Why Order from Alexander’s Custom Engraving & Trophies? We sell and manufacturer only products that fit our highest standards of quality in production, finish and engraving ability. Our philosophy is that the quality of the product is only as good as the quality of service that comes with it. Outstanding Customer Service and product quality is the backbone of our company.

Can I get a Printed Catalog? Yes. We do have catalogs from some of our suppliers if you would like. We do show many products online, and this allows us to keep costs down, and of course pass that savings to you. We do not have a printed catalog of ALL our products. If you have a basic idea of what you are looking for, we are more than happy to do the research to try to locate that item. Our website is our virtual catalog.

What kind of engraving/imprinting technology do you use? At Alexander’s Custom Engraving & Trophies we use computerized engraving or imprinting systems that can etch into many types of products. Combined with a high quality laser system we can even offer some of the most intricate detailed engraving, or specialty engraving on various materials. With the many processes that we use, I am sure we will be able to come up with a solution to your engraving needs.

What is the cost of engraving/imprinting?  Our basic engraving costs are just .20 per character. Logos are an additional 5.00 per logo. Depending on the engraving process there may be additional costs that will be fully explained if needed. Some of these charges would come from digitizing artwork, additional proofs, more than one color for imprinting.

What can I have engraved or printed on my award? If you have what you would like on paper, it can almost always be engraved. We also can work with you on getting the verbiage to read just how you would like. With Alexander’s being Custom Engravers, it’s really your ideas that we bring to life.

How much lettering will fit on my award? Character space depends on the product. Most average trophies easily engrave 3 lines. Plaques are limitless, of course the larger number of lines will decrease the font size of the engraving. We also provide proofs for approval if you would like, so that you could see the engraving before we actually do it. Two proofs are included. Additional proofs are 2.00.  We will not engrave the job until the proof cover sheet is signed and marked “production ok”.

What happens if I make a mistake on my engraving? We engrave the text that is given to us. We are not responsible for your typographical errors. Please be sure to check your order thoroughly prior to submitting your order via online, fax, mail or in person. We do not accept hand written or script text for engraving information.

We do not accept telephone orders under any circumstances.

What type of items can be engraved / imprinted? Many metals, plastic, acrylic, crystal, glass, aluminum, brass, pewter, sterling silver, stainless steel and wood items can be engraved.  

Can you engrave a calculator or camera for ID purposes? Yes, for the quick answer. We suggest that the item is brought in to us for evaluation. We can also suggest a plate for this purpose as most of the smaller electronics have thin plastic cases or a coating that would burn during lasering.

Can you engrave cylindrical objects such as glassware, cups or tankards? Yes, our laser engraver has a rotary attachment that allows us to engrave on glass objects up to 6" in diameter. We also offer many styles of glassware to choose from in our products showroom. 

Can you engrave on a flashlight? Yes, Mag flashlights look wonderful when lasered. Some with the colored coating and a silver base underneath is a stunning personalized piece. Sometimes you are limited to what you can put on, due to the size of the engraveable surface. If you have any further questions on this process please contact us.

Can photos be engraved or imprinted? Yes, we offer a Photo Quality Full Color Sublimation System. This is when a dye is used and heat transferred onto a print-receptive material. We also Photo Engrave as well.

Can you engrave letters at an arc? Yes, we can arc letters on any type of engraving that we do.  Engraving is very customizable. Many different and unique layouts, to your specifications.

Can you engrave on the back of charms or coins? Yes, we can engrave on charms or coins. As long as there is a flat surface, we are able to engrave on it.  

How small or large can you engrave? One of the keys to a good quality engraving on a smaller piece is the font choice. We go by the basic measurements in sizing the piece. The lettering can be so small that you can not read it without a magnifying glass. Our largest size to be engraved is 12 x 24. A piece as small as ¼ x ¼ can be engraved with initials and still be legible. Again, it is all custom, and we would suggest an alternative if we felt that in our experience you would not be happy with the size of the engraving.

Can picture frames be engraved? Yes, most picture frames can be engraved such as BURNES, CARR, etc. We are able to engrave on most metal, wood, laser, acrylic and crystal. We can also suggest a custom sized brass plate to mount on the frame. 

Can we use a specific windows font for engraving? There are thousands of fonts that are able to be used. If you have a sample with the font, we can almost always match it. If you provide the name of the font, we are usually able to locate it and match. We also have the capability to engrave in foreign languages. Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, to name a few. Same basic character charges apply.

What if my product that I give you to engrave has the plating flake off after being engraved? There are a lot of inexpensive silver plated gifts made. Many of these products do not have a good quality control in the silver plating process. If any oils or impurities are not properly cleaned before the plating is done, the silver will not properly bond to the base metal. To look at the cup, it is virtually impossible for you or the engraver to spot this kind of defect. The responsible party is the store you bought it from and their supplier or manufacturer. As many cups are not designed or rated to be engraved by the supplier, we suggest that you look for one that states that it is engraveable. We cannot guarantee the plating quality of an item that is not purchased from us. We will however stand by our products for their quality.

What kind of order processing technology do you use? Alexander’s Custom Engraving & Trophies uses a database system that fully integrates our order processing. We offer a secure shopping cart on our site.

Do I have to pay sales tax on my order? We charge sales tax to MI residents or for any order originating in the State of Michigan. If you have a tax exempt certificate and live in MI, we require you to provide us with a copy along with your order. We do not need the original certificate, a photocopy or fax will work. All out of state orders are not charged sales tax. All Michigan public schools or colleges are tax exempt automatically unless otherwise stated by the state of Michigan. However there are a few exceptions to this rule, for instance if you are ordering for an educational fraternity or club than you are considered taxable.

