Everything you want to know, answered carefully.
From how we translate a name to why the carving takes three weeks — this is how Yìn Studio works.
Five steps from your name to your seal.
Commission
Choose your stone, script, size, and box. Tell us your name and which translation approach appeals. Pay to begin.
Questionnaire
A short form arrives within 24 hours. We ask about your name's origin, what it means to you, and what you want to carry forward in Chinese.
Translation
Within five working days, we send three name interpretations with a full explanation of each character's meaning and why we chose it.
Carving
Once you choose your name, we pass it to the master. The carving takes two to three weeks. Every seal is pressed on paper before it leaves the workshop.
Delivered
Your seal, ink, box, name card, certificate, and digital files ship together via tracked worldwide courier. Three to four weeks in total.
Three scripts. Three different histories.
Each style of Chinese writing carries a different period and feeling. All are carved by hand by masters trained in that tradition.
The original writing
Developed over three thousand years ago, seal script is the earliest standardised form of Chinese writing. Its forms are rounded, flowing, and ceremonial. We recommend it for most commissions.
Dynasty: Shang through Qin
The scribe's hand
Developed during the Han dynasty. More pronounced horizontal strokes, a structured form. More legible to modern eyes. A good choice if you want the seal to be readable as well as ceremonial.
Dynasty: Han · +$30
The modern form
The basis of modern Chinese print. Clean and structured. A more personal, contemporary feel — suited to those who want the impression immediately readable by Chinese speakers.
Dynasty: Wei through present · +$30