PlaqueMaker Blog

From company picnics and employee outings to class reunions and family get-togethers, these summer traditions are a chance to create memorable experiences for all who are invited. We’ve compiled an 8-point checklist to help create a fun, unforgettable summer event for employees, family or friends.

The Frost School in Rockville, Maryland is a nonpublic special education school serving children and adolescents who live in the Washington, DC metro area with emotional, behavioral and autism spectrum disorders. Founded in 1976 by the non-profit Family Foundation, The Frost School offers a variety of programs designed to integrate specialized academic instruction, counseling, transition services and behavioral modification strategies that are customized for the students themselves.

It’s all part of the wildly popular fantasy role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons –D&D for short- a storytelling adventure with at least 20 million enthusiasts worldwide, and counting.

(Except when we’re actually creating wonderful custom engraved plaques for you!) We love it when you share your reviews, suggestions and photos with us, because we learn more about how you’re creating memories for your business, family and friends using PlaqueMaker products. In turn, we’re always eager to share our latest promotions, new products and improvements with you. And with the holidays fast approaching, this includes letting you know about expanded hours and order deadlines for on-time delivery.

Mike Andreadakis creates high-quality custom models for collectors, often using custom lighting and paint to feature the intricate details of the design. He displays the models on custom-built stands that include an informational plaque.

Here’s a lovely idea on how to do it! Tammy Holloway is the Program Director for Snack in a Backpack of Blue Ridge, Georgia, a nonprofit organization that provides nutritious food to local children in need. Funded entirely by private donors and local businesses, the program is dedicated to reducing childhood hunger in Fannin County, serving more than 400 students in seven county schools.

The first unofficial observance occurs on June 14, 1885. Bernard J. Cigrand, a 19-year-old teacher at Stony Hill School in Waubeka, Wisconsin, places a 38-star U.S. flag in an inkwell on his desk and asks his students to write an essay on the meaning of the flag and its significance to people of the United States. Mr. Cigrand’s school assignment begins his long, devoted effort to bring about national recognition and observance of Flag Day.

We have a few personalized gift ideas for your Pop – because Father’s Day comes but once a year! Customize your Dad’s gift with one free logo, photo or clip art with no set-up fees – we’ll email you a free digital proof by the next business day. Most custom products ship within two business days of approval and payment, and standard shipping is free within the contiguous United States.

For companies that believe in best practices, new research is recognizing “employee recognition” programs for their achievement in motivating people to do their best, no matter where they’re standing on the corporate ladder. Perhaps it’s because everybody loves a winner. Winning makes everyone happy and winners get to talk about it. So do winning companies. Which is why peer-to-peer thanks and recognition is piquing the interest of corporations today. Most of us want to be appreciated and need to belong, and regular kudos inspire us to do more:

Kei Preston recently shared his custom plaque creation with us, which has a fabulous back story. We’ll let Kei tell you about it:

“This plaque is designed as a thank you gift for a friend …

… He was the ‘game master’ for our Dark Heresy campaign (essentially a Warhammer 40k variation of Dungeons & Dragons) and he did an exquisite job. The story arc he had laid for us was intriguing, his ability to react to our unpredictable whims was impressive and his use of sound effects and voice modifiers was phenomenal. Paired with his stellar voice acting, the experience was really unforgettable, largely due to his performance.”

“Laughs and close calls were shared during our campaign …

… He also role played our commanding officer, allowing us to ask questions and interact with him in such a way that did not disrupt the game. When our campaign was over, his character went missing and was presumed dead.”

“To thank him for his top notch performance and guidance, my other friends and I pitched in to award him the equivalent of the Medal of Honor posthumously with a plaque honoring our fallen commanding officer.”

Kei and his friends chose PlaqueMaker for our affordable price, especially when ordering an individual plaque. The plaque is totally personalized with words written by Kei, along with the Rosette of the Inquisition, which is the fictional governmental organization their characters worked for. Our design team helped Kei with the plaque layout and also made several changes at his request very quickly.

“We love the final product! Thanks again everybody,” Kei tells us. You’re quite welcome!

Create easy design tabletop or card tournament game award plaques for your next champion. It’s easy to customize with winner’s name, tournament name and a special message.

Recent PlaqueMaker customer William W. Burrows shares a story he’s written that describes the artistic work of North Carolina-based Windsong Instruments and the hand-crafted instruments they make. “They are true works of art, hand-crafted the same way as it was done 300 years ago,” William says. “Many people, including myself, purchase these custom-made, authentic old-fashioned dulcimers to hang on the wall as room decorations. One thing was missing – a plaque that explained the significance of the musical instrument.”

… and her uncanny ability to give just the perfect present, drawing oohs and ahhs from her family. At the time, Kori exclaimed what an easy gift idea PlaqueMaker’s LED Light-Up Signs really are, “affordable and personal, can’t get any better than that!” and how appreciated each glowing gift is by the recipient.

It's called mobile inventory management - scanning QR codes or barcodes with a mobile device to track retail transactions, what your company has in stock and more, which gives you a real-time snapshot of your assets that's instant and accurate.

The original photo is roughly 14″ x 9.5″ at 300 dpi, straight from the camera and unaltered. There is some light/dark contrast and no one extreme area. The line art example on black granite has a lot of visible fur texture. Line art is used on photos less than 4 inches. The halftone example on black granite looks more like a photo than the line art, with more contrast and feature definition. Halftone filters can only be used on photos at least 4 inches.

The year is 2013. Cryptic Studios, a leading developer of very popular online role playing games such as City of Heroes, City of Villains, Champions Online and Star Trek Online, just completes the launch of Neverwinter, a new adventure that “combines fast-paced combat with over 25 years of Dungeons & Dragons lore.”

From the school yearbook to military deployment and professional sports championships, whether it’s professionally taken or taken with a cell phone, team photos document “the thrill of victory” that likely lasts a lifetime for every team member pictured. When that competitive spirit shines brightly in each person’s eyes, the meaning of teamwork – the ability to work collaboratively as a group to achieve a goal- gets a high-five. A high tweetable moment, for sure.

PlaqueMaker’s extensive clip art gallery has thousands of logos, seals and other artwork for every branch of the military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines as well as the Coast Guard, the National Guard, POW-MIA and more.

Memorial Day is a truly American holiday that is observed with parades, memorial dedications and cemetery visits to acknowledge our Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy personnel who sacrificed their lives for our country. Memorial Day is also the unofficial start to the summer season, so many Americans celebrate with friends and family at outdoor gatherings, picnics and barbecues. Originally known as Decoration Day, which fell on May 30 in the years following the Civil War, Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971.