Wear Tested – The Softest Sweatshirt You'll Ever Own

What says fall more than a soft, comfy sweatshirt? We ran across one that can't be beat.

Its 80% cotton/20% poly brushed-back jersey fleece makes you feel like you're wrapped up in your favorite plush blanket. And like Goldilock's porridge, it's medium weight of 7oz is just right.

Add a tagless label, rib v-notch and locker patch, and your run-of-the-mill sweatshirts just can't compete. We can't say enough about how much we love this particular sweatshirt.

And, to top it off, it comes in 3 styles:  Crewneck, Pullover Hoodie, and Full-Zip Hoodie.

We also love this creative decoration – laser tech patch appliqué.

Tech patch is a flexible, smooth, vinyl-like material that can be laser cut to any shape. 

It's thickness creates a 3D look, which when used in an outlined shape as shown below, 

creates a truly unique look. 

Combine it with embroidery, and you can really have a custom look.

Did You Know? Safety Laws & Promotional Products

Did you know that if you are purchasing promotional products for your organization which will be distributed and/or appeal to children under 12, there are federal safety laws you need to consider?

The federal government has laws specific to the use of small parts and materials in products which are intended for or will appeal to children under 12. Commonly known as CPSIA, Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, they apply not only to items you buy in retail stores, but also to the promotional products and apparel you may use to market your company.

All products which are intended for this group are required to be marked with tracking information, as well as to be certified to be clear of or within the required levels of various materials deemed harmful, such as lead and plastics.

How might this affect you, as a buyer of promotional products?

• Company Reputation:  If your company is marketing items that will be used by or appeal to children under 12, then you want to be sure those items are compliant. Facing a lawsuit because a recipient was exposed to undue amounts of lead is not something any business wishes to occur.

For example:  In 2010, Winn-Dixie/Publix grocery chains were featured in an investigative report about reusable grocery bags. The bags from their stores were tested for lead. Although the lead discovered was relatively low and within the acceptable limits, the story created a public relations nightmare. Millions of bags were recalled and public trust was lost.

• Trackable Tagging:  Items which qualify under the CPSIA require a permanent label with a trackable code or website be included on the item whenever practical. (Very small items such as balloons or pencils, which can't be directly imprinted with this information can be excluded, but the packaging or cartons must still contain the required tracking information)

This required tagging may add run charges to your product. Some items may already have the information preprinted, especially in the case where that item has been deemed a children's item by the supplier. Many other items do not already have this information and it will be required to be added.

Printed tshirts are a great example of the latter. Although the tshirt itself will have some sort of tracking label attached by the shirt manufacturer, it only applies to the shirt itself, not the decoration which is applied later. A second tracking label needs to be applied to cover the decorating (content of lead & other chemicals in the inks, threads or transfers). This can be a separate label applied to the inside of the shirt, or a line of text incorporated into the shirt design. Using a separate label is most desirable, but will create an additional cost for application.


How can you make sure you are in compliance with items you purchase?

• Inform your promotional products distributor that items will be distributed to children under 12. (Having an imprint that appeals to children, regardless of the product, will cause it to qualify also)

• Ask for product safety certificates on items you purchase or plan to purchase. Top manufacturers will already have these available to view for their products.

• Request that only products which have passed testing and are certified be presented for your projects.



Above is just a very brief overview of one specific safety regulation. By asking questions and communicating fully with your promotional product consultant, you become an integral part of ensuring your marketing programs meet safety regulations.

The consultants at The Creative J have taken an active part in becoming educated about product safety laws and regulations. We are members of PPAI's "Product Safety Awareness Program," which requires training in various areas of product safety. Should you have any questions about product safety and your marketing plans, please contact us as we'll be glad to help you.

For more information on CPSIA:  Buying Promotional Products: A Guide to Federal Safety Laws

Wear Tested – The "Not for Polo-Wearing Women" Polo

I am NOT a polo-person. No, not someone who plays polo, but one of many women who don't like wearing polos. Being in this industry, I see a lot of polos. I see a lot of polos I think look nice. But try as I might, whenever I put one on, I just feel like I should be headed out to the golf course. It's just not a shirt style I find fits with MY style.

However, I did just recently try out a new style from Sanmar, that I can truthfully say, is now one of my favorite shirts. Never did I think I'd have a polo that made it's way not only out of my closet, but one I would find myself wanting to wear almost weekly.


What made the difference? A few key things:

L558 Fine Stripe Ladies Polo

• It doesn't scream "POLO SHIRT." The raglan sleeves with ruching give it style women will appreciate. It's not a man's shirt.

• The fabric is soft, light, but not too light, and stretchy.

