| 30 June |
Finding Promotional Products At Short Notice |
Mayhem in the marketing department!Your boss has just decided that the company needs to hand out a fabulous promotional product at the up and coming tradeshow and you’ve been asked to find something FAST. So you’ve got to come up with a miracle.
This happens often. Promotional products companies are no strangers to last minute deals, and they’re usually very good at making a plan. The value of promotional products as a hugely effective component of an advertising or brand awareness campaign is well-documented. They just don’t always feature in the planning stages of a campaign – which leads to last-minute panic.
OK – so where do you go when you’ve got to suddenly get hold of a whole heap of fantastic, quality and practical items that can be printed with your company’s identity? For answers to some of those frequently asked questions, an established WA promotional products supplier in Perth, Bodimasta, had the following .
How long does production take?
The general rule is 2 – 3 weeks, but some products can be done quicker than that. It does cost more to have products rushed through. It’s generally a good idea to plan at least 14 working days from your order placement to shipping, pick-up or delivery.
Are minimum quantities required?
On non-embroidered or screen printed items, there should be no minimum quantity. When it comes to embroidered items, screen printed and pad printed items, costs are worked out according to quantities. Go online to look at prices of various suppliers and talk to them about your requirements. In most cases, quantities have a bearing on price.
Give examples of promotional products that can be turned around quickly
There are thousands of products available and new ones coming to market all the time, so it’s impossible to list them all – but the choice ranges from t-shirts to leisurewear, keyrings to business shirts, stubby holders to luggage, sports gear to jewellery, office products to embroidered workwear Bodimasta has over a hundred thousand promotional items on its online catalogue, so the internet is a good place for inspiration. A reputable supplier will also have experienced people to talk to if you want a personal discussion about your promotional products.
Are there different ways of putting a logo onto an item of clothing?
Embroidering a logo using specialized digital equipment is one way. Another method is to screen print items, whereby designs are first converted to film and then transferred onto a screen. The inks are then transferred through the screen. Transfer technology is another way of imprinting logos onto fabric – and this uses commercial heat presses to print logos from a laser printer.
Can all these technologies be used on any type of material?
There are a number of things to think about eg the complexity of the logo, the type of fabric, the colour of the fabric and the colours of the logo etc so it’s always worth having a discussion with the suppliers to work out the best solution.
How much does it cost to print a t-shirt or polo shirt?
Screen printing is probably the most reasonable option but it does have limitations. Sometimes, an image has to be made more simple in order to get a better result. Costs are worked out on the colours and quantities required. Other things to consider are the number of screens and the type of fabric required and the colour of the fabric. Because set up costs don’t change as a rule, unit costs come down as quantities go up.
The short answer is not to get into a panic situation! Even at short notice, you’ll be able to come up with something good and you’ll always get excellent value from your investment, whether it’s promotional keyrings Perth or fancy leather luggage. Because they’re handy items used by your target market, they act as constant advertising for your organisation and keep you at your customers’ fingertips.
