Every school bag on the hooks outside a classroom looks like every other school bag. A name tag on the zip is how a five-year-old finds theirs at home time, and how a lost bag finds its way back from the field.
We make three different tags for this, and people reasonably ask which one to get. Short version: they suit different children. Longer version below.
The name keychain: $6
The name keychain is the simplest of the three. The plate is the name itself, grown outwards into its own backing, so every name makes a different outline. The letters stand up from the plate in a second colour, printed in the same piece, so they cannot scratch or peel off.
- Ten fonts and ten colours
- Up to 32 characters, with every macron printed correctly
- About 3.8 mm thick, and up to 120 mm wide
This is the one for long names, names with macrons, and families buying several at once. There is a separate post on what a name charm survives in a school year if you want the details on how it is made and where it is weakest.
The 3D bag tag: $12
The 3D name bag tag is bigger and brighter. It pairs the name with a design: a star, a flower or a football. You choose the name, the design and a colour.
Younger children tend to like this one, because the picture makes it theirs before they can read the name. "Mine's the football" is easier at five than finding your letters on a crowded hook. It also suits sports bags, where a football tag is about as clear a label as you can get.
If you are ordering for a whole team or class, ask us about a bulk price before you order.
The clicky tag: from $10
The clicky school bag name tag puts each letter on a real tactile keyboard switch, so every key clicks when it is pressed. It comes with a bead chain and a keyring.
The price goes by the number of letters:
- 1 to 2 letters: $10
- 3 to 6 letters: $15
- 7 to 10 letters: $18
This is the one children actually want to touch, and that is both its strength and its catch. A child who likes fidgeting will keep it, play with it and know exactly where it is. A child who likes fidgeting will also play with it in class. If your school has rules about fidget toys, it is worth knowing them before you send one in on the bag.
Initials work well here. Two letters for $10 is the cheapest clicky tag, and for a child with a long name it can be tidier than spelling the whole thing out.
There is also a clicky name keychain from $8, for keys and pencil cases rather than bags.
Which one, then?
- A long name, or one with macrons: the name keychain. It is built for long names and prints every macron in every font.
- A five-year-old starting school: the 3D bag tag. The picture does the work until the reading catches up.
- An older child who will actually use it: the clicky tag, if the school is relaxed about fidget toys.
- Three children, three bags, one budget: three name keychains at $6 each.
When none of them is right
If the bag will be dragged along concrete every day by its tag, any tag will wear. Hang it on the zip pull, inside the shadow of the bag, rather than on a handle or an outside pocket.
And if you need to label everything a child owns, down to every pencil and every item of uniform, a tag for the bag is only the start. Iron-on labels are the cheaper answer for clothing.
Ordering and timing
All three are made to order in Auckland: 0 to 2 working days to make, then 1 to 3 working days to arrive once posted. Postage is worked out in your cart, and you can collect in Auckland for free. See the delivery page for the details.
Spell the name the way the child spells it. The name is printed into the piece, so it cannot be corrected afterwards.
Everything for school is in the school and kids collection.