Articles

Affiliate marketing! Love it or hate it, it's here to stay. Here are our thoughts and why we fully embrace it. Source: Forester Consulting Last year, US companies spent almost $7 Billion on affiliate marketing. The number has been steadily growing at about 10% per year and shows no signs of stopping. What is it? Affiliate marketing is a way for companies to grow revenue by selling not directly to their customer, but through a third party. The company partners with marketers called affiliates who are paid an incentive or commission to promote and sell their products. Some people have negative associations with affiliate marketing, and I myself was skeptical at first. But if you are thinking they are anything like pyramid schemes and scams, you're way off. This marketing strategy is a very legitimate way for companies to get the word out and grow. Some of the VERY BEST companies in the world use affiliate marketing. In fact, tens of thousands of reputable companies rely on these programs for a portion of the revenues. Just some examples are HubSpot, Target, Shopify, Acorns, and even Amazon. Why do people take issue with affiliate programs? Well, the natural problem that folks point to with affiliate programs is that when an affiliate makes a recommendation, it may not be genuine. The supposition is that they are making the recommendation just to make a sale and earn a commission - after all, they are incentivized to sell whether or not they love the product. We have seen our own affiliates being accused of providing recommendations based on their affiliation with us. Sadly, we have even witnessed our customers who are not affiliated, accused when making recommendations simply because they love the product. Of course, this is silly. There is NOTHING wrong with making money! Armies of salespeople do it for the companies they work at, athletes do it for contracts, influencers do it for every imaginable company, and even movies do it when James Bond drives the latest and greatest British sports car. I tell our affiliates all the time, do not ever let anyone shame you for having skin in the game. In fact, our affiliates have done a tremendous amount of work researching and then selecting the right accessories for their lasers and the right products for their business. They have run thousands of tumblers on the PiBurn, they have used the Vortex table countless times and they have lessons to teach, insights to share, and value to provide to other makers. They have become experts who can help others boost their business. And yes, they will get a commission if they reach people I otherwise couldn't reach. Good! They earned it! One of the biggest reasons why we started this program is because we believe in the maker, we value content creators and influencers and we want to share our success and share the growth. Still, the maker deserves transparency At the same time, some of the criticism I felt was warranted. The affiliate game does get a little "pushy" if some ambitious affiliates flood a group or a social media platform with repetitive content. Also, there might be confusion as to whether or not the person is an affiliate. This is the reason why we recently updated our affiliate guidelines to include important points such as transparency and respect towards the maker community. All common sense, but these guidelines give us a tool to enforce a higher standard - the same standard we hold ourselves to. And... here they are: Affiliate Guidelines When you become an affiliate, you are not just a marketer but also an extension of our company and brand and are expected to project our shared values: we are here to serve the maker community. Always be respectful of the customer and the community of makers. We are honored to serve the maker community and consider it a privilege. This is not just about hardware, we deeply care about the customer journey and want to help them along their way. Create unique content that shows your own way of using our products or showcases your creations in a compelling way. Be respectful of other affiliates. Do not post content in groups run or administered by other known affiliates. When in doubt, ask us first! Do not be pushy with sales. We rely on the power of PULL not PUSH. Create great content, help the community by providing value and customers will naturally come to you with questions. Do not simply post your link on forums or social media, always tell a story, answer a question with details, show a use-case, or add value in some way. ALWAYS disclose that you are an affiliate, never hide your affiliation. Transparency is important. There is nothing wrong with being compensated as long as you disclose it upfront! We do not tolerate “fake” reviews posted only to earn commissions. Only folks that have our tools and use them are considered for affiliation. Be sincere with your reviews and your advice to customers. Do not spam groups. Be selective with your content. Too much content in a short period of time is no good and will reflect poorly on the brand and on your ability to earn the trust of your customers. Help first! When someone has a question, please be charitable with your time and advice, even if that means helping someone who does not eventually make a purchase. If you do win a customer, check in to see how they are doing.

Great news for owners of OM Tech laser machines.  OMtech Laser now offers the PiBurn on their site. OMtech laser owners can pick up their PiBurn 3.0 right from OMtechlaser.com and still get the same great service and support they have come to expect from LensDigital. https://omtech.com/collections/co2-laser-rotary From the official OM tech website: PiBurn is the best roller-style rotary attachment for OMTech laser engraving machines. Proudly handmade in the USA, the innovative PiBurn rotary allows you to engrave cylindrical objects such as cups, tumblers, glasses, bottles, and champagne flutes with ease and precision. It will securely hold the object while rotating so that the laser can engrave it line by line. Plug and play compatibility with all OMTech CO2 Cabinet Laser Machines 50W+ (see product dimensions to ensure a good fit in your workbed) This is great news for laser owners and makers as the PiBurn was named the Best Laser Rotary Attachment for OMTech Laser. Now, there are plenty of choices of how to pick up the PiBurn rotary for your OM Tech laser.    

