Personalized Embossers: Five Tips on Purchasing an Embosser That
Meets Your Needs
Sales of address embossers, monogram embossers, library seals
and other personalized embossers have skyrocketed in the past
few years as monogramming and personalizing has become more
popular. And as the demand has increased so have the number of
options for those planning weddings or simply looking to add a
personal touch to greeting cards. Understanding those options
and determining what your needs are will make selecting the
right personalized embosser easy. Below are five tips that will
ensure the personalized embosser you purchase will be the right
one:
Understand the Look You Want to Achieve Many customers think
that using an embosser will create the same look as having
something professionally printed or embossed; this is not the
case. The look produced will be different and knowing how you
want to finished product to appear will help you determine which
method to go with. The main benefit of purchasing an embosser is
that it saves you money - you will have to do some of the work
(like embossing each of the envelope flaps by hand) but you can
make as many as you want and use the embosser for years to come.
Determine What You Will Be Embossing There are many applications
for specialty embossers and knowing what you will be embossing
will help you choose the type of embosser that will work best
for you. Commonly embossed items are: standard paper, envelope
flaps (lined or unlined), napkins (through all 4 folded layers),
light-weight cardstock, and thick cardstock.
Communicate Your Embosser Needs to the Company You Are
Purchasing From There are several types of embossers available
and each has its benefits and limitations. When ordering make
sure to provide information about what your main use will be and
find out from the company you are working with what their
embossers will and won't do. This will save you a lot of time
and frustration. For instance, a handheld embosser is a good
choice if you want something that is smaller, for easier
storage, and lightweight, for portability. But a handheld
embosser is not ideal for embossing thick cardstock because you
won't be able to exert the pressure needed to make the
impression clear. Another example is purchasing a seal to emboss
standard 20 lb. to 24 lb. paper and then embossing napkins with
it - the embossing seal is likely to produce small holes or
tears in a paper napkin.
>From a manufacturing perspective the engraving depth on the dies
can be adjusted to accommodate different surfaces - a deeper
engraving for thicker paper and lighter engraving for thinner
materials, such as napkins. In order to get the best embosser
for your needs it is important that you are specific with the
company you are ordering from - otherwise you will receive the
embosser and then find out it doesn't work for what you want to
emboss.
See What the Embossed Image Will Look Like It is good to get an
idea of what your embossed image will look like; this presents a
unique challenge since black and white text sometimes looks
different when it is turned into an embossed image. See if the
company you are working with can provide samples of embossers
being used in a wide variety of applications and if they have
close up shots of an embossed impression to give you a general
idea of how your embossed image will appear. A company can also
make you a "proof" so you can see the layout of your embossed
information. It is important that you proofread the proof
because you are responsible for making sure that the information
you provide is correct. Most companies will inform you if you
have too many lines of text but seeing a proof will let you
double check to make sure everything you provided fits.
Go with a Manufacturer - They Have Faster Turnaround Times and
Are Usually Less Expensive When it comes to selecting a company
to purchase your personalized embosser from you can choose to
work with a specialty shop who resells embossers or work
directly with an embosser manufacturer. Going directly to the
manufacturer gives you more choices when it comes to type face
and layout. Price-wise a manufacturer will save you money
because the cost isn't being marked up by the specialty shop
that needs to make their profit on top of the original cost of
the embosser. Also, a manufacturer will be able to provide the
embosser to you faster because they can send the embosser
directly to you and cut out the time spend sending it to the
middleman.
No matter which you decide, keep in mind, you can choose to work
with a company through their website, at a brick-and-mortar
store location or over the phone. Choose whichever method works
best for you but keep in mind placing an order online or working
with a representative over the phone will save you the travel
time to and fro the store.
When purchasing a personalized embosser it is important to
remember that it is a customized product so getting a full
refund if you are unsatisfied may not be an option. That is why
assessing your requirements and communicating with the company
you are buying the embosser from is important - this will ensure
that you receive an embosser that meets your needs.