Promotional Products- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This isn’t rocket science but it IS custom work. You want to be certain you have a winning solution but questions may present themselves.. Be assured we are always here to help. That said- below is a list of many general questions that are worth a quick look-through. Don’t see your answer? Live-chat with us or call 1-800-782-9959.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR PROMOTIONAL ITEMS?
- Request for information (and/or samples)
- Products to be ordered are determined.
- Final quote produced
- Final quote approved by customer
- Artwork is received and processed (resized, redrawn, info added?)
- Final artwork proofed and authorized by customer
- Order(s) sent to manufacturer
- Proofed by manufacturer to MNP
- Stock pulled, film made for imprinting, imprinted (1,2, 3 or 4 times?)
- Quality assured, packaged, shipped
- Delivered
- Invoiced
Some steps are changed if imprinting solution is different
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
If you consider the above situation you are likely looking at 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS from final art approval for most products. Peak seasons are October-November for Christmas orders and May-June for all those summer events. During these periods items may take longer. MNP offers a RUSH SERVICE of ~5 days OR LESS on the majority of our hard-good products (please see individual products for availability of this service). Next day or even same day production is available for limited items (extra costs may apply). Shipping times are extra. Production times are based on business days (Monday- Friday). Due to the processing time needed the day the order is finalized may not count as a production day (the next day would be the start).
WHAT IS YOUR GUARANTEE?
We guarantee that your order will be received without defects or damage and personalized as requested and approved, or we will replace the effected pieces of the order or issue you a refund on the effected product. Most suppliers do not replace a small portion of inferior product due to production time issues> in this case a credit is issued. Please notify My Next Promo and courier person immediately if it appears your order has been damaged during shipping. MNP will guarantee all products for a minimum of 15 days with extensions of this guarantee dependent on the item.
WHAT IS YOUR RETURN POLICY?
My Next Promo believes in 100% customer satisfaction. Our goal is to produce a risk free environment for our customers in which to purchase our product. If you are not completely satisfied with your product please contact our customer service department with your concerns within one week of receipt of goods. We will work with you to solve the problem.
Please note that My Next Promo will not accept return of goods unless the customer has been given a Return Authorization Number. Blank products cannot be returned for any reason unless deemed defective.
WHY DOES MNP NOT HAVE 500,000 PRODUCTS LIKE SOME OTHER SITES?
Excellent question. MNP is an independent supplier of promotional products. Due to the fact the MNP web site doesn’t have to list every redundant product from every redundant supplier/manufacturer like Association sponsored sites we show only select products. We offer the best deals and services from suppliers that have RELIABLE support and products. This cuts down on endless searches dramatically as we have ‘weeded’ the products for you already. But make no mistake, My Next Promo has access to over 500,000 products due to our association with both The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) and The Promotional Product Professionals of Canada (PPPC).
IS THE LOGO IMPRINT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE?
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS (“HARD GOODS”): A one colour logo in 1 location is included in the price (engraving may be substituted or offered as the only option on some items). Some items default to a full colour imprint as part of their pricing- this will be noted on the details page if applicable. Additional colours and/or areas are extra (if available). Options like etching, embossing or debossing may be available.
CLOTHING: All listed pricing is shown to include the default (most popular) type of imprint method in one location (if screenprinting is the default it includes a 1 colour imprint). Setup charges are noted on the item’s detail page. If you choose to add more screenprinting colours then additional charge will be added. More detailed embroidery (higher than 6000 stitches) may result in higher unit costs and set-up charges.
WHAT IS A SET-UP/SCREEN CHARGE?
For the majority of products offered by My Next Promo a set-up is needed to customize the product you are ordering with your specific information. It is a series of processes in which your logo is changed to the proper format (screen, plate, digitizing, die) to make a custom impression. Repeat orders may or may not be charged for set-up depending on the supplier and product.
DO I HAVE TO HAVE A LOGO ON THE ITEM?
