Today dog tags with names, logos and messages have moved into the civilian population in a big way. From wedding and party favors to tradeshows and religious events these customized dog tags are gaining in popularity and proving to be big hit promotional items. The most popular of these custom dog tags are embossed stainless steel, laser engraved anodized aluminum and full color printed plastic and metal.

All varieties of custom dog tags for people have the same dimensions as those used by the U.S. armed forces. The military dog tags we are most familiar with had their origins during WWI (1914-1918). By the Second Word War (1939-1945) the army was distributing sets of dog tags including one long chain, one short chain and two stainless steel tags. The soldier's information on these tags was stamped into the metal using a marking method known as metal "embossing".

Custom dog tags fall into two main categories: authentic military and military