Laser College

[Kim Holliday]

P. Graham Dunn Laser College

Welcome to Laser College and welcome to the P. Graham Dunn laser program. The following classes are arranged by topic and will help fill in some of the knowledge gaps that are likely present after the time between laser training at P. Graham Dunn and getting started. You may also have experienced some turnover in the store or would like to get some additional staff trained on laser engraving. The following courses will serve as an encyclopedia on laser engraving.

[Kim Holliday]

Laser University
Class #101 The Basics

The P. Graham Dunn Laser Program was designed for use in a retail environment. The challenge was to reduce the learning curve for new operators and be able to offer a wide array of product with speed and efficiency. And while we have a fairly simple system, we continue to look for ways to improve.

(The following video was made in 2007 by less than professional actors! The laser was rigged to have the lid up for purposes of filming only. This demonstrates the basic process.)

http://www.youtube.com/v/Bit-SS9d1qc...feature=player

[Kim Holliday]

Laser College
Class #102 History of the Laser Program


P. Graham Dunn has used lasers in the manufacturing process for over 25 years. Around the turn of the century we began to experiment with a laser engraver in the retail environment. It was our goal to provide individually personalized product direct to the consumer at a reasonable price. Like many retailers of the time, we tired of the large racks of personalized product that we could not change. On a rack of mugs we may need to carry a half dozen Johns, but I don’t know of any place that had a mug with my friend, Zahilya’s name on it. With the laser engraver in the store we could simply carry an inventory of blank products and engrave any name or message the customer wished for.



Our first years engraving in the store did not exactly suggest to us that we would find ourselves in the position today with a strong personalization program. If anything, those first few years taught us everything that could go wrong with engraving. We would jam the machine, engrave way off center, fill our store with smoke, take an agonizingly long time to get a file set up, and generally stumble our way to the finish line. But instead of throwing in the towel, we hung on to the goal and began to drill down on these problems. Today you will likely engrave not even realizing that one of the presets we worked on is saving you five minutes of alignment time. Or that after months of trying we finally found a way to easily align one machine to another and essentially save each store about 2 weeks worth of alignment checks to go through on each file.



So this is where we are at today, a solid program with a few quirks here and there. A program that while not perfect, is getting a lot closer. A program with very strong margins and a reduced learning curve for entry. All while providing your customer exceptional value for their dollar.



Tomorrow is hard to describe from here. However some of the projects that we are currently working on, some that may or may not make it to the program include:



* A touch screen version of the software for a reduced SKU set in high volume retail environments.
* Fresh product ever changing to the needs of our consumers.
* A large assortment of marketing material to help grow your business.
* Improvements to support and training to make it easier for anyone to learn how to engrave.
* And much more…

[Kim Holliday]

Laser College
Class #103 Adjusting Text

The most common work you will do in Gravostyle has to do with changing text. The following videos focus on various aspects of text adjustments.


This first video really takes you through a lot of the changes you can make to your text. Listen for the description of the character list button. This is something we use from time to time. Additionally I will be talking about line compression vs paragraph compression. Knowing how to use those buttons can help you create designs that look good. For example, if you were to type a paragraph of text and one line is squeezed a bit to fit, the rest of the lines in your paragraph do not match. I have had staff that have spent a good deal of time moving text from line to line in order for it to look uniform. And all the while there was a simple button to push that made it all uniform.

http://www.youtube.com/v/bU8kH78AiSs...feature=player


This next video drills down more on the "Rapido" button - the colorful little pinwheel button on the Text Mode toolbar. Each color of this wheel corresponds to additional menus with text formatting options.

http://www.youtube.com/v/qtMIXhLEBuc...feature=player



This final video focuses on the Text in a Rectangle option under the Text Tools button. This tool makes it a lot easier to change a paragraph of text. It is especially useful on the designs that are asymmetrical. One point to be aware of is that while the text is constrained to the size of the rectangle on the top and both sides, letters that drop down will extend outside the rectangle on the bottom. For example: the letters - pqgyj.

http://www.youtube.com/v/EXwVqbUCxSc...feature=player

[Kim Holliday]

Laser College
Class #104 Alignment

One of the greatest challenges to good laser engraving is to ensure what you are engraved is lined up. In this section we will cover two distinct segments on alignment. The first is how to take a P. Graham Dunn file that is already lined up on the laser and use it to line up your own design. The second segment is how to check your alignment on a file that may not be aligned on the machine. For example if you were to engrave a key chain off center and need to make a replacement.



