Apparel decoration has come a long way since the days of screen printing (did you know screen printing was first used by the Chinese nearly 2,000 years ago!) and basic embroidery. While both screen printing and embroidery are the foundations of decorating in the promotional products industry, technology has improved and expanded capabilities of these processes. Over the next few blog posts, I will be explaining apparel decoration techniques.

Screen printing is the process of moving ink through a mesh or ‘screen’ that has been stretched on a frame, wit a stencil. The stencil openings determine the image; the ink fills the openings which creates a desired design. Screen printing is most popular on t-shirts and nylon fabrics. Costs that are associated with screen printing: screen charges depend on how many colors you are printing and the run charge which is based on a combination of the quantity of shirts you are decorating and the number of colors in the artwork being printed. Other costs you may have when using screen printing are flash color charges (depends on color of apparel item.)

Digital Printing on fabrics uses a specialized ink jet printer. This process works great for detailed, colorful artwork. The inks are specially formulated for fabric so they appear to blend into the fabric rather than sit on top of it like most screen printed artwork does. Digital printing works best on cotton fabrics. The only downside to digital printing is that PMS color matches are not available. The inks are CMYK, so matching a specific PMS cannot be done. CMYK colors are very close to PMS colors but an exact match is never guaranteed.

Discharge printing is a process used to print lighter colors onto darker background fabrics. It works by removing the dye in the garment and replacing it with ink. This technique works really well if you want your design to look distressed or vintage. 100% cotton shirts can only be used for discharge printing because blended fabric shirts do not work with the discharge chemical used in the dying process. Discharge is a very retail looking printing method and works best on black, brown, navy, charcoal, and forest green colored t-shirts.

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If you’re looking for a useful and inexpensive promotion this summer, I have just the product for you. “The CORE” is a small cord managing device. It is intended mainly for headphones, however it can also be used for cell phone cords and headsets.

The round device has a place to wrap the cord of your headphones around the center and slots to secure the ends of the headphones – much like thread on a spool. This handy object keeps messy wires and cords to a minimum and allows for easy storage in a purse or pocket. When you want to use your headphones again, you simply unravel. It only takes seconds, and no time is wasted dealing with knots.

I constantly carry my CORE in my bag. When I bring it with me, I am not only keeping myself organized – I’m advertising the company that gave it to me, because their brand is on it! The CORE comes in a variety of colors (many of which will match your iPod), is easily personalized with your company logo on either end, and is generally available for around $5.00 per piece, making this multi-use device the perfect promotion!

Call us today and place your order!

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Promo products are an easy way for small businesses to get their name out there without needing big marketing budgets. Think about it. There is something you already give to your customers that you could take to the next step and brand.

For example, stores who put customer purchases in shopping bags (like what, 99% of stores do that right?!) Well, I can’t tell you how many small boutiques or salons that I’ve been to and purchased from just use plain kraft shopping bags. Shame on you! You are missing a cheap and fabulous marketing opportunity. Why are branded shopping bags such a good idea? Because your customer transforms into a (free!) walking billboard everywhere they carry the bag to. Plus, most bags are reused so say hello to maximum brand exposure. If you really want to take your bag game up to the next level, consider buying non-woven totes to put purchases in. Steve Madden does this and I think its genius. The bags are shopping bag size so they are larger than traditional grocery shopping bags and have longer straps, so you can put the bag over your shoulder (so much more convenient for marathon shopping sprees.) Plus if my bag isn’t full of shoe boxes I stuff the other shopping bags into the Steve Madden bag. I didn’t really need another reason to shop at Steve Madden, but the bags are certainly icing on the cake.

Replacing run of the mill items with promo products makes a difference. If you don’t believe me, next time you are at the mall keep an eye out for the Steve Madden bags, they’ll be the ones carrying someone else’s brand.

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a huge supporter of keeping the arts in public schools. My life is a reflection of being exposed to art and music from grade school through my college years. Reduced funding for the arts is becoming all too common, leaving schools with tough decisions to make – fundraise privately to keep the programs, or cut them all together?

Often not recognized are the effects that art, music, and theatre education have on students’ academics. There have been multitudes of surveys and studies (most conducted by The Arts Education Partnership and Americans for the Arts) that prove arts education positively influences classroom academics.

About five months ago, I became involved as a Volunteer with the Annapolis Parks and Recreation Department’s afterschool program at Eastport Elementary School near Quintain Marketing’s headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland. Every Wednesday, we’d spend time with the kids in the program working on projects – ranging from coffee filter flowers in pots for Mother’s Day, to paper airplanes modeled after the Blue Angels’ Boeing F/A -18 Hornets (in honor of Naval Academy Commissioning Week).

It’s been a win-win situation because I enjoy coming up with ideas for projects and seeing how the kids take those ideas and run with them, while the kids love creating artwork. Volunteering has been a refreshing way to break up the work day. I’ve found that taking a break from the office for an hour or so to volunteer really helps me refocus on my work.

