Cotton Prices on the Rise...Again

An article released today by www.business-standard.com details the rise of cotton prices over the past two months. Apparel manufacturers were waiting to see if prices would fall or stabilize, but instead, have seen an upward tick in pricing, causing them to consider 10-15% increases to apparel.

In the promotional products business, we see the effects of such price increases mainly in the week-to-week costs of tshirts. Tshirts are considered a commodity item, and pricing can fluctuate wildly when cotton pricing is unstable. This can cause it to be extremely difficult to hold pricing on quotes for longer than a week or two.

At The Creative J, we have many sources for our blank apparel, which help us to keep your costs down. When quoting apparel pricing, we search through a multitude of vendors to find the best current pricing so we can pass the savings on to our customers. You can be assured that the price we quote has been thoroughly researched by the time it reaches your eyes.

Click here to read more about the current cotton situation.

Make it Soft to the Touch

Tshirts have become an integral part of today's fashions, and a common item for companies to advertise or promote their business or brand. One of the popular trends in tshirt design is to use softer materials and imprinting methods that are soft to the touch. The goal is to have an imprint that doesn't feel like a plastic sticker, but retains the softness of the material as much as possible.

At The Creative J, we have numerous imprinting and decorating techniques available which gives us the ability to offer our customers unique and memorable ways to design their apparel. To achieve an imprint which retains that soft, almost worn feel, even when the design covers a lot of area, there are three main methods to use. Below are some of the options and details about each:

No Underbase

Using regular Plastisol inks without an underbase can achieve a more worn look with a slightly softer feel.

Final Appearance
Depending on the color of the shirt and the ink colors being used, the imprint can have a vintage/worn look with a slightly softer feel since there is not a layer of white underneath. There will still be a detectable imprint to the touch.

Detail
Imprints will retain their detail within the limits of standard screenprinting.

Cost
Either the same or a bit less in some cases than standard printing.

Minimum Quantities
No restrictions other than those for standard printing (usually 12, depending on imprint colors and locations)

Fashion Base

An additive is mixed with regular Plastisol inks to achieve a softer feel. After washing the shirt, you won't be able to feel the imprint.

Final Appearance
The imprint will have a more transparent, washed-out look, which will allow the color of the shirt to show through. For this reason, printing a dark imprint on a dark shirt will not work as well since the shirt color will overtake the imprint color. However, if printing a lighter color on a dark shirt, the imprint will have the worn, distressed look of a vintage tshirt.

Fashion Base Print

Detail
Since Plastisol inks hold good detail, imprints will retain their detail in finer areas.

Cost
A bit more per imprint color and placement than standard inks, but still an affordable option.

Minimum Quantities
Since inks need to be specially mixed and cannot be saved for later use, there is a minimum of 48 pieces.

Water Base Inks

These inks have a softer hand to them then standard Plastisol inks and has a softer look to the imprint also (colors will not be as bright).

Final Appearance
The imprint will be a bit more transparent than standard inks and does not print well on white underbases, so works best on white or light colors. Pantone colors will appear a bit lighter than they appear in color books, so if you want bright, vibrant colors, waterbase is not the direction to go. 

Detail
Since the ink has a tendency to dry more quickly, there can be a loss of detail in some fine areas.

Cost
Usually no extra cost to run waterbased inks.

Minimum Quantities
No higher minimums than standard printing.

Discharge Ink

Discharge ink is the process and waterbased ink used for dark garments. It's extremely soft when compared to standard inks. It uses a chemical which bleaches the dye from the garment before depositing the ink pigment on the material.

Final Appearance
After washing, the imprint will feel just like the garment's material. Imprint colors can be vibrant since the garment color does not show through the ink. Only SOME 100% cotton garments will work for this process. Some rich colors such as royal blue, red, purple, etc. can be very unpredictable as the inks can become contaminated by the shirt dye. When used on the right type of garment, it has a wonderfully soft and vibrant appearance.

Detail
Since these are waterbased inks, fine details may appear soft or fill in some due to drying issues.

Cost
Due to the special mixing of inks with chemicals, they must be used right after mixing. In addition, the chemicals tend to break down the screens, which depending on the size of the order, can require additional screens. Therefore, the cost for discharge is much higher than standard inks. You can figure an extra $.60-$.75 per imprint color, per location for discharge.

Minimum Quantities
Due to the factors above, discharge printing using requires a minimum of 72 pieces or more.


Using the methods above, along with other techniques and decoration methods, we can help you to create a tshirt design that will stand out from the rest. 

