Back in the early 90s, the journey for my home online business started in a cozy attic apartment at Thorndike and S. Spring in Concord, NH, where my first PC found its way into my possession. At that moment, the concept of its capabilities eluded me entirely; as the closest I had ever been to a computer had been at Shaw's checkout. With an empty toolbox in hand, a trade offer surfaced - the computer for my toolbox. In my cluelessness, the deal seemed fair, and thus began the addiction as I delved into self-teaching DOS on an IBM 8088 boasting a colossal 20-meg hard drive. The allure of working with images and designing layouts like restaurant menus, business cards, and flyers for acquaintances sparked my interest, all purely for entertainment.
Around '93/'94, the introduction to Dye Sublimation printing, famously known as Photo mugs, marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Lacking the knack for salesmanship and facing limited points of sale due to a lack of public accessibility, I relied mainly on word-of-mouth for promotion. The mid-90s witnessed the Internet evolving beyond mere AOL or CompuServe file servers, prompting me to venture into building my inaugural website to kick-start my Home Businesses Online - all undertaken as experimental projects. Thus, www.elsographics.com emerged, with its offspring www.1nhmugs.com, specializing in personalized photo mugs and other customized drinkware.
Developing a functional website capable of selling fully customized prints with customer-provided images and text proved to be a daunting challenge, especially with intricate and dynamic multi-page forms. I toiled on the concept for years until around 2004 when the notion of utilizing a series of 1NH domain names for testing struck me - leveraging the alphabetical advantage of "1" preceding "A" for potential SEO benefits back then.
While the 1NH concept was not extensively explored, except for 1NHMugs.com, it did allow for fruitful competition with Elso Graphics, spurring innovative strategies and technological implementations that benefited both entities.
In recent years, the decline of elsographics.com in search engine rankings became evident due to the growing importance of mobile-friendliness, a feature lacking in my outdated Elso Graphics website. Given my relatively recent acquisition of a smartphone, the task of retrofitting Elso Graphics for mobile compatibility posed a significant challenge under my DIY approach for my home business online.
Reviving the dormant 1NHMugs, I revamped the entire ordering system from scratch, (for the purpose of filtering out the fails and bringing successes to my Elso Graphics site) complete with virtual previews of personalized mugs based on visitor specifications - albeit experiencing minor hiccups on mobile devices, which are currently under rectification. On desktops, the functionality remains seamless. This is my narrative.
Specializing in custom printing, Elso Graphics centers around personalized printing on drinkware and more, offering unique services like customizing various mugs and other items to cater to diverse needs - whether it's a company seeking personalized coffee mugs bearing the corporate logo and employee names or individuals desiring bespoke gifts. Leveraging dye sublimation technology without color limitations and with the flexibility to print single mugs, mousepads, shirts and other gifts or bulk orders, elsographics.com stands as an exclusive internet-based personalized printing service, catering to the domestic US market.
For those seeking authentic "Made in USA" photo mugs, we proudly stand among the select few mug printers holding this label.
While shipping is available across the USA, local Concord, NH residents can arrange pickups or deliveries on a case-by-case basis.
My unwavering commitment is captured in our slogan, "Personalized Service For Your Personalized Gifts!”
