Engraving is an intricate process that requires precision. Whether you’re engraving for jewelry, gifts, or even name tags, you must find an engraver you can trust to help realize your vision. Although there are many things involved in calculating the cost of engraving, there is a lot you can do to determine, how much does engraving cost?
So, what is Engraving?
It is the art of carving a design on metal, wood, or another solid surface with cutting groove into it by a tool. It is one of the oldest ways of personalizing jewelry and gifts, dating back to when ancient artisans carved designs on cave walls using rudimentary tools.
In today’s modern world, engraving remains one of the most popular ways to add a personal touch to an item. Jewelers use engraving techniques to inscribe names, dates, and messages on wedding bands and other jewelry items. So, let’s know more about it.
Do I need to give the engraver artwork?
Generally, most engravers can produce the desired result without any artwork; they only need a few pieces of information from you. They will ask what size, font, and typeset style you want.
You may also be asked if you desire your text horizontal or vertical and where you want it placed on the item. If you have custom artwork or logo that needs to be included, they may need that as well, but most engravers have a variety of fonts and styles available to choose from.
How Much Does Engraving Cost?
This question is probably the one that we get asked the most. It’s hard to give a straight answer here because there are so many variables, but we’ll do our best.
Here are a few pointers you should check out about how much engraving costs and where you can get it done:
Type of engraving being done
The prices for engraving can vary greatly depending on the type of material you want engraving, how many characters you’re looking to have engraved, and how intricate the design is. Larger pieces, such as glass plaques or trophies, typically cost more than small items such as rings or bracelets because they take longer to engrave. Likewise, materials like glass or wood will be less expensive than metal or stone.
- Size of the piece you want engraving: The size of the engraving piece is also a determining factor in price. A large whiskey decanter will cost more to engrave than a small wine glass. If you need many pieces engraved with one text or image, it will cost less per piece. However, if you need several items engraved with multiple images or texts, each item will increase the price.
- The text you want to engrave: You generally pay by letter when you have something engraved. The cost per letter varies depending on how many letters you need engraving and the font used for your engraving. A single letter or two costs less than an entire sentence or phrase, but the price will still depend on the font selected and size. Keep in mind that some fonts look larger or smaller than others at the same point size, affecting the price.
- The number of pieces getting engraved: The price per piece decreases as you order more. This is because it takes about the same amount of time to set up an engraving job as running a small or large quantity. So if you want your logo on 100 items, you’ll get a better price per item than if you order just 10.
- Type of machine used: There are two kinds of engraving: laser and rotary engraving. Laser engraving is cutting or melting the item’s surface to create a permanent mark or design. Rotary engraving is commonly done on plastics and metals using carbide-tipped tool bits. The cost of professional engraving varies depending on the type of machine used.
- Font choice: There are many kinds of fonts available for engraving. Some are more intricate than others and require more time and effort to create, which costs more. For example, Arial will usually cost less than Old English since Arial is easier to read even at small sizes and takes less time to create. The typeface you choose will have a huge impact on how much your engraving costs!
- The surface area of the object: Another factor that will affect the engraving price is the surface area of the object being engraved. The surface area of your object also plays a role in determining the price of an engraved piece. Smaller designs will take less time and be less expensive than larger ones. If you are engraving a large piece like a jewelry box, or a set of wine glasses, you will pay more than engraving something small like a keychain or pen.
- Depth and complexity of design: The cost of engraving depends on the depth and complexity of your design. The simplest engravings are flat, with a consistent depth throughout. A complex design may have different depths throughout, which requires more time and more tool changes for a machine to complete. Also, it takes longer to complete than simple designs do, and therefore they will cost more in terms of labor charges.
- The depth of the engraving: This is also another factor that affects the cost of engraving. The depth of engraving in an item varies from one customer to another. Some customers want deep engravings, while others want shallow engravings. It costs more to do deep engravings than shallow ones, affecting the charge.
Final Thoughts
We understand that many people have different budgets. So, we created a quick guide on how much Engraving costs depend on the type of engraving you will have and what kind of materials you want to use. If you want more complex or customized engraving, expect the price to go up.
We hope you enjoyed our engraving cost guide above and that you found it useful. Engraving is a beautiful way to add a personalized touch to any gift, which will make it extra special for the recipient.
