At North Star, our business is customized products...

That's why prices on our site do not include engraving/personalization. Due to the wide variety of processes and marking techniques we can provide, it is impossible to give a set personalization price for every item we offer.

There are a few exceptions to this rule - Specialty Products, Name Tags, some sublimated items, some glassware and AA medallions.

Specialty products usually include a 1 color/1location imprint. Additional colors or locations can be quoted. Our name tag prices also include any logo's, names and titles. Where possible, products that include personalization will be identified as such.

Once we receive your order, we will confirm the final price with you before putting your order into production.

What appears below is a general guide to the products we carry, the cost of processes we use to personalize them and general requirements and costs for logo or other artwork.

If you have any questions that are not answered here, simply call or e-mail us and we'll be glad to help you out.

We hope this helps!

Click here to go directly to artwork requirements

Plaques:

The cost for engraving on plaques is 15 cents per letter. There are no set-up charges for plaques using text and stock decoration elements only.

Custom logo's on plaques are $5.00 each to engrave.

Updates for annual/perpetual plaques are $7.50 each for singles and as low as $5.00 each for multiples.

One time set-up costs for logo's start at $10.00 and increase based on the complexity of the job and the quality of the artwork we are given to work with.

There is some variability in these costs for exceptional quantities. We will provide a custom quote for any job that meets this criteria.

Medals:

The cost for engraving on medals is 8 cents per letter. There are no set-up charges for medals using text and stock decoration elements only.

Custom logo's on medals are usually done by using a custom insert disc on one of our insert medals. The cost ranges from 50 cents for a b&w 1 inch insert to $1.00 for a full color 2 inch insert.

One time set-up costs for logo's start at $10.00 and increase based on the complexity of the job and the quality of the artwork we are given to work with.

All medals include the Red/White/Blue or the Green/White neck ribbon. Alternate colors, or lapel ribbons are available for 90� each.

Key fobs for medals are 95 cents each

There is some variability in these costs for exceptional quantities. We will provide a custom quote for any job that meets this criteria.

Trophies:

The cost for engraving on trophies is 8 cents per letter. There are no set-up charges for trophies using text and stock decoration elements only.

Custom logo's on trophies are 50 cents - $1.00 each to engrave.

Updates for annual/perpetual trophies are $6.00 each for singles and as low as $4.00 each for multiples.

One time set-up costs for logo's start at $5.00 and increase based on the complexity of the job and the quality of the artwork we are given to work with.

There is some variability in these costs for exceptional quantities. We will provide a custom quote for any job that meets this criteria.

Acrylics:

Acrylic awards are laser engraved to produce a beautiful frosted effect. The cost for laser engraving varies depending on the size and complexity of the job but generally ranges from $10 - $30 per piece, with $15.00 - $20.00 being common for a typical prestige acrylic piece. These prices include any custom logo's

One time set-up costs for logo's start at $10.00 and increase based on the complexity of the job and the quality of the artwork we are given to work with.

There is some variability in these costs for exceptional quantities. We will provide a custom quote for any job that meets this criteria.

Glass Awards & Glassware:

Glass awards are laser engraved like acrylics and the cost for glass awards is the same as acrylic.

Glassware that we provide is also laser engraved and generally provided with an all inclusive price, such as $13.50 each for small quantities of customized beer steins. Bride's to be often bring us champagne glasses to be engraved for their wedding reception. Items like this are usually around $5.00 each for engraving, depending on quantity.

One time set-up costs for logo's start at $10.00 and increase based on the complexity of the job and the quality of the artwork we are given to work with.

There is some variability in these costs for exceptional quantities. We will provide a custom quote for any job that meets those criteria.

Giftware:

This is such a broad area of items and processes that it's impossible to quantify in a paragraph or two. What follows is a sampling of typical items and the usual engraving costs.

