Purchasing Advice

1. The promotional industry is very much governed by quantity and therefore to get an accurate price it is always very important to know approximately what quantity you are needing of each item. If this is not known then only indicative prices can be given.
2. It is always best to establish what you are trying to achieve from your promotion before you choose the product (who is the item going to, how many people are to be given these and how much do you want to spend on each person) as this will narrow down the sort of item that you are looking at among the thousands on offer.
3. Is your corporate identity important? Do you want a uniform that reflects your corporate colours, and is worn throughout the company so that you make an impact with the easy-to-recognise look? When you walk into your business, the uniform should immediately bring to mind the overall image. Basing the uniform around the logo and its colours identifies your company, both in your workplace and at trade shows.
4. Always try to plan ahead. Any standard order, especially if there is new artwork to be approved, takes about 3 weeks to supply from confirmation of order. Smaller time frames are achievable but 3 weeks allows any job to run easily and without any concern that it might not be finished on time.
5. When will an Indent Order benefit you? Indenting is the term generally used for an order from off-shore that is manufactured and logoed from scratch to your specifications. Obviously whilst there are substantial savings in cost, any order from off shore takes a lot longer than normal (allow 8-12 weeks) and the minimum order for these items is in the hundreds and often the thousands depending on the item.
   
   As almost every product in this industry is supplied from China, care must be taken to avoid communication barriers and other problems that may occur due to the distance and the inability to follow progress every step of the way. As a result, to ensure the best quality control is in place for the required item, Active Promotional Products carefully vet our suppliers and consequently recommend the most appropriate for you, either here or off-shore.
6. Artwork requirements. When you place an order it is best to supply the required artwork for the branding along with the colours at the same time. The file type should be a high resolution file, preferably a PDF or EPS file, as this will be the best for printing. If you are having something embroidered then almost any file type, no matter how low the resolution, will be fine to use. It is also important that you quote the PMS (Pantone) colours so that we can match your logo as closely as possible.