Patternflow

---
title: "Right Before Launch"
date: "2026-08-23T18:20:00+09:00"
excerpt: "Where things stand"
cover: "/journal/right-before-launch/business-cards.png"
coverCaption: "The business cards I ordered"
hideCover: true
draft: false
---

Launching next week. 8 o'clock on Wednesday the 26th, Korean time; the day before, US time.

I switched the 3D printing material from PLA to PETG. The Patternflow device doesn't generate much heat so I figured it'd be fine, but apparently it melts during shipping. Printing costs went up 1.6x and the sale price went up to $269. I don't know how PETG will feel. From experience, very plastic-y? That smooth… I think the slightly mass-produced feel will get stronger. PCBway kindly sponsored again so I'll receive it next week, but whether I'll like the material is uncertain. Even if I don't, nothing to be done. It's far better than having it melt.

For CE and FCC certification, I've arranged to go to a test lab next week. I've also requested the relevant documents from the panel vendor. It's hard to be optimistic in this area at all, but I hope some way through opens up. It's strange that I didn't ask the vendor sooner. I'd handled everything for the ESP32, so why? The LED panel only occurred to me now. Well, at least I've asked, so that's that.

I was selected for an arts pre-founder program. They provide 5 million won worth of indirect support along with help on market validation. Whether it can run alongside the program I was already selected for, though, I have to ask next week. I hope it works. If not, I'll have to think about which to choose. With these support programs, I've gotten some confidence in IR pitching and interviews. I go in with almost no prep, freestyle it, and pass every time. Maybe having numbers is enough that they just take you.

Since I recently registered the business, I designed and ordered business cards yesterday. For that I built a feature in Pattern Lab to export as image and video. It seems pretty decent. There are a lot of uncommon patterns, and you can adjust the colors too, so I thought people on the design side could put it to good use if they worked at it. Anyway, I only put one simple pattern on it and it looks quite distinctive, which I like.

<figure className="journal-md-figure">
  <img src="/journal/right-before-launch/business-cards.png" alt="Preview of the ordered business cards, carrying a pattern exported from Pattern Lab" />
  <figcaption>The business cards I ordered. One pattern straight out of Pattern Lab.</figcaption>
</figure>

I haven't been sleeping well lately, so I'm tired. Insomnia is genuinely the worst. Yesterday too I lay down at eleven and couldn't fall asleep until three, so I got up, killed time, and slept at five. Hm.