What is Tag Armor?

Tag Armor is a clear, hard dome of epoxy poured over the front of a finished tag. It sets into a thick lens that sits proud of the surface and wraps slightly over the edges.

What it does

• Takes the scratches instead of the print. Keys, lanyards, seatbelts and desk edges hit the epoxy, not the tag.
• Deepens the colours. Looking through a few millimetres of clear resin makes a design read richer, the way a coat of varnish does on wood.
• Adds a little weight and a lot of perceived quality. An armoured tag feels solid in the hand.
• Seals the edges of the printing against moisture.

When it is worth it

It earns its keep on tags that live a hard life or that have to last. Hospitality, healthcare, trades, anywhere the tag is worn every day for years. It also suits a tag that is doing a presentation job: an award, a long-service badge, a desk plate.

It is worth less on a tag for a single event, or on a badge you expect to replace when somebody changes role.

It ambers with age, and you should know that before you order

Clear epoxy is not permanently clear. Over years, and much faster in direct sunlight, it takes on a faint warm tint. This is true of every clear epoxy coating on the market, ours included, and it is a property of the material rather than a fault in any particular batch.

How much it shows depends almost entirely on what is underneath. On a white tag, or over a pale area of a logo, a warm cast is visible because there is nothing to hide it. On brushed gold you will probably never notice, because the metal is already warm. Brushed silver sits in between.

If your tags are white, or the design has a lot of white in it, and they will be worn outdoors or sit on a sunny windowsill, we would rather you skipped Tag Armor or chose a metal colour that hides it. We would rather lose the three dollars than have you unhappy in two years.

Things that speed it up: sunlight, car dashboards, tanning beds, and long spells under strong fluorescent light. Things that do not: normal indoor wear, washing the tag, or the passage of time on its own in a drawer.

What else to know before ordering it

The dome is glossy, so it reflects. Under a bright ceiling light there will be a highlight on it. That is the nature of a clear coating, and it is the same on every domed badge you have seen. If a completely matte finish matters to you, order without.

It is also the slowest thing we do. The resin is poured by hand and left to cure undisturbed, so an armoured order takes a day or two longer than a plain one. If you are working to a date, say so before you order and we will tell you whether it fits.

Tag Armor is a few dollars per tag and goes on metal or plastic. The exact price is on the price list, and it is a flat charge on each tag that does not change with quantity.