Corporate
Logo engraving: how to prepare artwork that actually works
Most logos were drawn for screens and print, where colour, gradients and hairline detail all work perfectly. Engraving has none of those. If you are ordering branded pens, understanding what survives the process will save you a round of proofs and get you a better result.
Engraving is one depth, no colour
An engraving machine cuts a line into metal at a single depth. That gives you exactly one "colour" — the exposed metal beneath the finish — and no tonal range at all.
So a logo becomes a line drawing. Everything that relies on colour to separate one shape from another has to be re-expressed as an outline, or removed.
What works well
- Solid shapes with clear outlines — a shield, a monogram, a simple mark
- Bold, evenly weighted type — most corporate wordmarks engrave beautifully
- High contrast between the mark and its background
- Simple geometry — circles, straight lines, consistent stroke widths
What causes problems
Gradients. A logo that fades from dark to light has to be reduced to a single line weight. We can do it, but the result is an interpretation rather than a copy — which is why we always proof first.
Hairline strokes. A one-pixel rule looks elegant on screen. At pen scale, a stroke that fine either disappears or breaks up. We thicken these slightly, which changes the balance of the mark.
Very small text. A strapline under a logo is often illegible once scaled to a pen barrel. Usually the right answer is to drop it and engrave the mark alone.
Drop shadows and 3D effects. These have no equivalent in a single-depth cut and are always removed.
Photographic elements. Anything with continuous tone cannot be engraved as a photograph.
What file to send
In order of preference:
- Vector — AI, EPS, SVG or vector PDF. Ideal. Vector artwork can be scaled to any size without losing quality, and it gives us the actual paths to cut.
- High-resolution PNG with a transparent background. Workable. Aim for at least 1000 pixels on the longest edge.
- A JPEG from a website. Usually too small, and often has a white box behind it. We can sometimes redraw from one, but expect us to ask for something better.
If you do not know what you have, send whatever you can find. Your designer, printer or whoever produced your letterhead will have the vector file, and we can tell you in one look whether what you have is usable.
We redraw before we cut
For most corporate orders we do not use your file directly. We redraw the mark for engraving — simplifying where necessary, adjusting stroke weights so nothing drops out, and setting the size and position on the barrel.
Then we send you a proof showing exactly how it will sit on the pen you have chosen. Nothing is engraved until you have approved it in writing. If the simplification has gone somewhere you are not happy with, that is the point to say so.
Logo, names, or both
Three common approaches:
Logo only. Every pen identical. Simplest to produce, and the usual choice for conferences and client giveaways.
Individual names only. More personal, and much more likely to be kept and used. Common for staff recognition and long-service gifts.
Both. Logo on one side, name on the other. The most considered option, and the one that reads as a real gift rather than merchandise.
Sending us your artwork
Use the enquiry form on our Corporate & Bulk Orders page, or email hello@penspersonalised.co.uk with the file attached. Tell us roughly how many pens and when you need them, and we will come back with an assessment of the artwork, a price and a timescale.
We look at artwork free of charge, whether or not you go ahead.
