Promotional Products Glossary
The words you will run into when ordering logo merchandise, explained in plain English — from a family-owned branded merchandise company since 1974.
B
Blank goods
Products sold without any decoration, such as a plain T-shirt or polo, which are then decorated with your logo. On our site, the price on an apparel product card already includes its default decoration. Apparel decoration guide →
C
Closeout
A product a supplier is discontinuing and selling until its stock runs out. Closeouts can be good value, but once they are gone they usually cannot be reordered.
CMYK (full color)
Full-color printing built from four inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. It reproduces photos and gradients well, but it can only come close to an exact brand color, not match it precisely the way a PMS ink can.
D
Debossing
Pressing a design into a material so it sits below the surface, with no ink. It gives a subtle, upscale look on materials like leather, faux leather and journal covers. Embossing is the opposite: the design is raised above the surface.
Decoration
Any way of putting your logo on a product: printing, embroidery, engraving, transfers and so on. The decoration method affects the look, the feel and the price.
DTF (direct-to-film)
A full-color design is printed onto a special film, then heat-pressed onto the garment. It handles detailed, multi-color logos in one pass and suits small runs. On our site you pick the print size when you order. Embroidery vs. screen printing vs. DTF →
DTG (direct-to-garment)
Printing ink straight into the fabric with a specialized inkjet-style printer. It suits detailed, full-color artwork and is generally at its best on cotton. On our site DTG is quoted per order.
Dye sublimation
A full-color process where heat turns special ink into a gas that bonds into polyester fabric or a specially coated surface. The design becomes part of the material, so it will not crack or peel, but it works only on light-colored polyester or coated items.
E
E-proof (proof)
A picture of exactly how your order will look, with your logo on the actual product, sent for your approval before production. Every order with us comes with a free e-proof, and nothing goes to press until you approve it. How ordering works →
Embroidery
Stitching your logo into the fabric with thread. It has a raised, textured, professional look and is the usual choice for polos, dress shirts, jackets and caps. Apparel decoration guide →
F
FOB point
Short for “free on board”: the place an order ships from, usually the supplier’s or decorator’s facility. Shipping cost and transit time are figured from the FOB point to your address.
I
Imprint area
The largest space on a product where your logo can be printed or applied. A logo is scaled to fit inside it, so a wide logo on a narrow pen barrel may print smaller than you expect — your e-proof shows the real size.
Imprint location
Where on the product your logo goes, such as the front of a mug, the left chest of a polo or the barrel of a pen. When you order, you tell us where you want it in plain words; extra locations usually cost more.
Imprint method
The process used to apply your logo, such as pad printing, screen printing, laser engraving or embroidery. Each product is made for certain methods, which affects how your logo looks and how many colors it can have.
K
Kitting
Assembling several different items into one package, such as a welcome kit with a tumbler, a pen and a notebook. Some products come pre-assembled as kits; custom kitting is arranged per order.
L
Laser engraving
Using a laser to etch your logo into a product’s surface instead of printing it in ink. It is permanent and looks polished on metal pens and drinkware, but the color comes from the material under the finish, so you cannot pick an ink color. Promotional pen types and imprints →
Lead time
How long an order takes once your proof is approved: production time at the supplier or decorator, plus shipping time to you. It varies by product, method and time of year, so we confirm timing with your e-proof.
M
Minimum order quantity
The smallest number of pieces a product can be ordered in, set by the supplier or decorator. It can differ by decoration method, and the product page shows the quantities each item can be ordered in.
N
Need-by date (in-hands date)
The date you need your order delivered and in your hands. You enter it at checkout, where the earliest date you can pick is shown, and we confirm whether we can make it when we send your e-proof.
O
Overrun and underrun
When a production run makes slightly more (overrun) or fewer (underrun) pieces than ordered. Some suppliers’ terms allow a small variance on decorated orders, so tell us if you need an exact count.
P
Pad printing
A soft silicone pad picks up ink from an etched plate and presses it onto the product. Because the pad flexes, it can print on small, curved surfaces like pens, and it is one of the most common methods for plastic promotional items.
PMS color (Pantone)
A color from the Pantone Matching System, a standard numbered set of ink colors used by printers everywhere. Giving us your logo’s PMS number is the most reliable way to match your brand color in a spot-color imprint.
Price break
A quantity at which the price per piece drops — the more you order, the less each piece costs. Each product page lists its price breaks.
R
Raster art
An image made of pixels, such as a PNG or JPG file. It can look blurry or jagged when enlarged, so for most decoration it is redrawn as vector art first.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
For large orders, we prepare a written proposal instead of taking payment. Your cart shows a note when an order qualifies, and nothing is charged when you submit it.
Run charge
A per-piece charge added for each extra imprint color or location, on top of the product price. Unlike a setup charge, it is charged on every piece.
S
Screen printing
Pushing ink through a fine mesh screen onto the product, one screen per ink color. It gives bold, solid color and is the classic choice for T-shirts, totes and other flat items. Apparel decoration guide →
Setup charge
A one-time charge to prepare your logo for production, such as making a screen or a printing plate. Where a product has one, the product page or your e-proof shows it before you approve anything.
Spec sample
A sample of the actual product decorated with your logo, so you can see and feel it before placing a larger order. Ask our team which items are available as spec samples.
Split shipment
Sending one order to more than one address, such as several branch offices. Each extra destination adds its own shipping, so tell us at the start and we will include it with your proof.
Stitch count
The number of stitches in an embroidered logo, which grows with the logo’s size and detail. Our embroidery prices cover a logo up to a set stitch count; denser or larger designs, and specialty thread like metallic or 3D puff, cost more.
T
Tape charge
The one-time embroidery setup charge for turning your logo into a stitch file (called digitizing). On our site it is charged once per logo — the same logo on another item in your cart shares it — and it is waived on larger orders.
V
Vector art
Artwork made of lines and shapes instead of pixels, so it scales to any size without losing sharpness. Common vector files are AI, EPS, SVG and PDF (when the PDF was saved from design software). It is the preferred format for nearly every decoration method.
Still have a question?
Every order starts with a free proof. Ask Dorothy what you need, or call our team.
Our family’s been putting logos on the right things since 1974. Pens, tumblers, tees, totes: tell me what you’re after and I’ll find your perfect match.