CPSIA and Child Safe Products

For the past year, manufacturers and importers of consumer products have been required to show proof of compliance with third-party testing for lead in children's products. These new regulations are commonly referred to as CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) This impacts the promotional product industry since many promo products are intended for or handled by children. It's important to be aware of these regulations as they pertain to the marketing items you chose for your promos.

What is Defined as a Child''s Product?

Basically anything designed or intended for use by children under 12 fall under these regulations. However, this definition can get a bit sticky. Some items although not necessarily intended for children, may fall under this regulation due to the imprint placed on the item. For example, if you decorate a water bottle with a fun cartoon, then it can be determined to fall under this regulation. That same water bottle with a company logo on it can be exempt.

What About Items Not Intended for Children?

Items not intended for children, but handled by them, are exempt from the testing requirements. It is only if the items primary target audience is children under 12 that the requirements come into play. 

What Products are Deemed Safe?

Products which have passed the testing guidelines for CPSIA will have proper labeling  and test results. Most manufacturers are now including these reports on their websites. Products which are deemed child safe will also have a tracking label directly on the product. Again, the gray area of this issue is on products which before decorated are not considered to be children's products, but after decoration are. These items may not have gone though the testing process.

For a more in-depth explanation of this issue, read this article provided by the Promotional Products Association:  click here.

To view how some of our favorite suppliers comply with these regulations, check out their compliance pages:

Bulletline

Gemline

Norwood

A good rule of thumb for any promos you purchase for your marketing efforts:  Take a couple minutes to review the audience which will be receiving your items to determine if children are part of that audience. Then take a few moments to review the items to see if any of them appear to be intended for children, or appeal to children. The last thing you want in your marketing campaign is to hand out an item which could be potentially dangerous to a child.

Not Just for Lips

Sure you can use lip balm to keep your lips smooth and unchapped, but did you realize there's more uses for it?

Protect Your Face

Rub some lip balm on your face for a great barrier between your skin and whatever you want to protect it from -- whether it be wind or hair dye.

Remove a stuck ring

No need to pull and tug on your finger to try to remove that stuck ring. Just coat the finger with lip balm and gently wriggle the ring loose.

Groom wild eyebrows

Use lip balm as a styling wax to groom unruly mustaches, eyebrows, or other wild hairs.

Zap bleeding from shaving cuts

You just cut yourself shaving and you’ve no time to spare. Just dab a bit of lip balm directly onto the nick and the bleeding from most shaving cuts will quickly stop.

Lubricate a zipper

Rub a small amount of lip balm up and down the teeth of a sticky or stuck zipper. Then zip and unzip it a few times. The lip balm will act as a lubricant to make the zipper work smoothly.

Make pounding nails easier

Rub some lip balm over nails and screws being drilled or pounded into wood. The lip balm will help them slide in a little easier.

Keep a lightbulb from sticking

Outdoor lightbulbs, which are exposed to the elements, often get stuck in place and become hard to remove. Before screwing a lightbulb into an outdoor socket, coat the threads on the bulb with lip balm. This will prevent sticking and make removal easier.

Make drawers slide easier

Apply lip balm to the tracks of drawers and windows, or to the ridges on a medicine cabinet, for easier opening and shutting.

Shine your shoes

Rub a bit of lip balm on your shoes and buff with a dry washcloth for a quick and easy shoe shine.

Keep your shoes tied

Coat the part of the shoestring that you loop with lip balm to keep them from coming undone.

For Better Lip Service

As of December 2012, the FDA is now requiring new labeling to be included on lip balms. Due to this, there has been a slight increase in prices, as well as some new formulations. Lip balms can contain a variety of ingredients, some considered good, some considered not so good by some. Here's a quick rundown on some of the more common:

UVA/UVB Testing Requirements

UVA & UVB are forms of ultraviolet radiation which cause sunburns, and both have been linked to causing skin cancer. Lip balms which protect against both types of radiation are now labeled as "Broad Spectrum" sunscreen.

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone has been a common chemical sunscreen used in products since 1978. However, some toxicology experts believe it is absorbed through the skin and is linked to hormonal disruption which can possibly lead to skin cancer. Some manufacturers are starting to replace it with another chemical, Octisalate, which does not have the possible hazardous effects of Oxybenzone.

Beeswax, Petrolatum, & Parabens

Petroleum(petrolatum) helps moisturize, but does not treat dryness. It's a temporary fix. Beeswax is a naturally healing antiseptic emollient which has a less sticky feel than petrolatum. Parabens are often used instead of beeswax and have been found in some studies to disrupt normal hormone function.

Menthol, Camphor, Phenol

Commonly found in balms, these can actually lead to dryness, irritation and/or peeling skin -- not exactly what you want on your lips!  Phenol is actually a substitute for formaldehyde, an embalming fluid. Again, not exactly something you want on your lips!