• It's got a contoured silhouette so no more boxy men's look.

• The fine stripes give it a rich look.

• A self fabric collar make it dressier looking than your typical ribbed collar.

• Its longer length hits just right and doesn't ride up.

• Looks great with dressier pants or jeans.

K558 Fine Stripe Men's Polo

This style also comes with a companion men's style, which looks and performs just as well. The combination of the two would make a great addition to any employee apparel program or purchases you might have coming up. When buying corporate apparel, you want your employees to look great and feel good about what they are wearing. This definitely fits both of those needs.


For a little more creative touch, think about decorating a small icon on the collar or sleeve in a tone-on-tone thread, instead of the usual left chest. Keeping the decoration professional yet unobtrusive ensures the item will be worn more than just around the office.




Check out all the available colors and more details:  Click here for More Info

Charge Ahead – Mobile Power Banks

One of the most popular products this year is mobile device chargers or power banks. It seem almost every supplier in our industry has added a variety of chargers, all with different price points and mAh levels.

And what the heck is an mAh?

Milliampere hours, or mAh, is the standard measurement of battery capacity. The more mAh a battery has, the longer it will run. Likewise, the higher the mAh number on the portable charger, the more it will be able to charge.

So what is a good mAh amount for a charger? Well, it all depends on what you need or want to charge. Here's some mAh levels for some common devices:

iPhone 5S: 1570

Galaxy S3: 2100

Galaxy Note: 2500

iPad Air: 8820

iPad 3: 11,560

With this in mind, now look at the mAh level on the charger:

2200 mAh: Can fully charge an iPhone or a Galaxy S3

4400 mAh: Can fully charge the above and a Galaxy Note, with charge left over

5200 mAh: Fully charges all the above and about 60% of an iPad 3

11,000 mAh: Fully charge most all devices, or charge more than one device at a time

So, which device is right for you? It depends on how you want to use it. Do you just need enough power to charge your device for a couple hours before you can get to an electrical source? Do you need to be able to charge multiple devices at the same time or before recharging the power bank? Do you want the device to display the amount of charging capacity left? Do you need multiple inputs?

Once you narrow down how you will use your power bank, then it's just a matter of selecting the charger to fit your needs.

When it comes to electronics, we like to stick with suppliers who will back up their product.

Click the link below to view just a few of the power banks available. Call us for more specific pricing and options though, as this is an ever-changing category.

Power Banks Link

Embroider It Right

We work with a lot of embroidery orders, and getting the art right can sometimes be a bit tricky. Artwork for embroidery tends to have more restrictions than other types of imprints, so care to detail is a must.

Here's a quick overview of the basic requirements for embroidery:

• Start with a good, clean vector file whenever possible.
• Vector files are artwork which was created in Illustrator or Corel
• The smallest text should be a minimum of 1/4" tall
• Text may need to be stretched to reach this minimum height, or stacked and enlarged
• Keep graphics simple, not a lot of fine detail
• Fine detail is difficult to reproduce, so keep lines at least 2pts wide
• Do not use gradients whenever possible
• Gradients cannot be reproduced as smoothly as they appear on the computer

If you are unsure if your artwork will work for embroidery, just shoot it over to us and we'll review it. We've worked with hundreds of artwork files for embroidery and will be able to let you know if your artwork will reproduce well, or if it needs to be altered for best stitching results.

Opening Illustrator Files in Older Versions

It can be costly to keep up on the latest versions of all your software. If you're like us, you don't automatically upgrade as soon as a new version comes out. However, if you have to work with files someone else has created in a newer version, it can cause some problems if you don't upgrade.

I just came across a neat little trick if you're dealing with this situation in Illustrator. We've started receiving files created in CS6, while we currently are running CS5. Now if the files are saved as PDF's instead of EPS or AI format, it's not an issue. They will open up fine in CS5. However, if they are EPS or AI, they won't open. This can cause some lost time and also some frustration on both sides, trying to get files in a different format.

However, instead of requesting a new file format, here's a simple work around:

Create a new document in Illustrator, then place the newer version file. It will bring in the outlines and elements from the newer version. You may need to remove a clipping path or two, but all the elements will be there, available for editing.

Next time you run into this situation, give it a try!

Congratulations Rachel - T.A.S.

Congrats to our Rachel Valdez for achieving the industry's Trained Advertising Specialist designation, T.A.S. In order to receive this designation, she completed a set of required courses spanning a wide range of areas covering promotional product sales, service, artwork, decorating, safety, product and business topics.

Education and continuing training for our staff is a high priority at The Creative J. It is our focus to be as educated and knowledgable about all aspects of our industry so that we can provide our customers with the most up to date and informed information possible.