30-YEAR REWIND < < Saved by Transparency Film (and a Little Luck)

August 7, 2025

LATE 1995

The Tektronix Phaser 340 was more than just a cool printer—it was the beginning of something we hadn’t seen coming.

We loved teaching people about it. Helping them understand the technology. Seeing their excitement.

And it didn’t stop there.

The Phaser 340 was the first of hundreds of hardware models we’d go on to sell in every imaginable corner of the imaging world—from printers and scanners to storage systems, cameras, displays, and beyond.

But those first six months? They nearly broke us.

WE WERE HUSTLING—HARD

We were still making 100+ calls a day, trying to make sales, build relationships, and find a rhythm. We had the product catalog—thanks to Access Graphics, we could offer thousands of products across leading brands. We knew that the more we could offer, the better our chances.

But we were also unknown. New. Small. Unproven.

And every “maybe later” or “send us your info” chipped away at the little momentum we had.

We didn’t pay ourselves a salary. We asked our parents to help with the mortgage.

By the time November 1995 rolled around, we were drained. We had to look each other in the eye and ask: “Are we actually going to make it?”

It was a painful question. We still had the energy. We still believed in what we were building. But we were almost out of money.

William offered to tap into some personal resources to keep us afloat a little longer—but it wouldn’t stretch far if the next six months looked anything like the last. We were facing a crossroads: Shut it down…or take on more debt and limp along, hoping something changed.

And then, like a scene out of a movie, something did.

ENTER: TRANSPARENCY FILM

A local Boulder customer, Bruce Hinks from Amaranth Photo Lab, placed an order.

Not a small one. Not a starter pack. A $90,000 order for transparency film and Tektronix color pucks for their Phaser 340.

That’s right. Transparency film.

Remember those overhead projectors from your school days? Your teacher would dim the lights, pull down the screen, and place each sheet one by one as you tried to stay awake. Yep—that film. That’s what saved us.

It gave us just enough runway to stay in the game. To keep going. To keep believing.

That order opened our eyes to a new customer base: the architectural and engineering world.

We didn’t even know it existed when we launched, but once we found it we knew: this was our opportunity.

They valued quality, clarity, speed. And they needed what we were selling.

A MIX OF GRIT AND GRACE

We learned something essential that winter: Starting a business takes hard work—and a little bit of luck.

That order didn’t fix everything, but it shifted the story.

It bought us time. It gave us hope. And it kept the doors open—so we could keep showing up.

We’re still so grateful for that order. And for every customer since who’s helped us build something lasting.

WHY IT MATTERED

This was our first real test—and our first turning point. We almost gave up.

But we held on. And a single order—and a shift in focus—changed everything.

HISTORICAL NOTE

In 1995, Apple was floundering, Windows 95 had just launched, and Amazon had sold its first book—but the overhead projector was still king in classrooms. Transparency film sales were booming as schools, corporations, and design firms leaned on visual presentations. That market kept us alive.