Section 1

Using P. Graham Dunn files to line up your own designs.
http://www.youtube.com/v/g63wyrENstI...feature=player


Section 2

Checking the alignment on the laser machine.
http://www.youtube.com/v/-r1UKNyXPd0...feature=player

[Kim Holliday]

LaserCollege
Class #105 Locking and Unlocking Files

The laser engraving files on your computer should be locked down so they cannot be saved over. This ensures that every time you scan the barcode for that product your file will match the sample on display. If the display item does not match the laser file, the operator will have to spend time recreating a layout that matches the sample. This is a waste of time and none of us have much time to waste!



Caution: Do not forget to lock your files back up. Do not allow anyone and everyone to do this. There is nothing more frustrating than counting on a file to work and finding out someone had saved over it and messed it up. If you are not certain if you should even do this, don't!



How do I know if the files are locked down?

Simply open up any file and hit the save button. If you get a dialogue box that says "cannot save a read-only file" you are in good shape. If you do not get this dialogue box then you should lock down your files. Additionally if this is not your first time using the software, you will also benefit from updating your files. That will ensure that you have not already inadvertently overwritten your files.



To lock your files:

Step one

Right click the PGD laser files folder on your desktop. Select properties.

Step two

Click the box next to read only until there is a check mark in the box. Click OK or Apply. Apply changes to this folder, subfolder, and files.

Step three

Open up a file in Gravostyle and click the save button. You should get a dialogue box that says "cannot save a read-only file." Your files are all locked up.



The following video shows you how to UNLOCK your files and then LOCK them back up.
http://www.youtube.com/v/YUwGue0VSOc...feature=player

Gravostyle.ini file

P. Graham Dunn also locks down the configuration file for Gravostyle. This is the file that ensures every time you scan from the scan book that the program looks in the right folder for the laser files. This file also holds all the configurations for the program. For example we set the list of favorite fonts on the fonts drop down menu. We set the undo number to 99. Basically if you hit the F10 button, any of the options in that menu is found in the Gravostyle.ini file. You may want to change the list of favorite fonts to some common ones you use. To do this you will have to unlock the Gravostyle.ini file, change the favorite fonts in the F10 menu, hit save, and then lock up the Gravostyle.ini file.



First you have to find the Gravostyle.ini file. Simply click the start menu and select search. Type in Gravostyle.ini. When the results are returned you can right click on the file name and follow the same instructions above to unlock the file. Make the changes in the options menu (F10) in Gravostyle and then lock the file down again by right clicking on it and adding a check box to read only and applying it.

[Kim Holliday]

Laser College
Class #106 Maintenance

Printable WORD document of Maintenance Instructions
Laser Maintenance.doc

It is important to keep the laser engraver in tip top shape to reduce the possibility of downtime. The following information provides guidelines on how to care for this equipment. It is recommended that you establish a maintenance schedule based on the use of the machine in your store. Cleaning supplies can be purchased through P. Graham Dunn.


The following schedule is based on a fairly steady operation of the machine.

Each and every day the machine is used it should be cleaned.

• Lower the tray in the machine to the bottom to get more elbow room.
  
  • Turn the machine on and wait through the set up until it says ready to receive.
  • Press the Z button. You should see the letter Z in the laser menu.
  • Press and hold down the down arrow. The tray will move downwards and stop automatically when it gets to the bottom.
  • Before putting your hands into the machine to clean, be sure to turn the machine off.
• Use a mixture of water and vinegar in a spray bottle. A tablespoon of vinegar to a spray bottle of water should be sufficient.
• Spray a paper towel and then wipe in the machine. Do not spray directly into the machine.
  
  • Avoid all shiny metal surfaces except for the bottom tray of the laser. Essentially you do not want to remove the grease on the components that move. This would include the three screws the bed moves up and down on, the rods the laser arm moves along, and the rail on the arm that the laser head moves across. All other areas are fair game and should be cleaned. Be mindful of your arm and clothing to ensure you do not get grease on you.
  • Should the grease be removed the machine will start to make a squeaking noise. Simply apply a small amount of white lithium grease to the squeaking part.
• Additionally you should avoid the lens and mirrors with the water/vinegar solution.
• Spray the lid with the water/vinegar solution and use a micro-fiber cloth to wipe. Paper towels and windex will leave scratches in the lid.