Help! Why is my image mirrored!? We have ALL been here. It's frustrating. The image is mirrored and now your design is screwed up. How do you fix this?! Three options. 1. Rotate the rotary 180 degrees. Yes, I know it's weird. The laser should not care how the rotary is positioned. And it doesn't. But just think about it. If the motor is on the right-hand side the cup will turn towards you, but when it's on the left side the cup turns away from you and the laser doesn't know that. The image will be mirrored. 2. Mirror the image in lightburn. Yes, we know it's a pain in the butt but.. it works! 3. Buy this nifty adapter Len just made: Adapter cables It will automatically mirror your image so you don't have to bother with the first two options. Just 29 bucks, ships the next day. Problem SOLVED! Ahhh.. That's better!

  Let's celebrate our PiBurner of the week:   Hope Yoder owner of Designs by Hope Yoder   About Hope It's a special treat to introduce you to today's PiBurner of the week: Hope Yoder. Hope is the owner of Designs By Hope Yoder (check out her digital files here!) a company she started over 20 years ago with a focus on quality, education, and mentorship. Since its founding, the company has created retail products for the home crafting industry. Think watchbands, vinyl, cardstock, and many many more. Hope also produces quality sewing patterns, machine embroidery designs, SVG files and has designed several lines of cotton quilting fabric. Her products are sold in hundreds of shops in America, Canada, and Australia. More than a maker, she is a leader. She built on her success as a maker and businesswoman but didn't stop there. Not only is Hope a talented maker but also she is an inspiration to others. She takes an active role in helping other makers... well, make it! As a published author and frequent contributor to crafting magazines and podcasts, Hope leans on her 20 years of expertise in the crafting industry to create an in-house training facility to host a series of in-person, hands-on retreats. The first hands-on retreat is in January and is open to all Mira Laser Owners and Lightburn Users. Part of the retreat will include introducing... (you guessed it!) the PiBurn Rotary. Find out more: https://hopeyoder.com/product/mira-laser-retreat-in-person-and-hands-on/. Other retreats include events focused on: digital cutting, quilting, embroidery, and software retreats. She lives with her husband Marv (married for 30+ years and she still claims he is the best man on the planet - how is this possible?) in sunny Sarasota Florida, home of Siesta Key Beach. They have two grown daughters 24 and 22. Their oldest Hannah lives in Sarasota Florida and youngest Olivia is married and lives in Houston. Hope's Journey Hope's journey started with a few wholesale products, and by the grace of God, we gained national recognition and requests for adding hands-on teaching events to help teach, mentor, and help market products. One of my most memorable events was working with Brother to introduce the first ScanNCut Digital Cutting Machine to the market while creating a training event for Brother retailers at their convention in 2013.   During the launch of the ScanNCut machine, Hope started her first national training event at Brother Convention and named it the “Sip & Sew Tea Party." Before she knew it, she had over 100 events booked. One hundred was way more than Hope expected and was the catalyst that started the educational events they are still hosting today. With that sort of traction, other opportunities came naturally, and Hope was always ready I have had the honor of being a spokesperson and the inspiration behind the brand of products for Embellish By RNK Distributing. During this journey, we created software programs for embroidery machines and digital cutters, embroidery stabilizers, threads, sewing, quilting, and digital cutting accessories you can find in your local shops. - Hope Yoder When I first got to know Hope, I immediately wanted to learn more about her business and her growing community. She struck me as savvy and practical yet very honest, open, and truly passionate about helping other makers succeed, which was in line with our brand mission. I was so impressed with her and was, of course, thrilled to get a PiBurn in her hands. Very soon after I offered Hope an affiliation with LensDigital and we are honored to have her join the club! If you learned about the PiBurn with Hope's help, please use her link! Why Hope chose PiBurn for her Aeon Mira 9 In her own words... I knew I needed not just any rotary but a PiBurn after watching Emily Caroline & Jeremy Jones' videos. We have an online store where we offer products and fabric. I work locally with real estate agents and commercial businesses to make branded merchandise that sets them above the rest—what pushed me to make the purchase was having several local businesses asking for engraved wine glasses and tumblers. I knew I needed to go ahead and order the PiBurn, and all I can say is WOW! The rotary is very impressive; you can see and feel the quality when you take it out of the box. I've only had it for a short time and am impressed with how good the tumblers look and how easy it is to use. I can't wait until the Christmas rush is over to spend some quality time with my PiBurn. Makers like Hope inspire us to create great products and help makers succeed. But what inspires Hope? What inspires Hope There is nothing better than making something with your own hands and touching people's hearts and imaginations with your craft. And inspiration? It can come from anywhere! In Hope's words: I am a maker, a do-er, and a get-er-done kind of girl. I find inspiration everywhere I look. I may see a pretty purse, which inspires me to design a new sewing pattern. Once I was teaching at a sewing machine convention in Nashville, TN, and went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw Porter Wagner, known for his flashy rhinestone suits. He had a gorgeous white suit with lace overlays, which inspired my Nashville Lace Embroidery Collection. - Hope Yoder Advice for Makers Reading Hope's content we picked up a recurring theme. She urges makers to not leave money on the table or worse let it go to someplace else. Whenever there is a customer who wants something done, put yourself in a position to be able to do it. Need a new skill? Acquire it! Need a tool? Get it! Don't be afraid to invest in yourself. Chances are, it will lead to more business and growth in the future. Beautiful advice. Hope's Shop, YouTube, and Facebook Pages Browse her website for an incredible selection of beautifully designed items: My Shop - www.HopeYoder.com Check out her videos! YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/HopeYoderHopeSewCreative And connect with her awesome and growing communities on Facebook: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hopeyoderdesigns Facebook Engraving Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/engravingwithhopeyoder Don't forget to give her a follow on other social platforms: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hopeyodercreates Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/hopeyoder/_created/ You'll quickly see that Hope is prolific with her content creation and serious about the quality and value add of her content. Thank you Hope for making and giving back! It is a true honor to be able to put our PiBurn in the hands of a maker, a leader, a master of her craft. This is what drives us at LensDigital - beyond creating simply great tools - it's helping people like Hope be even more successful in their endeavors. What could be more rewarding than that? For us, this is the main reason to keep on PiBurning! Hope Yoder, Thank you!!! For being a leader, an inspiration, and of course a PiBurner! That's all for today my friends, and Happy PiBurning! Stan & Len PS: Want to be a featured PiBurner yourself? Find out how!

