Gift Guide Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you have a promotional gifts related query, please review our responses to the most frequently asked questions shown below. Clicking on the relevant letter should take you to the right place to learn more about the particular gift giving or promotional aspect you are interested in.
[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z]
If you cannot find the answer to your gift related question or would like some general advice on promotions then please contact one of our promotional gifts consultants or complete our on-line enquiry form.
A
Advertising giveaways or advertising gifts are simply promotional gifts used in relation to an a particular advertising campaign or promotion.
Amendments to artwork can be costly and care should be taken at all times to ensure we have a full brief before commencing any design work. For this reason Redbows has an Artwork Brief for clients who want to use this service.
Artwork is the number hold up with most orders. It is important to get it right first time and supply it in the right format or ask our design studio to generate it. See our artwork guidelines for more information.
B
Business Gifts are another name for promotional gifts.
C
CMYK stands for Cyan Magenta Yellow Black and is a printers colour reference. The percentages of each colour used in a litho printing process produce a specific image. CMYK can sometimes be used for printing promotional items but a true colour match is best achieved using Pantone references.
Colours can be matched best using Pantone Matching Service (PMS) references.
Currenty is generally UK£ sterling but Redbows can be paid in US Dollars or Euros. A bank charge may be made for such transactions to cover exchange rate fluctuations and bank charges.
D
Delivery is generally 10 working days from artwork approval for most items. Custom and bespoke gifts are off course an exception and can vary in time scales up to several weeks if, for example, moulds have to be made as with some chocolate items.
Delivery charges vary depending on the weight, transportation method and location of the final site. Please check the actual delivery charge with your consultant if required.
Dye Sublimation Printing is an alternative to Litho printing for the production of a very clear colour print.
E
Environmentally friendly (or ECO gifts) are available options but the range is fairly small compared to the majority of gifts available.
Exhibiton gift giving is no similar to give supply at any other event with the exception of having to think about the actual environment. Confectionery goes down very well at exhibitions but only if 'hard shelled' or 'jellied'. Chocolate items can be a real disaster especially if the stand has plenty or heat generating spot lights and the exhibition hall has little if any air conditioning. Cool drinks are a definite winner with most visitors and exhibitors can offer a range of wines, spirits or more commonly these days - mineral water.
F
Fonts a specific size and style of letter within a font family. This page font is Trebuchet for example.
Files - the type of image produced within applications like Photoshop and which are generally unacceptable for use as artwork.
Folding - some items like conference folders are supplied 'flat-packed'. By arrangement Redbows can supply them 'made-up'.
Fulfillment services can be useful when you have several items to order and require them to be pre-sorted and packaged. For example, Redbows has supplied fullfilment services to clients who have ordered conference folders, pads and pens. The client received pre-packaged folders to simply hand out to their conference delegates.
G
Generation of artwork is a service offered by the Redbows Design Studio.
H
Hidden charges - our policy is to be open and honest in all our dealings and we do not attempt to hide any charges for delivery or artwork. If in doubt please check the order acknowledgement we send out to you with your allocated Promotional Gifts Consultant.
Hot Foil Printing is just one of the processes used to customise a promotional gift.
I
Image resolution is measured in 'dots-per-inch'. For accurate reproduction of your artwork we need a 300dpi image.
Imprint is the actual image placed (printed, engraved, embroidered, embossed or de-embossed) onto your chosen promotional item.
J
JPEGs is a standard image compression mechanism and file type from which we can generate your artwork.
K
Kerbside - deliveries are priced for a kerbside delivery. If you need your goods delivery to a specific location in an office tower or complex please let us know before hand. We can provide a full delivery and off-loading service by prior arrangement. This may only be necessary for large deliveries on pallets.
L
Lead times - most products are available within a 10 working day delivery time frame from acceptance of artwork. This is the norm for most items. Some products may be available within 3-5 days but their supply can involve express charges.
