Artwork guide
What we need, and what engraves well.
Most people send us something imperfect and it works out fine. This page is here so you know what to expect rather than to put you off — if in doubt, send whatever you have and we will tell you honestly.
File formats
What to send
| Format | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| SVG, AI, EPS | Ideal | Vector artwork. Scales to any size with no loss, and we can adjust line weights if something is too fine to engrave cleanly. |
| Ideal, usually | Fine as long as the artwork inside is vector rather than a placed photograph. If you are not sure, send it and we will tell you. | |
| PNG | Usually fine | Works well if it is high resolution and the background is transparent or plain white. Aim for at least 1000 pixels across the artwork itself. |
| JPG | Workable | The compression softens edges, but a large clean JPG of a logo is usually enough for us to work from or redraw. |
| A photo of a sign or pump clip | Send it anyway | More common than you would think. We will redraw it properly as a vector at no charge, and you keep the file. |
| A Word document or a screenshot | We will redraw it | Not usable as-is, but perfectly fine as a starting point. Send whatever you have rather than nothing. |
There is no artwork setup fee and no design fee at any quantity, and we do not charge for redraws — however many it takes. If you would rather email files than upload them, send them to trade@lucentlabs.uk and mention your order.
What engraves well
Solid shapes and bold lines
Engraving is essentially one colour — a frosted white against clear glass. Anything that reads well as a solid silhouette reads well engraved.
Type down to about 6pt
This is where the UV laser earns its keep. Small lettering that would fill in on a CO₂ machine stays legible here, which is what makes mottos, dates and web addresses possible.
Fine heraldic detail
Club and pub crests are the hardest artwork there is, and the thing we are asked for most. Thin lines stay separate rather than merging into a grey mass.
Reversed-out artwork
A design can be engraved as a frosted shape with clear glass showing through the details, rather than the other way round. Sometimes it is much stronger. We will show you both if it is a close call.
What is harder
Photographs
Not impossible — we have a way of preparing photographs that works better than most — but it is the one thing where the result depends heavily on the picture. A strong, high-contrast image with a clear subject converts well. A busy or flat one does not. We will show you before you commit.
Gradients and soft shadows
Engraving has no grey scale: the glass is frosted or it is clear. We redraw gradients into something that reads properly rather than letting them flatten out on their own, but a design that leans entirely on a soft fade will change character.
Colour as the only difference
If two parts of your logo are the same tone and only differ in colour, they merge. Usually we solve it with a fine outline, occasionally by redrawing that part of the mark. Either way you will see it on the mockup first.
Hairlines under about 0.2 mm
Below that the engraving struggles to hold a continuous line. We thicken them slightly, which is almost always invisible in the finished glass.
Sizing and placement
You do not need to work this out.
Send the artwork at whatever size it happens to be. We scale and position it on the glass, then send you a mockup showing exactly how it will sit — height on the glass, width across the face, and how it looks from a normal viewing angle.
If you do have a preference — bigger, smaller, higher, centred on the seam — say so and we will do it. If you have no idea, we will use our judgement and you can tell us to change it. Redrafting the mockup is free and nobody has ever annoyed us by asking for a second version.
Reference
Glass dimensions
Rough guide to how much room there is. The usable engraving area is always narrower than the glass itself, because the curve steepens towards the edges.
| Glass | Capacity | Height | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodega Pint | 568 ml | 125 mm | 95 mm |
| Silhouette Red Wine | 470 ml | 194 mm | 92 mm |
| Conical Pint | 568 ml | 155 mm | 90 mm |
| Willi Becher Pint | 570 ml | 174 mm | 82 mm |
| Silhouette White Wine | 310 ml | 179 mm | 82 mm |
| Tulip Pint | 580 ml | 160 mm | 80 mm |
| Whisky Tumbler | 320 ml | 94 mm | 79 mm |
| Glass Coffee Mug | 330 ml | 100 mm | 75 mm |
| Krosno Mixology | 390 ml | 150 mm | 70 mm |
| Willi Becher Half | 370 ml | 150 mm | 65 mm |
| Highball | 340 ml | 150 mm | 65 mm |
| Bud Vase | 250 ml | 150 mm | 60 mm |
| Champagne Flute | 230 ml | 225 mm | 50 mm |
| Conical Shot | 80 ml | 75 mm | 50 mm |
| Heavy-Base Shot | 65 ml | 60 mm | 45 mm |
Beyond a single position
Wraparounds, multiple positions, individual names.
Artwork that runs the full circumference, a design in three places around the glass, a different name on every glass in a set — all possible, all quoted per project because the price depends on how much of the glass the artwork covers.
For a wraparound, send the artwork as a flat strip rather than wrapped — we will work out the circumference and where the join falls.
Send it over and we will tell you.
Attach the artwork to your order or email it separately. We will come back with a mockup on the actual glass, and if the file needs redrawing we will say so and do it.