Struggling with stretched images on your laser rotary? Learn how to properly align and fix distorted images on cups and cylindrical objects with our step-by-step troubleshooting guide.

Great news for everyone with a Rabbit Laser machine. PiBurn 4.0, PiBurn Grip and the incredible OMNI all work with your machine! DISCLOSURE: WE ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH RABBIT LASER NOR DO THEY HAVE PERMISSION TO SELL OUR ROTARIES. You can only purchase the PiBurn compatible with Rabbit laser from our website. Our Official partners are Boss Laser, AEON Laser USA & Aeon Laser Canada, OMTech, Laguna Tools, and Thunder Laser Canada. We do not work with Rabbit nor do we provide any products to them, however, we WILL support all PiBurns purchased from us directly.   About Rabbit Laser: Rabbit Laser have been around for over a decade and are the pioneers in imported lasers from China. They are located in Middletown, Ohio. Rabbit Laser USA can help to solve your laser engraving needs and stay within a reasonable budget. Our company provides customers with high-quality imported laser machines without the problems of dealing directly with a foreign factory. We offer prices that hobbyists and small businesses can afford. At Rabbit Laser USA, we understand that each customer may have unique needs for a laser engraving machine. We specialize in offering a range of CO2 laser machines with power from 40 watts to 80 watts. From engraving wood or plastic to etching metal, we don't just have what you need, we have the experience to make sure you get what you need and know how to use it. To purchase, simply go to the PiBurn product page and select Rabbit Laser from the Laser Make dropdown Once that is done, you will need to select the type of feet you want, standard or our favorite, Magnetic Feet. These fold out of the way in case you need extra clearance. And yes, the PiBurn is Plug and Play compatible with your machine. No need to mess with the wiring, or worry about any modifications. It works out of the box. Just dial in your settings and you are good to go. What are the settings anyway? Visit our support group on Facebook: PiBurn Labs by Lensdigital.   Happy PiBurning!   LensDigital team.

HO HO HO! Naughty or Nice, you'll love this limited Xmas PiBurn We are thrilled to announce, the limited PiBurn Christmas Edition! We are only making 50 (FIFTY) of these PiBurns. The last themed PiBurn we made for the Fourth of July sold out in just a few hours.

