As part of my continued focus on providing you with the Best of the Best, I’m proud to announce Name Tag, Inc. as Advanced Etiquette’s exclusive and recommended provider of all things related to name tags and badges. To kick-off this relationship, we have updated an article on the 12 Points on Name Tag Etiquette on the company’s blog.   Also at:  [http://www.nametagexperience.com/guest-articles/12-points-on-nametag-etiquette]

Please use Name Tag, Inc. for any name tag/badge products. In fact, mention the name Advanced Etiquette to receive a 10% discount on any product.

Read what I say about Name Tag, Inc.here… also at:  [http://www.nametagexperience.com/2010/04/22/syndi-seid-and-advanced-etiquette-names-name-tag-inc-their-exclusive-recommended-name-badge-provider]

IMPORTANT: Please do not confuse www.nametag.com with another company that has nearly the same web site name, with an “s” added to the word “tag.” www.nametag.com is the one to remember!

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Name Tag Etiquette – Printing Name Tags

Providing well pre-printed name tags is one of the most effective investments you can make to the success of an event, especially a networking event. Yet many people waste this great opportunity to help guests meet and greet at an optimum level. Here are a few tips to insure your name tags not only look great but are also the most productive.

First and last name, please: I am not a believer in printing name tags with the first name larger than the last name or ones with only a first name. Obviously you will be drawn to seeing the person’s first name, yet when the last name is too small to be easily read, I often totally dismiss it and as a result never remember the person in their totality… especially when the person has a common first name. A person’s full identity is derived from knowing both a person’s first and last name. Always print both the first and last name on two separate lines, with additional information onto a third line, as helpful.

No honorifics and titles: Do not place honorifics such as Ph.D. or Dr. or titles such as President or Sales Manager on a name tag. You can learn this information as you converse. Only at special events will honorifics or titles be helpful, such as a doctor’s convention where the doctor’s specialty may be nice to know or a company wide conference to know in what city various participants work.

Affiliations only: In addition to a person’s first and last name, the only other information to print is a person’s company or organization name. This is a great way to begin conversations.

Positioning counts: While we should all be proud of the organizations with which we are affiliated, it is not as important to see the name at the top of the tag as it is to view the person’s name. Logos should be placed at the bottom of the tag in a font size that’s easy to read, yet not equal to or larger than the font size used for the person’s name. Again, what’s most important is a person’s name, not the organization. This is particularly true when I gaze across the room. I want to see the person’s name, not the logo I already recognize.

MOST IMPORTANT… Font size matters: Name tags must be printed in a font size that practically fills the tag. It is a total waste of printing space to print tags in small or 12 point type. I always begin printing tags using 40 point type. Depending on the length of the names, I will then adjust the font size to fit the names on each line. Some names are larger or shorter, so adjust the font size accordingly.

Question of the Month: Do you have pet peeves about name tags and how they are printed or used? Let us hear about them in the Reply section at the end of this article below.

Be sure to forward this newsletter to anyone who has the task of printing or creating name tags. Email me with any questions you have about how to best print your tags. I’d enjoy hearing from you.

Related articles:
—View Syndi’s You-tube video on Name Tag Etiquette here, or at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmDCb4neM64

— Read Syndi’s original Advanced Etiquette article on this topic here, or at:  http://www.advancedetiquette.com/newsletter/apr06_issue.htm

ANNOUNCEMENT: Summer series of seminars for pre-teens, teens, parents, and adults are about to take place in July.  See www.AdvancedEtiquette.com/schedule for complete details and registrations.  Early discount period ends soon.

Happy Practicing!