Pi Dental Lab

09/01/2026

California dentists — looking for a dental lab partner that combines quality restorations, competitive pricing, and responsive local support?

Pi Dental Lab supports dental offices across Northern and Southern California. Whether you want to evaluate a new lab partner or simply compare results, start with a test case and experience our workflow firsthand.

Send us a message to request a sample or discuss your next case.
🌐 pi-dentallab.com
📧 [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

08/27/2026

08/18/2026

# 🦷 VENEER MATERIALS

# # # **Is There Really One “Best” Material?**

When we talk about veneers, **esthetic appearance alone should not determine the material.**

Different cases require different priorities.

---

# # # ✨ FELDSPATHIC PORCELAIN

**Maximum Esthetics**

✔ Excellent translucency
✔ Beautiful layering & characterization
✔ Great for highly conservative cases

**Best when:**
Minimal reduction and maximum natural appearance are the priority.

---

# # # 🔵 LITHIUM DISILICATE / e.max

**The Balance**

✔ Excellent esthetics
✔ Higher strength
✔ Predictable adhesive bonding
✔ Versatile for many veneer cases

**Best when:**
We need a balance between **beauty, strength, and predictability.**

---

# # # 🟠 ZIRCONIA

**Strength & Masking**

✔ High strength
✔ Useful for masking darker underlying structures
✔ Can be helpful when additional durability is needed

But veneer cases also depend heavily on **bonding strategy and preparation design.**

---

# 💡 THE REAL QUESTION ISN’T:

# # # ❌ “What is the strongest material?”

It is:

# # # ✅ **“What does THIS patient need?”**

**Remaining enamel • Prep depth • Substrate color • Occlusion • Bruxism • Esthetic expectation • Bonding conditions**

All of these should influence material selection.

---

# # # 🦷 Doctor + Lab + Material Selection

# # # = More Predictable Esthetic Results

**What is your preferred veneer material — and in what type of case?**

**Pi Dental Lab**
*Better Planning. Better Communication. Better Dentistry.*

08/18/2026

# 🦷 WHY THE MODEL MATTERS

# # # **The Communication Hub Between the Dental Office & the Lab**

A dental model is not just a place to seat a crown.

At **Pi Dental Lab**, we see the model as the **shared reference point** between what we create in the lab and what happens clinically.

---

# # 🔵 1. THE MODEL SHOWS OUR INTENDED FIT

When the restoration is seated on the model, we evaluate:

🟢 **Full Seating**
🟢 **Margin Adaptation**
🟢 **Proximal Contacts**
🟢 **Occlusion**

> **What you see on the model is how the restoration was intended to fit.**

That becomes our laboratory reference before the case reaches the patient.

---

# # 🟠 2. WHAT IF IT LOOKS DIFFERENT IN THE MOUTH?

Sometimes a crown may fit perfectly on the model, but clinically:

🔸 The margin appears short on the X-ray
🔸 The contact feels too tight
🔸 The crown does not fully seat
🔸 The bite feels heavier

This does **not automatically tell us where the discrepancy occurred.**

There are variables on **both the clinical side and the laboratory side.**

# # # 🦷 Clinical Variables

**Scan / impression accuracy • Scan stitching • Seating interference • Contact pressure • Tooth movement • Clinical conditions**

# # # ⚙️ Laboratory Variables

**3D printed model accuracy • Milling tolerance • Zirconia sintering shrinkage / compensation • Sintering distortion • Design parameters • Finishing & QC**

Even a very small variation at one step can influence the final fit.

# # # **Patient → Scan → Model → Design → Milling → Sintering → QC → Delivery**

---

# # 🔴 3. ONE CASE IS NOT ENOUGH TO DEFINE A PATTERN

One isolated case can happen for many different reasons.

# # # **1 Case = Investigate**

But when the same type of discrepancy begins appearing repeatedly, it deserves a closer look.

# # # **2+ Similar Issues Out of 5 Cases = A Pattern Worth Discussing**

At that point, instead of treating each case as an isolated event, the dental office and laboratory can compare the cases together and look for a **systematic variable in the workflow.**

That is when communication becomes especially important.

---

# # 🔷 THIS IS WHY THE MODEL MATTERS

Instead of asking:

# # # ❌ **“Who made the mistake?”**

We can ask:

# # # ✅ **“Where did the discrepancy occur?”**

If the same issue is visible on the model, we investigate the laboratory workflow.