$7.50 - $15.00 engraving cost

Pins and Pen boxes   Key Chains   Zippo Lighters   Picture Frames   Small Clocks

Small engraving plates attached to various giftware items    Hunting Knives   Shot Glasses

Beer Steins   Letter Openers   and similar small items

$15.00 - $25.00 engraving cost

Stainless Steel Travel Mugs   Pewter Steins and Flasks   School Bells   Watches

$20.00 - $30.00 engraving cost

Larger Clocks   Belt Buckles

Screen Printing & Pad Printing:

All custom screen printing and pad printing orders are custom quoted. Please contact us for details.

Artwork Requirements

At North Star, our goal is to provide top quality products and personalization. High quality artwork and logo's are often a very important component in achieving this goal. The following are guidelines to help ensure that the recognition products you purchase become treasured mementos of accomplishment for your recipients for years to come.

Please read this entire section. It covers all of the most common artwork questions and concerns. If you have any questions that are not answered here, simply call or e-mail us and we'll be glad to help you out.

We can work with most of the standard Windows graphic formats including:

.bmp  .tif   .jpg   .gif   .ai   .cdr   .wmf   and  .psd   among others.

Our primary artwork and layout programs are Corel Draw X3 and Adobe Photoshop v.7. We can work with anything that these programs can open or import.

We can work with files produced by most digital camera's.

We can also work with Microsoft Office files. It should be noted however that there are often quality issues when extracting logo's from Word and Powerpoint documents, so this method is not preferred.

Web page graphics are rarely useable! These graphics are designed to display quickly and beautifully on a computer monitor, but are too low quality for most imprinting or engraving. These files are almost always 72 - 96 dpi and in .jpg or .gif format. High quality files in these formats, such as those produced by digital cameras are fine, but the web page versions are usually not useable. If we must work from such files, artwork charges will be added to your invoice.

In general, artwork should be at least 300 dpi. Lower resolution than this usually produces unacceptable results, or requires expensive artwork time to make useable.

If possible, the artwork should be larger than the size we are going to be imprinting or engraving it at. Going from larger to smaller helps ensure a quality result.

Logo artwork to be used for diamond stylus or laser engraving should be black & white only!  This means literally black and white - no shaded colors or shades of grey. Logo art that is entirely in one solid darker color, like red or blue, should also be useable. If you do not have such a file, we can do the conversion for you, however additional set-up and or artwork charges will depend on the complexity of the job and the quality of the artwork we are given to work with.

Logo's and/or photo's for sublimation, or laser engraving of a photo, can be in b&w or color.

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If you do not have a high quality electronic version of your artwork or logo, we can scan from good quality printed material or photographs.

In the online ordering context, this means that after you have submitted your order, you will have to get a hard copy of your artwork to us by mail, courier or drop off at our store. Please indicate that you are doing so when you place your order online.

Good quality letterhead, some printed brochures, professionally produced pmt's, photographs and similar items are useable for scanning and reproduction.

Faxed artwork is not useable! The quality is simply too low. At one time, faxed artwork was common because the equipment we used was not much better. At North Star we are committed to providing the best quality and value in personalization. As such, we regularly update our equipment to provide the best advances in technology for our customers. Because of this, faxed artwork is no longer suitable.

Business cards are rarely useable! Only the highest quality printed business cards scan well enough for reproduction. Most people do not have these expensive high quality cards. The rest have fuzzy edges which are not obvious when you look at the business card, but become glaringly obvious when they are scanned for reproduction. If we must work from such a card, artwork charges will be added to your invoice.

So how much are these "Artwork Charges"?

We charge $25.00 per hour for artwork preparation. This is one of the lowest rates in the industry. We have found that the average low quality logo takes between one and two hours to make useable. Some take less than this, but many take even more time. Artwork preparation is charged over and above normal one time set-up charges for logo's and other artwork. Once we receive your artwork file, if we find that there will be significant artwork or set-up charges, relative to the number of items being personalized, we'll consult with you before we proceed.

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