(Originally printed in the January/February 2023 issue of Insights.)

Personalization shops have been adding in-house rubber stamp making for many years. Shop owners have realized that producing stamps is an easy way to add a new profit center and expand the store’s existing customer base without a large equipment expense. This article will look at why a shop should start selling custom-made stamps and the most common methods for production.

The first thing to know about Moonlight Laserworks, LLC, is that it’s off the beaten path.

Plastics might have a reputation for being tame or average looking, but that’s not the case anymore. Retailers are creating advanced plastic designs that can rival other finishes.

While laser engraving photographs remains one of the hottest and most unique engraving trends, it also seems to be one of the most misunderstood.

By all accounts, Mike Westbrook’s Mile High Laser Engraving shop is new, having just opened in 2014. But there’s nothing new about the day-to-day work for Mike: For years prior to the business’ opening, his various jobs had him trekking the industry’s familiar terrain of engraving products, hunting down sales and overseeing online product distribution.

As the year progresses, awards and personalization members face no shortage of challenges: supply chain delays, inflation, labor strains and more. In this climate, making the most of the equipment you already have isn’t just helpful—it’s vital. If costs rise elsewhere, after all, greater in-house efficiency can help pick up the slack.

From all indications, the demand for laser engraved tumblers continues to grow—and grow. However, most laser owners could use tools to be more efficient in getting finished products out the door.

True, fiber lasers aren’t exactly new. After all, they’ve been used for decades in industrial applications. But fiber lasers have recently gained ground in the personalization industry, with smaller shops even reaping benefits from investing in such equipment. That’s in part because fiber lasers offer more versatility with metal applications than CO2 lasers and are faster and easier to use than mechanical engravers. The global fiber laser marking machine market is projected to have a 10.9% compound annual growth rate from 2017 to 2024, according to research that Research Nester compiled and released last year.

UV direct-to-substrate printing is a great technique for creating stylish and useful products for your customers. If you are ready to take your everyday UV printing techniques to the next level, combining UV-printed products with laser techniques can offer enhanced efficiencies for high-volume products while adding another dimension to the artwork. Here’s a nine-step guide for merging the best of both worlds.

Arlington, TX-based Engraving Concepts, which provides laser cutting, engraving, and metal marking services, is celebrating its 50th year in business. This year also marks 3 decades of the company representing the Epilog Laser brand. Along the way, Engraving Concepts has also added other made-in-America equipment: TYKMA/Electrox, Kern Laser Systems, and Direct Color Systems.