Personalised Gift Ideas From Photo Mugs To Pillow Cases

There is nothing quite like adding a bit of personality to a present, and by choosing a personalised gift, you can put a big smile on someone's face. A bespoke present shows that thought has gone into the purchase and it shows a level of intimacy. This type of gift can only be bought by someone who knows the person well and thankfully now there many ways you can create a personalised gift easily using photographs. We take you through the options available to you for great personalised gifts from photo mugs to iced cakes.

To begin with, you need to consider the type of occasion you are buying for; birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, and hen and stag nights are some of the most common events that people choose to purchase for. Of course, some of these occasions are suited to more humour than others, but each event can utilise the medium of photography to personalise a gift. A photo can be put on a key ring, mouse mat, tee shirt end even a panoramic photo mug.

Some of these products use a simple printing technique that is suited to the medium upon which the photograph is to be printed. Specialist laser printers are used for putting an image onto thick card to make a personalised jigsaw for example, something which has become popular in the unique gifts industry. To print onto photo mugs a decal is used, which is basically a medium that takes the print separately to the object, but then through a chemical process is transferred onto ceramics. Tee shirts are either printed using screen print technology, a decal or occasionally a direct printing technique using a specialist printer.

For birthdays, one of the best personalised gifts to get someone is a photo cake. This service is available from many supermarkets with their own bakery department. The traditional fair is a picture of the birthday boy or girl from when they were a baby or toddler which is transferred by decal onto the icing of the cake. The ink is obviously edible and the gift can provide quite a bit of amusement for all the guests and delight the recipient too. Another great gift for a birthday is a photo mug which has a picture of a special moment between the gift giver and receiver, a favourite pet or even a favoured celebrity.

Hen and stag nights are a great one to have fun with. Tee shirts and caps make a great platform to place an image of the hen or stag, especially of a night out on the town that would rather be forgotten; it could be seen as a twenty first century a rite of passage. When it comes to the wedding however, the etiquette should be a little more considerate. Choose personalised gifts that include both the bride and groom. Some favourites are pillowcases screen printed with Mr and Mrs, a set of photo mugs depicting the happy couple or even his n hers key rings.

The best occasions for personalised photo gifts are Mothers Day and Fathers Day. Children love to have the opportunity to be creative and design or make a present for parents. A photograph of a special drawing can be placed on mouse mats or photo mugs, both of which are ideal presents for a parent to take to work. Ultimately the personalised gift should reflect the relationship between the giver of the gift and the receiver, and what better way to do that than with a photograph.