If the restoration is accurate on the model but different clinically, we compare the clinical and digital variables.

---

# 🔷 MODEL = COMMUNICATION HUB

# # # **Dental Office ↔ Model ↔ Dental Lab**

The model gives both sides a **common reference** to compare, communicate, and troubleshoot objectively.

---

# # ⭐ WHY WE VALUE THE MODEL

**Accurate Reference**
↓
**Identify Patterns**
↓
**Clearer Communication**
↓
**Better Troubleshooting**
↓
**More Predictable Results**

# # # **Same Reference. Better Communication. Better Dentistry.**

**Pi Dental Lab**
*Precision • Communication • Trust*

Send a message to learn more

08/11/2026

If you had $500 and had to choose —

Google reviews or a better website?

I get asked some version of this question more than you'd think.
And the answer might not be what you expect.

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📊 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮

𝟵𝟳% of patients read online reviews before choosing a dentist.
Not 60%. Not 80%. Ninety-seven.

𝟯𝟭% now require a minimum 4.5-star rating just to contact a practice.
That number was 17% two years ago. It's moving fast.

Practices with a complete Google Business Profile get 𝟳𝘅 more clicks than those with incomplete listings.

And here's the one that gets me every time:
A new dental patient costs $150–$300 to acquire and generates $10,000–$15,000 in lifetime value.
No other investment in your practice comes close to that ratio.

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🌐 𝗦𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿?

Yes. But probably not in the way you think.

Most patients don't find you through your website.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀.
Then they visit your website to confirm what they already want to believe.

Your website is where trust gets sealed — not where it starts.

Which means a beautiful website with no reviews = patients arrive skeptical.
A basic website with 200 five-star reviews = patients arrive ready to book.

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💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 — 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁

𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 — 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲. 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.
Complete every field. Add 100+ photos. Post weekly. Respond to every review — especially the bad ones.
Practices that respond to reviews get 12% more profile views.
This is the highest-ROI marketing asset available to a dental office. And it costs nothing.

𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 — 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗹𝘆.
The best time to ask? Right after a successful appointment, before the patient leaves the chair.
Target: 100+ reviews minimum. 300–500 to dominate your local market.
A newer practice with 500 reviews consistently ranks above a decades-old practice with 50. Clinical excellence doesn't show up in search results. Reviews do.

𝟯. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 — 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱.
Fast loading. Mobile-friendly. Online booking. Clear services and location.
A patient who's already convinced by your reviews just needs your website to not get in the way.

𝟰. 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘀 — 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱.
Google Ads average $7.85 per click in dental. They work — but only if your reviews and profile are ready to convert that traffic. Ads without reviews = expensive clicks that go nowhere.

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🚨 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁

Practices spend $5,000–$10,000 on a beautiful new website.
Then wonder why new patients aren't coming.

Meanwhile their Google profile has 22 reviews, the last one from 14 months ago,
and three of them went unanswered.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻.
𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲:

Google first. Reviews always. Website functional.
Paid ads when you're ready to pour fuel on a fire that's already burning.

The average practice loses 15–20% of its patient base every year just to natural attrition.
You don't need to grow aggressively to justify investing here.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲.

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🦷 𝙋𝙞 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙗

We work with dental offices every day.
And we share what we think is actually useful — not just what's dental-related.

How many Google reviews does your practice have right now?
And when did you last ask a patient to leave one?
Drop it below — curious where offices are at with this. 👇

Send a message to learn more

08/05/2026

Facebook Blog Post — Samples (Expanded Version) (Copy & Paste Ready)
Short answer: you don't need samples.

But I'd argue you're leaving money on the table without them.

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🖐 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Words don't sell what eyes and hands can.

You can explain the difference between a standard zirconia crown and a hand-layered crown all day.
Your patient will nod — and pick the cheaper one.

Hand them a sample where the left side is standard zirconia and the right side is hand-layered porcelain — same tooth, same shape — and watch what happens.

They tilt it. They look at it under the light.
They feel the translucency on one side vs the opacity on the other.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.
𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲?

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😴 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀: 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝘃𝘀 𝗵𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱

This is one patients almost never know is a choice.

They hear "night guard" and picture one thing.
But there are two very different options — and the right one depends on the patient.

𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱:
✓ Comfortable and flexible — easier to adapt to
✓ Great for light to moderate bruxism
✗ Can be compressed over time by heavy grinders
✗ May actually encourage more grinding in some patients

𝗛𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱 (𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲):
✓ Hard outer layer resists grinding — won't compress
✓ Soft inner layer stays comfortable against the teeth
✓ Better long-term protection for moderate to heavy bruxers
✗ Slightly bulkier — takes a little longer to adjust to

When a patient can hold both — feel the difference in thickness, flexibility, and material — the conversation becomes clinical, not commercial.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘁.

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🦷 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀: 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀

Most patients don't know what an onlay is.

They come in expecting a filling or a crown.
Explaining that an onlay preserves more tooth structure than a full crown — and is more protective than a large filling — lands differently when they can see both options side by side.

A sample showing an onlay vs a full crown on the same tooth model answers questions before the patient even asks them.
𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.

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💼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

As someone who managed dental offices for years before running Pi —
I've seen the difference between a patient who upgrades because they were sold to
and a patient who upgrades because they understood what they were choosing.

The second patient doesn't feel upsold.
They feel informed. They feel taken care of.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁.

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📈 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀

Pi charges $30 more for hand-layered.
Most offices upcharge $150 per anterior crown.

5 upgrades a month → $600 additional revenue
10 upgrades a month → $1,200
20 upgrades a month → $2,400

From a sample sitting on your counter.
No ads. No extra appointments. No sales pitch.

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:
"Here — feel the difference."

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🦷 𝙋𝙞 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙗

We provide samples to every office we partner with:
→ Crown: standard zirconia vs hand-layered
→ Night guard: soft vs hybrid
→ Onlay model

No cost. Just ask when you reach out.

Because your patient deserves to see what they're choosing —
and your office deserves the conversation that follows.

Is your office using physical samples chairside right now?
What do you wish patients could see and understand better before they decide?
Drop it below. 👇

07/28/2026

Same crown. Same case. Same shade request.
𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀. (other lab)

When the office finally called me, I could hear the frustration.
And honestly — I understood it completely.

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🎨 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿.

It wasn't a complicated shade. Nothing exotic. (I believe it was A2/B2)
But the crown kept coming back wrong.

The first thing I asked for was a photo since I have no information.
Two shade guides placed next to the patient's teeth — and the remake crown sitting right beside them.

When I saw the photo, it clicked immediately.

The patient's natural teeth were heavily worn.
Years of grinding had left the enamel layered with opaque horizontal lines — the kind that come from wear patterns, internal structure changes, the way light moves differently through aged tooth structure.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.
𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

The lab needed to match not just the color — but the specific block choice, the opacity layering, and the glazing technique that would replicate how that worn tooth surface catches light.

And without the photo, nobody knew that.
Including me.

At the same time, I can't just replicate the worn-down look of the adjacent teeth.
The new crown still has to look like a healthy, beautiful tooth — while harmonizing with the natural teeth around it that have years of wear on them.

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💭 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:

If that office had come to Pi first — and just sent a shade tab and a written description — I would have done exactly what every other lab did.

Matched the color. Sent it back. Got a remake.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀.

But I would probably ask for the photo since the 2nd remake.

Eventually, patient loved our crown, very lucky.

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📋 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲

I built a 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 & 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 and started giving it to every office we work with.

It covers exactly what photos to take, how to position the shade guides, what lighting to avoid, and what additional details help us match texture — not just color.

But I also knew the reality:
Offices are busy. Staff changes. Not everyone reads the manual.

So for the first few custom shade cases with any new office, I made one rule:
Call me directly. Every time. Before you send.

Not because I don't trust the team.
Because I know that one 5-minute call eliminates the chance of case #1 becoming remake #7.

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💡 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀

Most custom shade failures aren't color failures.

They're failures of 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The lab doesn't know the patient's teeth are worn.
The lab doesn't know the surface has unusual opacity.
The lab doesn't know what the existing restorations look like next to it.

A shade tab tells us one thing.
A good photo tells us everything.

Two shade guides. Natural light. The crown next to the tooth.
That's the photo that changes the outcome.

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🦷 𝙋𝙞 𝘿𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙗

Custom shade cases — send us the photo first.
If you're not sure what to send, call us before you do.
That's not extra work. That's the shortcut.

Have you had a custom shade case that kept coming back?
What ended up being the actual problem? 👇