Crystal & Awards Printing in Dubai
Sun Studio prints full colour directly onto crystal, glass and acrylic awards from our studio in Al Quoz. Photographs, gradients, brand colours and Arabic calligraphy go onto the piece and are cured there, rather than being cut into it.
It is specified for award ceremonies and gala nights, employee recognition and long service, sports and academic prizes, partner and sponsor plaques, and commemorative pieces in Dubai and across the UAE. We print on awards you supply, or source the crystal on request. This is colour printing, not engraving.
Send the names list in the exact spelling you need. That is where award orders go wrong.
What we can print
Anything flat enough to sit on the bed, and most award shapes are:
- Crystal trophies and awards: octagonal, rectangular, star, diamond and iceberg blanks.
- Glass and crystal plaques: partner, sponsor and commemorative boards.
- Photo blocks and paperweights: a colour photograph printed on the face and read through the block. The floating 3D image inside a block is sub-surface laser engraving, a separate trade.
- Acrylic awards: where weight, budget or shipping rules out crystal.
- Bases and plinths: printed to match the award rather than left plain.
- Medals, shields and desk pieces: the rest of the ceremony.
- Presentation boxes: so the box carries the branding too.
Printing capabilities
Awards ask for two things at once: a finish that looks expensive, and a different name on every piece.
- Full colour photographic printing A portrait, a logo lockup or a gradient, at photographic quality.
- White ink The layer that makes colour read on clear crystal instead of disappearing into it.
- Personalisation A different name on every award at no extra setup, because there is no screen and no plate.
- Arabic and bilingual lockups Set and printed at the resolution the calligraphy deserves.
- Second surface printing The image printed on the back face so it is read through the crystal, with the crystal itself between the print and anyone handling the front.
- Raised and textured ink A logo you can feel, built up in layers.
Printed or engraved
Almost every crystal trophy or glass award in the UAE is decorated one of two ways, and the difference is not quality. It is colour.
Laser engraving
A laser fractures the crystal, on the surface or inside it, to leave a frosted mark. It is permanent, it cannot wear off, and on a plain logo it looks classic.
The limit is physical: the mark is frost. It has no colour of its own, so a brand colour, a gradient, a photograph or a two-colour logo cannot be reproduced. Everything arrives as the same white.
Direct UV printing
Ink is laid onto the crystal in full colour and cured as it goes down, with a white layer underneath wherever the colour needs to hold against clear glass.
That puts photographs, gradients, exact brand colours and bilingual lockups on the award, and lets every piece in a run carry a different name for no extra setup.
Which to ask for
If the artwork is a single-colour logo and the brief is a traditional trophy, engraving is a good answer and plenty of Dubai suppliers do it well.
If the artwork has a photograph, more than one colour, a gradient, or a name that changes on every piece, printing is the only one of the two that can do it. Our guide to custom trophies, awards and plaques in Dubai compares the options material by material.
Who this is for
Awards work reaches us from:
- Corporate HR and internal communications: employee of the year, long service, sales awards.
- Event and awards organisers: gala nights and industry ceremonies, usually to a fixed date.
- Trophy shops and gifting companies: who supply the crystal and use us for the colour.
- Government entities and authorities: recognition and commemorative pieces, usually bilingual.
- Schools, universities and sports clubs: graduation, tournaments and prize days.
- Banks, developers and hotels: partner, sponsor and milestone plaques.
What to send before we can quote
An awards order is a deadline with a names list attached, so lead with both:
- The ceremony date: the date the awards must be in hand, not the date they leave us.
- The award: a photo or the model, its size, and whether you are supplying it or want it sourced.
- Quantity, and whether every piece is identical or personalised.
- Artwork: logo as vector, and any photograph at full resolution rather than pulled from social media.
- The names list in the exact spelling and order required, in Arabic as well if the piece is bilingual.
- Whether boxes are needed, and whether they are branded too.
Not sure which file to send? Our artwork preparation guide covers file formats, vector conversion and what each surface needs.
How it works
The date, the award, the quantity, the names list and the artwork.
We confirm what the piece needs, whether white ink is required, and whether the date is realistic.
One award is printed and approved before the run, names included.
The order is printed, checked against the names list, boxed and ready for the date.
Crystal trophies, glass and acrylic awards we have printed
Full colour on crystal, glass and acrylic:
Technical considerations
Crystal is the hardest kind of substrate to design for, because it is not a background. It is clear, it is thick, and it bends what is behind it.
What that means in practice:
Clear needs white behind it
Thickness refracts
Photographs need resolution
Names are the real risk
Bevels and curves
Common questions
Can you print a photograph in full colour on a crystal award?
What is the difference between UV printing and laser engraving on crystal?
Do you supply the awards or print on ones we provide?
Can every award carry a different name?
What is the minimum order for printed crystal awards?
Can you print Arabic on a crystal award?
Will the printed colour scratch off or fade?
How long does an awards order take?
Do the awards come in presentation boxes?
Have awards to print?
Send the ceremony date, the award, the quantity, the names list and the artwork. We will confirm what the piece needs, print one for approval, and tell you honestly whether the date works.