We love when customers bring in unique pieces for us to engrave. Well, love might be a strong word. We should say, it challenges us, and we like a challenge.

Recently, a customer brought in handmade serving trays. Someone took planks from an old barn and made a border around them to create the trays. Then, they brought them to us to engrave. Well, see for yourself how it went:

These kinds of artisan pieces really inspire us to create our own new products, especially for the holidays. Below are some ideas we've had, including custom snowflake ornaments, dry erase boards, acrylic awards, and print marketing materials.

The ornaments and acrylic awards were crafted by us; all we started with was a sheet of acrylic. The rest were designed and produced in shop.

We hope these pieces inspire you to create!

We do a lot of banners. We had been making them before, but since our vinyl services through AEgraphics were improved, we can now offer you a lot more, quicker. So what are your options?

Color
Full-color: This means exactly what it says; we can use all colors on the banner at once.
Front & Back: Technically, this is two banners attached back-to-back to make a front & back banner.
One-sided: This is when we only print on one side of the banner.

Material
Vinyl: A high-quality, durable, flexible plastic. Can be made to be weather-resistant.
Canvas: A durable, weather-resistant cloth that has a rough texture. Typically, 17mil.
Fabric: 9oz. premium polyester fabric that is usually meant for indoors.
Mesh: A material that has tiny holes in it to allow for airflow, reducing the risk of tearing.
Matte: A surface with no shine.
Glossy: A shiny  and smooth surface.
Hemmed: This is where the sides of the banner are folded over to reduce thread tearing.
Not hemmed: The sides are not folded over and occasional threads may come loose. Handling with more care might prevent this.

Display Abilities
With stand: We have several different stand options (supported on sides, from top to bottom, bottom to top, from behind, etc.), but the banner will have to be a specific size to fit with each stand.
Grommets at corners and/or every couple feet: These are metal ring eyelets placed in the banner so that hanging from rope will prevent ripping the actual banner fabric. We can place them at the corners only or every couple of feet.
Pole pockets: These are little pockets at the corners of banners that support a pole being inserted into them.

Size
Any size up to 9' x 30' (the material options for huge banners is limited).

So now that all the options have been put out there, where do you order? You can do it 3 ways:

1. Fill out the form on our AEgraphics page.
2. Go to our Banners/Signage page.
   
3. Click the "Shop" button below.
   

Your employees do a lot (hopefully)!The last thing you want to do is make them feel unappreciated or unwanted (see above picture for realistic scenario), but you're having trouble finding a way to let them know how vital they are to the company. A gift is always nice, but here are some other ways to boost their morale:

• Feed them - This is probably an obvious suggestion, but it's a fact of life that people like food. It can be little snacky things, lunch, dessert, or even candy. Just make sure that your employees enjoy the kind of food provided.
• Encourage fitness FREE - Whether it be an optional walk, exercise perks with insurance, workout equipment (like a yoga ball instead of a desk chair), or on-site fitness classes, keeping healthy and fit encourages employees and improves workplace energy.
• Send Thank You cards FREE - It may be a little old-fashioned, but Thank You notes for a job well done go a long way. At times, employees can question whether what they are doing makes a difference at all, so a hand-written note validating them will boost their morale and make them feel valued.
• Have a work-from-home day FREE - If it is feasible for your line of work, hold a work-from-home day once per month or quarter. Email, Slack, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Basecamp, and other programs make it much more possible to keep employees accountable and productive.
• Celebrate with employees FREE - Knowing a little about each others' personal lives is inevitable when working side-by-side every day, so when an employee achieves something great (running a marathon, having a baby, graduating an educational program, buying a house...), find a way to celebrate with them. This acknowledges that they are more than just their office title.
• Hold a Staff Appreciation day - This can be simple or elaborate, but having a designated day to show appreciation to your employees can mean a lot. During the day, you can provide lunches/smoothies, games, encouraging notes, gift cards, awards, and/or other things.
• Recognize birthdays and work anniversaries FREE - Even if it's just with a hand-written card, acknowledge your employee's day of birth and work anniversary. Some people may not have many friends outside of work, so this little gesture can be really meaningful.
• Customize the appreciation to the employee - Every person has different interests, so figure out those interests and reward each employee accordingly. Does your employee like to read? Get them a book or Kindle gift card. Do they like sports? Get them merchandise from their favorite team. Do they love music? Give them concert tickets. You get the idea. This will add a supremely personal touch to the appreciation you'd like to show.
• Beautify the workspace - Add flowers, books, pillows, wall art, or more color to the workspace to increase comfort and decrease stress. This simple change will allow your employees to see that you care about their work environment.
• Ask employees their opinions FREE - It is the worst feeling in the world to feel unheard. Battle this by asking the opinions of your employees. This can be what they think about staff appreciation ideas, work culture, marketing plans, consumer reports, products, or even benefit plans. And you need to actually listen and consider their thoughts; the point is to make them feel like they are being heard.
  

If a gift or award is the way you want to go, here are a couple of items deserving of a shout-out: