Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, we do. Some of our nameplates are back-engraved. Any of our signs can be ordered in this back engraved style. Just call us up and we can arrange to make your sign this way. There might be a small increase in the cost.

Back-engraved signs, to many, look quite professional. The signs seem “polished”. For others, back-engraved signs are easier to clean.

We offer hundreds of fonts. To both simplify and speed up the nameplate wizards, we just show a few of the common fonts. Yet, please do not hesitate to contact us if you want a special font. We are actually quite “font-crazed” here. We love fonts and know what a difference a font can make to the look of your sign.

You may add a logo to your nameplate – generally at no charge. Also, make sure to look over our clip art and logo library. We already offer hundreds of logos and graphic images.

Be aware, of course, that not all logos are well-suited to engraving. The logo needs to be clean, have sharp edges. Bit-mapped images are often tough. Remember that a laser or knife is actually cutting into the plastic material and a good deal of fine detail can be lost.

We offer an upload wizard to help you transmit the logo to us. We will convert your logo, in most cases, to a single color. For certain, multi-colored nameplates, however, full-color logos are possible.

We do not charge extra for more lines of text (unlike most others in this market). Frankly, it is rather rare that you see the “Gettysburg Address” on a nameplate. Our laser engravers make fast work of your text. This is the main advantage of our system. Your nameplate goes directly, and digitally, to our engravers. That saves time, reduces error and keeps costs low.

The number of lines to be used on a nameplate is really an issue of legibility and not a problem with manufacturing. Adding too many lines means that the type must be smaller and each line harder to decipher. Consider, always, a larger nameplate if you find that your message becomes small. Our nameplate wizards use an innovative “shrink-to-fit” technology that can result in important messages become too small. Generally, engraved nameplate type should be no less than 10 point. There are special engraving stocks, actually, that are made for super-fine type.

Over the last ten years, or so, engraving stock has changed so that the top layer is much thinner (now 5 mil). When compared to the earlier materials (which had a thicker 10-15 mil top layer), the new materials allow for finer engraving and smaller letters on your nameplate.

Please give us a call if you want to learn more.

Most nameplates are shipped that same day or on the next day. Most nameplates are shipped via the post office. For central US locations near to our factory in Texas, USPS takes a 2-3 days. In other locations, the shipments take 3-5 days. For faster service, you may specify air shipment.

No. In many nameplates, the first line (with your name) is often larger than the other lines of text. The extra height is used to get attention, or for emphasis. The viewer can then come closer to read the rest of the text (typically the title or department).

Our pricing tables for our nameplate wizards only extend to quantities of 20, or so, nameplates at a time. Please call us and we can send you a quotation. Buying direct from the source will save you money. Also, we can accept your list of names and titles in any electronic form. Typically, we receive an spreadsheet or Word file that lists the data. Our systems easily import the data. Once this is accomplished, all of the nameplates are available, online, for instant reorders or edits.

Unfortunately, we do not offer free sample service. The nameplates are generally one-of-a-kind and are quite expensive to produce. We encourage you, however, to place a sample order of just one nameplate. If you are not satisfied with the result, return the single sample, and we can issue you a credit for the same amount for any of our other products, including another nameplate. If you are, however, looking for a color sample, we do have small color chips we can send as samples. Please email us with your request and mailing address.