Engraving never fades but only does two colors. Printing does any color but wears out eventually. Here's the actual tradeoff.
These are the two ways to put a name on a badge, and the tradeoff hasn't changed in twenty years: permanence against color range. Pick one.
Engraving: permanent, two colors max
A laser removes the top layer of a two-ply laminate to expose the core color underneath. That's a depth change, not ink, so it can't fade, smear, scratch off or get cleaned away. It'll outlast the person wearing it.
The limit is hard: two colors, no gradients, no photography, and any logo has to reduce down to a single-color silhouette. Fine detail also fills in a little at engraving depth, so thin serifs and small strokes go slightly muddy.
Printing: any color, wears out eventually
UV printing at 1440 dpi reproduces your brand accurately, gradients, photos, Pantone matches, full-color logos, all of it. Under an overlaminate it survives years of normal handling without complaint.
But it's still a surface layer sitting on top of the badge. In kitchens, labs and outdoor jobs, the laminate eventually dulls and the edges start to lift, usually somewhere between eighteen months and three years.
The one-line rule for each situation
- Complex or multi-color logo: print.
- Harsh environment or a ten-year badge: engrave.
- Very small order: engraving is usually cheaper.
- High volume, full color: printing is usually cheaper.
- Need both: a printed face set into an engraved metal frame.