Planning Ahead – When to Start the Ordering Process
Your biggest event of the year is two months away and you’d like to order branded items. With your busy schedule we know it can be overwhelming to organize special events. When do you start to think about items? How long will it take? What do I need to provide DP&G to get it done in time. Today, we will provide a guideline to ensure successful production.
Tip 1: Plan Ahead and Tell Us About it
If this is a yearly event, let us know. We will mark it in our calendar and reach out to you with new ideas and deadline in plenty of time.
Tip 2: Necessary Details – Tell us your requirements
When you need these items by? This is known as your ‘in hands’ date.
- How many items will you need?
- What is your budget?
- What logo do you want to imprint on your item? Often times your logo can drive the decision making process for an item. Some promotional items are best suited for a one color logo verses a full color logo.
Tip 3: Know The Process – Production Schedule
Idea Generation and Item Selection- At least one week
Depending on your direction, your approval process, and event, this can take from one email or up to three weeks of communication. Our best advice is to be clear in your request and give us continued feedback during this process.
Preparing the art – Approx 1 to 3 Business Days
Art can be prepared by your organization or by DP&G. In order to place the order, we must have print ready vector art. To learn more about vector art, read our blog post here.
PDF Proof Approval Process – Approx 1 to 2 Business Days
If time allows, a pre-production sample is a good way to see what your item will look like before we proceed. Pre-production samples can take 5 to 7 business days.
For most orders, a PDF proof is all that is required for approval before we proceed with production. The review process can take a few days for approval, depending on who within your organization needs to review and give feedback.
Production – Approx. 2-14 Business Days
Some items can be processed in one business day, while other items can take up to two weeks. See below for a general production time guide for popular items.
- Pint Glasses and Drinkware: 5 to 10 business days
- Affordable Promotional Items (pens, sticky notes, small ad specialty): 3-5 business days
- Print Materials: 5 business days
- Apparel: 5-10 business days
Shipping – 2-7 Business Days
We ship with the most affordable option possible to meet your in-hands date.
