Laser Etched Photo Gift

               FAQ

 





















































How do I get my photo to you?
When you click on any "add to cart" button, you will get you to the PayPal site where you can order by credit card or from a PayPal account. It will also give you an opportunity to email us a message and your photo.

How good a photo do I need to send?
The simplest way to make sure your photo is a good one: E-mail a digital uncropped photo. To tell if the face is large enough, ask yourself if it would be larger than a quarter if the picture were printed. There is more information on our Good and Bad Photo page.

Please explain your quantity discount system.
Two of our products that are particularly good fund raisers have special discounts: Sun Catchers & Dog Tags. Find out about quantity discounts on identical products with identical pictures. We can give you up to 25% off each additional unit after the first one.
Please email us before placing your order. We will give you a special code so that you will get your quantity discount.
Photos within Crystal: 2 - 9: 12.5% off
10 - 49: 25% off
50 - 249: 36% off
250+: 42% off

What is the difference between granite and marble?
The compositions of granite and marble are very different. Granite is an igneous rock that was once a molten mass called magma. Marble is created by a concentration of bones and shells of sea creatures that build up a deposit of lime. Therefore, marble is not nearly as hard as granite and is best to be displayed indoors. Granite is the preferred material to use for memorials, table tops or flooring because of its durability.

How do I place an order ?
1. If you have your picture(s) in digital format and have a very good idea of what you want, it is very simple. Simply click the "add to cart" button. There you can order, give your credit card information, etc. E-mail us with the pictures along with the name of the product you want and any special instructions. Tell us that you just placed the order. 2. If you are not sure what you want, email us your questions & concerns to us. Then we will answer your e-mail so that you can order on line.

How do you get photos inside the crystal?
The process used to create this art involves creating a short pulse of laser light. It is focus within a block of Optically Perfect Crystal. The laser light focuses on one spot at a time to create a tiny fracture. To create a single photo, thousands of micro fractures are made in up to 8 layers to give you a three dimensional effect. The surface of the crystal glass remains smooth. The thousands of tiny fractures create the best image in the world, YOU. See our "how a laser works" page for more information.

Which of your products are good for fund raising?
Every year during Christmas season, many organizations (especially churches) use the Sun Catchers for fund raising. When you order 25 or more, you will get a huge discount. We can etch a photo of your church or just about anything you want. You can auction this off and raise even more funds. Also see Dog Tags.

What do you mean by sales tax in Florida & Massachucetts and nowhere else?
When people buy a product manufactured by Crystal Magic in Florida, only Florida residents pay the sales tax. When people buy Etches products, only Massachucetts residents pay sales tax. However, our company is located in Canada. So, all shipments to Canada will be charged 5% GST.

Your "About Us" section talks about corporate gifts. Aren't these more than just corporate gifts?
Yes, they are. We were seeking out high quality corporate gifts that people would see regularly to remind them of the particular corporation. Just by this definition, we came across products that most people would be proud to own. So, we are offering them to anyone.

What type of images are best for engraving?
When possible please select photos that clearly show the person or object you would like engraved. The better the original photo the better your finished piece will be. If you are sending a digital image please use a 2 megapixel or better camera. The largest setting for JPG files should be used. For best results do NOT send photos printed on a home printer, email us the digital image instead. A photo developed or printed at a store is fine.
If scanning a photo, please scan between 250 - 300 DPI. The quality of the engraving is tied directly to the quality of the image presented. Higher detail and better contrast produce better engravings. In terms of size, larger images work best. Please do not resize picture before emailing. File types we recommend are: JPG, JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.
For more information, see our Good and Bad Photos page.

If I've read the quality information and I still am not sure that my photo is good enough, can I email you the picture?
Yes. You can e-mail the photo to us. The downside is that we will have to wait until one of our artists has looked at it. This could take up to 2 days. However, you will know for sure that the picture is of high enough quality. To save time, you may want to read over the Good and Bad Photo page again.

When I order something, why is the price I see more than the price listed in the website?
That would happen if you live in Florida, Massachucetts or Canada where sales tax is added to the price of the product. As soon as you start the order for the product from the store, the sales tax is added to the retail price. As you get further in the ordering process, you will notice that, if you subtract the sales tax from the price, you will get the same price as the one in the website.

Do you have a prepayment option for people who do not own credit cards?
Yes, after you place your order and get to the payment section, you have a credit card option AND an option that says: Prepayment, mail in money order. You can mail your money order to Uniquely Etched, 676 Almandine Ct., Kelowna, BC, V1W-4Z5, Canada. We will mail your order after the payment has been processed.

Do you accept PayPal?
Yes. For your peace of mind, each "add to cart" button goes to the PayPal website. The PayPal people have over 150 million accounts worldwide. They specialize in accepting payments online and forwarding your payments to the merchants.

Please discuss imperfections on a person's face.
If there are naturally occuring imperfections on a person's face (acne, wrinkles, etc.) that you do not like in a picture, you should touch up the photo or else ask us to remove the imperfections. Otherwise, they will likely show up.

Talk about surface laser engraving.
Our dog tags are made of anodized aluminum. The laser engraves areas that has "data". So, if there is any black areas, the laser will skip over that area. For instance, if someone's hair is black, that area will remain the anodized aluminum color. If it's marble, it will remain the polished marble color or if it's granite, it will be the same process. A good example would be the image of the bride holding the baby. The bride's hair remains black polished marble and the lighter areas (which is the data) will be engraved.


What if the background in the picture appears to be a distraction?
If the background behind the picture in the photo would be a distraction, the artists will automatically remove it from the picture unless they are told othewise.

Can these laser etched crystals be used for Christmas tree ornaments?
Definitely. We even sell a crystal ornament with a string in it for such a purpose. Can you imagine having your favorite memory of the year etched into a crystal Christmas tree ornament? After 25 years you would have lots of memories on that tree. See our Christmas ornament page for a further discussion of Christmas tree ornaments.

What about romance?
See our Romantic Christmas Gift page.

I cannot decide between granite or marble for a plaque. How do I know which one to use?
Granite is for outdoors. It does not engrave as finely as marble. Marble engraves with more detail and is a softer material. It therefore does not weather as well and is used indoors. The marble has polished edges and is between 1/4" to 3/8" thick.

Can we buy stock 3D images for the laser etched crystals?
There are over 1200 3D images you can choose from in the image library (more if you have a huge project and you are willing to wait a few weeks). As you turn the crystal, the image appears 3 dimensional from each of the 4 sides.
For information on how to find the stock images, e-mail us. The images we normally sell on this website are 2.5D pictures. That means that they have up to 8 layers of image with the lightest colors being deepest within the crystal. This does give a 3D effect when looking into the main face of the crystal but not from the other sides.
If you wish to add 2.5D text or a photo to a 3D image, there is an extra $7.50 charge. Order now with the rest of your order.