PostNet

Before you ask for a quote on branded gifts, have these nine answers ready.

1. The date the finished items are needed.
2. Who receives them.
3. Approximate quantity.
4. Product type.
5. Sizes and colors, where they apply.
6. Your logo or artwork.
7. Preferred decoration method and placement, if you know it.
8. One destination or several.
9. Any packaging or presentation requirements.

That list is not paperwork. Nine answers can make the first conversation much more useful.

A label is one of the simplest ways to put your name on something you didn't manufacture.

Plain boxes, blank bags, unbranded jars, generic mailers. A label turns any of them into packaging that belongs to you.

And they can do a lot more than packaging. Product labels, mailing and return address labels, event labels, name tags, brand stickers and even organization labels can all be customized for your use case.

For the holidays, that flexibility becomes especially useful. A seal on a gift box, a label on a jar, a sticker closing a bag. One small piece can make something simple feel finished and unmistakably yours.

Custom sizes and shapes are available, and short turnaround is too!

October is a great time to order branded holiday gifts. The key is choosing products with your timeline in mind.

A promotional product is not pulled off a shelf and shipped. The item has to be in stock in the size and color you want. The artwork has to be production-ready. The decoration method has its own schedule — embroidery, screen print and laser etching do not move at the same speed. And holiday volume can stretch all of it.

One detail worth knowing: many suppliers start counting production time from artwork or proof approval, not from the day you first ask.

Have a holiday gift in mind? Our guide covers what to know before you request the quote: https://www.postnet.com/blog/when-to-order-branded-holiday-gifts-apparel/

There is no single order-by date for holiday cards.

There is a sequence, and it runs backward.

Start with the day you want the card in someone's hands. Then work back through mailing, addressing and assembly, printing, proof approval, and design. Each step borrows time from the one before it.

That is why two projects placed the same week can need completely different schedules. A finished design on a standard stock is not the same project as a photo card on linen with foil.

Not sure when to start? The full timeline helps you work backward from the week you want your cards to arrive: https://www.postnet.com/blog/holiday-cards-planning-printing-mailing-timeline/

Fall fundraiser season is starting, and most of what an event needs is printed, packed, or both.

On the print side: paddle numbers, table signs, programs, donor thank-you cards, and a banner that shows up in every photo taken that night.

On the shipping side: auction items that have to reach the winner in one piece. Framed art, glassware, signed memorabilia, gift baskets — packed properly and quoted across carriers.

Running a gala, auction or school event this fall? Give us a call, and we’ll help organize the print and shipping pieces around your timeline.