Deco Depo – Home Design Products with a Laser

Celebrating its first year in business, Istanbul-based design firm Deco Depo specializes in creating engraved glass, wood, acrylic and ceramic panels and other decorative projects for architects and designers.

“We discovered the engraving and cutting advantages of laser systems on hard surfaces – it was amazing – and that’s what inspired us to get into business,” said Deco Depo partner, Onur Çakır.

After seeing the capabilities of the laser system, Onur and his business partners immediately saw the potential draw for architects and other designers.

We learned of Epilog’s history in the laser business. The quality and reliability of their machines were key points in us selecting an Epilog.

Onur Çakır

“For decoration projects, architects loved the idea of creating decorative panels with customized patterns of their choosing,” Onur tells us, “but for mass-produced products it’s both difficult and expensive to ’customize’ the final product without incurring extra manufacturing costs, so a laser system seemed to be the best option because they have the most flexibility for customizing hard surfaces.”

Onur tells us that while Deco Depo initially utilized their 45-watt Mini 24 for its engraving capabilities, they have since moved on to more cutting applications.

“We started using the laser system primarily for etching on painted glass and engraving wood, but we quickly realized the cutting capabilities could be just as valuable to us,” Onur said. “We’re now cutting wood and acrylic for new designs like decorative room separators and furniture parts.”

Onur tells us when he began the process of researching laser system providers he was sure of one thing.

“Though they are less expensive and often have bigger engraving areas, we immediately eliminated Chinese-manufactured systems because of their known safety issues and lack of technical support.”

What Onur did know was that he was looking for was a manufacturer who could provide quality systems that would perform consistently. “We learned of Epilog’s history in the laser business,” Onur said, “the quality and reliability of their machines were key points in us selecting an Epilog.

Laser power, work area and work detail were the most important things,” Onur said, “but they all are relative to budget. Also, credibility was an important factor for us to consider because, in the beginning, all our operations were based on success of the laser system.”

Along with laser power and quality-built machines, Onur also realized the cutting and engraving results were just as important as how well the machine is built.

“Epilog’s systems can print directly from CorelDRAW and have raster detail up to 1200 dpi – our customers are simply amazed with high details on glass and wood,” Onur said. “Frankly, after we tested an Epilog system, we decided it would be them or no one.” Onur tells us that after obtaining the Epilog system Deco Depo was able to really branch out in terms of the projects they could take on.

“We’ve customized a television unit, a coffee table and a cupboard project for an architect in the area,” Onur tells us. “The cupboard was for storing Marvel Comic’s action figures and we engraved comic book pages on side panels of the cupboard.”

Onur tells us the project capabilities are almost limitless since incorporating the laser system. “We designed a room separator for a healthy living clinic by cutting holes in wood and acrylic and stringing them together,” Onur said. “The end result was truly incredible. For the Secretary of State of Azerbaijan, we designed fan covers by cutting wood for an elevator decoration project,” Onur tells us.

At the end of the day, Onur says their main goal is to always provide excellent results for their customers. “Our company philosophy is to supply custom solutions and rare products for decorating businesses,” Onur said, “and our Epilog system helps us produce the rich, detailed designs our customers demand.”

As a successful start-up business, Onur has some advice for others researching starting a business with a laser engraving and cutting system, as well as those looking to incorporate a system into their current operations.

“When we started this business, we weren’t sure of the system that could meet our needs, but Epilog has exceeded our expectations,” Onur said. “The best words of wisdom I can give for anyone looking to get into the laser engraving industry is to seriously consider the long-term goals of your operation – don’t just consider systems just for small gifts and sign needs because the possibilities are truly endless.”