Natural Balms

If concern about chemicals is an issue, opt to choose natural lip balms which do not contain sunscreen. These lip balms use all natural ingredients for moisturizing lips, including coconut, jojoba, hemp, olive and sunflower oils and/or shea butter. Although they don't protect against sunburn, they do an excellent job of moisturizing and preventing chapped lips.

When it comes to lip balms, we have many options to help you choose the formulation and price that fits your marketing plan. Keep in mind that although natural or organic formulations may cost a little more, the benefits can outweigh the cost when compared to the less expensive options. A good quality lip balm is an excellent promotional item that will be used and remembered for a long time.

Seriously, We're Certified!

We're info junkies here at The Creative J. I have never seen a staff so committed to learning and researching than we have here. Whether it's learning the latest in apparel decorating techniques, researching how much weight a bag will hold, or testing the quality of a pen, our staff is constantly striving to provide our customers with the information necessary to make informed decisions.

Part of our learning quest is to become fully certified specialists in our industry. Did you know there is a certification process for promotional product distributors? By attending various classes, seminars and educational events, certification can be earned through our international industry association, PPAI (Promotional Products Association International).

Currently, we have two staff members who have received their T.A.S. designations (Trained Advertising Specialist), with the rest of our staff working to attain their certifications this year. Over 25 credits of industry training was completed in order to receive these certifications. 

Classes include subjects spanning a range of topics covering the promotional products industry – everything from ethics and proper business practices, to artwork and decoration techniques, to product safety and compliance.

And, we are not stopping there! Our next step is to receive the C.A.S. certification, a process which requires over 75 credits and at least 3 years experience in the industry. 

So why should you use a certified promotional products consultant for your promotional marketing? Easy! We have the best knowledge to help guide you in making the right decisions for marketing your company or brand. We can advise you on a variety of things such as what items and artwork will imprint best, what products or suppliers are the quality you need, and how to make the most of your budget. Once you work with us,  you'll see how we can make the entire process much simpler for you by allowing us to do the legwork and research. We know what works, and what has failed. We know how important it is to make sure the products you receive will work for your marketing purposes.

We're not just sales people, we're true consultants. We're here to help you reach your marketing goals, solve problems, and find the best possible way for you to present your brand – which is a reflection of yourself.

If you'd like to read more about why using a professional promotional product consultant is a great thing, just click here:  Why Use a Consultant?

Tumblers 101

We've all seen those popular tumblers – you know, the ones that are usually acrylic with a screw-on lid and straw? 

Did you ever wonder what the difference is between the price points you see and the product materials? 

Well, even if you didn't wonder, here's a quick run-down on what to look for when shopping for tumblers!






Material
Tumblers are made in a variety of materials, which leads to the wide price ranges you find them advertised. Keep in mind that a very low cost tumbler may be made of materials that don't hold up well and will warp or chip easily.

Polypropylene - this is the low-cost alternative to the other available materials. Normally these tumblers will have a snap on lid and the material is softer and more flexible than the others. It also does not hold up in the high heat of a dishwasher and will warp.
16oz Price Range:  $1.89 - $2.50

Acrylic - a strong, clear material, but still prone to chipping if dropped, but is less prone to scratching than polycarbonate. 16oz Price Range:  $2.99 - $4.50


Polycarbonate - the biggest item to note on polycarbonates is that they contain BPA - a chemical which can be toxic. Most manufacturers have quit making drinkware using polycarbonate due to this. Polycarbonate is extremely resistant to breakage and is often marketed as "unbreakable." However, it is easy to scratch and will yellow over time.16oz Price Range:  Generally not available due to BPA issues


SAN - this plastic is an acrylic blend and is more stable and durable for hot and cold liquids as compared to acrylic. Acrylic can craze when switching between extreme temps, while SAN will not. 16oz Price Range:  $5.50 - $7.50


Tritan™ - this newer material offers clear advantages over polycarbonate and other materials. It's BPA free, won't add odor or taste to liquids, is dishwasher safe, resists degradation, cracking and has great clarity. It is, however, the most expensive option.16oz Price Range:  $8.50 - $10.50

Double or Single Wall
Single wall tumblers will be less expensive, but you trade cost for performance. With a double wall tumbler, you add more insulation, keeping your drink cooler, longer, while also preventing the walls from sweating when ice or very cold drinks are used. If you've ever had a drink sweat and drip on your desk, you'll know why double wall tumblers are much nicer to use.

The Creative J staff can help you navigate through all the intricacies of drinkware. Just give us a call and we'll help you find the perfect tumbler for your budget and needs.