I currently have a Wizard CMC 8000, Integrated Framer Visualization, Debossing Tool & Integrated Framer Retail Management in my shop. The Wizard 8000 was purchased in Nov. 2005, IF Visualization in Jan. 2006, Debossing Tool in Sept. 2007, and IF Retail Management in Oct. 2007 as part of the Smart 100 Program.

The best thing about all these products is the way they are all built to work together and enhance each other.

Before I got all my Wizard products it was time consuming to design and price a customer’s piece of art work.  There was uncertainty on the customer's part, wondering if they made the right decision. (No more phone calls saying to hold on to an item until the customer could come back in and look one more time!!)  Then there was the chance of making a mistake in pricing or the customer feeling that they could negotiate a better price since we had to punch each item into a calculator to get a total.  I worried  about making a mistake while cutting a multi-opening mat and hoping we had another just in case a mistake was made.  It was hard to keep track of which part of an order was finished and which part was waiting on a mat or frame.

Learning the everyday aspects of IF Suite was really easy and took no time at all.  Although setting up IF Retail Management  was time consuming due to the fact that I customized the program to every detail of my shop.

So many aspects of my shop have benefited from the use of my Wizard products.  The ability to make the customer feel more confident about the choice they make by being able to view the finished piece before we do it.  Up-selling an item by adding v-grooves, debossing, cut art, etc. to enhance a customers artwork.  The speed at which we can get a customer to commit to a sale, and the time that the customer is in and out of the shop.  The ease of IF Retail Management for pricing, customers seem to trust that the price the computer gives them is correct and they can see what the price for each item is instead of trusting someone to punch numbers into a calculator.  The ability to cut a large amount of mats in about a quarter of the time with precision.  The ability to know the status of an item in the shop by being able to log it in and see if it is in progress, completed or picked up.

The entire process from design to completion has been significantly simplified.  The time saved at the front counter has increased the time that I can dedicate to framing.

Wizard has an amazing set of products that are time saving in all aspects of framing.  From designing and completing a sale by getting the customer in and out of the shop feeling confident that the item they brought in will look great and that the price was reasonable, to the time saved in production, being able to cut mats efficiently and correctly using only the amount of material that you need.  And the ability to know the status of an item and where it is in the working order.

My experience with Wizard's Customer Support team has been fantastic!!  The knowledge and patience that they exhibit is wonderful!!  They listen to the problem, (even though some of us don’t know how to explain the problem correctly, we just know things aren’t working the way they are supposed to), taking the time to explain in easy terms on how the problem might have occurred, and most importantly finding a solution to our problem and taking us step by step through the process to help us get back on track fast.  

The best thing about being a Wizard customer is knowing that there is only one phone number I need to call to get answers to any problems or questions that I may have about my Wizard products and knowing that they will always help find an answer or solution.  And also, using products that are made to work together to efficiently complete a framing project from beginning to end.

The Wizard and I arrived at Frame City about the same time – two years ago. I can’t say how things were at this shop before that but I can say that in the twenty years that I have been framing I have never felt my job was easy until now. Not only is it technically less stressful, it is a lot easier on the sales counter as well.  Integrated Framer not only makes it possible for the customer to visualize completed projects but it is a great asset to help explain mat widths, frame size and general scale and balance issues. Even more importantly to me, it allows you to layout multiple openings and to try various opening shapes before making any cuts.

The Wizard mat cutter “is the best thing since sliced bread.” The ability to create complicated mats with exact precision is wonderful and justifies the price we charge. Waste and error are so drastically reduced that time and money are both conserved. We have had a request for twenty four triple matted frames to be completed overnight and with the help of the Wizard it was a piece of cake.

We are able to offer so many unique mat embellishments now. Not only are the pre-loaded letters and CutArt an interesting option but once you master PathTrace, school logos, sports teams, business logos, etc. are unique ways to upgrade your design. It has been a valued investment at our shop.

