# On-Line Pen Design Studio



## psilevy (Jan 21, 2010)

Hi All,
I'm inviting IAP members to beta test a new online app we've developed to help the pen turner or his customer to decide the perennial question "what blank should I use for my pen" or visa versa.
Go to www.pennstateind.com/testdrive to visit this new "on-line pen design studio", You can post your comments here on the IAP or respond to me via the email link on the bottom of the app screen.  I'm very interested in your comments, recommendations and suggestions.
If you have any questions the group may be interested in - just post here.
Enjoy !
Ed
VP and GM
Penn State Industries


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## Hosspen (Jan 21, 2010)

Ed,  I think it works fine.  I really don't think the enlargement that pops up at the top gives new penturners a real look of what that type pen will look like if it's turned from wood or a colorful material.  I realize the "white" pen bodies are meant to showcase the pen parts, not the material it will be turned from, but it makes them look like store bought pens to me. This is probably just me,  I don't what a better generic material or color would be. I'm sorry if this doesn't help. Keep up the good work.


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## psilevy (Jan 21, 2010)

*Keep Going*

Hoss,
You sort of miss the point, click "next and you can select other pens from the category then "next" again and you can llaminate hundreds of blanks onto this pen .. and even rotate them (and buy if you want) .. I think you should take another look.
Ed


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## USAFVET98 (Jan 21, 2010)

I like it Ed. It gives us a good idea of what a pen would look like. Now if you could create a version for us to post on our individual websites for our customers to use and the end result shows the retail price, that would be great. In the meantime, good job and I will be happy to use it.
Thanks


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## dalemcginnis (Jan 21, 2010)

Looks good but how do I see what my home cast blanks would look like with the kit.:biggrin:

Seriously I think it's a great idea, sometimes I have trouble visualizing how a kit and blank would look together and something like that really helps.


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## bitshird (Jan 21, 2010)

The only problem with it is it shows the cost of the materials, and if you are working with a potential client, I would prefer them not know what my costs are, other than that it's pretty neat way to see what your pen will look like.


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## ed4copies (Jan 21, 2010)

Very well done, Ed!!

Congratulations!!


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## dkarcher (Jan 21, 2010)

I think it works great! Does give you ( or your client) an idea of what the finished product would look like. The client doesn't have to see what it cost.


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## arioux (Jan 21, 2010)

I think it's a great initiative.  Thanks.  If i work with a client, i just wont go the the order tab.  Keep this for after he's gone


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## OKLAHOMAN (Jan 21, 2010)

Good thinking, might just be something for us turners to see what a finished pen would look like, just would never have my customer go there for obvious reasons.


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## hunter-27 (Jan 21, 2010)

very interesting


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## David M (Jan 21, 2010)

nice program , but i agree that the price should be optional
David Miller


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## jimofsanston (Jan 21, 2010)

_ I like it Ed. I would like to see if you could make it so we can down load it and use it for our customers with out the cost. Then we can order the unit._


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## jeffnreno (Jan 21, 2010)

I like it Ed.    I would 2nd the recomendation that it be downloadable to take with us to customer locations and also be able to input our own price schedule.


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## ssajn (Jan 21, 2010)

Well done.


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## Canedriver (Jan 21, 2010)

bitshird said:


> The only problem with it is it shows the cost of the materials, and if you are working with a potential client, I would prefer them not know what my costs are, other than that it's pretty neat way to see what your pen will look like.



Actually I bet that could be worked to eliminate the materials cost and packaged to sell as a program. That would allow you to use it on your websites for those that sell pens.

Sell it then give free design updates for a year to those that bought it, after that charge a few bucks per update and you have a money maker. Your not actually doing any more work, its the same program rather its showing material cost or not.

Dear Penn State that will be $10,000 for that marketing idea or i will take stock options :biggrin:


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## greggas (Jan 21, 2010)

Ed;

I must admit that at first i was skeptical but I really like it.  I think it is a tool that I would actually use from time to time, especially when I have lots of production to run


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## OldGrumpy (Jan 21, 2010)

*Thanks from a new turner*

It will greatly helpful to me as someone new to turning.  I can get a visual on how something can fit together.  Thanks


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## psilevy (Jan 21, 2010)

Mr. Canedriver,
This version of the app is to make it easier for our customers to select pens and blanks for the purpose of ordering from our store.

Our next phase is to convert the app into a Free sales tool for you.  Ie, at the end instead of your ordering from our store, your customer orders from you.  This would mean personalizing and restricted access to that app (plus custom pricing).  Your idea plus others from the IAP and our customer base will help give us direction to develop this into a great sales tool.  

Thanks for your ideas !!
Ed


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## mbroberg (Jan 21, 2010)

psilevy said:


> Mr. Canedriver,
> 
> Our next phase is to convert the app into a Free sales tool for you.  Ie, at the end instead of your ordering from our store, your customer orders from you.
> Ed




Pretty awesome.  It would be a great help!!


