Customer-Supplied Items on P2: Build an Intake and Refusal Ticket
Do not emit any laser pulse on a customer-supplied item until the substrate and every surface layer have documented composition eligibility. Replacement risk and permission matter only after that safety gate passes. The ticket must end in accept, hold, refuse, or proof-sample—not a verbal maybe.
Composition eligibility comes before the consent form
Live personalization creates a recurring decision: whether an unfamiliar customer item is safe, replaceable, and suitable before any output.
Observation: the counter receives an object whose visible face looks familiar, but the coating and backing are not identified. Controlled test: none is permitted yet. First obtain exact supplier evidence for substrate, coating, adhesive, and any liner. Interpretation: missing eligibility evidence is a hold, not a low-power trial. Action: return or quarantine the object until every exposed layer is eligible; only then can a same-lot expendable coupon enter a supervised proof.
Four counter states for an unfamiliar object
| Ticket state | Composition gate | Counter action |
|---|---|---|
| Hold for evidence | Any substrate, coating, adhesive, or liner is unidentified | No pulse; request authoritative documentation |
| Refuse | PVC, chlorinated vinyl, incompatible chemistry, or evidence remains unavailable | Return without laser testing |
| Eligible for proof | Every processed layer is documented eligible and an expendable same-lot coupon exists | Only now run a supervised coupon |
| Accept | Eligible coupon passed and replacement risk plus consent are recorded | Record file, fixture, and retained sample |
A useful ticket puts the refusal reason beside the item, so sales pressure cannot turn missing composition into an accidental test.
A completed intake example: coated wallet card
- Photograph the item, packaging, seams, label, finish and existing damage without applying heat or output.
- Identify substrate, coating, adhesive, and liner from authoritative supplier evidence; appearance and odor are not evidence.
- If any processed layer is incompatible or still unknown, refuse or hold the item with no laser pulse.
- Only after every layer is composition-eligible, record replacement value, deadline, and permission for an expendable same-lot coupon.
- Release quantity only against the retained approved coupon; never use a hidden spot on a keepsake as the proof.
A completed ticket may read: “aluminum card; black anodized finish confirmed by supplier SKU; no adhesive; replacement card supplied; same-lot coupon passed.” By contrast, “metal wallet card, probably painted” remains on hold because metal does not identify its surface. Consent, replacement value, and artwork approval are recorded after composition eligibility, never used to bypass it.
When the object leaves without a mark
Close the counter record with one unambiguous state and the evidence date. If the customer cannot supply composition evidence, a courteous refusal protects both the keepsake and the operator.
P2’s current blue-diode galvo configuration is listed on the TYVOK P2 page. For repeated personalization after intake, Variable-Name Cards: Find Registration Drift in a Batch explains how to audit fixture movement.
What customers and event staff usually ask
Can P2 engrave any metal card?
No. Standard P2 is a 450 nm blue-diode galvo workflow, not a fiber system. A confirmed coating may react; bare-metal marking must not be promised.
What if another shop engraved the same object?
That does not identify this object's batch, finish, wavelength, fixture, or process. Qualify it independently.
Can a customer waive all risk?
A waiver does not make an unknown material chemically suitable or remove operator safety duties.
A refusal is a completed intake result
File the supplier evidence beside the signed state. An unknown surface leaves with no mark; an eligible, replaceable coupon can proceed to proof.
