Our Xmas card is ready for comments

[Don Gares]

Well, I haven't had this machine long and therefore my experience is quite lacking. Anyway, attached is our 2008 Christmas card for all of you experts to critique. I have only engraved two cards so I still have plenty of time to use your suggestions.

The card is engraved on a 4" by 6" by 3/32" piece of red Alder using my Pinnacle 40 watt M-Series machine. Settings were 500 DPI, 3D mode, P100, and S55. Unfortunately it takes approximately 12 min. to engrave each card so only a limited number of friends will be receiving them.

Again, your comments and suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.

Don

PS - an no, my wife does not have that many wrinkles in her neck.:)

[Margaret Turco]

What a great idea! I think that looks really nice and shows your friends what you can do. I would put 2008 on there somewhere so later they would know when they got it, but that's just me.

[Dee Gallo]

Really nice idea, Don, and it will be a memorable one that's for sure!

I'm a fan of "phrasing" on cards and posters - I would have kept "from our home to yours" together on a line under the "Happy Holidays", centering them of course.

cheers, dee

[Phyllis Meyer]

Your family and friends will be thrilled. I agree with Margaret...put 2008.

Have a great day!
Phyllis:)

[Tim Bateson]

OK, I'm officially impressed. Great job.

[Angus Hines]

Nice......

[Shaddy Dedmore]

looks great. Have you tried 300 dpi (or 250) to see if you have good enough results? should shave off time from the 12 minutes. Might not be as dark, but should still have good enough contrast.

Shaddy

[Frank Corker]

Like my house (not). The girl looks fabulous but not so sure on the shifty geezer on the side. Nice job on the card.

[Lonny Meeks]

Very nice card. I have to agree with the others about putting the year on it.

[Don Gares]

I do have the date (2008) on the back of the card along with my logo and address. I mean what is Christmas without a little commercialism?

Tried engraving a lower DPI but the quality was just not there. I did start running them three across and it lowered the time per card from 12 min. to 9.5 min. which is not great but it is an approximate 20% decrease in time which certainly helped.

Frank, this shifty geezer wants you to know that the house is made from 1/8" Baltic Birch.....I would send you the file but I suspect that you already have it.:)

Cheers,

Don

[Scott Challoner]

It's a small thing, but I would probably round the corners a bit. I just think it looks a little nicer and it's not as dangerous (I have two boys).

Speaking of shifty Frank... Your new avatar really creeps me out. Your eyes follow me wherever I go. Sometimes I have to shut the lid on my laptop.:(

[Clara Koss]

pretty nifty card.... enjoy the holidays:D

[scott spencer]

Don - The card looks great....it'd really be an honor to receive a card like that. You may find that if you have friends who celebrate an old fashion type Christmas in the purest sense, that they may appreciate receiving a personalized "Merry Christmas" as opposed to a "Happy Holidays" greeting. I know we do.

Nice job!

[Steven Wallace]

Are you making any plans on how you are going to send them so that they don't get damaged in route. The rounded corners is a great idea as was Dee's suggestion of the phrasing. I think I would have experimented with pine boughs instead of the holly for the border too. Just a thought for an already exceptional idea... Thanks for sharing!

[Don Gares]

Steven,

I agree that rounded corners would have been a good idea and I even originally considered it but it was just one more thing to do and these cards are not paying any bills so I skipped rounding the corners.

Sometime ago I found some white invitational envelopes at Wal-Mart that was just the right size so I mailed four 4" by 6" m 3/32" pieces of the same wood to four different friends around the country and they all made it in fine shape. All in all, I think that the cards will make their trips in good condition. You must remember that out here in the Midwest things move a bit slower, even the mail.:)

Don

[John W. Love]

I really have to tell you that this was not only a superb job, but a fantastic idea. I guess I know what I will be making up in my spare time throughout the year for next year's Christmas. Shoot by the time we bought cards we probably spent as much money as what it would almost cost in materials.

Thanks for the idea!