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Resources · Promotional products

The product
sets the rules.

A pen, a tumbler, and a tote have almost nothing in common as printing surfaces. On promotional products the item decides what the artwork can be — which is why the product comes first and the design second.

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Why every product is different

Why imprint areas are product-specific, and why simpler artwork performs better.

The imprint area is fixed
Each product has a defined area it can be decorated in. It is set by the item and its manufacturer, not by preference.
Curved and round surfaces
Drinkware and pens are not flat. A design wraps, and how much of it is visible from one angle is limited.
Decoration method varies by product
What suits a tote does not suit a metal bottle. The material decides the method, and the method decides what the art can do.
The product colour is your background
On most promotional items there is no white base, so the item colour shows through and changes how the design reads.
Watch out for

Choosing the product after the design is settled is the wrong order. Imprint areas are fixed by the item, and a design built without one nearly always has to be redrawn to fit — usually smaller than intended.

Artwork that works on small items

Simplify before you shrink
A logo with fine detail, thin strokes, or a tagline in small type does not survive at pen size. Decide what to drop rather than letting the process decide for you.
One colour is often the strongest choice
Not just the most economical. A clean single-colour mark reads better on a small curved surface than a faithful full-colour reproduction.
Vector always
Small imprints magnify every soft edge. Raster art is where promotional jobs disappoint.
Have a simplified version ready
If your logo has a detailed version and a simple one, the simple one is usually right here. If it does not have one, this is a good reason to make it.

Getting it right the first time

Because imprint areas are set by the product, the reliable sequence is product first, then template, then design.

Choose the product first
Then we get you the correct imprint area for that specific item.
Ask us for the product template
The manufacturer supplies it. We will send you the real one rather than an approximation.
Tell us the item colour
It affects which version of your artwork should be used.
Send layered or editable artwork
It lets the design be adapted to the imprint area without rebuilding it.

Rather than guess

Ask us when…

  • Always, before you design — the imprint area comes from the product.
  • You want the same logo across several different items.
  • Your logo has fine detail or small text.
  • You are choosing between a dark and a light item.
  • You have a specific product in mind and want to know what it can carry.

None of these are a problem. They are the points where two minutes now saves a reprint later.

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Which product did you have in mind?

Tell us the item and we will send the correct imprint template for it — before you spend time on a layout that has to shrink.

  1. 1 Start your project
  2. 2 Tell us what you're creating
  3. 3 Receive your estimate
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