4TH QUARTER 2012

Educational Opportunities PAGE 4

Laser System Brings Versatility andExpands Product Line for Elite Engraving & Embroidery20-year business owner, Jim Buker, incorporates new machinery to keep ahead of competition

In business for 20 years, E l i te Engraving & Embroidery knows that to stay ahead of your c o mp et i t i o n yo u m u s t s e e k o u t to o l s a n d equipment that a l low you to of fer potent ia l customers what other vendors can’t. That’s why they decided to purchase an Epilog Laser system.

“We decided to purchase a laser system for several reasons,” said Jim Buker, owner of Elite Engraving & Embroidery. “We felt in order to stay ahead of our competitors we needed to add something new to our business, but we also wanted something that would work in conjunction with existing equipment. The laser fulfilled that requirement by giving us the ability to cut fabrics for appliqués in our embroidery system, and also engrave just about everything else I previously could not with my other two router engravers.”

Though Jim had seen laser engraving systems in action before, he had relatively limited knowledge about the equipment and its capabilities.

“I have to say I had no idea what to look for in a laser engraving system, so I had to educate myself,” J im said. “I did this by talking with long-standing suppliers who I purchase from who were using several different laser systems.

16371 Table Mountain Parkway Golden, CO 80403 www.epiloglaser.com

After talking with some folks in the industry, it boiled down to three manufacturers.

“I needed a reliable, easy-to-operate laser, compatible with Corel sof tware (which I have been using for sublimation for many years), I also wanted to make sure that there was support after the sale. The consensus was that Epilog backs what they sell,” Jim explained.

Af ter educating himself and determining his laser needs, Jim went ahead with the investment.

“I decided to purchase an Epilog Laser Helix because it got great reviews from the people I spoke to. The one major criterion that I did have was a significant Z-axis depth, and Epilog has the deepest. I require a deep cabinet because I engrave cremation urns and I needed the maximum depth I could get.

WEB UPDATES

Inside:•Customer Spotlight: Elite Engraving & Embroidery•Tech Library: Using the Rotate and Duplicate Tool in

CorelDRAW X6 •SampleClub:CreatingLaserCutAcrylicSnowflakes•Educational Opportunities •Looking Back at 2012

(Continued pg. 2)

Tech Library: Using the Rotate and Duplicate Tool

PAGE 3 Customer Spotlight: Elite Engraving & Embroidery

PAGE 1 & 2 Looking Back at 2012

PAGE 3 Sample Club: Creating Laser Cut Acrylic Snowflakes

PAGE 3

Epilog Sponsors StartUPRiot Seattle epiloglaser.com/news_ startup_2012.htm

Laser Engraved Skateboard epiloglaser.com/sc-skateboard.htm

How to Create a Skateboard Jig epiloglaser.com/tl-skateboard-jig.htm

Epilog Sponsors Bordo Bello epiloglaser.com/news-bordo-bello-2012.htm

News:

Sample Club:

Technical Library:

Company News:

We are so thankful for all of the wonderful achievements

and milestones Epilog Laser has reached in 2012. This

wonderful success only fuels our commitment to providing the very

best products and quality client support in 2013 and beyond. As we

prepare for the new year ahead, we look back fondly at all that 2012

brought with it including:

•Epilog Laser employees flaunted their superior bowling skills to take

first place in the sixth annual Scrambowl for Lights in Golden, CO.

The Scrambowl is an annual event, sponsored by the Golden Chamber

of Commerce, to raise funds to help pay for the holiday lights along

South Golden Road.

•In June we received the 2012 North American Customer Value

Enhancement Award from Frost & Sullivan.

•Epilog was again asked to join WIRED Magazine at the WIRED Cafe

at Comic-Con to provide custom engraving jobs for the lucky industry

executives, celebrities and other VIPs.

•We sponsored the fifth annual Bordo Bello, a charity fundraiser

hosted by AIGA Colorado where artists design and create a custom

skateboard deck that goes up for auction benefitting the Colorado

AIGA. Our designers both submitted a custom skatedeck they created,

which raised a combined $470!

•Epilog was ranked the #2 Best Place to Work in Denver. This was our

fifth year in the Denver Business Journal competition and our highest

ranking yet.

•We started the close of the year with record-breaking laser sales

the week of Nov. 26 – 30, which helped make it the highest-selling

November Epilog has seen in the history of the company.

As 2013 approaches, Epilog will continue working hard to make

sure next year will be filled with more exciting announcements and

accomplishments. As for 2012, we’d like to thank you - our customers,

friends, fans and associates - for your support in helping make this

one of the best years in the history of Epilog Laser. Best wishes to all

for a promising new year!

