We’ve seen how many different types of promotional products are available, and we’ve looked at some of the decisions you have to make when considering which products to use for which campaigns and clients.
The next thing to think about is, how, specifically, are you going to brand the product? In other words, what mechanism are you going to use to get your brand displayed on the item?
Clearly it will be dependent to a very large degree on the type of promotional product that you select – you wouldn’t engrave a polo shirt, for example. Nonetheless there are several options available:
- printing
- embossing
- engraving
- foiling
- etching
- labelling
- embroidering
- weaving
Each of these has its own merits, and as you might expect they will be ideal in some circumstances and not in others.
Before we look at printing, let’s take a very quick look at some of the other options. Etching – where an abrasive acid chemical is used – is perfect for glass, metal, wood and ceramics. Engraving, on the other hand, is carried out using a laser or diamond-tipped tool, and the markings should outlive any other print or branding technology. This technique is ideal for chrome or stainless steel, glass, and crystal. Hot foiling is used for leather diary products, for example, while embroidering and weaving are ideal for clothing and textiles.
There are numerous printing options available, and this is where you really need expert advice from specialists in the field. 1 spot colour, 2 or more spot colours, or CMYK are all options. Unlike RGB (Red, Green, Blue) – which works in an additive fashion – CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key) uses subtractive colours. The main difference is that if you add the RGB colours together you get white, while if you add the CMYK colours together you get darker and darker colours.
Leaving the colours aside, printing techniques include screen printing, tempo or pad printing, litho printing, transfer printing, and digital printing – and they all have their place!
Our view is that our client shouldn’t have to become an expert in production techniques or colouring options before deciding what’s the best approach to take for promotional products; this can, as we’ve seen, be a complex area – so speak to the experts to ensure that you get it right.
We’ll be writing further articles taking you through every step on the journey; guiding you through the important decisions; offering advice when you have options; and ensuring that you make the right choices.
Click on the infographic below to see all the areas which we’ll be covering, and how we’ll approach them.
You can click here to learn more about many of the brilliant promotional products that we have, here for our home page, or if you wish to contact us use the contact form or call us any time on 020 8391 3001 and we’ll be delighted to help you!