Personalised retirement gifts, and the other new chapters: a new job, a graduation, a driving test

Updated
A hand around a mug of tea at a kitchen table with toast, marmalade and reading glasses, looking through an open back door to the garden.

A good personalised retirement gift names the person and the moment: a mug that reads Retired with their name and the month they finish, or a print with every colleague's name on it from the whole team. The same idea works for the other new chapters, such as qualifying, graduating or passing a driving test. You need the name they go by and, if you like, a date. Each piece below is printed to order in the UK.

In short:

Retirement from the family: the Retired mug

After all those years of alarms and meetings, retirement starts with a slower breakfast. The Personalised Retirement Mug with Name and Date gives that first unhurried cup a home. Add their name and we print Retired in large serif above a small terracotta star, the name in italic beneath (up to 20 characters) and, if you add it, the retirement date in small capitals at the base. The month is enough: March 2027 fits.

It suits the colleague who has counted down the days as well as the one who never mentioned it until the leaving drinks. It is printed on both sides of an 11oz white ceramic mug, dishwasher and microwave safe.

The same mug, with colour inside

The Personalised Retirement Mug with Name and Date, Two-Tone has the same layout on a white 11oz ceramic mug with the inside and handle in red, black or dark blue. Match it to their team scarf or their kitchen.

From the whole team: every colleague's name on one print

When the leaving collection goes round, a print with everyone's name on it says what a card cannot. The Personalised Retirement Print with Colleagues' Names puts a title of up to 40 characters at the top in serif, such as Susan's Retirement. A sage wreath at the centre holds a small star for every name, the names run beneath, and an optional line from the team goes under them in terracotta italic: Thank you for 32 brilliant years fits.

Gather the names quietly. One person collects them while the card goes round, in a message the person retiring cannot see rather than the team chat they are still part of. Ask everyone to send their name as they want it to appear, then read the list through before you pay, because we print every name as spelt.

It is printed on 220gsm matte fine-art paper in 12 x 16 in (30.5 x 40.6 cm) or 8 x 12 in (20.3 x 30.5 cm), supplied unframed. More prints are in our Personalised Wall Art collection.

Pair it with the hobby they finally have time for

Retirement is when the pastime gets the weekday mornings. The Personalised Keen Angler Mug with Name puts Keen Angler above a terracotta fish, with their name beneath and an optional line such as Back by teatime. Hobby mugs for the gardener, the golfer, the reader and the wild swimmer are in our Personalised Mugs collection too.

Newly qualified: the job title they worked for

Years of placements, exams and early starts deserve more than a text. The Personalised Newly Qualified Mug with Job Title and Name prints Officially in small capitals above the title you choose, set large in our serif, from Qualified to a Nurse, a Midwife, a Paramedic, a Teacher and others. Their name goes in italic beneath, and the month they qualified, if you add it, sits in small capitals at the base.

It suits the end of a degree, an apprenticeship or a training scheme, and the first week in a new job.

Graduation: a mug for halls and the first desk

The Personalised Graduation Mug with Name and Course has Congratulations in small capitals at the top, then Graduate, Class of 2026 or a title of your own (up to 15 characters) in our serif. Beneath come a small mortarboard with a terracotta tassel, the graduate's name in italic and, if you add it, their course or date in small capitals: BSc Nursing, July 2026 fits. It is printed on both sides of an 11oz white ceramic mug, for a summer or a winter ceremony.

Graduation: their name and course on the wall

For the hallway where the school photos used to hang, the Personalised Graduation Print with Name, Course and Date sets the graduate's name large in forest green serif under a small mortarboard. The course or university and the graduation date follow in small capitals, with a line you choose beneath in terracotta italic: So proud of you or Onwards and upwards. It is printed with a cream background on 220gsm matte fine-art paper, in the same two sizes as the team print, supplied unframed.

The photo in the gown

The picture in the gown deserves better than a camera roll. The Personalised Graduation Photo Print with Name and Year prints your photo with a wide printed cream border and a thin keyline, a caption beneath such as Congratulations, Priya, and an optional second line for the course and year.

Ask the family or the photographer for the original file, not a copy saved from WhatsApp or social media, and choose one taken outside in daylight. The product page asks for at least 1,439 pixels on the photo's shorter side, and our guide to choosing a photo that prints well covers the rest.

Passed: a mug for the new driver

The L plates are off. The Personalised Passed Driving Test Mug with Name and Date prints Officially above Passed, a Driver or Road Legal, with their name in italic beneath and, if you add it, the date of the test at the base. It is a well done from the parents who sat through the practice drives, and it suits a first pass at seventeen as well as a pass at fifty.

Ordering for a leaving do, a ceremony or a new start

Retirement and new-chapter gift questions

What is a good personalised retirement gift?

A mug with Retired, their name and the month they finish, from the family, or a print with every colleague's name on it from the whole team.

How much room is there for names on the team print?

The names box takes up to 250 characters, about thirty first names, on up to three lines. The type gets smaller as the list grows, so first names alone leave more room than full names.

Which job titles are on the newly qualified mug?

Qualified, a Nurse, a Midwife, a Paramedic, a Teacher, a Social Worker, a Vet, an Engineer, an Electrician, a Plumber and an Accountant. If their role is not listed, choose Qualified.

Can I send the gift straight to them?

Yes. Enter their address as the delivery address and yours as the billing address. The parcel does not say who the gift is from, so send a card separately. Our FAQs explain how gifts are sent.

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