As technologies continue to improve, custom engraving becomes easier for the shops that want to expand into this lucrative and ever-expanding market.
随着技术的不断改进，对于想要扩大市场、拓展新业务、实现丰厚利润的标识制造商来说，个性定制化标识是一个值得投资的方向。
Whether you are using a laser or rotary engraver, custom gifts are only becoming more popular with time. That’s because the types of substrates available for engraving are proliferating and the custom gifts made from those substrates are multiplying as well. It makes it easy for shops that already have engraving equipment to branch out into new markets and upsell custom-engraved gifts to existing and new clients.
无论您使用的是激光机还是旋转式雕刻机，个性定制化标识变得越来越流行，这不仅是因为可供雕刻的基材种类正在增加，由这些基材制成的定制礼品的需求也在增加，这使已经拥有雕刻设备的制造商能够轻松将业务扩展到这个新市场，向现有客户和新客户推销定制型的雕刻礼品。
Amie Roberts, president of Familylaser in Warroad, Minnesota, says that to keep clients interested in their offerings, her shop continually upgrades its product line and introduces new items.
明尼苏达Warroad Familylaser的总裁Amie Roberts说：“为了让客户对我们的产品感兴趣，我们在不断升级旧产品线，并引入新的产品。
“This is a perpetual part of doing business. It’s like refreshing your inventory in your brick and mortar store,” she says. “You need to give people a reason to keep coming back. More specifically, we offer ‘add-ons,’ such as engraving a special message on the back side or maybe including a separate engraved personal message on a wood card. We offer specials where a customer can buy an additional product at a discount when combined with another order.”
Amie Roberts：“升级旧产品线，并引入新的产品，就像在实体店里刷新你的库存，你需要给人们一个继续回来再次消费的理由，更具体地说，我们会提供附加件，例如，在背面雕刻特殊信息，或者在木卡上单独刻印个人信息。 ”
JDS Industries of Sioux Falls, North Dakota, offers a huge catalog of customizable gifts that can be used by any sign and digital graphics or awards and trophies shop that wants to enter the engraving business. Its two most popular items are stainless steel vacuum-insulated tumblers called Polar Camels, and laserable leatherette, a leather-like coating that can be placed on just about anything from portfolios to keychains.
北达科他州苏福尔斯的JDS工业公司制作了一个可定制礼品的目录，适用于任何有雕刻业务与数字图形的标识制造商。其中，受欢迎的两个产品是不锈钢真空保温杯，称为Polar Camels，另一个是可放置在钥匙圈等任何物品上的皮革状涂层。
Tom Leitheiser, fabrication manager at JDS Industries, says that to successfully engrave on uncoated metal, shops need to apply CerMark Metal Marking Spray to the surface. This coating leaves a black mark on the surface of the metal when it is hit with a laser. The leftover marking spray can wash off easily with soap and water, leaving the custom engraving behind.
JDS Industries的经理Tom Leitheiser说：“要成功雕刻未涂层金属，需要将CerMark金属标记喷涂到表面，这种涂层在被激光时，在金属表面留下黑色标记，剩下的标记用肥皂水清掉，留下后面的自定义雕刻内容。”
The coating can be added to stainless steel, aluminum, brass, nickel, glass and copper. The biggest breakthrough with the Polar Camels is that they are now available in 15 colors, not just silver and black, and the company keeps expanding the line. It includes beer growlers, low ball glasses and 20-ounce and 30-ounce insulated mugs that keep ice cold for 24 hours. Early next year, JDS is adding stemless wineglasses that can be decorated with names or logos.
涂层可以添加不锈钢、铝、黄铜、镍、玻璃和铜。突破在于它们现在有15种颜色可供选择，不仅有银色和黑色，而且公司不断扩大产品线，包括低球玻璃和20、30盎司隔热杯，可以保持冰冷24小时。明年年初，JDS决定添加其他标识的项目。
“Any way you can build into that line, people seem to like,” Leitheiser says.
Leitheiser 说：“任何可以在这条线上所建立起的个性化定制方案，人们似乎都很喜欢。”
With a rotary engraving attachment, a shop can engrave a Polar Camel in between one and 8 minutes, depending on how detailed the artwork, says Sarah Thompson, laser specialist with JDS Industries. Laser engravers can also directly score the coated metal on JDS’ cups.
JDS Industries的激光专家Sarah Thompson表示：“通过旋转雕刻附件，我们可以在1至8分钟内雕刻一定数量的产品，具体数量取决于艺术品的难易程度，当然，激光雕刻机也可以直接在杯子上进行涂覆金属。”
“It takes a higher power to break through it and then you clean it with acetone to shine them up a bit,” Thompson says.
Thompson 说：“我们需要突破一些旧的制作方式，比如，用丙酮清洁它们以使它们发光。”
Taking a laser to uncoated stainless steel wouldn’t leave a mark.
然后采用激光去涂覆不锈钢，同时也不会产生任何痕迹。
There is a green movement going on in the industry right now, with many people turning to products made out of bamboo. JDS offers bamboo cutting boards, pizza peels, mugs, gift boxes, spatulas and cheese cutters.
现在，标识行业正在发生一场绿色运动，很多人转向使用竹子来制作产品，例如，JDS提供的竹砧板、马克杯、礼品盒等。
“Bamboo products are a stable part of our business,” says Roberts. “Part price point, part durability, they engrave well and it’s a sustainable resource.”
