Everything before the proof is free to change. Everything after it costs a plate and a week, which is why we do not run a machine until somebody has signed off.
Engraving
Engraving,
and getting it right
Engraving is where award orders quietly go wrong — a name spelled from a team sheet, a logo that turns to mud at 30mm, a plate that needed one line fewer. All of it is preventable at the proof, and none of it is fixable afterwards.
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Free engraving
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Proof before production
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Engraved in Australia
25,000+
Products available
4,000+
Organisations served
40+
Years, since 1984
4.9★
From 2,300+ reviews
How an engraving job runs
Five steps, and one point of no return
01
Send the list and the artwork
One file, one version, spelled exactly as it should be cut. Names taken from a team sheet or a registration export are where most errors start — those lists are full of nicknames and missing accents.
What we need: one spreadsheet, one logo file
02
We set the layout
Your wording is laid out to the plate size: element order, line breaks, type size and centring. This is where a four-line inscription becomes three because the fourth line would have shrunk everything.
What we need: nothing
03
You read the proof
A digital proof comes back showing every line as it will be cut, at size, on the piece you ordered. Read it against the original list rather than from memory — a fresh reader catches what the list owner reads past.
What we need: one nominated approver
04
You sign it off
Written approval, from the person you nominated. This is the point of no return, and it is deliberately a separate step rather than assumed from silence.
What we need: approval in writing
05
We engrave and check
The run is cut, then checked against the approved proof piece by piece before it is packed. If something is wrong at our end it is re-run at our cost, freight included.
What we need: nothing
Artwork
What we can use, and what needs work
Engraving is one tone cut into a surface. Anything relying on colour, gradient or shadow has to be simplified before it can be cut, and we will show you how it will look.
Vector logo
Simplified mark
Name plate
Direct engraving
The proof
Artwork formats
Format
How it engraves
Good for
What we may need to do
EPS, AI, PDF, SVG (vector)
Cleanest — scales to any plate size
Logos, crests, monograms
Usually nothing
High-resolution PNG or JPEG
Works for most jobs at normal plate sizes
Simple logos, wordmarks
Redraw if it is small or soft
Logo with gradients or shadows
Has to be reduced to one tone
Modern brand marks
Simplify, then show you the proof
Photograph
Not engravable as a photograph
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Printed insert or acrylic instead
A screenshot or a business card
Rarely usable at plate size
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Redraw from scratch, or use text only
If a club crest exists only as a jersey photograph, say so early — redrawing it once means every award and every honour-board plate from then on matches.
What actually fits
A plate holds less than people think
01
20–40 characters a line
Past that the type has to shrink, and small engraving on a large plate is what makes an expensive award look cheap.
02
Two to four lines
Occasion, recipient, award, year. The recipient’s name is the largest line; everything else is context around it.
03
Logo or top line, not both
A crest and an organisation name doing the same job crowds a plate. Pick the one that reads better at 30mm.
If there is a citation
It belongs in the program or on a certificate. The award carries the name.
WORDING EXAMPLES
How it is cut
Four ways to mark an award
01
Rotary engraving
Cut into brass or aluminium with a spinning tool. Deep, tactile, and the traditional look on a trophy plate.
02
Laser marking
Fast and precise on coated and anodised surfaces. Best where fine detail or a lot of text has to hold.
03
Sandblast etching
For crystal and glass. Reads bright white and holds small type well; the standard for crystal awards.
04
Printed inserts
Full colour, for medal centres and acrylic. The only route when a logo has to keep its brand colours.
Which one you get
Decided by the piece, not by preference — and it is on the quote. If a method changes what your logo can look like, we say so before you order.
The last free change
What a proof is for
The proof is not a formality. It is the only moment where a mistake costs nothing.
2026 · 1st Grade
Spelling, out loud
Most Valuable Player
Dux of the School
Jennifer Martinez
Class of 2026
In recognition of
30 Years of Service
Michael Chen · 1996–2026
Read for
Spelling, out loud
Read every name aloud against the source list. Silent reading skips exactly the errors a team sheet introduces.
Read for
The year and the grade
The two fields that get copied from last season’s file and quietly stay wrong on thirty awards.
Read for
Who is missing
Count the proof against the list. A name absent from the file is invisible on a proof.
Good to know
Engraving questions
Is engraving included?
Yes — engraving is free on award orders. What it costs you is the list: one file, spelled the way it should be cut, with one person nominated to approve the proof.
How many characters fit on a plate?
Roughly 20–40 per line across two to four lines, depending on the plate. Send the longest inscription in your order first — if it fits, everything else will.
Can you engrave a trophy we did not buy from you?
Usually yes, including adding annual plates to an existing perpetual trophy. Send a photograph and we will tell you what can be matched before you send the piece.
What if a name is spelled wrong after engraving?
If the error is ours against the approved proof, it is re-run at our cost with freight both ways. If the approved proof carried the error, the plate has to be re-cut — which is the entire reason the proof step exists.
Can you match the engraving on our older awards?
Yes. Send a photograph of an existing plate and we match the font, layout and spacing so a new plate sits with the old ones rather than beside them.
How long does engraving take?
The engraving itself is rarely the long part — artwork and approval are. Tell us your presentation date and the quote carries dated timings for your own order.
Next
Where people go from here
Engraved in Australia since 1984
Send the artwork, we will send the proof
You will see every line at size on the actual piece before anything is cut. It costs nothing and it settles the question faster than a phone call will.