One of the coolest gift ideas that I came across in visiting the 2008 PPAI Expo in Las Vegas was the Custom Personal Assistant Cards.  Have you ever heard of “OnStar”?  This card offers all of the same functions and many more.

Whenever you need a personal assistant, this is the way to go.  Here is how it works… When the call is first answered, a live assistant says…  Thank you for calling “Your Comany Name”… Personal Assistance.    Here are just a few of the questions you might ask one of the trained personal concierges…  I need directions to…  I need the phone number or address to… I am in Dallas and I’m looking for an Italian restaurant…  Please send help to…  Where is the closest movie theater and what’s playing?  I have a license number of a car that ran me off the road. Can you tell me who the car belongs to? What is the make and model of the car so I know that it’s the right one? Prior to the call ending the attendant says… Thank you for calling “Your Company Name”… Personal Assistance… Have a nice day.

After my initial excitement, I thought… Will I ever really use it?  Who wants to carry around an extra card?  Then it occured to me to load the number into my cell phone, and I would have it with me forever.  Sure enough, I went out on a sales call to a client I had not seen in quite a while.  As I approached down town, I realized that I did not remember which building the client was in, or what floor.  A simple call to my personal assistant directed me immediately.  Did I mention that this does not even need to be printed on a card?  These can be delivered through any “Variable Data” print process.  You can print on pens, coffee mugs or shirts.  You can even forward the phone number with the associated PIN# on an e-mail!!!  For a great presentation, you might even want to include this item in a branded wallet from Fossil or Canyon Outback.

When you come across one of these “Wow Cards”, be sure to use it.  For your free sample of one of these cards, contact sales@professionalgifting.com.  We will give you the best price and suggest the best application.

Eco, Green, Recycled, Earth Friendly…  These phrases are the major buzz in the promotional products industry this year.  Here is a rough breakdown on the ideas available…

Recycled Notebooks, Recycled Mugs by Aladdin, Recycled Pens, Recycled Messenger Bags, Recycled Bookmarks, Recycled Totes, Recycled Duffles and Recycled Padfolios.

Would you like me to stop there?  How about Recycled Magnets, Rulers, Recycled Grocery Bags and Recycled Presentation Envelopes.

Another earth friendly category is clothing.  How about Bamboo Apparel?  Or how about the Verve line from Vantage…  100% organic ring spun cotton?  They actually have a very nice line that is geared toward those that are 40 and under.  If you have any projects that require apparel, be sure to give us a shot.

For more information or free samples, drop us a line at sales@professionalgifting.com

Bags are one of the core items in the Promotional Products industry.  They account for over 10% of all sales.  They probably have the highest perceived value, dollar for dollar, compared to any other category.

One of my new favorites is the High Sierra Carry On Duffrite.  Feel free to check on our competition.  Yep, that’s not a misspelling.  It is a duffle that stands and rolls upright.  Blank pricing starts at $105 for just 1 piece and $120… 6 piece minimum, with your one color logo.  The High Sierra Colossus is currently on special for $40 blank or $47 with a 1 color logo. 

For all your bag needs, contact sales@professionalgifting.com.  We offer free samples to qualified buyers.

Private label has come out with a number of new packages that carry the Jelly Belly Line.  Item # PL-820 is a great package for long meetings. 

You can fill this barrel with 1 of 5 different fillings… Cinnimon Imperils, Chocolate Mint Lentils, Raspberry and Black Berry candies, Boston Baked Beens, assorted Jordan Almonds or Jelly Bellies.  Minimum order is 50 of the 8 ounce barrels and starting price is $12.75 per barrel.  Add $55 setup charge.

The glass apothecary jar is another new item.  Part number is PLJ-812.  The overall size is 3.25 x 3.25 x 2.35.  Minimum order is 50 pieces and the price is $8.75 each.

One additional item that I’ve had a number of clients requesting but have been unable to find are the birch tube wine holders with the leather strap tie.

