An over-run is when you order 500 plastic credit cards cases and you receive 515. An under-run occurs when you order 144 coffee mugs but receive only 140. Manufacturers would rather have a slight over-run than an under-run in case you need exactly 500 cases for a conference. As with any printing process extras are printed just in case some items did not print correctly. Call this a safety margin for your benefit. Only a few promotional items have over-run. The more expensive an item is the less likely of an over-run. Over-runs usually only occur on high speed, automatic presses.
EQP means End Quantity Pricing or End Column Pricing. Sometimes manufacturers will offer their products at EQP. This means you can buy 100 pens that usually sell for $2.00 each at the 100 pricing for $1.50 each because they are on special at EQP where $1.50 is the price at the 5000 or end column pricing.
Screen-printing places a layer of ink on the surface of your promotional item. Laser engraving uses a laser beam to burn (etch) your image into your promotional item. Items made of metal, glass, ceramic, wood and some plastics can be laser engraved.
Usually yes. We call that a PMS Color Match. PMS stands for Pantone® Matching System. Most manufacturers can match your color if you supply a PMS number(s) with your order. PMS matching costs between $25 and $35 per color. Most manufacturers have standard ink colors that are free and are usually close to the color you want to use.
Most promotional items include a 1-color imprint as part of the base price. If you decide to have a 2-color imprint you will be charged, for example, $0.10 per item to print the second color. This is referred to as the running charge. If you print 3 colors you will be charge $0.20 per items ($0.10 + $0.10).
No. Screen charges usually apply only if you are using a logo or special typestyle or fonts. Most manufactures have straight-line type available at no charge and some manufacturers have no screen or setup charges even for logos. Usually, you pay the screen or setup charges just once with the initial order for a specific item. Repeat orders usually involve no extra charges unless it has been more than 2 years since the last order was placed. After 2 years most factories discard your artwork so you would be liable for new screens or setup charges.
A screen is what the manufacturers use to place your imprint onto the promotional product you are ordering. As most promotional items have a unique imprint size a new screen is usually made for each item purchased. A screen has to be made for each color being printed. If you order a 3-color imprint you will be charged 3 screen charges.
Many manufacturers will allow you to purchase ½ of the minimum quantity listed. If the minimum quantity is 100 you can purchase 50. However, you will usually incur a less-than-minimum charge, which is usually around $30.00. Please call us to see if your item is available at less than minimum quantities.
If the factory made an error in producing your order and it was their fault they will redo the order at no extra charge to you. If the factory printed your order incorrectly and it missed your event date then you do not have to pay for the order. If you approved incorrect artwork and gave us permission to go into production then yes, you will have to pay for the order even if the imprint is incorrect. Fortunately, printing errors are very rare these days as camera-ready artwork is sent the factories via email, which is then turned directly into printing screens or plates thus avoiding the human error of entering your information by hand. We will ask you to sign off or approve all artwork before production begins.
Most orders take 10-15 working days to produce. You will also need to add shipping time onto the order. In general, plan on 3 weeks for most orders without rush charges. Repeat orders usually take less time. Some companies can complete and order in 3 days while others might take 4 weeks. Production time can also vary depending on the time of the year.
Yes. When all orders are completed we will send you an invoice. If you have paid by credit card we will also send a credit card receipt indicating you have paid for your order.
We accept checks, money orders, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover), and signed company purchase orders. A line a credit can be approved with a completed credit application and a good credit history.
Either call or email and we will provide you with the status of your order. If your order has shipped we can supply tracking numbers when requested.
We will email or call you with an estimate of all the charges involved with your order before the order is placed into production so we can get your approval. Shipping charges are based on the weight of the order, package size, method of delivery (UPS Red, Blue, Ground, FEDEX Priority, Overnight, 2 Day, Saver, Airborne, etc.).
We do not collect sales tax on any order as Oregon has no sales tax.