Let's celebrate our PiBurner of the week:   Cathe Ray aka The Floss Queen owner of Needle In A Haystack   About Cathe We are so excited to tell you about Cathe - she is simply wonderful and her journey is a beautiful one full of inspiring lessons. Cathe has been a needleworker for almost her entire life, for 60 years now (how cool is that?!) To her husband, her customers, and her friends, Cathe is known as the Floss Queen. Long before she opened her needlework shop her husband always called her his Floss Queen because she loved using threads of all kinds and he thinks of her as his queen, of course! They will be celebrating 37 years of marriage this month. Well, thanks to hubby Carl, the name stuck and became her brand. Cathe's Story Cathe has been a maker most of her life and has tried most crafts at one time or another. In college, in the late 70’s she majored in Textiles, but got the software bug and pursued a degree in Computer Science. Well, working in high tech wasn’t enough of a challenge for Cathe (naturally!) and she opened a retail needlework shop in 1997, intending it to provide for her retirement in her 60’s - and that's now! Getting laid off from her main job a few years later (by this time she was already a manager!) turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it let her focus more on her business and her customers. After some soul searching, she decided that she liked working for herself and helping other makers a lot more than working for large corporations. So rather than go back to the world of high tech, she went to work in her needleworking shop full time to follow her true life's passion. She credits two people that were key in this decision. Her husband, Carl who believed she can do anything she puts her mind to. And C.A. Wells, who helped her understand that she could build a business as a side hustle without giving up her main job right away. Of course, she has not led the journey alone and has had help from her fabulous staff over all of these years. Her needlework shop is called Needle In A Haystack and is located in Alameda, California, just south of Oakland. Check it out online: http://www.needlestack.com/index.html She was even on an old Mythbusters episode from the early 2000’s the one about how hard is it to find a needle in a haystack! And because Cathe works with a lot of fabrics, she recently got a Vortex vacuum table from LensDigital as a hold-down solution. This is a nice addition to her growing arsenal of tools that will talk about later. Check out the Fabrics section of her shop! In September 2019 Cathe bought a Glowforge Basic as she'd been following them from their crowdfunding days. Owning that laser, she realized she needed even more. She now operates an Aeon Mira 7 with a Thunder Laser Odin 32 due in early 2022. A little note from Cathe: Working with lasers is special to me as it lets me combine my creative side and my technical/geeky side. I love testing new materials, new tools and sharing that knowledge with other enthusiasts. I make and sell mostly needlework-related items as an adjunct to my needlework shop that I sell under my brand name The Floss Queen. I work a lot with acrylic as I love the many options it provides for materials. I came across the PiBurn from my friend Emily Caroline (That Mom With A Laser) and even though I had a perfectly serviceable rotary, decided I needed to get one - who doesn’t need more cool tools! I was blown away with how much easier it makes my projects, whether I’m doing a small run or a larger number of tumblers or cylindrical objects. And the support Stan and Len have given me is great. I’m looking forward to expanding my rotary usage and having even more hands on time with my PiBurn. The design on the tumbler in the photo was designed to look like cross-stitch, which is one of the needlework techniques my shop sells supplies for. What motivates Cathe We asked Cathe what drives her? My motivation is to see projects or even customer orders in the shop, come to fruition. I’m inspired by all of the creativity I see both in my needlework community and the laser community. So many great ideas and great people. So many people dream of doing what they love for a living. But it's very hard for many as their passions don't always come with steady paychecks. How did you do it? For turning a hobby into a living…know that it takes blood, sweat and tears - or hustle in the current vernacular, to make it all happen. Be persistent in what you want, be willing to adapt and be willing to learn new things, whether that’s tools, procedures, materials or other things. And never let it become your sole reason for existence…family and friends in the mix of importance help balance it all so you don’t go insane.   What a beautiful lesson. Cathe reminds us that you can achieve your dream but it won't be easy, it will require real determination and an open mind. But with your resourcefulness and the support from those you love you can do it! Favorite Projects Check out this amazing and unique design Cathe achieved on her PiBurn. The intricate detail is astonishing and can only be achieved on a high-end rotary device. Thanks Cathe! If you are like us and are inspired by Cathe's story, go ahead and read up more about her shop at http://www.needlestack.com/about.html We are so honored to put products out that help amazing makers like Cathe create beautiful things and build a true legacy. The PiBurn, the Vortex, these are all just tools, but what you create with them is pure magic. For us, this is the main reason to keep on PiBurning! Cathe Ray, Thank you!!! For being a maker, a leader, a giver, and an inspiration. And of course a PiBurner! That's all for today my friends, and Happy PiBurning! Stan & Len PS: Want to be a featured PiBurner yourself? Find out how!

Buy with confidence, we have you covered Starting now, all PiBurns come with a full 1-year warranty from LensDigital. For those that know us, this does not come as a surprise. We always move very quickly to replace any damaged parts or offer support when our customers need it. Well, now we are just making it official! For one full year after purchase, you are covered by our warranty. Go ahead and buy with confidence knowing we will stand behind the product and help you succeed!