Roberts说：“竹制品是我们业务中稳定的一部分，零件的价格、耐用性、易雕刻，是一种可持续的资源。”
She adds that artisan and distressed boards and Teakwood and Marble Round Board are popular as well.
另外，手工制作的木板、柚木和大理石圆板礼品也很受欢迎。
“Being able to combine functionality with personalization means such products like cutting boards are popular and have an impressive perceived value. Clients can showcase their wedding dates, for example, but still use the opposite side of the board for daily use,” she says.
能够将功能与个性化相结合的产品非常受欢迎，并且具有令人印象深刻的感知价值。例如，客户可以在产品的一面做一些日程设置，在另一面用其他方面的用途。
Familylaser loves working with wood because it provides a wide variety of products that appeal to the masses. Anodized metal is also a favorite, she adds. “It lasers clean and looks professional each and every time.”
Familylaser喜欢用木材来制作个性化标识，因为它能提供各种吸引大众的产品。另外，阳极氧化金属也很受欢迎，用激光处理过的，看起来非常专业。”
Familylaser uses a 150-watt Kern Laser with an open table. It can do both cylindrical and flat objects.
Familylaser使用的是开放式150瓦的激光，一般应用在圆柱形和扁平物体的制作。
“Our machine gives us the ability to adjust settings so virtually anything engravable can be tackled,” Roberts says. “Trial and error with sample pieces gets us to where we feel comfortable with offering various products to clients. That’s just a part of doing business.”
Roberts说：“我们的机器具有很强调整设置的能力，几乎任何可雕刻的东西都可以制作，通过对样品进行反复试验，再将我们的产品提供给客户，会让他们感到满意。”
If a shop isn’t sure how to use their machine or how to treat different substrates, Roberts recommends they join the Awards and Personalization Association, which “features a forum that is nothing short of excellent: great questions and great answers from very qualified people. No need to reinvent the wheel if you’re on the APA forum,” she says.
如果一家标识制造商不确定如何使用他们的机器或处理不同的承印物，Roberts 建议他们加入一个专门提供个性化定制方案的协会，在APA论坛上，有许多专业人士和非专业人士提供各种创意思路。
David Lennon, president and owner of LumaMedia in Grants Pass, Oregon, uses his laser engravers to do a different type of personalization. The company offers a lighting product that is as thin as a credit card. It is two electrical plates with phosphorus material screen printed in the center of them. When electricity touches the phosphorus, the panel lights up like neon, he says.
俄勒冈州Grants Pass LumaMedia公司总裁David Lennon说：“使用激光雕刻机可以进行不同类型的个性化定制。例如，我们制作的照明产品与信用卡一样薄，由两个电气板组成，在它们的中心印有磷质材料的丝网，当电力接触磷时，面板像霓虹灯一样被点亮。”
The technology is being used for everything from race cars and trade shows to light up advertising.
这项技术正在用于赛车和贸易展览会举办的各种活动中，以点亮广告，渲染效果。
Lennon first encountered the technology in 2002.
Lennon在2002年第一次开始接触这项技术。
“I was intrigued by it and how it would work and light up. I thought it would be cool if it could light something up on an off-road vehicle. I started doing research on it,” he says.
Lennon说：“我对它是如何点亮与工作非常感兴趣，我认为，如果这种能点亮的小标识能放在越野车上，它会变得很酷。”
Using very low power, Lennon’s company can make names and logos not only light up but blink, like a neon sign. They also can make it so different parts of the phosphorus light up at different times. The technology is very popular in Las Vegas, which is where LumaMedia got its start.
同时，Lennon将这种发光的标识应用在公司的外部形象上，使用的功率非常低，就像霓虹灯，还非常闪耀。事实上，它们还在不同地方放置了磷，形成不同局部发光的效果。该技术在拉斯维加斯非常受欢迎，也促进了LumaMedia的兴起。
LumaMedia uses a Trotec laser to cut out the design. Then it hooks contact leads on it, seals it and puts a translucent print over the top to finish it. Every panel has a 12-volt control unit that sends the correct amount of power to the phosphorus to light it up, Lennon says.
Lennon说：“LumaMedia是使用Trotec激光切割设备将钩子上的引线钩住，密封并在顶部放置半透明印花，每个标识的面板都有一个12伏的控制单元，可以通过额定功率传播到磷灯来点亮。”
Lasers offer so much versatility, says Leitheiser. “There are so many different substrates you can laser and you can personalize it with a name, verbiage or logos on there,” he says.
Leitheiser说：“激光设备的功能非常广泛，有很多不同的基材应用在激光设备上进行个性化设计。”
He adds that JDS helps its clients by offering information about the laser settings necessary to engrave on various substrates. It also offers templates of what an outline looks like so they know where to add their logo or wording.
他补充说：“JDS除了能帮助客户提供有关在各种基材上雕刻所需的设置信息以外，还提供有轮廓的模板，以便他们知道在哪里添加他们的选项。”
Most people in the industry work with CorelDRAW, which is a PC-based graphics software. Other popular graphics programs are Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. All of them work well with laser engraving, Leitheiser says.
业界大多数人都使用CorelDRAW，这是一款基于PC的图形软件，其他流行的图形程序还有Adobe Illustrator和Adobe Photoshop。 Leitheiser说：“无论是我们生产出来的哪种材料，都能很好地进行激光雕刻，实现更多更有价值的雕刻定制礼品。”
