Why Has It Taken Us This Long?

I have to start this blog by saying this is something I’ve wanted us to do for a LONG time!

Personalised close-up mats.

It sounds like such an obvious thing for us to offer, especially now we have Print By Magic, but getting it right has actually taken us quite a while.

And by getting it right, I don’t just mean being able to put somebody’s name on a mat.

I mean finding a way of doing it that I’d actually be happy to use myself.

Those of you who know me will know that I can be a little bit fussy when it comes to the props I use. If something is going into my working set, I want it to look right, feel right and, most importantly, do the job properly.

A close-up mat is no different.

In fact, I think it’s probably one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment we use as magicians.

Your Close-Up Mat Is Your Stage

I’ve always looked at a close-up mat as much more than somewhere to put your cards.

It’s your stage. Think about it.

If you’re a stage magician, you have lighting, curtains, scenery and a clearly defined performance area.

When we perform close-up, we don’t have any of that.

We have a table. So the moment you put down a nice close-up mat, you’ve created your performance space.

That’s where the magic is going to happen.

It gives the audience somewhere to focus, it makes your props look better and, of course, a good close-up mat makes actually performing your magic much easier.

Cards spread properly, coins are easier to pick up and everything just feels better.

For years, one of my favourite mats has been the TCC Medium Suede Leather Pad.

I genuinely love these mats.

The size is great, they're hard backed, they look smart and the actual performing surface is one of the nicest I've ever worked on.

So when we started talking seriously about offering personalised close-up mats through Print By Magic, there was never really any question about which mat I wanted us to use.

The question was...

How do we personalise them properly?

I Didn't Want Them Printed

This was the big thing for me.

I didn't want us to simply print something onto the surface.

I wanted the finished mat to look classy.

I wanted the personalisation to feel like it belonged there rather than looking like something we'd stuck on afterwards.

So we started researching.

And researching.

And researching a bit more!

We looked at different machines, different processes, different mats and did lots of testing.

Eventually we got to the point where we were able to engrave directly onto the mat.

That's when I got excited.

Because the results looked fantastic.

You get this lovely engraved finish that becomes part of the mat itself, and suddenly we realised we could do much more than just put somebody's name in the corner.

That's when the ideas really started flowing.

This Is Where It Gets Fun!

Of course, you can keep things really simple.

Your name. Your logo. Your website. Your company branding.

And actually, for a professional performer, I think that can look incredibly classy.

Imagine turning up at a corporate gig, taking out your close-up mat and having your own branding beautifully engraved into it.

It's a little detail, but I've always believed that those little details matter.

They make you look professional before you've even done a trick.

But then we started playing around with other ideas.

What about playing card suits in the corners?

ESP symbols? Tarot cards? A stack of cards? A top hat? A rabbit? Your own magical logo?

Suddenly the close-up mat becomes something completely personal.

And over the last few weeks we've been creating different designs and I've absolutely loved seeing what people come up with.

Some want really clean, minimal designs.

Others basically say:

"Peter, I like cards, mentalism, Tarot and Sherlock Holmes. See what you can do!"

And that's brilliant!

Because that's exactly the sort of thing we can have some fun with.

That's What Print By Magic Is All About

When we purchased Print By Magic, the idea was always bigger than simply printing playing cards.

I've been creating and releasing magic for over 30 years, and I know how frustrating it can be when you've got an idea in your head but don't know how to turn it into an actual physical product.

You might have a great idea for a gaffed card, a special deck, some artwork or a prop, but then you've got to work out how to actually make the bloody thing!

That's the bit we want Print By Magic to help with.

We've already been producing custom cards and decks, and personalised close-up mats feel like another natural step.

And I think this particular service is going to be a lot of fun.

You Don't Need Artwork!

One thing I really want to make clear is that you don't need to be a graphic designer to order one.

If you've already got a logo or finished artwork, brilliant. Send it over.

But if you haven't, don't worry.

You can literally tell us what you're thinking.

"I'd like PETER NARDI in the middle, four card suits in the corners and something magical around the outside."

That's enough to get us started.

We can work with you on the design and help create something that will engrave beautifully onto the mat.

We've already been doing this for customers, and sometimes the design goes backwards and forwards a few times until we get to something they love.

That's all part of the service.

We want you to open the box, look at your mat and think:

Yep. That's mine!

And You Can See Your Mat Before We Even Make It!

Now this is another part of the whole thing that I absolutely love.

We've created our very own MatMaster software, which means you can actually see what your design is going to look like on the mat before we engrave it!

For me, this makes such a difference.

It's one thing looking at your name, logo or artwork on a computer screen. It's another thing entirely seeing how it's actually going to sit on the mat.

Is the logo big enough?

Would your name look better slightly higher?

Should the card suits be smaller?

Would your website look better along the bottom?

With MatMaster, we can actually mock it up so you can get a proper feel for the finished design.

And I think this is really important when you're creating something personalised.

We don't want you trying to imagine what it's going to look like.

We want you to SEE it!

You can play around with the layout, try different ideas and get everything looking just right before your mat goes anywhere near the laser.

It's another little thing we've built into the service to make sure that when your finished personalised mat arrives, it looks exactly how you hoped it would.

They're Also A Brilliant Gift

I hadn't really thought about this when we first started working on them, but these are going to make fantastic gifts for magicians.

And we all know how difficult magicians are to buy presents for!

You ask a magician what trick they want and they'll normally give you a list of 47 things they've been looking at.

Or they've already bought it!

But something with their own name, logo or a design based around their magic is completely different.

It's genuinely personal.

Whether it's for a birthday, Christmas, an anniversary, celebrating somebody joining a magic society or just as a surprise for a magician friend, I think these are going to be really special.

I'm Already Thinking About My Next One...

This is probably the biggest problem we've discovered with personalised close-up mats.

Once you've made one...

You immediately start thinking about another design!

Do I want the Alakazam logo?

Should I have a really old-school magic design?

Maybe something with playing cards?

Perhaps Tarot?

Or should I keep it really simple with just my name?

I've already changed my mind about mine several times!

But I suppose that's the whole point.

Magic is incredibly personal.

We all perform different material, we all have different styles and we all have different personalities.

So why shouldn't the little stage we perform on reflect that?

I'm genuinely really pleased that we've finally got these available because, as I said at the beginning, it's something I've wanted us to offer for a long time.

And most importantly, we've waited until we could do it properly.

So if you fancy having your own personalised close-up mat, have a look at the examples we've created and start thinking about what you'd put on yours.

And remember, if you've got an idea but don't know how to turn it into a finished design, just get in touch with us.

That's what we're here for.

And with MatMaster, you can even see your idea come to life before we make it!

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

Much love,

Peter Nardi
Alakazam Magic