How to get the wording right on a personalised gift

The best thing about a personalised gift is that it could only belong to one person. The tricky thing is that the words are there for good. Once a laser has engraved a name into wood, it cannot be rubbed out and done again. So here is the checklist we would use ourselves before sending us the words.

Check the spelling with someone who knows

It sounds obvious, but most mistakes on personalised gifts are spellings that looked right to the person ordering. Names have more versions than you think: Katie, Katy and Kaitlyn; Isla and Ayla; Steven and Stephen. If you are not completely sure, quietly ask someone who knows, or look at a birthday card they have signed.

Then type the words exactly as you want them to appear. We engrave what you send us, so if you write "jack" with a small j, that is what we will read.

Decide on capitals and punctuation

Think about how the words will look on the piece, not just how you would write them in a text. A few things to decide:

• Capitals: "Grandad" or "GRANDAD"? Both look good, but they look different.
• Full stops and commas: "Mr & Mrs Smith" reads better than "Mr and Mrs. Smith," on a sign.
• Line breaks: if you want the words on two lines, say where the break goes.

Keep it short

Short words engrave beautifully. A first name, a date, or a line such as "Est. 2026" will always sit well on a keyring, a tag or a box lid. Longer messages need a bigger piece, or smaller writing, and very small writing is harder to read across a room.

If you have a longer message in mind, such as a poem, a quote or a list of names, ask us first. We would much rather tell you what will fit than have you disappointed.

Write dates the way you say them

Dates can be written lots of ways: 14.02.2026, 14th February 2026, Feb 2026. Pick one and write it out in full in your note, so there is no guessing. Remember that someone abroad might read 03/04 as March rather than April.

Where to put the words when you order

Each personalised gift has a box on its page for its words, such as "Name to engrave". Type the name and the date there exactly as you want them, capitals and all, before you add it to your basket. Every gift keeps its own words, so a keyring for Sophie and a box for Sophie and Tom are simply two gifts. Anything else, such as which line goes where, can go in the "Anything we should know?" box in your basket.

Changed your mind?

Get in touch as soon as you can. Until a piece has been engraved, the words can usually still change. Afterwards, they cannot. A quick message the same day is always best.

Take a minute over the words and the gift will look exactly as you pictured it when they open it.