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## Grizz (Jan 21, 2010)

The only thing I can see as a problem is that no two woods are alike... even if it is the same species.  Customer might not get what they were thinking.

I did Olive wood, and thought... what if the wood doesn't look like that.  Outside of that... I think it is a neat idea.


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## rjwolfe3 (Jan 21, 2010)

I think it's a great idea and can't wait to have a personalized version.


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## Canedriver (Jan 21, 2010)

psilevy said:


> Mr. Canedriver,
> This version of the app is to make it easier for our customers to select pens and blanks for the purpose of ordering from our store.
> 
> Our next phase is to convert the app into a Free sales tool for you.  Ie, at the end instead of your ordering from our store, your customer orders from you.  This would mean personalizing and restricted access to that app (plus custom pricing).  Your idea plus others from the IAP and our customer base will help give us direction to develop this into a great sales tool.
> ...



Guess that means stock options is out of the question? :smile-big:


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## Great Googly Moogly (Jan 21, 2010)

i've been waiting for something like this...most customers of mine can't "see" what their blank would look like turned and on the kit they have selected...now this shows them their future pen.

Thank you.


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## johncrane (Jan 21, 2010)

Yep great idea Ed! it takes some time going tru it all my only hick up, but should save time in the long run.


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## Hosspen (Jan 21, 2010)

*oops on my previous post*

Ed,
Man, do I feel like an idiot.  That is so cool - I was in a hurry the first time and didn't even see the beauty of the page.  I was looking at the naked pens thnking that was all there was. My apologies - I see nothing wrong with it now that I opened my eyes. I don't know how you do that but those are some cool "rollovers".


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## jleiwig (Jan 22, 2010)

The only problem I see is that some of the blanks don't look like they were photographed under the same light as the kit.  For example, the black with gold web truestone looks black and green instead of gold, while the gold on the majestic jr kit really pops.  I've made this combo, and the gold on both are about the same....luminescence....??


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## djwood1 (Jan 22, 2010)

Great tool!  I would really like to have this tool for my customers.  If you do make this available for us to use for our customers, we would need to be able to add/remove pens and wood types.  I don't offer all the selections PSI has to offer.  I only turn woods also.  So, the tool would need to be flexible for the pen maker to tailor to their particular needs.


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## WoodCarverOH (Jan 22, 2010)

I like this tool. Let us know when it's available to purchase and down load.


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## RDH79 (Jan 22, 2010)

*Good Idea*

Very nice. My customer could get a better idea what turning material options are available. Looking forward to the releaseof the program. (Without the prices please)  

Rich H.


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## glwalker (Jan 22, 2010)

*I like it.... but..........*

You might take some time and go through the options for accuracy.  I believe I went into Broadwell Nuveo (spelling??) and kicked on the rollerball and got a pick of the fountain pen.  Also in the woods there are two afzelia's with the same description.  I like the idea and the way its layed out.  Very creative!


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## Whaler (Jan 22, 2010)

I like it, works great.


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## Russianwolf (Jan 22, 2010)

It gives a fair representation though it looks kinda weird to me for some reason. That and you guys only have one kit (Full sized Majestic since I don't make postable pens any more) that I buy any more, so its rather limited for me.


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## shadow man (Jan 22, 2010)

I like it. Will be looking forward to using it. I think it will be a helpful tool.
Good Idea
George


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## jbostian (Jan 22, 2010)

I think this is very coll an d could be a useful tool when dealing with customers.

Jamie


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## David M (Jan 22, 2010)

app for pen sites for custmors to play with would be cool


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## penhead (Jan 22, 2010)

Tested your app by selecting a 'comfort pen' and a 'cocobolo' blank.
The purchase step allowed me to choose to buy only one kit, but the wood blank selection only showed a 'ten pack undrilled' or a 'five pack drilled'. 
Maybe thats your only offering, but i might not necessarily want to order that many blanks at one time of that particular wood..?

The app allowed me to rotate the wood on the kit, not the pen.
If the customer see's something in a particular blank that floats his boat while it is rotating, might be a surprise when he gets the finished product and its not there...just presuming you are not shipping the same blank you are showing..?

I do like the idea and concept though. I do art/craft shows and have no problem taking my laptop. How large will the total app consist of with all the pics of kits and blanks, etc are loaded. Most shows I do will most likely not have Internet access.


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## oldsmokey (Jan 22, 2010)

Very good tool with a lot of possibilities.  Would it be possible to add a inlay page that would show such things a celtic cross or a christian cross?
Ellis


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## Penl8the (Jan 22, 2010)

*Thumb's up*

Hi Ed,

It works great. This is another example of technology enhances another way to do things.

I believe some clothing/home renovation online sites have similar features, but for us PEN MAKERs --> now that is relevant!!!:good::good::good::good::good:

I can't wait to see when you have implement all the blanks in the feature.