Looking Back at 2012 ELITEengraving & embroideryELITE

Jim tells us the materials he works with most include metals and fabrics. He also is experimenting with unique applications with laser foil as well as using vector and raster techniques to create an inlaid look in wood.

“I have also invented a laser jig device that fits nicely into the laser bed frame, which holds level all kinds of irregularly-shaped items that are especially difficult to keep level and engrave,” Jim said.

The variety of materials and applications the Epilog Laser system can work with has had a huge impact on the services Elite Engraving & Embroidery can provide, Jim explains.

“Laser engraving has opened up lots of possibilities for us,

simply because of the versatility of it,” he said. “Our laser has enhanced our embroidery work using fabrics and relieved our embroidery machines from huge embroidery files. We also make a lot of wooden plaques of various sizes and shapes. Usually each one requires a template that I can vector cut out from bristle board, which has saved me tremendous time in the plaque layouts.

“We are doing jobs now that we would never have gotten before, and we’ve improved the qual i ty and complexity of existing work, which has drawn great kudos from our customers.“

Tech Library : Snowflake Ornament Design

Continued...

Creating laser cut acrylic snowflake ornamentsUsing the rotate and duplicate tool in CorelDRAW X6

For the inlay style, select an acrylic color and send the job to the laser. Send it a second time using a different color acrylic and you can mix and match the colors!

Snowflakes are a festive symbol reminiscent of the holiday season. Using a few tools in CorelDRAW, it's easy to create your own one-of-a-kind snowflake design.

To download this file visit:www.epiloglaser.com/tl-snowflake-ornament.htm

Determine the speed and power settings for your machine and send the job to the laser! We used a 50-watt Helix for this project and the settings are included below.

Speed: 15%Power: 20%Frequency: 5000

We are going to repeat the single branch around a center point to create the snowflake, so make the snowflake as elaborate or simple as you like.

Select Window > Dockers > Transformations > Rotate to open the Rotate docker.

Then select the snowflake branch with the Pick tool.

First, determine which ornament you'd like to create. If you're doing the 3D ornament, select those objects and send only that job to the laser.

Since the thickness of the acrylic can vary, you can resize the interlocking notch space in the 3D design.

•Set the Angle of rotation to 60 degrees•In the Center option click on the Lower center box•Enter 5 in the Copies dialog box•Click Apply

Select all the branches of the snowflake with the Pick tool. Then choose the Weld option in the Properties tool bar at the top of the screen.

To complete the 3D ornament, simply slide the pieces together in an interlocking fashion.

For the inlay ornament, place the cutout in the base and use a little super glue or acrylic glue around the edges to make sure the cut out stays in place.

For full instructions visit:www.epiloglaser.com/tl-snowflake- ornament.htm

Using the Ellipse tool, draw a large circle around the snowflake and another small hanging hole to finish off your snowflake ornament design. Now you're ready to laser-cut these festive decorations!

For full instructions visit:www.epiloglaser.com/tl-snowflake-ornament.htm

ELITEengraving & embroideryELITE

Laser System Brings Versatility andExpands Product Line for Elite Engraving & Embroidery

Sample Club:Acrylic Snowflake Ornament

Engraving Concepts Open House/Corel ClinicVisit the offices of Engraving Concepts every 2nd Monday or 3rd Saturday of the month for special open house activities. On Saturday you can visit their showroom to ask questions, visit with their staff and find some new ideas. On the second Monday of the month they'll also hold a special Users' Clinic and Corel Basics Seminar.

January 14 – Open House + Corel user’s clinicJanuary 19 – Open House

Contact Engraving Concepts at 817-460-8122 for more information or to register!

Engraving Concepts Laser Boot CampEngraving Concepts' first annual Laser Boot Camp is scheduled for January 10-11.

This Boot Camp is designed for anyone with a laser engraver or for anyone interested in buying one. This will be a fast-paced, project-oriented event. Engraving Concepts' experts will combine new and important CorelDraw features with new and unique laserable materials and supplies. You'll walk away with a CD containing these Corel projects and instructions, along with "101 Things You Can Do with Your Laser" ... and more!

Educational ClinicsThough Colorado has been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather, it’s not stopping us from getting into the spirit of the holidays. Once again Epilog Laser is excited to present our annual Toy Drive for Military Families! We’re hoping to surpass last year’s haul, which included donations of $1600 and over 550 toys. The toys we collect will be distributed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, helping American Military Family's mission to honor and support all members of the US Military and their families, who together serve and sacrifice so much for all of us. During these trying times we felt it was important to remember that our active-duty military members have children at home who are struggling with the absence of their parent and the uncertainty about when they will return. As we are each year, Epilog is thrilled to coordinate this company-wide event to help honor our soldiers and their families.

Epilog Gears up for Holiday Giving