Once a week clean the lenses and check the filters.

• Cleaning the Lens and Mirrors
  
  • Clean the lens by dipping or spraying the lens cleaner on a cotton swab.
  • Be sure not to double dip after you have started cleaning.
  • Wipe the lens from the top and the bottom. Use a twirling motion with your fingers to ensure no filaments from the cotton swab are left behind.
  • Clean the reflective side of the mirror directly above the lens.
  • Follow the line of sight down the laser arm to a small hole at the end. There is another mirror in there at a 45 degree angle to clean.
  • Do this gently. Over aggressiveness cleaning the mirrors could knock your machine out of alignment.
  • Clean the lens no more than once a week and mirrors no more than every two weeks. Over cleaning is abrasive to the lens and mirrors.
• Checking the filters.
  
  • Pop the top off the dust collector behind the laser by unhinging on both sides.
  • Slide the dust collector out and look at the top filter. If you have a hard time lifting this then it probably needs to be changed.
  • The first filter is the particulate or consumable filter. This filter needs to be changed regularly. Generally this filter gets changed about once every 2 weeks. During the Christmas rush it may be weekly, while in Jan and Feb it could be once a month or more. However changing this filter helps protect some of the more expensive filters below. At the time of writing this, the top filter is $8.50 to replace ($51.00 for a set of 6).
  • If you have changed the top filter and the smoke in the laser lingers after engraving than it may be time to clean or replace the next filter down.
  • The second filter is the hepa filter. To replace the hepa filter at the time of this writing is about $125.00.
    
    • Since we do not like to incur expense when we do not have to, we have found some ways to extend the life of the hepa filter.
    • Take the hepa filter outside and shake out.
    • Use a shop vac from the top side of the filter to suck some of the material back out.
    • Use compressed air to blow material out from the bottom side. (Don't do this in the store!)
    • Expected life span of the hepa filter can vary greatly. We have had stores go through them in a month. We have also stretched the life to over a year. Generally expect to get from 3 to 6 months out of your hepa filter by using some of the life extenders mentioned above.
  • If you are using the vector tray to cut a lot of alder wood, you will go through filters faster.

The following video was made prior to some changes in the cleaning procedures at P. Graham Dunn. Annotations have been added to correct.
http://www.youtube.com/v/1xxUp8DaNsc...feature=player

[Kim Holliday]

Laser College
Class #107 Mistakes

There are two major areas one must manage well to ensure personalization is a profitable part of the business. The first is time management. If it takes ten minutes to engrave a $5 key chain, your gross margins and more will be applied to labor. The other area that needs special attention is the reduction of mistakes. There is inherent risk when engraving something personal for your customer. It is very easy for something to get lost in translation or a little slip to happen while typing. The following lesson will help you reduce the risk of making mistakes, and recovering material cost after a mistake is made.



Obviously the best way to fix a mistake is to avoid it in the first place. We have all heard the saying "accidents happen." That is if it was planned, then it wouldn't be an accident. However we can also take steps to avoid those accidents in the first place. When it comes to laser engraving following some of these steps will help keep accidents and mistakes to a minimum.



1. Be Aware.

Some of us hunt and peck when typing on a keyboard. Be sure to look up and review what changes you have made before running the laser. I simple slow double-click of the mouse may actually move text a bit. Or while typing with your eyes on the keyboard you may be unaware of a missing word. Spell check does not catch these things.



2. Triple Check.

Some people say that you should look twice before crossing the street. Well in laser engraving, I suggest a triple look. We have been conditioned to check and double check, but I often find that when I ask my customer for the third time to ensure the text is correct, they actually look. I try injecting a little humor so it doesn't sound like I am nagging, but the point remains that once the machine runs, there is no way to erase and do over. Stress that to your customer.



