How Your Custom Plaque Is Made

Every order at PrintCraftMan moves through the same workshop in San Leandro, California. Here's what happens between the moment you place your order and the day your custom plaque shows up at your door.

1. Your photo gets opened by a person

Each order moves through the workshop with a designer involved at every step. When your order comes in, a designer opens your file. They balance the color, lift the shadows so faces don't disappear, restore old or scanned photos that have lost their sharpness, and lay out names, dates, or quotes in a way that feels right for the piece.

For pet portraits and watercolor commissions, an artist hand draws from your reference photo. Every stroke happens on a tablet in the workshop, drawn by our artist.

2. You see a digital proof first

Before a single piece of acrylic gets touched, we email you a proof. You see exactly how the final keepsake will look. If something's off, maybe the photo is too dark, the name is slightly wrong, the layout doesn't sit right, we revise it. Unlimited revisions during the proof stage, or a full refund if we can't get it right. Production only starts once you say yes.

3. Printing and engraving

Approved photos go onto clear acrylic via UV print with fade resistant ink. Names, dates, Spotify codes, and engraved messages get laser etched into wood bases, acrylic plaques, and wooden keepsakes.

We run our own UV printer and laser engraver here in the workshop. That means quality control happens at the workbench, in real time, while the piece is still warm from the machine. Nothing gets routed through a remote print farm.

4. Finishing and packaging

After printing comes the part that takes the longest, by far. Hand polishing every plaque to remove cut marks. Base assembly and LED wiring on lit base orders. Tissue paper wrap, kraft gift box, stone grey ribbon, and a handwritten card with the message you wrote at checkout. Every step happens at the workbench, by a person. Nothing leaves the workshop without one of us touching it.

3 to 5 days from approval to ship

Once you approve your proof, most orders are ready in 3 to 5 business days. If you need it faster, rush production (1 to 2 days) is available as an add on at checkout. We ship from the San Leandro studio with tracked delivery on every US order.

Online orders only

PrintCraftMan is a production studio. We do not offer in-person browsing or pickup. All orders happen online and ship across the United States. Email marketing@printcraftman.com or call (510) 626-3987 with any question, and we usually reply within 24 hours.

Browse our work

Memorial Plaques · Music Plaques · Anniversary Keepsakes · Custom Order