PlaqueMaker Blog

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.

you’re likely sitting by the fire this winter planning your spring plantings. With the Vernal Equinox more than a month away (the first day of spring is March 20 this year), there’s plenty of time indoors to pore over seed catalogs and log on to interactive garden design tools, dreaming up ways to attract more song birds, grow heirloom vegetables, add fresh herbs to borders or feature that Japanese Maple that’s attained specimen status.

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.”

It can be an exciting journey into not only our own past, it can shed light on the history of many nations, genealogy, religion, politics and world events. From a practical standpoint, tracing our ancestry is the first step to building a family tree. To begin, follow these five tips:

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.

Present all your certificates with panache … and PlaqueMaker’s Pressed Wood Certificate Plaque Presentation Kits. From portrait and landscape orientation to a variety of standard sizes, it’s easy to do. Here’s how:

If you have, then you are already acquainted with the spatial problem-solving method of wayfinding. Coined by American architect and urban planner Kevin Lynch in the 1960’s, wayfinding is a traditional design principle of navigation that helps visitors make their way around an unfamiliar place, getting to a desired destination with ease. Lynch calls it the “imageability” of a space, the way people visualize it using clues that help them get from point “A” to point “B,” such as landmarks, paths, edges, intersections and the signs that help to identify them.

In the dream world, glass can represent clarity, perception and wisdom. Dreaming of glass can also represent the presence of a scholar, a wise sage or a person of knowledge in your life. If you receive a gift from anyone in a dream, it denotes that you will be unusually fortunate in speculations or love matters.

“I didn’t think it would be possible to get a plaque made and sent in such a short amount of time, but in less than a week the plaque was in my hands. The proof really does not do it justice, they did such an amazing job. It exceeded my expectations. It was a lovely gift to present someone.”-Vannessa F.

One hundred years ago today, Mary W. French Academy was founded as a liberal arts school for all Decatur, IL Public School students. The K-6 program focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and on local, state and national history, using hands-on teaching techniques and practicums, supplementary curriculum materials and innovative practices. The Academy creates a positive environment for children to explore their self-worth and develop self- confidence, including responsibility, respect for others, and good citizenship.