3. Watch the Machine.

When sending the job to the laser be sure to listen for the beep. If no beep, then the machine did not receive the file and will actually run a previous file when you hit the green button. This will result in a mistake at best, and a jammed machine at worst. Always listen for the beep. Additionally be sure to watch the machine as it focuses on the gift item. If something is off, or not looking right a quick lift of the lid can stop the machine before it begins to engrave. Often a quick check back on the computer screen will identify the problem. Once the machine is running, you may step away for a bit. But never before the machine finishes the focusing movement.



4. Use the Spell Check.

Spell check is not a replacement for proof-reading, however you can highlight the text you want to spell check, click in the text tools button, and select spell check. If there is a lot of text to review, be sure to have your customer read it over very carefully. Offer to help proof-read, but stress that they need to ok it before you run the machine. An of course tell them you don't have an English degree... unless of course you do!



5. Check the Thumbnail.

In the scan book is a thumbnail showing you exactly how the item fits in the machine. If you are in any doubt, check this thumbnail.



6. Check the Settings.

Auto-focus button on? The Z button on? Is there a value equal to or greater than the thickness of your gift item next to the Z button?





Ok, so a mistake has happened, now what? Before you toss the misaligned key chain into the trash, consider the following:



1. Ask your customer (with a big smile) if the item still looks off center if you give it to them for 50% off.



2. Fix the file (check out the lesson on alignment for tips) and use the first mess up as a test before running a new one.



3. Use your liquidation area of the store, or create a "boo boo" basket. Sell mess ups at cost. We can't keep messed up pens in stock at $3 each. Tossing the mess ups in the trash is like throwing away money.



4. Use a gold plate to cover up a mistake.



In class there is usually a discussion about the steps one should take if it is a customer mistake vs an employee mistake. Some stores have used a little form at the laser counter for the customer to sign before any item is engraved. While I'm not suggesting this is the wrong thing to do, I will suggest that we approach mistakes in a way that always benefits the customer. In the end it is important that our customer walks away satisfied. Let's not get focused on squeezing the nickel today and risk losing the dollar tomorrow.



Let me give an example that I've seen played out a number of times. We have asked the customer to triple check spelling, the engraving happens, and the item comes out with a misspelling. Immediately the customer asks if there is anything we can do to fix and 99% of the time the answer is no. What we offer at our store is a replacement at 1/2 off. We are still covering our labor and material cost, the fix is quick and the file can run immediately, and despite the mistake happening on the other side of the counter, we want to extend everything we can to that customer and send he/she off with a positive experience.



Remember the reason there is margin in these products is to cover costs associated with labor and mistakes. Sometimes it is tough to stomach a mistake, and believe me I have seen some that have kept me up at night, but the important aspect is to ensure your customer is taken care of. Send your customer home happy and not only will you increase the chance that he/she will come back, but you also may get some good publicity by handling a negative situation well. Sometimes it is difficult to keep this in perspective when the mistake happens, but a negative situation can be your best opportunity to create a loyal customer.

[Kim Holliday]

Laser University
Class #108 Back to School


Have a laser ensures you simply keep an inventory of blanks, managing the fast movers. It also means with limited space you can offer over 300 unique SKUs for engraving.

• The most important words in the English language is a person's first and last name. It identifies who we are. Engraving a name on most any object adds value.
• The ability to reach new customers. Here are some examples:
  
  • Real Estate offices - imagine engraving a personalized pen for each person purchasing a home. The Real Estate agent has their name/logo engraved on one side of the pen, while the client has his/her name on the other. Chances are the client will hang onto the pen. Additionally the Real Estate office may send orders over in bulk.
  • Car Dealerships - engrave a batch of key-chains with the car dealership logo on one side and leave it blank on the other. Give the dealership some sort of coupon that the new car buyer can stop in and get their name engraved for free. That will get new customers in your store.
  • High School boosters. Use your local high school logos on any number of items.
  • Graduation Gifts - again using the high school logos.
  • Special Occasions - you can engrave an item with any message what-so-ever. Happy chinchilla day everyone!
  • County/State Fairs - gentle toss that machine in the back of an SUV and head to the local fair. PGD did very well at the Wayne County fair in 2008 and we can't wait to do it again in 2009!
  • Fundraisers - you know your margins and it is a way for others to sell your product and drive customers into your store. Set up an order form and provide fulfillment.
  • Store signage and promotions - make any sort of signs for around the store.
  • Store signage and promotions - for your neighboring stores. At P. Graham Dunn we engrave saw magnets to send home with anyone who stops in our store. It is an inexpensive way to create brand awareness.
  • Speciality merchandise - Let's say you are in a tourist market near the location where the space shuttle lifts off from. Go ahead and put that image on any number of items to cater to your local market.
  • Gold Plates - Use the gold plates to add a personalized touch to most any item in your store.
  • Insurance agents are always looking for ways to capitalize on branding.
  • The options are endless!

