Level Up Labs ‘Christmas in July’ event provides holiday inspiration

The holidays are right around the corner, and planning what to produce and how to produce it in time can be a challenging task, especially for new entrepreneurs and small business owners.

There are a host of reasons to explore ways to capitalize on the growth in the global personalized gifts market: Valued at $30.84 billion in 2024, this market is expected to grow to $63.28 billion in 2032, yielding a compound annual growth rate of 9.4%. The holidays can be the perfect time to see what’s popular with your audience.

To ease some of the holiday production planning stress, in July, Roland DGA invited seven social media influencers who own small print businesses to participate in a “Level Up Labs” workshop where they could research and develop new products and try new production methods ahead of the holiday season.

Set up for success

The Level Up Labs event had a “Christmas in July” theme that carried through from the minute the creators reached Roland DGA headquarters in Irvine, California. In addition to providing each attendee with a custom-printed tote bag filled with holiday-inspired swag, Roland DGA had decked out its production room with seasonal graphics and had a variety of blank samples available for the creators to use throughout the day.

Creators were asked to bring their graphics files and were able to try their hand at several different production techniques, printing or engraving their graphics on products that they might be interested in offering. Roland DGA made available a series of machines from its VersaSTUDIO line of professional-grade desktop devices that are intended specifically for small businesses and startups.

Reasons to try out new products at the holidays

In planning for holiday production, many of these small business owners were considering the benefits of expanding their product range. Here are several reasons why adding select new products to an existing lineup as the holidays approach might make sense:

1. Increased demand for personalized gifts: Holidays are when customers actively seek out unique, custom products — everything from personalized ornaments to custom keychains and apparel. Offering additional products lets you capitalize on seasonal demand.
2. Higher sales potential: The holiday season is a peak revenue period for small print businesses. Adding new products gives you more ways to upsell to existing clients and attract new ones while boosting overall profitability and growing your customer base.
3. Differentiation & marketing opportunities: Your business will stand out from the crowd with creative, new, holiday-specific items like UV-printed decor, custom packaging, or personalized gift bundles. Seasonal products are also highly shareable on social media and perfect for themed promotions. In addition, fresh products give you a reason to reach out to customers with email campaigns and holiday specials.
4. Testing future product lines: Holiday expansions can serve as a trial run for new product categories. If something sells well, you might add it to your regular product lineup. These trials can help you diversify your revenue streams and extend your brand’s reach.

In short, for the holidays especially, more customized products equals more possibilities. Here are some of the customization techniques and projects the creators tried out at the Level Up Labs event.

Easy apparel customization

Customized apparel is always a hit at the holidays. At the workshop, creators were given the opportunity to produce their designs on Roland DG’s VersaSTUDIO BY-20 desktop direct-to-film (DTF) printer, then heat press them onto crewneck sweatshirt blanks and even onto tiny tees for teddy bears. DTF prints are known for their vibrancy and durability as well as for their ability to transfer to a wide range of materials, including darker fabrics.

Direct-printing opportunities

Personalized ornaments and keepsakes are another popular holiday product option. Creators printed their designs on wooden and acrylic ornament blanks, LEGO bricks, jewelry boxes, and acrylic bookmarks using Roland DG’s BD series of desktop UV printers. They also printed directly on colorful plastic motel keychains.

Attendees especially enjoyed customizing phone cases with their designs on the VersaSTUDIO BD series desktop UV printers, adding special effects such as spot color and simulated embossing. Enhancements like these, made with UV ink, can also add to the perceived value of customized products.

Engraved jewelry & keepsakes

Customized jewelry is always a welcome gift at the holidays, and engraving allows you to quickly create one-of-a-kind or one-of-a-series items. Creators were offered blank charms and bracelet chains to engrave using Roland DG’s MPX-90S compact metal engraver, which provides photo-quality detail for names, graphics, text or pictures. Engraved charms are perfect for incorporating in jewelry or adding to keychains or backpacks.

Sticker production simplified

Many of the creators already offered stickers of their designs printed on crafting devices or by outside vendors. During the event, they had the opportunity to produce them using Roland DG’s 20“ BN2-20A and 30“ BN2-30 desktop printer/cutters. On the BN2 series devices, they were able to print sheets of full-color stickers with or without die-cutting. These machines can also be used to produce posters, gallery canvases, and heat transfer vinyl graphics for apparel.

UV/DTF graphic applications

Creators also printed their designs using Roland DG’s Graphic Transfer System to produce UV-DTF decals that can be applied to a wide variety of items and surfaces. UV-DTF is recommended for shiny surfaces like glass and mirrors as well as for large or irregularly shaped objects that are difficult to print on directly. These stickers are scratch-resistant, with a layer of gloss ink on top of UV graphics.

After printing them on Roland DG’s BD series desktop UV printers, creators transferred their UV-DTF stickers to the curved surfaces of shot glasses and mini tumblers. UV-DTF graphics offer durable, vibrant color options
for customization.

Personalized packaging

Packaging prototyping was another area the creators focused on. As small business owners and customers have recognized, custom packaging is an easy way to differentiate a brand and elevate brand perception. Creators produced their graphics and logo on cardstock or directly on plastic or acrylic containers using the BD series UV printers.

Wrapping up

The time and expense of researching new products and new production techniques in preparation for the holidays can be daunting, especially for small businesses, however for many brands there’s no better time to trial new products.

The Christmas in July event allowed creator/entrepreneurs a chance to experience Roland DG’s VersaSTUDIO line of compact and powerful digital printing and engraving equipment firsthand. After a full day of discovery and experimentation, they found that in-house production with digital devices is easier, more cost-effective, and even more fun than they’d originally imagined.