Last week, our kids were on break. We decided to use the moment to take a beat together. We rented a little cabin on a lake, packed up some books and board games and art supplies, and drove a ways off the beaten path.
I know I’m the CEO of Glowforge and all, but here’s the honest truth: there were no lasers in our lives for a week, and we still had an amazing time creating things together.
I know, I know, as CEO, it’s not my job to tell you about all of the wonderful things you can do without your Glowforge. But I think I can set that aside for a moment, and get to the heart of what we do: bring creative things into the world.
But first, in case you need to skim, here’s the gist of what’s in this update:
- Patterned Lines, the new Premium supertool for instant embellishment and dynamic decoration
- Group Edit, a free new tool to make your layout a snap
- Last chance before Glowforge printer prices go up to help your friends own their own Glowforge
- Bottled Hearts, 3D Cake, Buffalo Welcome, and more
- Glowforge goes to school, as Nick and Bailey show how teachers are using their Glowforge in schools every day
- Kate Micucci’s Glowforge creations - in the museum, where you can see ‘em
- Glowforge Gifts (and contest winner)
And more!
But back to that cabin: over the last couple of years, my family’s Glowforge has gotten quite the workout. We’ve been printing board game pieces and puzzles and tools for getting things done around the home. But when we packed up the car for our trip, our trusty Glowforge did not have a place in the family minivan.
Which meant that when my daughter got the idea for a new game for us to play together, it was all about the paper and pencils.
It turned into a completely chaotic game of… well, we never gave it a name. It was a bit like playing four simultaneous games of Pictionary but also with a little poker mixed in.
I loved every second of it.
Seeing my kids invent an entirely new way to have fun in the most low-tech way possible was a nice reminder that the tool isn’t what’s important. It’s what you’re creating with it.
And this month, it’s been all about what you can create with it.
Instant embellishment and dynamic decoration with Patterned Lines
We’re really excited about a new Premium feature - Patterned Lines! With this feature, you can add some really stunning details to your design with just a few clicks, as well as functional designs such as stitching holes or tabs that hold small parts into the sheet you’re cutting them from. For a walkthrough of how the feature works, see this quick video overview.
You can always stay up to date with what’s new on our Latest Improvements page!
Group Edit
We launched the Edit in Group feature to Early Access a little while ago and thanks to your feedback, it’s now ready for all users! This means that, when you are looking at a group of artwork, you can use Edit in Group to make detailed adjustments while still keeping the artwork in a group.
To try this out, right click or double tap on a group of artwork. You can then move or delete individual elements within the group. When you’ve reached perfection, click Done to save your changes. This feature is available for all users for free as a part of Glowforge Print.
Last chance before Glowforge printer prices go up
This probably won’t surprise you: we have to raise prices.
You’ve seen it all over the news — hurricanes, microchip shortages, even a boat wedged in the Suez Canal. Everything costs more to manufacture than it did before.
It’s been nothing short of miraculous that our team kept our factory running at all: one month, blizzards in Texas stranded printers in a three mile long traffic jam. Another month, a shipping container full of laser tubes fell off in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (we still don’t know where it is, but some confused fish probably do).
While other laser vendors raised prices during the pandemic, we waited as long as we could to change our pricing. I started Glowforge because I knew not everyone could afford to pay $25,000 or more for an industrial tool to realize their dreams, and I want our printers to be as affordable as possible. We’re keeping it that way. But with production costs going up, a price change became a matter of when, not if.
Now that the time is upon us, I’m having our team do one more thing: we’re letting you know early.
(As an online shopper, I’ve been on the receiving end of more than a few surprise price jumps this past year and I didn’t like that at all. Giving you advanced notice seems like the right way to go about this.)
The last day anyone can get the low, current prices and free shipping is March 24th. After that, new owners will pay more to bring a Glowforge into their home.
This means that we’ll be able to keep investing in the research & development that makes your Glowforge better even after you’ve bought it.
For example, in the past few years, we’ve given all Glowforge owners, for free, all of the following:
- Faster print speeds
- More accurate cameras
- Improved focusing
- Automatic Pro Passthrough
- Advanced temperature monitoring
- Improved wifi connectivity
- Export your designs as an SVG
- Printscan security for all of your prints
- And then a bunch of smaller things like group, ungroup, cardboard settings, high contrast mode, copy paper settings, design search, and so very much more. (And just today, Group Edit!)
That means we’re selling a product that’s vastly better. But instead of forcing you to upgrade to the latest model every year to get the latest improvements, we release them to everyone automatically. That’s one of the benefits of building a future-proof device from the very beginning.
There’s one more reason I wanted to give you an early heads up: our referral program. We’ve sent well over $5,000,000 to folks like you. All they did was share their referral code to help people learn about Glowforge.