Logistics - please give some attention to the actual logistics involved with your order. Large quantities may be supplied in boxes shrink wrapped to a pallet and you may need off-loading facilities at your 'goods-in'. If you have a special logistics requirements please let us know before hand.
M
Meetings - we are always happy to visit our clients where this is practically possible but most of the time we are able to handle enquiries over the phone.
Minimum order quantities apply to most items and our minimum order level is £50.00 plus VAT.
N
No good ever came from buying cheap. If you buy on price make sure the quality of the goods is up to the standard you want to make right impression with your target audience. Poorly printed items detract from that image as do items that fall apart or fail early in their life cycle. Promotional gifts are an investment in your brand - don't undermine it.
O
Off-set Litho Printing (also known as Litho printing) produces a very fine print and is most commonly used on paper products such as promotional calendars.
Origination is a charge made for the creation of the films and screens used to apply a promotional imprint to an item. There is generally one screen used per colour and therefore the charge can comprise of up to four elements in addition per imprint. When printing a different imprint in two or more locations, each imprint will require its own origination charge.
Ordering - when you are ready to place an order visit our 'How to buy' page. Here you can download a Customer Order Form. Please ensure you check the Order Acknowledgement we send out to you and advise us immediately of any issues.
P
Pantones - are colours with unique references that allow a printer to reproduce the same colour exactly to an 'ink formula'. If you have a company or organisation logo and know the design agency they should be able to advise the Pantone references used.
Payment - Redbows can accept a credit card for payment or provide credit facilities where a credit application form has been approved. Certain goods, namely food and gadgets can require up to 100% prepayment.
Personalisation - virtually all our promotional items can be personalised in a variety of ways either with a coloured print, embossing (or de-embossing) or engraving.
Q
Quality of imprint can vary when an order consists of a number of promotional items. This will generally be down to printing on a number of surfaces and using different processes. For example, screen printing onto pens will show a higher image quality than foil block printing onto leather goods. If ordering a mixture of gifts to be used at any one time try to keep the material surfaces the same or very similar.
R
Raster files - the type of image produced within applications like Photoshop and which are generally unacceptable for use as artwork.
RGB stands for Red, Green and Blue and provides a screen image colour make up. RGB references cannot be used within gift artwork.
S
Samples can be ordered on completion of the Sample Order Form. More than one sample may be ordered and they are not charged for if an order is placed. Otherwise we request return within 30 days. Personalised samples can be supplied subject to order payment.
Screen Printing is the most common way to apply an imprint message and logo to a product.
Shelf-life - some products do have a shelf-life. Drink and food related gifts are obvious items for consideration but also any promotional gadget with an internal battery should also be considered under this heading.
T
Text - the recommended text for any promotional item is the organisation website and contact telephone number, assuming that their organisational logo is going to be used. Care has to be taken to ensure that the text within the defined maximum print area will be legible (and understood) by the target audience.
Timescales should allow for artwork approval within any planned campaign. It can typically take up to 2 working days from submission of artwork to approval form generation when our design studio is experiencing a heavy through flow.
U
We can supply non-UK organisations against a pre-paid order.
V
Vector files - the type of image produced within applications like Illustrator and which are generally acceptable for use as artwork when supplied as .EPS file.
Visuals (also known as 'virtual proofs') can be supplied to show you what your image will look like on any particular item.
W
Weekend deliveries can be made but at a premium over a standard normal working hour delivery. The same applies to any artwork charges incurred through our design studio.
Width - the width of our product range is immense as we also get involved in gift sourcing for clients. Our website shows only a sample of the most popular items we supply.
X
X factor - what we demonstrate to our clients every time. When you have received your goods from Redbows please take the time to fill in our Customer Satisfaction Survey. This is your chance to help us improve our service and is an integral part of our quality management system.
Y
Y do we do this - because we love the short deadlines given to us at the last moment to help make events a smashing success.
Z
ZZZs - what we try and catch just after Christmas and Easter - two of the biggest periods for promotional confectionery and personalised drinks.
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