? Drop us a note-
http://www.classact.net/contactus.asp?catid=19710&fileID=9439

How to Buy a Laser Engraver

We know that many of you will only buy a laser once or twice in your life. Because of that you might not have a lot of confidence that you're approaching it correctly. We'll try to help you with that process here in this post.

First - What kind of laser?
Lasers are frequently defined by their light wavelength. CO2 lasers are one type. Fiber and YAG lasers are a second group. What you want to decide is what types of material do you want to cut or engrave and then the type of laser will pretty much be decided for you. For instance, generally speaking, if you want to work with organics (wood, marble, glass, leather, paper, painted/coated metals, etc) you'll want to utilize the CO2 style laser. If you want to etch directly on or in to metals or some specific plastics you'll likely use a Fiber laser. Yes, there are a number of exceptions to these generalities but for now let's leave well enough alone. At this point you probably have a good idea what type of laser is better for you.

Second - Size vs Power/Speed!!
Without fail, the most common lament we hear is, "I wish we had purchased _____" with the blank being filled in by either *a larger table* or *more power*. It really is important to buy the right laser in the beginning. Yes, many of the lasers on the market today have some upgrade ability but we really feel that it's important for you to buy the best laser for your application with your initial purchase. With that, your equation for picking a laser probably looks something like this,
Cabinet Size + Laser Tube Power = Purchase Price
and that would be a good formula, but too many look exclusively at the Purchase Price side of the equation. Of course we understand that you'll have a budget to work within but know too that if you are purchasing a laser based mostly on price there is a strong chance that you are purchasing the wrong system. To choose a laser size, ask yourself a few questions. What is the biggest size I need to be able to accommodate (remember to consider length, width and height)? When I do multiples, how many do I want to do in one job and what table size do I need to accomplish this? If I need a rotary attachment, what is the largest diameter that I need to work with?
Once you have the size issue well in hand, let's address laser power. The first thing to understand is that, in many cases, low power lasers (say 25-40 watts) will do the same applications as high powered lasers (75-120 watts) but the high powered systems run them faster. The higher powered lasers will also give you the opportunity to cut through thicker materials than their low powered little sisters. So, with that in mind, to help decide on a power level ask yourself these questions. Is the production time for the material I want to work with going to be affected by the power of the laser tube I choose? If you are going to engrave wood or acrylic, you will finish more products in a given amount of time with a high powered laser than you will with a low power tube. If you are running something like anodized aluminum or microsurface plastic, you will see little increase in throughput by going to a high power laser tube. Next question is, how many widgets do I want to engrave in a specific amount of time? Your laser sales professional will need to help you with this, but if you need to produce, say, 100 pieces in an hour, it will likely take a specific laser power to achieve this number. Have a test run or rely on the experience of your sales rep to help you figure out what laser power is right for your production needs. Last ask yourself, will I have room for the unexpected in the unit that I am now considering? You never know what is around the corner. You can't figure for everything that might come in your door but do your best to make sure that you can handle overflow jobs that come your way.

Third - How to pay for the fool thing...
When we sell lasers, it is almost always one of three types of sale. Cash sale, bank loan or lease. Large companies tend to have capital accounts from which they pay for equipment purchases. Start up companies (in our area) tend to gravitate to bank loans. Established companies tend to like the lease option. I do not want to spend a lot of time talking about these options in this thread but I do want to say that this is a VERY IMPORTANT decision for the laser buyer. We have our opinions but I think the very best advice we can offer here is for you to talk with your accountant or financial advisor. The sales rep should never care how the buyer chooses to fund their equipment. We get paid the same amount in all cases. The decision should be made based on what is best for the company or individual acquiring the equipment and no one will know that better than the buyer and their money people.

Is this all that needs to go in to the decision on what laser is the right choice for you? Not by a long shot, but if you start here, I believe that you will be on a good road to selecting a laser that will fit the needs of your production facility.

Have a question on these comments? Contact me here-
http://www.classact.net/contactus.asp?catid=19710&fileID=9439

Paul Harvey -- Good Day

Paul Harvey died tonight,
that is a very sad thing for my brothers and me as we listened to him frequently. Mr. Harvey was a good newsman and was great at cutting to the quick (when he wanted to).
Thoughts and prayers to his family as he's again with his *Angel*

So Incredibly Close, So Incredibly Painful

Continental Flight 3407 crashed a week ago.
It went down about 15 minutes from my house.
It went down around a thousand feet from my church.
It's taken me a week to get the stomach to write about this accident.

It's unbelievable how different a disaster like this is when it happens in your neighborhood. Especially in Western New York and Clarence Center. Smalltown USA. Everyone knows someone who knows someone that was lost. Everyone knows someone who knows a first responder that has worked for a week to get things cleaned up. Thank you to all who helped make this tragedy a little less difficult for someone.

Please say a prayer for all the victims and their families.