And if you know someone who’s thinking about Glowforge ownership? Well, they can get in on these prices for just a few more weeks. And of course - not only will they save $1,000 from the price increase, and up to $350 on shipping, but they’ll also save up to $500 from your referral.
That’s a savings of $1,850 right now if they use your referral before March 24th. And of course, you’ll receive $100, $250, or even $500 if they buy a Pro!
Your own unique referral link is here.
We haven’t adjusted the price of most of our printers since the day we finished our preorder campaign, but our new prices March 24th will be:
Basic: $3995 + $350 shipping
Plus: $4995 + $350 shipping
Pro: $6995 + $350 shipping
Air filter: $1295 + $250 shipping
If there’s anyone thinking about Glowforge ownership, please do share your referral code and let them know - they’re going to get a phenomenal value.
Bottled Hearts, 3D Cake, Buffalo Welcome, and more
Before February is over, don’t miss the newest Catalog entries from creators just like you! Some of your favorites are from the new Pop-Art collection, from fun Bottled Heart and Candy Heart Earrings, to this mouth-watering Pop Art 3D Cake Card. Or check out the latest additions for your home with this, Mix-and-match Seasonal Door and Desk Decor or this Rounded “Welcome” Sign with Buffalo Plaid Trim.
These are free with your Glowforge Premium membership, or available for individual purchase. They also come with full commercial rights so you can print as many as you want - for yourself, for gifts, or even to sell!
Kate Micucci’s Glowforge creations - in the museum
What do Scrubs, Scooby-Doo, The Big Bang Theory, and Lego Batman have in common? Kate Micucci.
Actress, comedian, and musician Kate’s been designing an art collection titled “Missing Heart”. It’s adorable and tender and a tiny bit dark and just lovely. And now there’s something really amazing about it.
Each panel of this 10-panel story has been transformed into an NFT that allows its owner to create a stamp. That stamp, in turn, allows the owner to turn the digital comic design into reality.
Wait, what? Here’s how it works:
- Kate created ten pieces of art.
- Each one has been transformed into a single, unique NFT.
- Each NFT lets the owner create a physical, real stamp. But only one stamp can be printed, ever!
- Finally, the stamp can be used to create any number of real, paper-and-ink comics.
The project, including links to the 10 original NFTs, is here:
These creations are an amazing exploration of scarcity, generosity, technology, and art. (Also, we’re paying for 10x carbon offsets of the minting process, to make the experiment carbon-negative)
I’ve never heard of anything like this before - and I think that’s because it’s totally unique in the world. That’s why it’s being exhibited in the Seattle NFT Museum as part of its inaugural collection.
https://www.seattlenftmuseum.com/
I am constantly amazed at what people can do with their Glowforge. I never dreamed of something like this existing, and I’m delighted that we get to be a part of it.
Educators Take the Stage
Did you know that Glowforge is the #1 desktop laser in schools in all 50 states? That means that there are students, every day, in schools, makerspaces, labs, and libraries learning with Glowforge. And that’s something to celebrate.
Last week, Bailey and Nick did an education-focused livestream. They demonstrated how to use a Glowforge alongside existing curriculum to enhance and engage. And they printed a race-car, so you don’t want to miss that. You can check it out right here, or share the link with an educator who might be great at teaching with Glowforge. .
And one more thing: we’re about to press “go” on a brand-new, first-ever educator ambassador program. If you’re teaching with Glowforge - or know somebody amazing who is - keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming announcement.
Glowforge gifts that keep giving
If you’re reading this, chances are, you have seen the amazing projects that live in our community forum. We got an extra special peek this month as in the little contest Averly had shared and WOW! Every single entry is a brilliant example of how creative and thoughtful members of our community are. In fact, we counted up your votes this morning and we’ve revealed the winner on the thread– congratulations @timjedwards! What a special birthday gift.
Keep an eye out for more of this on the Made on a Glowforge section!
Creativity comes in all forms
Ok, I think that’s everything for this month. We got back from the cabin early today, which means there’s still time for my kids to cook up another chaotic game. Or a chaotic recipe for dinner. (The kids can’t decide if they love or hate sardines, and keep daring each other to try progressively more unusual ways to eat them.)
These days, it’s easy to get wrapped up in gadgetry. Megapixels, 5G, crypto – I’ll admit, I get excited about the specs too. But the technology is supposed to help you do something valuable. Something worth doing, whether you have the gadget or not.
Glowforge isn’t a laser company, after all. Or a printer company. We’re a creation company. It’s about making the things you need, for the people who need them, when and where you need them.
We make a 3D laser printer because it makes all of that creation better. Easier, too. And if you ask my kids, more fun.
I hope you get to make something wonderful this month too.
–dan
PS: You can discuss this in our forum right here.