Ever played the game "telephone"? It starts with a circle of people and a wacky story whispered from person-to-person around the circle. The fun comes when the last person in the circle says aloud what they last heard, and the initial person says what they originally started with. Without exception it's completely different from what started the cycle. Managing expectations can be very similar.

Read More

I'm not much of a car guy. First because I'm not a guy and second because cars to me are simply a method of transportation – not a source of entertainment or a statement of style. (Although I suppose my 4 Door Honda Accord DOES speak to my practical nature.) Recently, however, I'm looking at NASCAR in a whole new light.

Read More

I love going to the auto show. As a kid growing up in the Detroit suburbs, it was an annual affair. I can still remember the excitement of seeing all the new models (both the 4-wheel and 2-leg versions), the lights, the music, the electricity in the air. These annual treks probably had as much to do with me being a "car guy" today as anything else.

Read More

Before you go out and spend $79 – $500 for an “engraving” font package, read on. Dr. Engrave includes a unique feature that allows you to create them yourself. The utility is called SFEdit and is included as part of the Dr. Engrave software package. This utility allows you to take any Windows Truetype font and convert it into a single line font. That means that if you have 2,000 Truetype fonts on your PC, you can have 2,000 single line fonts for use with Dr. Engrave. In addition, the SFEdit program allows you to edit the font library to “clean it up” to your liking. If you’ve never used the SFEdit program to create your own fonts here are the steps to follow.

Read More

Who gives free upgrades anymore? Roland DG does! For years, Roland DG has been upgrading firmware (the brains of the machines) and software for our customers, free of charge based on the idea, that the more we help you in building your business, we will also grow.

Read More

This is my Roland DG name badge. It took less than 5 minutes to make and cost less than $1. You could sell one like it for around $6. You probably couldn’t sell this one for $6, since I have an unusual name, and anyone with my name is unlikely to have my title as well, which limits the audience substantially. On the other hand, actually making name tags for people with their names on them can be a very good business. All kinds of companies use name badges, and some of them are probably your customers already.

Read More

I recently saw a post on our Facebook restyling page asking if we had a recycling program. Yes! The Roland DGA Cartridge Recycling Program, launched in early 2010, was met with cheers of excitement & enthusiasm from Roland DG owners. Over the last year, we’ve saved thousands of cartridges from the landfill. One Roland DG owner had been saving cartridges for years in hopes of a good recycling program…

Read More

We took our package prototyping technologies to Pack Expo last week and despite our distant booth location in the "More Exhibits" area at the end of the North Hall, on the far right aisle, almost to the back, you found us. Brand owners, package designers, contract manufacturers and even other exhibitors were oogling over our product offering, telling us how revolutionary our equipment is. That's right, they were telling us! As if we might not realize what we have here.

Read More

Quick, run into an empty room, close the door behind you, and start talking out loud. That's kind of what writing a blog is like. Can you hear me now? Now? Now? How about now?

Read More

At the recent SGIA show in Las Vegas, I had someone approach me who read my name badge and challenged me, "Creative Director? What would someone with a title like that do when the entire company is so creative?"

Read More