I’m also very fortunate to work for a company that allows employees paid time off to give back to our community. I’m even more thankful that, this year when a local corporation turned down the opportunity, Quintain Marketing stepped in to sponsor the Afterschool Program’s end of the year party. At the pirate-themed party the kids decorated t-shirts, played pirate charades, and did other fun activities. The kids also created pirate scene murals that we hung up around the classroom for decoration. It was a great way to wrap up the school year and a great way for my company to contribute to the community! And check out the fantastic thank you cards that the kids made for me (for volunteering) and for Quintain Marketing (for sponsoring the party)!

I also want to take the opportunity to note that Eastport Elementary is a fully-funded Title 1 School that has overcome major redistricting and administration changes in the past few years. Without the great administration and staff, Eastport may have ended up as a school lacking arts programs. But thankfully, this is not the case and as soon as you walk into the building, you will notice that the arts are all alive and well at Eastport Elementary. At a recent volunteer appreciation event held by the school, each class performed a song, dance, or made artwork as a ‘thank you’ to the volunteers (including myself). It was truly a magnificent production and was enjoyed not only by the volunteers, but the students as well.

My advice to everyone is to get involved in your community and volunteer. Whether you teach something you love or lend a helping hand, you’ll make a difference (even if you don’t realize it)!

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Annapolis, MD June 18, 2009-

Quintain Marketing announced today that it has subscribed to the Promotional Products Association International’s (PPAI) Code of Conduct. The Code is a comprehensive document that voluntarily commits PPAI members to operating in a responsible manner. It addresses such workplace issues as conditions, environment, labor, hours and wages, and product safety.

“When we started Quintain Marketing, we made a commitment to doing business in an environmentally and socially responsible manner,” explained Kathleen Booth, Quintain Marketing’s Owner and CEO. “We developed a Sustainability Policy last year, and now the PPAI Code of Conduct has helped us to spell out the policies and procedures we have put in place to ensure that both we and our clients comply with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and California’s Proposition 65.”

About the Promotional Products Association International
Promotional Products Association International is the only international not-for-profit trade association for the promotional products industry. The Association offers education, technology, tradeshows, business products and services, mentoring, technology and legislative support to its more than 7,400 global member companies. For more information, see www.ppai.org.

About Quintain Marketing
Quintain Marketing is a promotional strategy consulting firm located in Annapolis, MD, and offering unique, creative and high quality branded products, dimensional marketing, and web-based employee and customer gifting and incentive programs.

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By Kathleen Booth

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A recent issue of Promowear Magazine had a great article that explains the challenges of decorating performance apparel, particularly where garments are destined for use by serious athletes. For years, promotional consultants have been screen-printing and embroidering fabrics used for team sports apparel, but these are not necessarily the best solutions due to challenges like fabric shrinkage, dye migration and bleed problems.

For screen printing, traditional heat-fusion plastisol inks require high temperatures to cure, which is problematic when applied to polyester-based fabrics commonly used in performance apparel. Flash curing, which is used for many multi-color imprints, brings the temperature of fabric up very quickly. Because the dyes in polyester and other man-made fabrics are unstable at high temperatures, this process can release the dyes through the ink and affect imprint colors.

There are ways of dealing with these challenges. Screen printers can use a lower-fusion ink system and keep flashes and dryers at a lower than typical temperature in order to keep fabrics cool. They also need to use an additive to give traditional inks elasticity when they are applied to performance fabrics that include spandex, lycra, or other stretchy fibers. However, even with these measures, screen printing still undermines the breathability of performance fabrics in the printed areas.  

Embroidery also presents problems. Especially when dealing with large stitch-count images, embroidered decorations can bunch on fabrics and result in a messy outcome. Nobody wants to wear a shirt that appears puckered or wrinkled around an embroidered logo after a couple of washings.

Given the complications with traditional decorating techniques like screen printing and embroidery, alternative techniques such as digital direct-print technologies are gaining in popularity. Digital solutions offer unlimited colors and techniques like dye sublimation offer additional benefits including breathability and durability, both of which are critical for fabrics that will be used for sports and other athletic undertakings.  

Whether you are considering giving out branded technical shirts for a running race you are sponsoring, or need team jerseys for the corporate softball team, its important to understand the implications of decorating methods used for performance apparel and discuss these with your promotional consultant. By selecting the right embellishment techniques for the fabric blend you’ve chosen, you can ensure that the end result will be polished and professional and reflect well upon your brand.

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Here at Quintain Marketing, we’re big fans of UPS. They are our shipping partner of choice and we use them for everything from deliveries from vendors, to large fulfillments we send out on behalf of our customers. They rarely let us down and when they do, they’re always quick to find a good solution. Plus, they’ve begun introducing hybrid vehicles into their fleet, so they help us maintain our commitment to the environment.

One reason I love UPS is that they are great at communicating with us about any potential delays or interruptions to our regular service. Today, I received a notification from them about how delivery schedules will be affected surrounding the July 4th holidays and I want to share that with our customers so that you are prepared and your Independence Day promotions are not affected as we come closer to the holiday weekend.

