Branding a gift badly is worse than not branding it. Here is what makes the difference: the file you send, the method used to apply it, and where on the object it ends up.
Send the right file
- Vector artwork (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) is best. It scales to any size without softening, which matters because the same logo may go on a key ring and a reception board.
- PNG with a transparent background is the practical second choice. Send the largest version you have — at least 1000px across.
- A logo lifted from your website is usually 200px wide and will look visibly rough at print size. This is the single most common cause of disappointing branded gifts.
- A photograph of a printed logo cannot be used. If that is all that exists, a flat scan is workable; a photo of a page is not.
Send brand colours as codes if you have them. Screens and print do not match automatically, and a specified colour is reproduced far more closely than one matched by eye.
Three methods, three different results
- UV printing — full colour, including photographs and gradients. Used on acrylic, MDF and wood. The right choice whenever the logo has more than one colour.
- Laser engraving — cut into the surface rather than applied on top, so it cannot peel or fade. Single tone only: the mark is the natural colour of the burned material. Best for wood and for gifts meant to last years.
- Sublimation — for fabric, where the dye goes into the fibres. Does not crack or wear pale the way a printed film does.
A multi-colour logo on wood therefore has a real decision behind it: UV print keeps the colours, engraving keeps the permanence. Neither is wrong; they suit different gifts.
Where the logo should sit
For gifts going to your own staff, a visible logo is fine — it is a shared identity. For client gifts it should be small and off-centre: the underside of a coaster, the spine of a diary, the reverse of a key ring. A logo across the face of a desk item turns the gift into advertising, and advertising gets put in a drawer. Corporate gifts for clients covers this in more detail.
For giveaways at an exhibition or campaign the rule inverts — visibility is the entire purpose, and there is no relationship to protect.
Always check the proof
Every order gets a free design proof showing your artwork on the actual product before anything is produced. Look at three things: is the logo the right size for the object, is it in the right place, and are the colours what you expected. Corrections at this stage cost nothing.