Personalizer Plus Stencils

M

Marc Cooper

Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Messages
60
Hey All

I am trying to get a professional logo etched onto my knives. I had a very simple logo designed as I didn't want to mess with fine details, and I want to get a good chemical etcher and professional stencils printed.

From what I've read, the Personalizer Plus seems to be the go-to-choice for etching machines. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I also want to get sheets of my logo stencil printed professionally. Who should I talk to about this?

Appreciate the help. Thanks all!
 
I had a great experience with TUS Tech stencils and when I was doing the research they were highly recommended on here.
 
TUS or IMG for stencils. Voltage transformer for power supply (I do 20V DC for etching and 24V AC for marking).
 
I first tried going with stencils from TUS after researching the forums and hearing some good reviews, but I wasn't happy with the low res quality of the script (first initial and last name) on the stencil, even though I sent all kinds of sizes of my font image to make sure they had whatever size and resolution they needed to get the best stencil. The script came out rough around the edges, which of course translated to the etch itself. I asked the same questions multiple times in multiple emails and for some reason they just wouldn't answer them, which became a bit frustrating.

I then tried IMG since I wasn't satisfied with the stencils I received from TUS, and the lady was incredibly helpful and did all she could to get the cleanest stencil and resulting etch for me, eve by going in and editing line widths in the font herself as well as making a test stencil to make sure it etched well. I couldn't be happier with the quality of stencils and the service from IMG. She called me up and we spoke for about a half hour to make sure I got exactly what I wanted, sending me proofs via email while on the phone to see the edits she had made. I usually don't like doing things over the phone since I'm not the most chatty person, but she was easy going and very helpful. If I ever need new stencils and/or different stencil, IMG is definitely where I'll have them made.

Again, just my personal experience. I know others have good experiences with TUS stencils and service which is great, but I still wanted to share mine in case it may be helpful. I could probably dig up photos that compare the etches of the stencils made from both places if interested, the difference actually is pretty big.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
When was that Paul? (your experience with TUS) I guess it’s been 4-5 years since I’ve order stencils.
 
My stencils are from IMG and I've been 100% satisfied with them. Patricia was a real peach to work with as well.
 
ChristoDart said:
When was that Paul? (your experience with TUS) I guess it’s been 4-5 years since I’ve order stencils.
Click to expand...


I just checked the emails and it was September-October 2017, with 24 emails back and forth to get what I was asking. They were definitely nice folks, but the main problem was that the person(s) I worked with never really answered any of the questioned which I continued to ask to possibly help make it easier for them to get the smaller size I wanted. The lines were thin in the font I wanted for the size I wanted it in which was basically the main issue we were trying to work through, but the issue I had was that they never addressed any of my questions or comments, just sent a new proof that and didn't address what I asked for so I'd have to say it all again, which happened a few times and made it kinda awkward and felt like I was just wasting their time, especially since I was only ordering one or two sheets. I just think the entire process would've been much easier and faster if they addressed my questions and comments the first time.


Here is a picture of a printed cut out from the proof which TUS sent me (to see if I was happy with the size) and the resulting etch from the stencil, which is the same as the proof (this is scrap blade):



(It should also be noted that the images of the font I sent them in all the different sizes to make sure this wouldn't happen were nowhere near that bad, the quality drop only happened after they processed the images I sent them)


Here is an etch from the stencil I got from IMG, same exact size and font as the TUS stencils, which Patricia actually went in and edited herself to make sure the script flowed smoothly and looked clean:



The "P" on the etch above from IMG is also cleaner than it looks in that picture, the light is just hitting the inside corner in a weird way making it look more "pixelated" than it is. FWIW, these two are 3/4" wide for my larger knives such as kitchen, camp, etc, so these are obviously blown up much larger than they are in real life. I also got some in 5/8" wide for medium to small knives which aren't shown.

ETA: I think another thing that may have also caused some issue with my experience with TUS is that I was speaking to a "middle man" who had to relay the info to the graphic designer, whereas Patricia from IMG is the graphic designer and the person I was actually dealing with.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
Last edited:
Patricia at IMG has been very helpful every time I have called and the stencils have worked well.
 
Just wanted to say for a 2021 update that I just finished ordering stencils for the 1st time from IMG and will verify that Patricia is still very quick to respond to e-mails and phone calls and helpful with questions.
 
I evaluated TUS and IMG back around 2007 or 2008 and wrote up the results on Shoptalk. It's buried in the archives now. Doesn't much matter, though. Seems like the results were the same then, in 2019, and today. TUS Tech is pretty darned good, but sometimes has some edge issues. The gold IMG stencils kick arse and the lady is great to boot. Good to hear Patricia is still at the desk...

Stencil tip: clean periodically in cheapo sonic cleaner for jewelry with one drop of soap in the water. Rub VERY lightly to clean. Works a lot better than just running under water and swishing it with yer fingers.
 
Each time I've dealt with IMG Patricia has always been VERY knowledgeable and helpful.
 
I’ve used Lectrotech.com in the past and they were very reasonably priced and very patient with hobby knife makers and actually helping me design my makers mark.
 
I've used TUS exclusively and been happy with the results (they're also nearly neighbors).
However I have always supplied vector art (in PDF form) in the exact scale that I wanted, rather than trying to have someone mess with digital art on their end. The stencils ARE pixelated - it's the nature of the stencil mesh. But if you've done your scaling using vector graphics, you don't get pixelation in the *art*, which is key.

I have a Personalizer too, and it's been a workhorse.
Wasted a lot of time with DIY attempts - glad I spent a modest bit of money eventually.
 
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