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8 Reasons You Need Hand Engraving at Your Event (instead of laser engraving)

Call me a hater, but hot take: laser engraving is meant for logos and logos only. Everything else? Needs to be hand engraved. And here are the reasons why it's way better to have hand engraving at your event -


1. It's personal. In the age of AI-this and automate-that, the people yearn for human connection. When I take an order at an event, I often get to ask guests about what brought them to the event, how their day has been, the meaning behind their order request, and so much more. Just a 30 second conversation has the ability to shape someone's entire day, or shift their mindset about something. Now imagine we get to do this 100-fold! So many micro-connections and implicit meaning behind the guest experience.



2. The craft of it all. Guests seeing their order hand engraved ?! Folks simply cannot get enough. If I had a nickel for every time someone told me that calligraphy is a dying art, and that they appreciate the craftsmanship of what I'm doing... well, let's just say that I'd have A LOT of nickels. People genuinely appreciate human-made art. Seeing engraving done live and by hand just deepens the appreciation even more than before, and gives people a story to tell about the special moment they had.


3. It looks way better. Let's be so for real right now. You would much rather have a beautifully hand engraved "Happy Anniversary" done in calligraphy on your bottle, than have it laser-etched, probably crooked, and in Arial or Times New Roman font. There's just something about a human-made stroke, in their lettering style, that brings life and feeling to an item. You just can't get that with a machine.



4. More viable surfaces. Most laser etching machines are specifically set to engrave one part of an item, or a handful of bottles, whereas hand engraving can be done on flat surfaces, round surfaces, and any smooth spot there might be on the item. This lends itself well to events with multiple items to choose from, but also allows guests to choose the layout, size, and position of their message.


5. Higher volume. One of my clients recently shared that at the exact same type of event (done across many states where some locations couldn't find a hand engraver in time), the machines did 40 items to my 120 items in the same amount of time. That's triple the amount!! Higher volume means quicker, which means more happy guests, which means even more happy guests, which means a higher ROI (return on investment). The numbers are numbering - send this paragraph to your finance department when they question why one service over another.


6. More customizable. This is going to sound wild, but guests go absolutely nuts for a hand drawn flower, a heart, extra sparkles, and paw prints. Again, only something that hand engraving can do! So let's bring back the whimsy. The people deserve it.


7. It's Instagrammable. Hand-engraving happening at an event is an excuse for event guests to share their experience with their friends and followers on social media. There's no better gift to give than having an item personalized just for them, and not just a thing they threw in their swag bag full of stuff that isn't linked to an experience.





8. Hella Portable. Most laser-engraving machines require a large set up, access to power, and a lot of factors to get the tech working. My tools for hand engraving are small, portable, and pre-charged, so no power is needed! You can stick me almost anywhere (and they have.)



Still need more reasons? Don't just take it from me. The proof is with the dozens of brands who've come back again and again, year after year, to bring hand engraving to their events. I asked, and here's what they had to say about it:


" As a brand that prides itself on being handcrafted, it's very important to us to partner with someone who truly takes the time to learn and execute an art like hand engraving, vs just operating a machine with a digital font inputted. On an individual level, I've seen the impact that in-person thoughtful touches and detailed work makes on my event attendees so it's always well-worth the investment." Dannika Underhill, Makers Mark, Suntory Brands

Looking to elevate your event with professional calligraphy engraving or foiling I'm based in San Diego, travel to Los Angeles and Palm Springs often, and fly beyond state and country lines with my personalization services! Event calligraphy is kinda my specialty, so let’s connect!


I offer calligraphy customization and engraving for:

  • Brand activations and experiences

  • Corporate events

  • VIP dinners and pop ups

  • PR and influencer gifting

  • Customer facing product personalization

  • And more!


xo, Alex


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