Name Imprinting (Naire): The Smallest Way to Put Your Logo on a Japanese Product
Contents
Short answer: Name imprinting, naire (名入れ) in Japanese, adds your name or logo to a product the maker already makes. Many Japanese makers offer it routinely for corporate gifts and commemorations, so it is often the quickest and smallest way to get a Japanese product under your brand.
Why naire is a good first order
- The product is already proven. You are buying something the maker makes every week.
- Setup is small. Usually a plate, die or digital file for your logo, not new tooling for the product.
- Minimums are lower than private label or OEM, because only the marking is custom.
- It is a familiar request. Japanese companies order named items for gifts, anniversaries and events all the time, and many makers have a price list for it.
Methods by material
| Material | Common methods |
|---|---|
| Paper and card | Foil stamping (箔押し, hakuoshi), debossing, printing |
| Leather | Foil or blind debossing, laser |
| Metal (knives, tools, cutlery) | Laser marking, etching |
| Wood | Laser engraving, branding iron, printing |
| Ceramics and glass | Fired-on decal, sandblasting, printing |
| Textiles (towels, bags) | Embroidery, printing, woven labels |
What to send
- Your logo as a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF). A small logo that looks fine on screen can lose detail when stamped or embroidered.
- Size and position, roughly: “about 3 cm wide, bottom right of the cover”.
- Colour: foil colour, thread colour, or “blind” (no colour).
- Quantity, and whether you want several products marked the same way.
Questions to ask the maker
- What is the smallest and largest mark they can do on this product?
- Is the plate or die a one-off cost, and will they keep it for reorders?
- Will their own name still appear on the product?
- How long from approved proof to finished goods?
From naire to your own product
Many buyers start with naire, see how the product sells, and then move to private label or OEM. See OEM, ODM, private label and name imprinting for how the levels compare.
If you want me to ask Japanese makers about name imprinting on a particular product, send a brief. The search and the written quotes are free.
Top photo: “Fully automated schiffli embroidery machine by Saurer” by Chris Riedener, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and cropped. ↗ CC BY-SA 4.0
