Engraving vs Etching: Which Is Right for Your Award?

By Michelle W., Production Art Manager

Whether your award should be engraved or etched depends on what it's made of and what goes on it. Awards.com deep sandblast etches logos and lettering into crystal, glass, and stone. We laser engrave photos and fine detail, plus anything in acrylic or wood. Metal gets laser or rotary engraving. And for an image that floats inside the award, there's a third method: subsurface laser engraving in optic crystal.

Engraving and etching are free on every award. We engrave and decorate at our in-house facilities across the US and Canada.

Engraving and Etching by Material

Awards.com matches the method to the material, because each one takes a mark differently.

Material	How Awards.com Marks It
Crystal	Deep sandblast etching for logos and text. Laser engraving for photos and fine detail. Subsurface laser for a 3D image inside the piece.
Glass	Deep sandblast etching for logos and text. Laser engraving for photos and fine detail.
Acrylic	Laser engraving or UV full color printing. Never sandblasted.
Wood	Laser engraving.
Metal	Laser engraving or rotary engraving.
Stone	Deep sandblast etching.

When Laser Engraving Is the Better Choice

Laser engraving marks the surface with a focused beam, and it holds detail a blast mask can't: photographs, fine lines, and small type. It's how we decorate acrylic awards and wood, it's one of our 2 methods for metal, and it's the choice on crystal and glass when the artwork is a photo or a detailed logo. The mark is shallow, so you see it more than you feel it.

Laser engraving is also one reason acrylic awards cost less than crystal. Acrylic is easier to work with, and a laser marks it quickly and cleanly, so the saving is in the work rather than the material. Sandblasting acrylic would be overkill, and we don't do it. For full color, we print acrylic with UV printing instead.

How Deep Sandblast Etching Works

Deep sandblast etching carves the design into crystal, glass, or stone. We cut a rubber mask to match your artwork, press it onto the piece, and blast the open areas with fine abrasive under high pressure until the design sits well below the surface. Then we peel the mask, leaving a frosted mark with depth you can feel with a fingertip, and we can paint-fill the cut if you want color.

Deep sandblast etching is the right call for logos, lettering, and seals on crystal awards and glass awards, where the frosted cut reads white against the clear material. Because the design is cut in rather than printed on, it won't fade, peel, or wear off, and it holds up for 20 years on a shelf. The mask step makes it slower than laser, so check our award engraving lead times if your date is tight.

Subsurface 3D Laser Engraving in Crystal

Subsurface laser engraving puts the image inside the award instead of on it. A pinpoint laser fractures microscopic dots within clear optic crystal, so a logo or 3D model appears to float in the middle of the piece, and with nothing on the surface, it never wears off. It works only in optic crystal, so acrylic can't take it. Custom 3D art needs prep before anything is cut, so 3D crystal awards need extra time on the schedule.

Not sure which method suits your artwork? Send us your logo and tell us what the award is made of, and our Awards Experts will recommend the method that holds it best. You will receive a proof for your approval before production within 2 business days. Call 1-800-429-2737, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm ET.

Engraving and Etching FAQs

Is glass engraved or etched?

Both. Awards.com deep sandblast etches most logos and lettering into glass and crystal, because the frosted cut has depth and won't wear off. Photos and fine detail get laser engraved instead, since a laser holds detail a blast mask can't.

Does laser engraving wear off?

No. A laser marks the material itself rather than printing on top of it, so the engraving is permanent.

Is etching cheaper than engraving?

At Awards.com they cost the same, because both are free on every award. The award itself sets the price, and part of why acrylic costs less than crystal is that it's quicker to laser engrave.

Can acrylic awards be sandblasted?

Awards.com doesn't sandblast acrylic, because it would be overkill for the material. We laser engrave acrylic awards or print them in full color with UV printing.

Is metal engraved or etched?

Engraved. Awards.com uses laser engraving on metal for fine detail and logos, or rotary engraving, where a spinning bit cuts the line into the metal.