What does each method do?
Laser engraving burns away the surface coating, or marks the surface itself, to show the material underneath. On a coated steel bottle the mark is the bare metal. It cannot peel or wash off, and it lasts as long as the item. It is one colour by nature: the colour of whatever is underneath.
Printing lays ink on the surface. It carries your actual brand colours and fine detail. It is the answer when the logo depends on its colours. It wears faster than engraving with heavy washing, and in a dishwasher.
Debossing presses the mark into the surface with heat and pressure. No ink, no colour, just a shape you can see and feel. On a good diary cover it is the finish that makes the object feel bought rather than given away, and it cannot wear off.
Embroidery stitches the logo in thread. It suits fabric that gets washed and worn hard: caps, backpacks, aprons and apparel.
Which method for which gift?
This is what each item in our Box takes:
| Item | Material | How we brand it |
|---|---|---|
| Water bottles | Stainless steel or tritan | Laser engraving on steel, print for colour |
| Tumblers | Insulated stainless steel | Laser engraving or print |
| Mugs | Ceramic | Print, in full colour |
| Diaries and notebooks | Leatherette, fabric or card | Debossing, or print where colour matters |
| Pens | Metal or plastic | Laser engraving on metal, print on plastic |
| Key chains | Metal, leather or acrylic | Engraving, debossing or print |
| Desk accessories | Wood, metal, cork or plastic | Engraving on wood and metal, debossing on cork, print on plastic |
| Power banks | Metal or plastic casing | Laser engraving on metal, print on plastic |
| Wireless chargers | Plastic, metal or wood | Print on plastic, engraving on metal or wood |
| Speakers | Solid casing | Print on plastic, engraving on metal |
| Caps | Twill | Embroidery |
| Tote bags | Cotton canvas | Print, or embroidery |
| Laptop backpacks | Polyester | Embroidery or print |
| Apparel | Our own garments | Embroidery or print |
If an item you want is not here, ask before you plan the box around it. We would rather tell you which method suits it than promise one that does not.
What happens to a multi-colour logo when it is engraved?
It becomes one colour. Engraving and debossing cannot reproduce colour, so a logo in blue, orange and green comes out as a single tone. Two things decide whether that works.
- Does the logo still read as yours in one colour? Most logos have a one colour version for exactly this. Send that, not the full colour file.
- Does it have fine detail? Very thin lines and small text can fill in on a small engraving or deboss. On a pen barrel or a key chain, use the symbol on its own, or the name without the tagline.
If the colour is the brand, if people know you by the orange, choose items that are printed: ceramic mugs, plastic-cased tech, printed totes, printed apparel.
Engraving or print on a bottle?
The question we are asked most, because bottles are in most boxes. Engraving on steel will outlast the bottle: it is the right choice for a bottle that goes to the gym, into a bag and through the dishwasher. Print is the choice when the logo only works in its colours, accepting that it will wear with time. For a client box where the bottle sits on a desk, either works. For an employee box where it will be used every day, engraving lasts.
How do I keep a mixed box looking like one brand?
A box can hold an engraved bottle, a debossed diary, a printed mug and an embroidered hoodie. Four methods, one brand. Three habits keep it together:
1. Use one version of the logo across every one colour item. The same mark engraved, debossed and stitched reads as a set. 2. Let one item carry the colour. A printed mug or a printed tee in full brand colours, and quiet marks on the rest. 3. Keep the marks small. One mark per item, sized to the item. A big logo on every piece reads as promotional, not as a gift.
Can each item carry a person's name?
On items that take engraving, such as metal pens, yes. Send the names as a list and check each one on the mockup before anything is engraved. A name turns a pen into a leaving gift or an award. For other items, ask on the quote.
What if the branding comes out wrong?
You see a mockup of every branded piece before anything is bought or branded. If any branded piece in your box is not what you approved, we make it again at our cost, whatever the method and whatever the item.
For what goes in a box, see corporate gift ideas and employee welcome kits. If you are still choosing who to order from, how to choose a corporate gifting company lists the questions worth asking. To brand bottles, mugs and tumblers, start on custom drinkware.
Quick answers
Is engraving or printing better for a logo on a gift?
Engraving lasts longer and cannot peel, but it is one colour. Printing carries your brand colours but wears faster with heavy washing. The material usually decides: engrave metal and wood, print ceramic and plastic.
Can a coloured logo be engraved?
Only as one colour. Engraving shows the material underneath, so a multi-colour logo comes out in a single tone. Send the one colour version of your logo for engraved items.
What is debossing?
Pressing the logo into a surface, such as a diary cover or leather, with heat and pressure. It has no ink and cannot wear off. It is how we brand leatherette diaries, leather key chains and cork.
Are ceramic mugs engraved or printed?
Printed. Ceramic takes full colour artwork, which makes a mug a good place for a detailed or colourful logo.
Can each pen be engraved with a different name?
Yes, where the barrel takes engraving. Send the names as a list and check every one on the mockup first.