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## AKBeaver (Jan 22, 2010)

I really like this.  I have been asked to do some teacher's pens and played with it to see if I could use different colors,, but it only applies the wood/acrylic to the entire pen.  If you can make it so each segment of the pen can be assigned a different choice of blanks would be a great addition. 

Dave


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## psilevy (Jan 22, 2010)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the proofing - is one reason this is a beta version.  we'll fix stuff as it is caught - as you can imagine is a lot of detail creating this. I'd like to know of any other errors or corrections necessary.
Ed


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## psilevy (Jan 22, 2010)

Hi John, good points,
1) We sell Cocobolo in 16 varieties (from bowl to spindle to pen blanks) and the app "picks" the most appropriate choices for the pen you're looking at.  In this case, yep, the bad news is we only offer Cocobolo in 10  and 5 packs for your pen, the good news is We offer it at a very good price of onoy $9.95/pack of 10.  It also figures out how many blanks you need to buy based on the size of the pen and blanks.

2) We try to show a "Typical" blank and the rotation feature does show variations.  Our QC process tries to "standardize" the figure/color of the wood we deliver.

3) Would you rather buy an app to keep on your PC (perhaps at a cost cause it would be a lot more maintenance for us to support that style) - or just have a web version thats "sales" related? but could be personalized (via a login) and free.


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## timcbs (Jan 22, 2010)

I like it and it works great, you need to see if they can make it print on the pen part, when I printed it that part was blank, that way I could give a copy to my customer and also keep a copy for myself and have the customer sign off on the design....


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## Mr Vic (Jan 23, 2010)

What, no more cut and paste with Photoshop? I agree that the pen should be rotatable and posibly show the capped pens open/closed/posted. The ability to scan in blank swatches to fill in the pens would also be extremly valuable.


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## jimofsanston (Jan 27, 2010)

I like the idea of having it both ways online and downloadable. This way it can be used by all fo sales.


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## areaman (Jan 27, 2010)

I love the idea, and hope they will eventually give the blank choices of all wood and also acrylics. PSI is on the right track with this.


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## Spats139 (Jan 28, 2010)

A solid effort. It's nice to get a sense of what a kit/blank combination might look like, but with the caveat that the emphasis is on "might". 

It would be nice if your flash image allowed two separate controls. The first one would allow you to rotate the blank to your preferred position on the kit, and the second would rotate the kit and blank together for a more natural look.

What I liked most about the program was just seeing the blank move. It gave me a better idea of what it would look like, and as a result I've spotted a number that I'm going to have to try. 

  I would like to see an option to just download the blank files and have the ability to play them without the kit. If I have a customer with me, I can probably give him a pen to play with in the finish he wants, and then just play some different blanks for him to consider. Maybe have a subscription service where we could be notified when new blanks were available; a blank of the month club if you will. 

Overall, a very intriguing option.


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## Smitty37 (Jan 28, 2010)

*On line design*

hi,

Lots of pros on this one including:


Easy to learn what to do
Easy to use to switch a variety of woods with the fittings
Does what it is supposed to
Since a lot of us often use two different woods it would be nice if we could show tops in one color and bottoms in another...I don't think that would be difficult to program.  I noticed that I would like that on PSI Longwood.

I think a down loadable version would be nice but not necessery in my mind...a way of personalizing on line would be nice too. 

Some things will be a  little tricky in that there are big variations in what you get from the same species of wood but over all I think you've got a winner.


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## Fishrule (Jan 28, 2010)

I think it's the nicest tool I've seen yet for giving customers a reasonable facsimile of a pen combination they're considering.  Kudos to you and your team.

On the downside, the pen finishes aren't very realistic.  Brushed Satin on the Classic looks a lot like chrome, for example.  Color is okay, but the sheen is wrong.  I'm picking nits, but you invited them!


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## PenMan1 (Jan 29, 2010)

Works great. Two ideas for improvement. 

1. Make "logging in" a requirement for showing the materials cost. That way when working with a customer you don't log in and no pricing is displayed. To order the materials, simply log in.

2. Make it where you can put one material on one blank and another material on the other half. I just doubled you sales, by ordering two pieces of material instead of one.

The program works nice.


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## meucci2009 (Jan 29, 2010)

I agree with every one its great cept for the wood previews i think are not quite right, the rest looks good maybe a option to hide prices would be great

J Roussel


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## Daniel (Jan 29, 2010)

Ed, I think it is a great tool. It will have more use for those with either less experience at pen turning or with less ability to imagine what a pen would look like. I like it for a quick easy way to see how a different material will change the look of any given plating or pen style. As pen turners get more into acrylics, home brews or the less available materials it will have less and less value for them. I still think it is a powerful tool for penturners to make selections they will be happy with.


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## Ligget (Jan 29, 2010)

I like it too, especially when deciding what plating would look best on a turned blank!


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