What is your usual production/turnaround time? On our brass plate orders, production time is 1-2 days. For stock items, our usual production time is 5 to 10 working days. Larger quantities and some products may require 10 to 20 working days depending on lead time. When art approval is necessary. The production time is determined after layout approval.

What is the best way to place an order? Online at alexandersengraving.net,  by fax at (586) 231-0592, or by email at sales@alexandersengraving.net

What if I don't find what I am looking for, can I special order? Yes of course! We have many suppliers and manufacturers. Call or email us with a description of the product you are looking for and we will see what we can do for you. If you have something already you are trying to match, you can email a photo and we will do the research to try and locate the item for you. With our growing promotional products / ad specialty line, we have even more access to those hard to find items.

Can I change my order after order placement? Once your order is processed, we cannot make changes to your order except for engraving information until it is engraved. If you need to make an engraving change please make it as soon as possible to avoid delay of the product or engraving. Please confirm the order quantity and engraving information before placing your order.

Can I cancel my order after order placement? Due to the customization of our products, once an order has been processed, all cancelled orders will be subject to a 10% cancellation fee. Confirm order quantities before placing your orders. Engraved items, engraving and possibly shipping will be charged on all orders canceled after work has been started or completed. For instance if we are engraving the order as you contact us to cancel the order, you will be billed the engraving that has been completed.

Do you offer quantity breaks or price breaks for non-profit associations? Yes. We offer quantity price breaks according to the prices we receive from our suppliers. We do not set a price break if you are a non-profit organization or school. It's simple, the more products you order the better the price break you will receive. Engraving does not qualify for price reductions unless noted or agreed upon via a sales associate.

Can I select any trophy figurine top or emblem with any trophy? Yes. All our figurines and emblems are interchangeable. That means that every trophy or plaque can be built with the figurine or emblem you specify. You can view all trophy figures and emblems online.

What forms of payment do you accept? We Accept: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. We also accept checks drawn on a U.S. bank account. Checks must also have a valid nine digit bank routing number (ABA code), located at the bottom of the check. All checks must clear before the engraving starts. We do offer applications for open accounts if that is required, however not for initial orders.

Do you have a minimum order? No, on most of our products. For engraving there is a minimum $6.00 engraving charge and in our Sublimation / Imprinting process has a $10.00 minimum order charge. There are some products mainly in our promotional products line that do require minimum/per piece orders. The good new is however that some companies will waive that minimum order for an additional charge (usually in the $50.00 range), so if you really need less than the minimum it can more than likely be done.

Can you make a replica of the Oscar, Cleo, Grammy Award, Heisman Trophy, Etc.? No, we cannot sell you a replica of these awards as they are held under very strict copyrights and trademark laws. The nice thing is however that the major manufacturer for these awards is a supplier of ours so most of the items are of the same or close to the same quality as the big name awards.  We do have some awards that look somewhat similar but are not exact. The most requested from us is usually Oscar. The awards that we offer that are similar cannot be stated as for instance an Oscar or Oscar (look-a-like). We as well as the manufacturer of the awards frown upon that.

 Can you give me quote even if I do not have all the engraving information? No, we cannot supply a committed quote unless we have all the information, this includes the engraving. We can give you a rough estimate, but we will not submit to a quote until all the information we need for the awards order is received by either email or fax. Also please keep in mind that quotes are just that. Sometimes there are changes that may arise that require a price adjustment. We make every effort to make sure this does not happen. When you are dealing with something that is 100% custom, sometimes there are additional charges that may arise.

Which shipping carriers do you use? We use UPS for all ground or expedited services. We also use The US Postal Service (USPS) for small packages or priority mail. We can also send to APO addresses.

What is the cost of mailing or shipping to my location? Our standard UPS ground shipping and handling is a flat rate of 8.00 anywhere within the US. If the item can be shipped via USPS in a standard #10 envelope, there is a flat 2.50 shipping and handling charge. If expedited shipping is required, the costs will be conveyed to the customer before being charged and shipped.

Your shipping is more than I expected, why? This is a very good question. We ship very fragile awards on a daily basis, so we have to make sure they are shipped in a secure manner. We are shipping glass, crystal, resin sculptures, acrylics and much more that require top notch package safety. We have costs that must be covered to package each item to guard against damage with normal handling by UPS. We do not like to ship items via US Mail as we cannot track the packages as well as other carriers. The majority of the charges in our shipping rates are that of the UPS shipping rates themselves, but that is not the only cost. We do have to cover the cost of boxes, packing materials, and labor to package your order. The handling is something that most people don't think about, however the question we ask is, would you rather get an award from someone who does not charge to package it up?. If the answer is yes, than chances are more likely that something be come damaged. Some places hide the cost of handling into the shipping so you don't know that they charge it. We prefer to be up-front and honest about our pricing policies and offer you a fair priced product and a fair priced shipping rate. With the ever raising rate of shipping due to the fuel surcharges and such, we strive to give you the best price all of the time. If we can save you money on shipping to your location, we try to. One way we do this is to try to reuse as many boxes and packaging material as possible that we can, to ship to you our client. This in turn means we don’t have to charge as much for handling, plus we are making an effort to help save the environment as well.

Do I have to be home when the order is delivered? US postal service or UPS generally does not require a signature for home delivery. However, it is up to the driver as to whether to leave the package if the weather or delivery area isn't considered to be safe. UPS will usually leave a note if they tried to deliver a package & there wasn't anyone there to accept the package. We can mail or ship items via delivery confirmation upon request for an additional cost.

Are signatures required to receive packages at my office/headquarters? UPS will require that someone must sign their tracking board before they leave the premises. Generally this is done by the receiving department or front desk associate.

What if I receive my order damaged or broken? We use UPS for all ground or expedited services. We insure all items with UPS when the order is shipped. We do not insure other carriers at this time unless upon request.