In many cases you can get the product blank (though everything on the site is priced with some form of decoration). Worst case it will be the same price. Best case is that we will be able to reduce the cost to end quantity pricing. It depends largely on the manufacturer’s terms. Please call us for your best pricing.
THE MINIMUM AMOUNT IS MORE THAN I NEED. CAN I GET LESS?
(please, please, please)?
Generally you can get half of the listed minimum amount BUT there is a surcharge from the manufacturer. It doesn’t seem fair but when you consider the prep work that needs to go into getting your logo customized onto an item you can understand how things would get bogged down and the manufacturer wouldn’t make a profit.
SHOULD I DO LESS THEN THE MINIMUM AND TAKE THE SURCHARGE HIT?
MNP will try to convince you to go for the listed minimum. It has nothing to do with making a buck. Consider this example: A mug’s listed minimum is likely 72 pcs. and it is worth $3.00 per unit. This works out to a gross amount of $216.00. Now if you wanted to only get 36 pcs. there would likely be a surcharge of $50. You could get about 16 mugs for that price. So basically, you are paying for 16 phantom mugs that you’ll never see. Unless the budget is REALLY tight you really should just go with listed minimum. Having a few extras sitting around the office is usually handy. Also keep in mind that you pay more through shipping and repeat setups charges if you reorder in small bursts – so think ahead.
HOW DO I HAVE AN ITEM EMBROIDERED?
PLEASE NOTE: Files for paper printing (i.e.. business cards, letterhead, etc.) and digitizing are not the same. It is a completely different process.
HOW DO I HAVE CLOTHING SCREENPRINTED?
Most MNP screenprinting on clothing is done used a direct ink process (with the exception of hats and full colour sublimation). It is best to provide artwork by computer file so we can more easily separate colours if needed. If you are looking for an image that looks like a photo this is called 4 colour process (or full colour/ CMYK). Printing is even more delicate so make that artwork great and of high resolution. Note that due to the fine details needed in 4 colour process printing there are higher setup costs.
CAN I GET FINE PHOTOGRAPHIC DETAILS IN MY DECORATION/ PRINT?
We try to get our customers to realize that there is a BIG difference between printed something on paper versus fabric or plastic (for example). The fabric media is much more porous, plush and has a higher possibility of slight shifts occurring. MNP really suggests a proof with 4 colour process printing you will be charged for it but it is sometimes better to be safe than sorry. Our screeners are quite good but some images are difficult due to the media. Fine details in recognized objects like faces or scenery may end up looking a bit different. It comes down to the resolution in which items are printed. An average paper printing press is printed at 1200 dots per inch a tee shirt printing has an industry standard printing of 100 dpi or less. Less dots= less detail.
WHAT TYPE OF ART DOES MNP REQUIRE?
Quality original art is key to good decoration. We need the best artwork you can provide, preferably in computer file form. If the proper computer file cannot be obtained we will take an item from a piece of paper and redraw the image. If possible please try and make art at least 400 dpi (dots per inch) and 100% the size of the final art on the customized item.
Word, Excel and Pages files are not recommended and we may not be able to use them.
My Next Promo is Apple Macintosh based and can open a wide variety of files.
DO WE HAVE TO DO THE ARTWORK?
Not at all – MNP offers full art services. IF we need to completely redraw a file that could add 1-3 business days to an order. Basic artwork layout is free unless your logo is very ornate and needs substantial work to get into a format required for printing. A good rule of thumb: If we can reproduce your art in 15 minutes it is free. However- it is always in the customer’s best interest to do a little extra leg-work to get an original logo file as a redraw usually doesn’t look quite as good as the original (our artists are good but we may not have your exact font, etc.)
CAN I FAX YOU A COPY OF MY LOGO OR SEND YOU MY BUSINESS CARD?
YES… but we can’t use that as final artwork and it will have to be redrawn. If requested MNP will email you the finished artwork so that you don’t run into the same issue again for other areas of your business.