UPS is offering nationwide ground package delivery service to businesses on Friday, July 3. Because Independence Day falls on a Saturday, many shipping companies are taking that Friday as a holiday. UPS will be open, and can deliver and pick up all of your international, air and ground packages that day.

Plan ahead now to make sure you will have the most flexibility in meeting your shipping needs for the July 4 weekend. You can count on UPS for critical Friday deliveries that are shipped 1-5 business days prior to July 3. You can refer to the UPS online time-in-transit maps if you have any questions about when your shipments will arrive.

While UPS package operations remain normal on July 3, that Friday is a holiday for UPS freight operations so there will be no air, ocean or LTL freight service on July 3. In addition, all UPS operations are closed on July 4, with the exception of UPS Express Critical.

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It seems like non-woven shopping bags have become de-rigeur for savvy shoppers everywhere, and giving them away for a promotion remains a good idea. But an even better idea is to give away a non-woven insulated shopping bag. After all, who doesn’t leave the grocery store with at least one frozen item amongst their purchases? I, for one, am always paranoid that the ice cream and popsicles are going to melt in my trunk before I make it back to the house – especially this time of year! And god forbid you should buy your groceries and then run another errand! Then you have to worry about the meat, eggs, and cheese too.

Insulated bags are great for keeping your groceries cold, but they are also handy when you want to keep prepared foods hot. Whether you are heading to a cocktail party and bringing hors d’oevres to share, packing a family dinner for an evening at the beach, or delivering a home cooked meal to a sick friend, they are an easy and simple solution for making sure all of your tasty treats arrive piping hot.

I love these insulated bags – not only do they keep your food hot or cold, they also zip closed to prolong freshness and prevent things from falling out when you come to a sudden stop or make a sharp turn. If something does spill, they are hand washable and water resistant so you can clean them up and get right back to business. They are available in eight different colors and can be decorated with a silk screen or heat transfer.

Give us a call today to find out more!

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Ever find yourself searching the web for inspiration for your latest promotion and becoming frustrated with your web browser? For a lot of PC users, the go-to browser is Internet Explorer. It comes with the system and is – for the most part – user friendly. However, faster and more efficient options like my browser of choice, Google Chrome, are available.

Chrome was released in December of 2008 and has become quite popular since that time. In April 2009, it was the fourth most used web browser. Besides the fact that you can download it at NO COST, I love Chrome for its speed and functional features. I use it on both my personal and work computers.

I’m not generally one to utilize the tab feature on a web browser, but Google Chrome has completely changed my outlook on tabbed browsing. The small “plus” button makes creating new tabs quick and easy. Also, the tabs can be drug apart to create separate windows. As a result, I can complete projects that require more than one site in much less time. This feature is particularly useful if you are planning a special event and need to coordinate multiple aspects such as venue rental and catering, as well as purchase a variety of items including promotional products, invitations, etc.

The best part about tabbed browsing is the “New Tab Page.” This page uses your browser history to provide small screen shots of your six most visited web pages. By simply clicking on the screen shots, you can access your favorite web pages (hopefully Quintain Marketing is one of them!). A list of recently added bookmarks and recently closed tabs are available on this page as well. Every page that you frequent is available with no hassle!

Bookmarking websites is completely pain-free. It only takes one click to bookmark a site. There is also a bookmarks bar that is well organized and easily accessible. If you haven’t done so already, take a moment to bookmark our Window Shopping page – another resource that will make web-based promotion planning simpler and easier for you!

Next time you are surfing the web for new promotion ideas, I highly recommend to trying out Google Chrome. It makes the sometimes complex task of web browsing hassle-free!

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Annapolis, MD June 3, 2009-

Quintain Marketing announced today that they have been selected to facilitate a service awards program for Blake Real Estate. The commercial real estate company has selected a program that recognizes employees for their service and dedication. Employees will receive the service awards based on the amount time have spent at Blake Real Estate.

Employees who have been with the company for five years will receive a Pedre watch. For 15 years of service employees will receive genuine leather wallets debossed with their initials. The women’s style is designed by Latico Leathers and the men’s style is from the Andrew Phillips Collection. Employees who have been with the company for 10 years are to receive personalized work bags embroidered with their names and years of service. Employees who have spent less than 5 years will receive or a multi-function mini tool engraved with Blake Real Estate. Those who have put in 20 or more years of service will be presented with company jackets by Storm Tech. And employees who have 25 years of service with Blake with be receiving a jacket and desk clock.

About Blake Real Estate
Blake Real Estate was founded over forty years ago by Jack I. Bender and has been an integral member of the Washington, D.C. area’s real estate community since that time. Today, David Bender, president of Blake Real Estate, Inc., brings a third generation of the Bender family’s leadership to the management of the company. For more information visit, www.blakereal.com.

About Quintain Marketing
Quintain Marketing is a promotional strategy consulting firm located in Annapolis, MD, and offering unique, creative and high quality branded products, dimensional marketing, and web-based employee and customer gifting and incentive programs.

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By Jessica Matase

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