Your first promotional products order: the journey step by step

It is tempting to browse the catalogue from the very first minute. Instead, take the time to answer a few simple questions in writing, which you can pass on to everyone involved in the project.

• Who is the product for? Trade show visitors, loyal clients, new employees: each audience calls for a different product.
• In what situation will it be handed out? A product handed out on a stand must be light and easy to carry; a gift presented in person can be more elaborate.
• How many items do you really need? Start from identified uses rather than a reassuring round number.
• By when? Note the date by which the products must be in your teams’ hands, not the date of the event.

These answers form your brief. They stop you falling for a product that matches neither the audience nor the volume. On the question of the number of items, our guide to the minimum order quantity explains how to reason before settling on a figure.

With your need in mind, open the catalogue and browse the families that match your use. On each product page, three pieces of information deserve your attention even before you look at the result:

• the minimum quantity, to rule out straight away products whose threshold exceeds your need;
• the production lead time, specific to each item, which tells you whether the product fits your schedule;
• the marking areas, with their dimensions and the number of colours accepted, which show you where and how your logo can appear.

For a first purchase, keep it simple: a single product, a single area, a one-colour marking. The price of the product and that of the marking are shown separately, which makes the budget easy to read. If you are hesitating between two items, add them to a project to compare them at your leisure.

This is the step first-time buyers underestimate most. The configurator will ask for your logo, and the quality of the result depends directly on the file you upload. Before you start, gather:

• the vector version of your logo, in .ai, .eps, vector .pdf or .svg format, the one supplied by the agency or graphic designer behind your identity;
• your Pantone references, generally listed in the brand guidelines, if you are aiming for a solid-colour marking;
• the name of the person who holds the brand guidelines, so that you can ask them a question if any doubt arises.

The logo taken from your website or an e-mail signature is almost never suitable: it is lightweight, made of pixels and designed for a screen. The automatic check will flag it, but it is better to know beforehand. To understand what makes a file usable and what to ask your graphic designer for, see the guide to preparing a vector logo file.

On the product page, the configurator guides you in three stages, and the price is recalculated with each choice.

• Colours. Choose the colour or colours of the product. Already think about the contrast with your logo: a marking colour close to that of the material will be hard to read.
• Quantities. For a textile, you enter them size by size and colour by colour, in a table. Circulate the list of sizes internally before filling in this table, rather than distributing by guesswork.
• Marking. You upload your logo, choose the position from the available areas, then the process from those actually possible on that area. The automatic check immediately measures the resolution, the number of colours and compliance with the area’s limits.

At this stage, you can download a free quote and have it approved internally, with no obligation. Our guide to getting and reading a promotional products quote explains what each of its lines means.

Once the configuration is settled, you order directly on the site and register a card pre-authorisation: nothing is charged until the proof is approved, and a public body can pay against a purchase order. Nothing is produced yet at that point.

Next comes the decisive step of your whole first order: the proof. It is the preview of your marked product, at the actual scale of the template, which you approve before any production. Once approved, it is binding: what you approved is what you will receive. Read it calmly, checking the spelling, the position of the logo, its size and its colour. At the slightest doubt, ask for a correction before giving your approval.

For a first purchase as for the following ones, our team checks every print before manufacturing, at no extra cost: it reviews your artwork and your proof, and spots what a machine cannot judge, such as text too small to remain legible or a logo that disappears on the chosen colour.

As soon as the proof is approved, the production lead time specific to your product starts to run. In your customer account, the My orders section shows each step as our team completes it: check, mock-up, production, then dispatch. When the parcel leaves, the tracking link is sent to you by e-mail. The steps and delivery are described on our lead times and delivery page.

When it arrives, do not put the boxes away straight away. Open one, compare a few products with the approved proof, count the quantities and, for a textile, check the size breakdown. If anything does not match, report it promptly in writing to contact@vektoprint.com, with photos. Finally, keep your logo file, your quote and your proof in the same folder: your next order will start from there, and it will go much faster.