Friday, January 29, 2010

Keeping it Local: Vancouver Washington & Portland Oregon Screen Printing, Embroidery, Signs and Promotional Items

Other than the common misconception that screen printed or embroidered garments are cheaper if sourced on the internet, what really is the benefit of ordering online? For one, online ordering is a lot more restrictive than sourcing locally. If you're on a tight deadline, it can be a logistical nightmare. Online vendors will not only have to order your items first (if they do not have it already on hand), but they also have to ship the items back to you. If you're in the Portland Oregon/Vancouver Washington region, you can stop by our shop, and we can put a rush on most orders. Need it for a particular date? We can tell you instantly whether meeting your deadline is feasible. We source most of our apparel in Portland and Seattle, and we do 99% of our screen print and embroidery orders in house. Secondly, without a storefront, you cannot see the quality of the items you are ordering. How many times have you seen nice pictures online only to be disappointed when you receive the items? Third, if you are very particular about the colors on your logo, we can help you match your PMS color schemes as close as possible. You won't be able to do that online. The fourth benefit is savings on shipping in addition to quantity discounts we offer to all clients. Whether you are ordering for one item or ordering in bulk, shipping fees do add up. Lastly and more importantly, you are helping the local economy thrive when you shop locally.

In a nutshell, logistically speaking and for your own peace of mind, local sourcing trumps online ordering. So let Instant Imprints of Vancouver Washington service your screen printing, embroidery, signs and promotional item needs.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

See Ya Arial Font! What's Hot What's Not 2010 in Logo Branding.


What’s Out, Played Out, or Not Hot

Political humor—Digs on Sarah Palin or Barack Obama. It’s SOOO 2008.

Rainbows—SOOO 1980.

Hearts—ask us again on Feb. 14th about this prediction!

Arial font. BORING! May we suggest Verdana, Tahoma, or Impact if you want a clean look with some personality?

Anything to do with Tiger Woods—sorry Nike!

PING—too expensive during a recession.

Digital photo frames with logos

Branded DVD cases

Starbucks gift cards—once again, prices are too high during a recession. But, for true fans like me, keep them coming!

Branded plastic bags—no one wants to remind you that they sponsor products that are unkind to the earth.

What’s In, What’s Hot, What We’ll See in 2010

Branded eco-friendly, reusable organic fiber bags. EVERYONE wants to remind you that they sponsor products that are kind to the earth

Sports bottles made out of recycled materials. Avoid those disposable water bottles!

Eco-friendly, organic cotton or sustainable fiber t-shirts. We predict the premium pricing will drop some over the next year, as eco-friendly tees become a staple in manufacturer lines, and not just a couple of stock numbers.

Shades of green—more of the color green, including pistachio and forest.

Tight tees with a youthful fit will remain popular. Although you’ll continue to see more skinny jeans, we aren’t ready to predict the death of baggy jeans quite yet.

Moisture-wicking or dri-fit golf shirts will continue to be really popular.

Sue Sylvester inspired track suits (from TV show “Glee”) will take off. We may have jumped the gun with this one!

Logo hand sanitizers will be a popular giveaway at tradeshows this winter, as we hit the peak flu season.

Memory or USB sticks will continue to be a hit. Apparently, you never can be too rich, too beautiful, nor have too many flash drives.

What’s your prediction for 2010? What’s hot, what’s played out, or what do you wish would disappear from fashion?

-content by Instant Imprints Corporate



Wednesday, January 27, 2010

How important is signage for your business?



We can't emphasize enough how important it is to have a lot of proper signage. Everyone says location location location. Sure location is important, but so is its twin, signs. If you have an excellent location, signage will certainly enhance it. When you have promotions or events, signage can help you bring in even more traffic. And if you are tucked in a remote corner, signage that guides or tells people you are open for business will increase your margins dramatically. Use signage to effectively get your message out. Our favorites are car decals or vinyl graphics, A-boards or sandwich boards and the ever increasing in popularity, flags or sails.

Any business in the Vancouver, Camas, Battleground Washington and the Portland OR metro region can come see our showroom to see samples of what we have done for previous clients. They are all budget friendly and will not cost you a fortune like traditional forms of advertising do.

If you want to be in the minds of your clients and potential clients consistently, consider changing your signs frequently with an engaging and witty message with a call to action. ('DiggThis’)

New Location Info




Loving our new location. We are now more conveniently accessible and definitely more visible than our previous location. The transition was quite a challenge. It took weeks to be fully operational, and now that we are, we are so excited to show everyone our hard work. The pizza smell from our neighbor, Papa Johns, is definitely a plus!