Personalised slate coasters engraved in the UK.
Engraved slate coasters made in the UK. Sizes, how laser engraving looks on natural slate, artwork setup, bulk quantities and lead times explained.
Engraved slate coasters sit somewhere between a promotional item and a proper gift, which is why pubs, distilleries, estate agents and wedding couples all order them. This guide covers how engraving behaves on natural slate, what artwork works and how bulk pricing stacks up.
How engraving looks on slate
Slate is dark grey to near black, and the laser burns away the surface to reveal a pale, chalky grey underneath. The result is a high-contrast light-on-dark design with a slightly textured feel, which is why engraved slate photographs so well.
Because slate is a natural stone, the tone and grain vary from piece to piece and the engraved shade varies a little with it. That variation is part of the material rather than a fault, and it is one of the reasons slate looks more expensive than a printed coaster.
Design appears pale grey against dark slate
Single tone only - colour artwork is converted
Natural variation in grain, edge and thickness
Felt or rubber feet protect the table underneath
Artwork that engraves well on slate
Bold logos, monograms, single lines of text and simple line illustrations all engrave beautifully. Photographs and heavy gradients do not, because slate has no midtones to work with - everything resolves to engraved or not engraved.
Supply artwork as a PDF or high-resolution PNG. Solid black on white line art gives us the cleanest possible result, and we will always tell you before cutting if something in your file is going to close up.
PDF or high-resolution PNG at 300dpi
Solid shapes and bold type work best
Avoid photos, gradients and hairline strokes
Free file check on every order before production
Single coasters, sets and bulk orders
Individual coasters suit wedding favours and named gifts, where every piece carries a different name. Sets of four or six suit retail, hampers and corporate gifting.
For venues ordering in volume, the unit cost drops as quantity rises, but there is no plate or screen to pay for, so a run of twenty is still perfectly viable. That is a real advantage over printed coasters, where small runs carry the setup cost.
Lead times and reorders
Identical designs run quickly. Orders where every coaster carries a different name take longer to lay out and proof, so allow more time for wedding favour sets than for a single venue logo.
Because we hold your engraved file, reorders skip straight to production. Send your original order reference and we will match the first run exactly.
Can slate coasters be engraved with a photo?
No. Engraving on slate is single tone, so it reveals pale grey where the laser passes and leaves dark slate everywhere else. Photographs have no way to resolve into that, so we recommend a logo, monogram or line illustration instead.
Do you supply slate coasters in bulk?
Yes. There is no setup plate or screen, so bulk runs get cheaper per unit without a minimum design charge. Send your quantity through the quote form and we will price it.
Will every coaster look identical?
The engraving will be identical, but slate is natural stone so the grain, tone and edge vary slightly between pieces. Most customers see that as the appeal of the material.
Are the coasters protected underneath?
Yes, the underside carries feet so the slate does not mark the surface it sits on.
Where are your slate coasters engraved?
In-house in the UK, which is why we can turn around reorders and event deadlines quickly.
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