IF WE HAVE A PARTICULAR NEED BUT DON’T SEE IT ON THE WEB SITE IS ALL HOPE LOST?
Multiply what is on our web site by a factor of 100 and you’ll be close to the number of items we have access to. Why aren’t they on the site? Simple- we need to sleep every couple of nights. Products change and it is tough to keep up. We’re always adding products though and we’d be happy to hear from you and aid in your search…we are really good at sleuthing.
I KNOW MNP IS BASED IN NORTH AMERICA BUT WHAT IF WE NEED SOMETHING SHIPPED OVERSEAS?
We ship all items within Canada and *most* are available to ship to the US. Depending on the item we can likely ship into the Caribbean. We do not ship internationally at this time.
WOULDN’T IT BE BETTER TO BUY LOCALLY AND SAVE ON THE SHIPPING?
Setting aside the fact that we usually offer better pricing the idea that you are actually getting your products produced locally is rarely the case (unless you live in Toronto- as many products are decorated there). Our suppliers are mainly in Canada but could be from anywhere in North America (with the exception of specific WorldSource items). If you were to buy locally from a distributor they would still have to have them shipped in from any number of suppliers that *aren’t likely local*. Further, MNP has low shipping rates due to our volume and associations.
YOUR PRICES ARE IN CANADIAN DOLLARS, WHAT IF I AM FROM OUTSIDE CANADA?
All products are billed in CAD$. Customers outside of Canada will need to pay with credit card and as such your card will convert to your home currency.
ARE *ALL* MNP’S PRODUCTS AVAILABLE TO SHIP OUTSIDE CANADA?
NO. Due to international trade regulations some items are really tough to export. If we were to ship the product you may run into high customs charges and delays. However, we have many suppliers that have US Based sister/ parent companies that may offer the product to be shipped from within the US.
I AM FROM THE US BUT WE HAVE AN EVENT OR PROJECT OCCURING IN CANADA- CAN I BUY FROM YOU
We excel at this. Many of our suppliers/ manufacturers are within Canada and this will save you time, shipping cost and generally- headaches. We arrange it all for you and can work with even your most detailed distribution needs.
I NEED AN ITEM THAT IS VERY UNIQUE, CAN MNP HELP?
Absolutely. My Next Promo has a number of industry sources that may be able to build what you need. In highly customized products there are minimum qty requirements. One-of-a-kind items usually take more time to produce so give yourself lots of time (3-4 months is safest). Please call MNP for possible solutions.
I HAVE SEEN AN ITEM FROM ANOTHER SUPPLIER BUT THINGS WENT BAD. CAN MNP GET THE SAME ITEM?
In most cases, YES. MNP has a vast selection of manufacturers and suppliers to choose from. Even if we can’t find the exact item we most certainly can find similar and/or better items. We look forward to showing you why you made a good choice in contacting MNP.
I WANT THE SAME LOGO ON MULTIPLE ITEMS YET THERE ARE SETUP CHARGES FOR EACH ITEM. WHY?
We hear this from time to time but there really is a good reason. MNP has hundreds of possible suppliers in order to offer the best selection and value possible. As each supplier/manufacturer is an individual company it is understandable that they do not share artwork or screens. Besides, each item has a different imprint area and often information is changed by our clients in order to fill specific needs. It may even be that each item has a decoration method. These charges do not originate from My Next Promo.
ARGGH! THE BOSS WANTS SOMETHING LAST MINUTE. WHAT CAN I GET IN TIME?
We have a number of suppliers who offer 5 day, 72-48-24 hr. services. Usually this quick service comes at a surcharge. Variables are too numerous to list but if you keep it simple (i.e.. one colour printing) we can likely find something to fit your needs. These quick turnarounds need to be confirmed by the supplier before MNP can guarantee specific quick delivery times.
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Call 1-800-782-9959… we’ll help you find it.