We’ve all seen countless promotional items that were custom printed with logos and other branding. In fact, these items are so prevalent that we often don’t think twice about them. One thing’s for sure: A favorite pen, or stress ball, or flash drive is something we use because it’s a high quality item, and it’s useful to us. The branding itself is just a reminder in the back of our head that this company or brand exists; even if we don’t plan on using their services.
That’s the brilliance of promoting a brand with quality promotional items. It offers something of value in return for increased brand awareness. Companies have been handing out branded promotional items for many years now, and despite the prevalence of digital communication and advertising, these physical items aren’t going away anytime soon.
But as you also probably know, the quality of these items can vary wildly. The branding and message could be printed off-center, or using low-quality ink. The items themselves can be cheap and easily broken. These are all situations you want to avoid if you really want to leverage the branding power of promotional items.
That said, people often wonder how promotional items are actually printed. This is a fair question. We take it for granted that basically anything can be printed these days, but how is it actually done? How do all of those golf balls, tote bags, pens, flash drives, clocks, and countless other items actually get printed with such accuracy and precision?
Basically, two things are required: sophisticated machinery and significant expertise. Different promotional items require different machines and method in order to receive printing effectively, which is why different print houses have different capabilities in terms of promotional items. The discussion of these various machines is deserving of several blog posts unto itself, and it takes years of experience to be able to use these machine to produce quality results at the highest level.
Screen printing, emulsion, pad printing, embroidery, laser engraving, and heat transfer – these are just some of the techniques that can be used to achieve professional results with a wide variety of custom printed promotional items. Most people don’t really want to know all the details, however – they just want high quality results at a competitive price and in a timely fashion.
Does it matter which printer you choose?
If you’re in the market for branded promotional items, you’re looking to create something that sends only the most positive messages about your brand, product or service. Cutting corners – whether that means choosing low-quality items or entrusting the printing process to the wrong professional – can result in the wrong message being sent. Fortunately, there are experienced professionals out there who treat every project, no matter how big or small, with the same respect and professionalism. These are usually the same printers who have years of experience with promotional items, and a solid track record of happy clients who found success with branded items the past.
Good luck with your next branded promotional item!