The Wizard support team has always been there to help but I would highly recommend a training class with Brian Wolf. His personal knowledge of the machine makes the learning process much easier. Set up of the machine was painless and quick but I’m sure I’ll still be learning new ways to use it for years to come

We are currently using an Eclipse XL and are coming up on our three month anniversary with this CMC. The best thing about the Eclipse is that ANYONE can use this machine. My 11 year old, as smart as he is, has a hard time reading a ruler, has been cutting mats like a pro since day one. My wife who has never been in the framing industry has become the primary mat cutter in our business. Plus, the training time is minimal and it allows for far much more creativity than manual mat cutters.

Our revenue has definitely increased since the word is out that we are using a CMC. There is so little waste that our profit margin has increased as well, while productivity has doubled or tripled.

Before we had the Eclipse, triple mats, especially with any special cuts, were a nightmare. We enjoyed all aspects of framing except for matting; we even paid people to do our matting for us, we bought them cutters and set them up at home. Imagine how happy we were to see the CMC finally become available.

Now our whole family enjoys using the Eclipse. Matting is fun now, and the possibilities are endless. We have yet to turn away a hard to cut mat… Actually, there’s no such thing anymore. Framing overall has been revolutionized.

Not having a Wizard or Eclipse puts a framer way behind the 8 ball. It’s a lot like not having a computer or cell phone. You can survive, but reaching out to people has never been easier.

Being a Wizard/Eclipse customer opens a whole new door in framing. It is a definite confidence booster and there is no doubt that our mats are perfect every time. We are now the best framers in our neck of the woods.

I currently have a Wizard CMC 8500 and IF Visualization in my shop. I love the endless possibilities to make creative mat designs with my Wizard. My customers love it! I also appreciate the ability to cut mats in volume when I have an order with numerous pieces. It saves me an enormous amount of time.

I set up the Wizard 8500 myself and found it very easy to do. I was up and cutting mats the same morning I put it together. Setting up IF Visualization was also easy for me. I already had a camera setup, so I just had to learn the new software. IF Visualization was very easy to learn…you don’t need to be a computer expert to use it.

I have been using visualization software in my store for the last 2 years. I have used Specialty Soft and FrameVue.  I switched to Wizard’s IF Visualization because I feel it offers the best tools to serve my customers. IF Visualization allows me to show my customers all of the Wizard templates on their own art or photos at the click of a button. Nothing helps a sale like having the ability to show my customers their art or photos framed using the Wizard templates…to show it is to sell it!!!!  My customers feel much more at ease in trying something new, like a specialty corner mat, once they have viewed it on the monitor. For me, IF Visualization was the easiest visualization software to use of the 3 programs I have experience with. Specifically, I love the way IF Visualization allows you to drop your samples with the artwork on the counter without needing to line everything up... you just grab and rotate the art, mats, frames and filets. This makes the process go a lot faster. I have found some other programs have trouble getting a repeat pattern on a very wide moulding, but IF Visualization also is very good at capturing wider mouldings.

I run my business by myself, so my Wizard 8500 saves me a lot of time. This helps me keep up my productivity and still have time to handle the other aspects of running a business.  IF Visualization and its ability to show the customer the numerous Wizard templates has helped me to sell more of these specialty cuts, which translates to more revenue.

I now don’t know how I managed with out a Wizard. Before I had a Wizard, I spent so much more time cutting mats, especially multiple opening mats. I look at that as time that could have been spent on the other aspects of running a business. The combination of the Wizard CMC and IF Visualization has taken my business to the next level. I have actually gained many new customers from advertising the frame visualization service. Customers have told me that they chose my store based on the fact that we offered frame visualization. My customers love to see the different mat designs and possibilities.

The best thing about being a Wizard customer is having the ability to set my store apart and better serve my customers. I can offer my customers so much more now that I have a Wizard and use IF Visualization. IF Visualization and a Wizard mat cutter really compliment each other. I use IF Visualization in the front of my store to sell what I produce on my Wizard in the backroom.

To framers considering purchasing a Wizard, I would say GET ONE NOW!!! You won’t regret it. More than that, you will look back and wonder why you did not get one sooner. Plus, Wizard’s customer support has been OUTSTANDING and extremely thorough.

