A:  In August of 2009 we started working with Incense Cedar...a very interesting wood with a lot of character.  As you can see there are knots...and color...and spontaneity.  When I wear my Incense Cedar Wooden Name Tag people notice it and comment positively.

A side benefit is that this Incense Cedar is not coated on the back side, which allows the scent of the cedar to escape and be part of the character of the name tag.  This scent will one day be gone...but until then...I enjoy it. 

A:  Without question the magnetic fastener is the most frequently requested.  Cheryl and I also prefer magnetic fasteners for most of our name tags.  Next comes the Pin-back...the Pin-back fastener is used on thick things like jackets, and in stressful situations such as housekeeping.   We also have available bar pins, vinyl name tag pockets, lanyards, leather button hole, and bull clip fasteners.

A:  We live in interesting times.  We think about things now that we never thought about before.  We typically ship using USPS Priority Mail, using post office supplied boxes.  The Priority Mail boxes that we use have been awarded a "Cradle to Cradle" certification because of it's innovative vision and intelligent design that eliminates the concept of waste.  We ship each name tag in a clear envelope that contains partially recycled materials.  As time moves we incorporate more and more ecological efficiency into our products and methods.  It is important that we become good stewards of our earth.

A:  All but one of the woods that we work with are certified as being harvested in a sustainable manner, including the bamboos'. Myrtlewood, the only wood that we work with that is not certified, will not be restock when our current supply is depleted.  

A:  We find that anything below about 18 pts is too small.  A large font would be 40 pts or so.  There is no right answer.  Each name tag works in a different environment.  What is important is that the name tag be right for the job it has to do.

A:  One of the wonderful things about making wood and bamboo name tags is that none of them are the same.  Each name tag has it's own coloration, it's own wood grain, perhaps it's own knot or figure.  All the woods engrave differently, even within the same species.

As you might guess we have name tags strewn all around the studio...failures, flawed, trial designs, samples.  I enjoy looking at these little guys.  There is a lesson in each one.  Even though they have not made it to the final cut...even though they will never face a customer...they have their own little lives.

This is an interesting business.  For every 100 name tags that we ship we probably produce about 120.  We rarely throw them away...rather we keep them boxed up for some unknown future use. 

A:  Sampling 283 names from a large client reveals:

• 3 characters is the shortest first name.
• 6-7 characters is average.
• 11 characters was maximum (Mondravious)

We all realize that Bo is just 2 characters and that names can be longer than 11.

Why is this important?  Some clients prefer a fixed font size.  Other clients allow the font size to be adjusted so that the name fills the space. 

For clients who want one font size when designing name tags after the font is selected we adjust the font size so that "Clementine" (10 characters) fits.  Then all other names use that same size font.

A:  This is a complicated question! Should your name tag be formal or informal.  Only you can decide.  Should your name tag be serious or fun or business like?  Remember that name tags are not worn for the wearer, but rather they are worn for everyone else.  What does everyone else want to see?  What will cause everyone else to relate positively with you?

Industries are different.  In the Travel and Lodging industries it is not uncommon for staff members to have their place of origin on their name tags (example: Robin,  Iceland).

In large business it is not unusual for management to have first and last names, and general staff to have just first names.

A logo is certainly a good thing to have on a name tag.  Here are two recent favorites.

A:  Attaching jewels can be fun.  Here is what we did for a little party that we had at our home.  The jewel in the Rats eye was fastened with Gorilla glue.  An indentation had been engraved into the name tag the same size as the jewel.  Please note that this particular design is not for sale (because I assume it is a copyrighted design). 

A:  This is an interesting name tag...two woods and three colors.  People definitely notice this name tag.   It's true that this is not a simple base price name tag...but it is very unique and represents this business well.

We enjoy working on challenges like this.  Go ahead...challenge us...call Jim at 877-247-9779.  Make his day!

A:  Simply communicate with us.  If the change is simple, there usually will be no charge for the re-design work.  Your repeat business is always appreciated.

A:  It's easy.  You can call if you want, but we prefer email.  When you email, it is easier to communicate correct spelling of names.  Your request will be quickly confirmed.  You can expect that your order will be filled within 2-7 business days...sooner if there is an emergency of some sort (and if we can). 

To re-order, simply send an email to nametags@woodennametags.com and tell us what you want.  We'll ship the name tags with a Due Net 10 invoice.

A:  We use a furniture polish such as Pledge.  It doesn't take much.  Be careful to not use a cloth that will leave "fuzz" in your name tag.  A soft toothbrush or scotch tape can help remove fuzz/lint.

Over time, if your name tag becomes very "used" looking, consider wiping a good wood finish onto it.  Name tags last a long time without any care.  They are sturdy little workers. A 'slightly used' name tag is very attractive in my opinion.  Just don't let your name tag get too worn.  Your name tag is a reflection of yourself.

A:  Bottom line:  Yes. 

Most of these woods are hard woods, and the designs are carefully done so that the woods are not stressed.  I've learned that when I get a bit radical with designs, I need to be careful of breakage.  Breakage is easily avoided.  In extreme circumstances we engrave on Birch plywood.

I have one name tag that I drove over on a gravel drive.  It survived.  One of our customers asked us how waterproof they are...so we washed one in the clothes washer.  The little guy did pretty well.  You could tell that it had had an unusual experience.  We suggest that you don't wash the name tags.   Most of these name tags have two coats of CAB acrylic lacqeur covering the non-engraved portion of the name tag.

A:  The wooden name tags vary in weight...however, I just weighed one...it tipped the scale at about 1/4 ounce.  The magnet added another 1/2 ounce.  3/4 ounces total.

From a practical point of view, the name tags are not heavy...but they do have weight.   A name tag worn on an extremely light fabric might not be reasonable...but any other fabric would be OK.

Just messing around, I've worn my name tag on a t-shirt and it's fine.  My wife has a thin blouse that she is unable to wear a name tag on. 

A:  If I wear my wooden name tag in my car, the seat belt seems to remove it occasionally. 

One of the things that Cheryl and I like to do for relaxation is hand building hiking trails.  I wear my name tags when doing this to "test them".  I've not lost one yet.

Some of our customers use their name tags on thick jackets, so they order a name tag with a "pin" back instead of a "magnetic" back.  It's much more difficult to get a "pin" fastened name tag to come off accidently.  The down side of a "pin" back is that it puts two holes in the fabric.  Best to purchase a wooden name tag with a "pin" back just for that jacket...and leave it on.

I know that one of our customers orders the Housekeeping staff name tags with "pin" backs.

The magnets that we provide with our wood name tags are very strong two-pole magnets.  99% of the name tags that we ship are equipped with magnetic fasteners.

In some cases we can also provide "pocket inserts".  Depending on the design of the name tag these "pocket inserts" may or may not work.  They add about $3 to the cost of the name tag. 

A:  We use a laser engraver to carve these name tags.  The laser engraver emits light that is focused into a very strong beam that actually consumes the wood.  We engrave at 1,200 dpi.  1,200 dpi provides a tremendous amount of wonderful detail.   Following the laser engraving process, there is a lot of hand cleaning  and hand finishing done to make the name tag as perfect as possible.