Orientation of the Machine

• On/Off switch is on the side of the machine.
• Green is go
• Orange is a pause/stop button.
  
  • Use this button to quickly stop what the machine is doing.
  • Use the button to pause a job and resume later.
• Another way to quickly stop the machine is to open the lid.
• Directional keys move the laser around on the bed.
• The Z button toggles the tray adjustment (press Z and hold down arrow to lower tray)
  
  • If you press the Z button first, all you'll get to control is the tray. Press the check mark to keep the tray height or X to revert.
  • If you press an arrow key first, you'll get JOYSTICK XY. If you press Z when in XY, you can then change the tray. Pressing the check mark or Z button will set the tray and take you back to XY.
• The eye button turns the red light on/off. If the red light is on, the laser is off and vice versa.
• The lid must shut level or laser will not run (2 magnets touch down at the same time)
• The red knob adjusts air flow down copper tube - not necessary to use or adjust.

Starting Up Gravostyle

• Click on the Gravostyle icon on the desktop. A dialogue box will pop up during start up, simply click OK to continue. A menu will pop up, click either the green check mark or red x (doesn't matter). This will bring you to a blank file. At this point scan the file you would like to laser.

Walk through Basic File

• Scan in your scan book the bar-code of the item you plan to engrave. Zoom in on the area you are working on. Double click the text to highlight it. Type over the text with your own. When satisfied, click the marking button on the top toolbar. A menu will pop up. Check to ensure the autofocus is on and the Z-Up position is on with a value in the box next to it. Then click the run button. Listen for a beep at the machine. Set the item in the machine on any necessary jig. Hit the green button. Done!

Zoom Tools

• Practice using these tools. It is essential that an operator can move effortlessly through a file.
• Select the magnify glass, click in the upper left hand corner of the area you plan to zoom in on. Hold the mouse button down and drag to the lower right hand corner (a rectangle appears on the screen as you do this). Let go and the screen will zoom into this space. Click the magnify glass with the red arrows at each corner to zoom all the way back out.

Auto Focus/Z Up Position

• Check these buttons every time the machine runs. Missing this may contribute to jamming the machine.

Adjusting Text

• Size
  
  • Adjusting the size can also offset a line of text. Be especially careful on pens as this may cause the laser to miss the pen.
• Font
  
  • Font adjustments are common. Watch what it does to the size of the text when changing a font. You may want to increase or decrease your text size before engraving.
• Length of Text
  
  • The length of text allowed on an item is predetermined. However it is up to the operator if he/she would like to change this value for a different result.
• Curve Text
  
  • Curving text can be used to add a fun element on plaques with a lot of blank surface.

Symbol Library

• To Use
  
  • Click on the symbol library icon on the left toolbar. Find the art you want and click OK. Move, rotate or re-size to fit the item you are engraving.
  • You must be in selection mode to access the symbol library. Do this by clicking the arrow in the upper left hand corner of the toolbar.
• How to Add
  
  • Select the object to add, click on the symbol library, click the folder to add to (or right click on the main folder to add a new one), and click add. Gravostyle will prompt for a name. Now you can pull that same object to any file at any time.

Tools Demonstrated in Training Class

• Alignment
  
  • Use the alignment tool bar to align objects to each other.
    
    • Always select your anchor first - this is the object that does not move.
    • Use the control key to select additional objects.
    • On the alignment toolbar, the first buttons (what look like a black box and a white box) are all for aligning objects to each other. Align to the top, bottom, left, right, center vertically, and center horizontally.
  • Use the alignment toolbar to evenly space objects or text vertically or horizontally.
  • Practice using the alignment toolbar. It is very difficult to align something by eye.
• Control Key
  
  • Use this button to select multiple objects. Think of it like an add button. Hold the key down and click on multiple objects. When aligning objects to each other, remember the first object selected is the anchor.
• F2 Key
  
  • Use this key while resizing, moving, or rotating an object to enter a precise value.
  • Remember that you must be in the process of resizing, rotating, or moving an object before hitting F2 (you will see a dashed line around your object when you have begun to do this). If you were to press the F2 key before moving, resizing, or rotating, an unrelated menu will pop up.
  
