A method , of validating protective cover materials and communicating protective cover cutting instructions to a cutting machine at a remote location , the method comprising: providing protective cover blanks at the remote location, for use in the cutting machine; wherein each of the protective cover blanks is tagged with a unique identifier, uniquely identifying the protective cover blank, and receiving, by a computer system that includes one or more processors, a personal device type identification , which identifies a type of personal device for which a protective cover is desired; characterized in that : the method further comprises: receiving, by the computer system, a unique identifier associated with a protective cover blank present at the remote location, by obtaining the unique identifier from the protective cover blank; validating, by the computer system, that the protective cover blank is an authorized protective cover blank, based on the unique identifier, wherein validating that the protective cover blank is an authorized blank includes comparing the unique identifier, as obtained from the protective cover blank, to activity logs and/or protective cover blank identification records stored in the computer system, in order to check whether the given protective cover blank is authorized for use; sending, by the computer system, cutting instructions , based on the personal device type identification and based on the protective cover blank having been validated as an authorized protective cover blank, to the cutting machine at the remote location and in which the authorized protective cover blank is placed, wherein the cutting instructions instruct the cutting machine how to transform the authorized protective cover blank, by cutting the authorized protective cover blank, so that it fits a device of the identified personal device type and can be used as a protective cover for that type of personal device. providing protective cover blanks at the remote location, for use in the cutting machine; wherein each of the protective cover blanks is tagged with a unique identifier, uniquely identifying the protective cover blank, and receiving, by a computer system that includes one or more processors, a personal device type identification , which identifies a type of personal device for which a protective cover is desired; receiving, by the computer system, a unique identifier associated with a protective cover blank present at the remote location, by obtaining the unique identifier from the protective cover blank; validating, by the computer system, that the protective cover blank is an authorized protective cover blank, based on the unique identifier, wherein validating that the protective cover blank is an authorized blank includes comparing the unique identifier, as obtained from the protective cover blank, to activity logs and/or protective cover blank identification records stored in the computer system, in order to check whether the given protective cover blank is authorized for use; sending, by the computer system, cutting instructions , based on the personal device type identification and based on the protective cover blank having been validated as an authorized protective cover blank, to the cutting machine at the remote location and in which the authorized protective cover blank is placed, wherein the cutting instructions instruct the cutting machine how to transform the authorized protective cover blank, by cutting the authorized protective cover blank, so that it fits a device of the identified personal device type and can be used as a protective cover for that type of personal device. <EOS>