Laser marking has had a major impact on a wide variety of industries, affecting everything from manufacturing to crafts to the medical field to aerospace and so much more. And that’s not even counting all that laser marking and engraving has provided for various hobbyist pursuits.
Because laser marking has had such a widespread reach, it’s affected things even beyond industry though. One such example is in the giving of gifts. In this post, we’ll examine how laser marking has played a role in gift giving and the impact that has had on some fields.
Diverse Material Possibilities
No matter what you want to put on a future gift by way of laser engraving or marking, you’re able to do so on a wide array of materials.
Some of the key materials that manufacturers and craftsmen can mark utilizing laser engraving systems include:
- Various grades of steel
- Stainless steel
- Titanium
- Aluminum
- Anodized aluminum
- Brass
- Copper
- Nickel-plated materials
- Galvanized materials
- ABS plastics
- Polyethylene plastics
- Glass-filled plastics
- Painted and coated materials
- Black oxide
- Carbide
- PCD
- Various synthetic materials
As you can see, there are so many possibilities for gifts when you consider the diverse materials that laser marking and engraving can be utilized for.
Everything from pieces of art to firearms to tools to toys and so much more can reap the rewards of laser marking’s advantages.
Personalization
One of the major ways that customers can benefit from laser marking is through the systems’ capabilities for gift personalization. Whenever you’re giving a friend or a loved one a present on a special occasion you want them to know just how much they mean to you, and personalization can be a great way to show that!
Some of the ways you could personalize a gift through laser marking include:
- Adding a recipient’s name or initials
- Sharing a personal motto, quote, or piece of advice
- Memorializing a date
- Incorporating a message of congratulations, inspiration, or anything else
So no matter the occasion, there’s the personalization option that will fit it, and laser engraving can help bring it about!
Graphics
Another great way that customers can take advantage of laser marking is by way of graphics. Though personalization through text and numbers may be the more common way of making a lot of gifts specific to the receiver, graphics can bring a lot to the table as well.
For instance, you could incorporate graphics that:
- Feature a family group photo or an individual’s portrait
- Display a family crest or coat of arms
- Showcase a logo of some special significance, like that of a business, a sports team, or a club
- Include designs to beautify an object, or make it match a previous item
When you combine these graphic possibilities with all you can do with letters and numbers, there’s really no limit to what you can do when it comes to personalizing your gifts for friends and relatives!
Color Laser Marking Options
On top of everything laser marking can supply for gift personalization via text and graphics, metals and plastic materials can actually have their colors altered through a unique process. This means that you could really make any messages or designs pop out by incorporating a splash of color!
For materials that are plastic, the marked color will remain within the same “family” of colors, though will either be lighter or darker than the original material.
For metals, however, a much greater range of colors is available through the process, giving customers a wide palette of hues that can be marked right onto the object’s surface.
Materials that can benefit from color laser marking and engraving include:
- ABS plastic
- Polyethylene plastics
- Glass-filled plastics
- Various other plastics
- Steel
- Stainless steel
- Titanium
- Chrome
Be sure to check out our previous post on color laser marking to learn all about the process and to see a great video of color marking in action!
The Impact of Social Media
Because of the great versatility of laser markers, and the successes companies in diverse fields have had with them, we’ve seen more and more individuals, hobbyists, and businesses touting them online.
With the uptick of small businesses on such sites as Etsy, Amazon, and Instagram creating personalized items for customers through laser engraving, if you’re looking to give someone a gift truly unique to them you now have so many options.
We’ve reached out to a few such online businesses in the past, so be sure to take a look at our Q&As with ZeroFeud and Makesupply.
The everyday carry trend has also been seen a lot on various social channels, with many of the items perfect for gifts. Give our article on the everyday carry trend a look to inspire you!
The Benefits for Businesses
If you’re a business owner, you can see from the examples above that there are a wide variety of applications for laser marking when it comes to consumer products.
If you’ve never offered personalization and graphics on your products before, this is a great opportunity to expand your capabilities. This will help you to:
- Deliver services that customers want
- Keep up with the competition
- Differentiative yourself from others in the field
- Increase your profits and provide upsell options
And if you’re a business that offers personalization currently, but you use a technology other than laser marking to do so, by switching over to a laser marking system you can additionally speed up your operations and increase precision.
Take a look at our “How Do Lasers Differ from Other Marking Technologies” post to learn about all the advantages over dot peen marking, inkjet marking, and electrochemical marking.
Need a Laser Engraving System? Reach Out to Us!
If your company or hobbyist shop could use could use an efficient laser marking system to help craft personalized products to be used as gifts, be sure to contact our team today. We’ll be happy to assess your needs and get you the perfect system for your operations.