Engraved Name Tags

[Mickey Arledge]

Name tags are worn by employees for many reasons: to let a customer know that the person they are talking to is a representative of the company; to help employees feel that they are a part of a team; and to help "brand" the company logo to the client. Name tags come in all shapes and sizes and in all colors and styles, but one of the most durable and professional name badges you can get are engraved name tags.

We've all seen someone wearing them - we've probably worn engraved name tags ourselves at one time or another. But have you ever wondered how these engraved name tags come into being? The simple version is that you put two pieces of the name badge together and etch through the top portion (the surface) which reveals the bottom portion (the core). This is how the basic form of name tags work. These types of badges are generally made of plastic. You choose the surface color and the core color (say, for example, a red top portion with a yellow core portion for a hamburger restaurant). The top surface is etched using a rotary engraver with cutters that come in various sizes, or the surface is etched by a laser. Once the surface plastic has been cut through, the underlying color from the core piece is revealed and becomes the color of the logo or the name. So, in the above scenario, a hamburger restaurant employee would wear a name tag of red, with yellow letters - a subtle way to encourage patrons to buy a hamburger with ketchup and mustard.

Engraved name tags can also be produced with metal, although the engraving process is different. These badges can be engraved through the use of a laser or through diamond drag engraving, or can be digitally imprinted. When a laser is used, the high powered laser beam cuts through the metal to reveal the aluminum core of the name tag. This means there are limitations to the colors that can be used. On an aluminum name tag, the lettering will be silver once the engraving process is completed. In order for the lettering to be readable, the surface layer of the name badge must be of a darker color so the lettering will stand out. So, you are limited to dark colors like black, red, or blue for the lettering. Also, logos must be limited to a single color so they show either gold or silver when engraved. An advantage to laser engraving is that you have a wider range of typefaces to choose from, and the lettering is more readable than the lettering produced by diamond drag engraving.

Diamond drag engraving is done with a diamond tip cutter. This process etches the name and logo into the metal of the name tag and the letters are usually blackened after etching to make the name and logo more readable. This is the most traditional way to to make engraved name tags. The diamond cutter can etch very fine lines into the name badge, which gives an elegant look to the name tag. The drawback to diamond drag engraving is that the names are not as readable as the result from laser or digital engraving.

Digital printing is the imprinting method of choice for engraving. When etched or lasered, the name badge has to be made of an aluminum core and the resulting lettering is silver or gold. However, when digitally engraved, name tags can be done with plastic, which gives the employer a wider variety of colors and more type styles to choose from. Because these plastic name tags wear so well, scratches and mars from regular use are kept to a minimum, wherein the employee who wears a metal name tag must be careful not to scratch the badge.

For more information about engraved name tags, please visit www.name-tags.net or call them at 1-888-754-8337 toda