  
• Change object from raster to vector
  
  • Select the object
  • Click on laser colors
  • Click on the color red (or any other color) Remove all check marks except for the vector column.
  • When that object is lasered, the laser will follow the outline. This is used to cut something out using the vector tray, or checking your alignment using a red light.

Additional Tips

• Red Box
  
  • Draw a box around the text or object you are about to engrave. Change the box to an outline and set to vector (this is down by clicking on the laser colors button). Select just the box and send the file to the laser. Run the red light and watch where the box outline it. If the box fits and is centered, so will your text/object. Be sure to delete the box before running the file again.

Organize Files

• Add a folder to your desktop - call it Special Orders, Custom, or something like that.
• Within the custom folder add folders named by SKU
• Save within the SKU folder by customer name.
  
  • Looking up a previous file, one can ask what the customer had ordered, then look in the folder for that item for the customer's name.
• Additionally you can save a file in the PGD Laser Files folder with a different UPC number. Set up a UPC in your POS, print out a sticker and adhere to the scan book page corresponding to that item. Hence a store in San Fransisco could create a file with the Golden Gate Bridge on it and bring that file up using the scanner.

[Kim Holliday]

Laser College
Class #201 Marketing


The biggest hurdle a new laser engraving operation has is educating their consumers on what can be made for them with the laser engraver. For established businesses it is advantageous to learn from other stores what has been successful or even what has not been successful. The following information will change regularly as stores share some of their experiences. Feel free to select the edit tab above and add another row of information based on your experience.


*ZJHP - Pens
Connect with a local real estate office and offer to make personalized pens for new home buyers and sellers. This is an opportunity for agents to get their contact information into their clients hands and increase the chance that the information will be retained. The Rosewood Pen has a relatively high perceived value - especially compared to similar type pens made from plastic. Additionally the personalization increases the propensity that this pen will be hung onto by the home buyer.


*ZNHC03 - Cutting Board
Another great item to use with a real estate office. Like the pen these can be personalized for new home buyers. These are both a useful item and unique display item that will have fond memories of the excitement of purchasing a home. Again the realtor can get there information on an item they know will be kept and with the item displayed in the home friends and family are bound to see it.


*We all receive donation requests from time to time. Some stores more than others. Here at the PGD store in Dalton we have a policy to donate one of two types of items. Either a gift card or a personalized item. Both will ensure the recipient comes back to our store.


*Make product for special occasions. When it is wedding season put together a vignette of personalized gifts for weddings. If graduation season then put together a display of personalized graduation gifts. Help your customers come up with ideas.


*Roll that machine out of your store and to the county fair, or home and garden show, or consumer wedding expo, or tool show, or sportsman show, or whatever is big in your neck of the woods. As long as you are careful with the machine and do not drag it behind a car to the next show it will run just fine for you. Find steals from Jerry and offer show specials. Be prepared for high volume turns.


*Hold an open house and drop a blank personalized item into the goodie bag. When your guests return home they will find this gift and a note to bring it in for free personalization. In this way you get a second visit and a visit with better one-on-one attention.


*Create your own unique "business cards" - Here are our Dalton store we laser engrave and vector out little refridgerator magnets in the shape of a saw with our contact info on it. Our cost is low and the response from the customer is great. They are usually thrilled to find out the saws are free, and now they will have a constant reminder of us right there in their kitchen! This has also turned into custom sales for us - a local cheese shop had us make some magnets for her as well, only hers were in the shape of a block of cheese.


*Did you know that there is a feature in Gravostyle that lets you insert different symbols and accent marks into your text? (It is under one of the rapido ["color wheel"] text options.) This comes in handy when a customer requests to have something made in another language. In the past we have done special orders in Spanish and German - for example, we once made custom pocket coins out of alder that featured Spanish text. The customer intended to take these on a mission trip to be given to the local people that they would be ministering to. Pretty neat, huh?