Sticks and Stones (www.createsticksandstones.com) was originally an “I Spy” game played with our daughters as they were learning the alphabet. We’d find objects in nature, art, and architecture that formed letters. We made it a goal to find every letter of the alphabet, which took us a few months worth of weekends. We then started teaching our oldest daughter, Allie, to read short words such as “DOG” and “CAT”. From there, we decided to frame and mat some letters and present them as a wedding gift for our middle daughter’s teacher using her new last name. The response to that first gift was amazing, and many people asked where we’d bought such a unique gift. We knew we had an idea that would make a great gift or home décor item.

We started sending samples to every catalog related to home décor and gift giving and got accepted by two of them almost immediately – Grandin Road and Uncommon Goods. We received over 300 orders our first month in Grandin Road, and at that point we decided to bring the framing in house. Since Wizard offers a true rental program, we decided that was the safest option for our still-new business. We average 24 corners per keepsake created, and we sell over 600 keepsakes monthly, so needless to say our Wizard gets a lot of use!!

Sticks and Stones has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, we’ve been filmed for HGTV’s “I Want That!” for release in a future segment, and we have a few more magazine releases scheduled for later this year (TBA). We’ve also had a video segment on the Oprah Winfrey show about our company. We are very focused on building our brand, and the national exposure from magazines and television has definitely helped with brand awareness.

(In the beginning) We actually outsourced the framing to a local frame shop, and we knew the Wizard would be our first and most important piece of equipment when bringing framing in house. So, thankfully, we’ve never been without our Wizard!

I learned how to create, manipulate, and save templates in a couple hours. The software is so user-friendly. From opening the boxes upon arrival to complete setup of the Wizard was about 2 hours. From there we were off and running.

The Wizard CMC 8500 is our lifeline for production. The average length of time it takes to cut one mat is about 30 seconds, so we are never waiting on mats – which is crucial! Paying a person to cut mats the old way would cost at least 4 times as much per month! I love the speed and pinpoint accuracy of the Wizard 8500. I think the software package is the most user-friendly on the market. The ease of cutting double mats makes this the perfect machine for our business. We may rent a second one in the future as production dictates!

The thing I love about being a Wizard customer is knowing the most vital piece of equipment for our business is the best on the market, and the rental plan is perfect for our needs.

I wouldn’t recommend starting a framing business without having a Wizard CMC on hand. Whether deciding to rent or buy a Wizard, the company has a plan to fit your business model, plus their customer support department is easy to reach, helpful, and knowledgeable.

It’s hard to narrow down the best thing about my Wizard 8500. Maybe that it's been so user-friendly. And it doesn't hurt my hands. And it saves me so much time. And it gives me more to offer my customers. And it's fun to use. And I can be more creative, because I can actually do the mats that I've only been able to dream about. And I don't dread multiple-opening double mats anymore. And....

Having just completed my first year in this shop, it was very busy, and very stressful, trying to do everything mostly by myself. Mat cutting took a huge chunk out of my day. I had to pay another shop to do special cuts when I couldn't avoid taking the order, and my neck and hands ached so bad sometimes I could barely move them.

When my Wizard arrived, my husband and I set it up in one evening, and we're even still married after that! Set-up instructions were clear and understandable. I was  able to start cutting mats for orders within two days! And not just simple rectangle openings, either.  I had never even seen a computerized mat cutter work before that!

Since I got the Wizard, I've welcomed a part-time framer, Gail, on board, and she had used a Wizard 5000 before, so we're learning the 8500 together. Having the Wizard is like having another employee! It's even busier now, but so much less stressful. Mat designing and cutting is fun again, and we're looking forward to learning PathTrace. The time I save is being spent on improving and growing other aspects of the business. Previously, I had little time to devote to that. Our customers love the Wizard, too, and have started bringing in their friends to see it work!  I'm not so tired at the end of my day, and my neck and hands and back don't hurt like they did. Priceless!

My productivity has benefited at this early stage, but revenue also. Time saved is money earned. I was awestruck the first time I cut a 16-opening mat and it took less than 2 minutes, from set-up to the finished mat!  Do the math!  By being able to offer my customers more creative matting as well as a faster turn-around time, they don't mind spending a little extra for the special treatment and have started telling others about it, which has already led to more framing orders.

If you have been considering purchasing a Wizard, stop considering it. Just do it… You will be amazed at the differences it will make for you and your business. Wizard makes it affordable. You will never look back.