Gift ideas for moms, dads & grads

Personalization takes an ordinary gift for a mom, dad, or grad, and with a few words or a photo, makes it something they’ll want to keep forever.

“When you think of drinkware, an ornament, a tumbler, a mug, or those items that are seemingly ubiquitous, if it has a photo on it or a drawing, those are things you’re likely to cherish and keep,” said Jackie Faeth, marketing coordinator for Johnson Plastics Plus. “People are willing to pay for items that are unique and special to them.”

The personalization of gifts, a market that has seen growth in the past 10 to 15 years, is popular for all kinds of items, with drinkware and home decor dominating sales, Faeth said.

“The cool thing about what our customers do is they can take those items and make the coolest gifts ever,” remarked Faeth. “The possibilities are just endless with the combination of materials and technologies.”

Moms & dads

“Ornaments are always huge,” Faeth said. “We tend to think of them as Christmas gifts, but they can be given any time of the year.”

Ornaments can be gifted for first-time parents or a first Mother’s or Father’s Day and can be hung, made into a car charm, or displayed on a shelf as decoration.

Popular for dads is a custom basement or man cave sign, such as an engraved sign stating “Dad’s Bar,” a hammer with his name engraved on the handle, or a sublimated insert for a tool chest saying something like “Don’t touch!” If the sign or insert is metal, a diode laser can be used, while a laser engraver is preferable for materials like wood or acrylic.

Another popular item is photos made into gifts, such as photo panels or photo jewelry. Photo panels are a collection of photos sublimated onto different panels and hung or placed in a shadow box, commemorating special moments or showing off favorite images of family and friends. Alternatively, photo jewelry can be diode or laser engraved, depending on the material, with words or images engraved onto a charm or a metal pendant.

For instance, a metal charm could have initials with flowers of the birth months of their children engraved onto the piece. Or a metal bracelet with a charm with a heart-, square-, or circular-shaped insert can be sublimated with a photo. Also popular is laser-cutting a favorite child’s drawing or their handwritten words onto a sign or something that can be placed on a desk.

“There’s so much you can do beyond a Happy Mother’s Day or Father’s Day mug,” Faeth said. “You can take acrylic and make a charm bracelet for a parent, and every year make a new charm.”

Beyond metal and wood, soft materials, like ties or socks, can be sublimated with photos, patterns, or words, using a sublimation printer and a transfer to adhere the image onto a blank using a special sublimation ink to make the image.

Tumblers and other stainless steel drinkware items continue to be a popular gift item, not just for moms and dads, but for everyone in the family, said Chris Smith, COO of Marco Awards Group.

Drinkware can come in styles from wineglasses to 20-ounce and handled 40-ounce mugs. The items can be laser engraved or directly printed, though laser engraving is the most popular for the durability and pop of color it can offer.

“It’s something many already have, which makes them fun to swap out or even [make into] an accessory with their outfits,” said Sara Thompson, laser/UV coordinator for JDS Industries. “The color combinations, mixed with personalization of the drinkware, can make it as unique as your parent is to you.”

Knives are “part of a huge industry that covers such a large demographic of people and their professions and hobbies,” Thompson said.

“The knives can be sold without any personalization and be a great standalone gift. Adding the extra touch of personalization makes them more than a utility item but one to be treasured,” Thompson said, adding that personalization is done through direct laser engraving or incorporating Cermark to mark the items with things like logos, names, and initials.

Condé Systems’ top sellers for moms are UV-printed or laser-engraved gift boxes, sublimatable linens sold by the yard, and blank items like totes, zippered cosmetic bags, pillowcases, and kitchen accessories like aprons, oven mitts, and potholders.

“If you buy the fabric, you can sublimate it all the way, then cut and sew it,” said David McLean, president of Condé Systems Inc. “Also popular for a cook are glass cutting boards and stainless steel serving bowls that are vacuum insulated and have an attached lid that can stand upright, both of which can be sublimated. The bowls can be engraved on the sides, plus the lid has a round disc for sublimating.

“Personalized gifts have so much more value than something off the shelf,” McLean said. “Personalized gifts are rising in popularity because it doesn’t cost much more than a plain item from a big box store.”

“We also carry a line of office essentials, awards, and gifts made with vegan leather that can be personalized with a name or message,” Smith said. “Another great gift idea for dads and moms is our bamboo kitchen items and barbecue gift sets. These useful accessories can be easily laser engraved or UV printed with messages and family names directly onto the product with all types of personalized messages.”

The items can be personalized with full-color UV printing as well as traditional laser engraving.

“Our customers are looking for items that have meaning but also are useful items the recipient can use throughout the year,” Smith said. “A sublimated mug or an engraved tumbler will always remind the recipient of a friend or loved one.”

Grads

A trendy home decor item for high school graduates is a set of linen storage cubes with a monogram or design they love for organization and saving space. Other high-selling grad items include custom pillow covers, caddies for shared restrooms, and sublimated or engraved notebooks to take to class.

Also popular are personalized puzzles by taking a special photo, such as of a graduate, and sublimating the image onto a blank or custom shape like the state where the graduate will be attending school.

Leatherette cord cases are popular for graduates to keep all their chargers in one place when going to class or traveling. JDS Industries makes cases that are wrapped with a leatherette and have inside pockets and straps to accommodate several cords, charger blocks, and other technological devices. The cases can be personalized through laser engraving, UV printing, or heat transfer vinyl (HTV) or direct-to-film (DTF) treatments with things like logos and names.

“The younger generation has multiple devices needing to be charged, so it’s practical and stylish,” Thompson said. “In this tech-heavy world, there is a charger for everything.”

Additional popular items for graduates include sublimated stoles, decorated with the graduate’s school name, and things for their vehicle, such as personalized air fresheners and sublimated frames for license plates.

“Anything auto-related they would appreciate if they’re getting their first car,” said McLean.

Wrapping up

Personalized gifts are unique, one-of-a-kind items that can last forever, and gifts that are tailored for moms, dads, and grads carry extra meaning and will be something to treasure.

These kinds of gifts not only mark a special occasion like Mother’s or Father’s Day or a milestone like graduation, but they also show that the gift giver put thought, effort, and love into choosing and personalizing the gift. The gift ultimately creates a deeper connection between the giver and receiver, and because the gift carries sentimental value, it is cherished as a keepsake and can even become an heirloom passed down the generations.