These start at $10 each with a minimum order of 50 pieces.  While great for certain bottles of wine, they can also be used to hold a nice polo or tee shirts.  There is a mtching piece thats big enough to hold 3 golf balls that starts at $6.

For a limited time, we are offering a free setup charge on all three of these items.  Contact us at sales@professionalgifting.com.

Another one of our suppliers introduced a process a few years ago where they literally use a laser to etch your artwork on to numerous fleece products.

There are a few reasons you may want to choose this application.

1. Your artwork is large and you really want it to fill a large space.
2. You would like to have your art appear over the zipper.
3. You don’t want to spend a fortune in embroidery and tape charges.
4. You want to do something different.

Here is the rundown on how it works.  There are 15 different locations that you can do your laser design.  The cost for each location is ranges from $3 to $6 each.  Minimum orders are as few as 1 piece and there is no setup charge if all art is in order. 

We also offer this laser process on fleece blankets.  The standard size decoration is 7″ x 7″ but if you really want to go overboard, we can laser the whole thing.  Of course the price goes up, but they are great for point of sale ideas.

If you are looking for some of the most creative ways to decorate your next wearable project, contact sales@ProfessionalGifting.com.

If you prefer not to read through this whole post and would rather talk to someone live right now, I can be reached at 317-257-3466.

There are a number of tee shirt buyers out there.  They are as follows:

1. Those looking for existing designs in small quantities.
2. Those looking for existing designs with modifications in small/large quantities.
3. Those looking for custom designs either designed for them or they already have the art.
4. Those who already buy lots of tees and know what they are doing.
5. Those looking for unique imprint methods and designs.

We deal mostly with 2, 3, 4 and 5.  Here are some of the basics.

1. Timing:  How quickly do you need them?  We keep in stock at least 2000 white tees that are available to be printed in 24 hours provided we receive camera ready art.  If you are looking for any other styles, we have access to numerous styles that can be at our facility within 1-2 business days.  Certain name brands may take a little longer.  Standard delivery time for new orders is 3-7 days.
2. Imprint method: 90% of all apparel jobs are done with standard inks or embroidery.  A standard white tee shirt with a 1 color, one location print and a minimum order of 100 shirts are $3.00 each with a $25 setup charge(free setup with mention of this post).  There are typically up charges for sizes over XL.  If you are looking for high density inks or any number of the unique glitters or Bling (diamond stones), there are only a few decorators that offer those imprint methods.  Unique printing will  bring your delivery time closer to 2-3 weeks, depending on complexity.
3. Artwork:  In order for any printer to do the job fast and right, they need Vector art.  This is typically provided as an Adobe EPS or AI file.  If you have an idea of what you want, it is best to hand draw it and fax or e-mail it to us or better yet, search Google images to find approximately what you are looking for.  We have artists that vary in range from $15 per hour to $75 per hour. When doing short runs, try not to get to detailed when creating a new design, however if you are running 500 shirts or more or are looking to resell your product over and over again, artwork is what makes the shirt.  Think of the tee shirts you own and which ones you wear the most.
4. Printing on whites, lights and darks.  With traditional screen printing, when you print on dark items, this requires you to lay down a base coat and flash the garment.  What does this mean???  Let’s make it simple…  If you were printing a white logo on a black tee, you would print the logo once, pass it under a heat lamp, which makes the ink semi dri and tacky, which allows you to print over it again, relatively quick.  If you did not do this, your first white imprint would be dull.  A small portion of the black shirt would show through the ink.  Therefore, the shirt mentioned above would be considered a 2 color job and the cost would go up for 2 reasons.  First the cost of the extra printing and the second reason is below.
5. Color of garment:  When dealing with T-shirts, whites and natural color tee shirts are normally the least expensive, while light color tees have an up charge, premium color shirts another up charge and darks yet another up charge.  Rarely have I seen this tiered pricing based on color with polo’s, but it is common with sweat shirts.
6. Shipping:  For vendors like us that do 1000’s of shirts a week, many of our wholesalers will give us free shipping on orders over $350 from their warehouse to our screen printing facility.  After we complete the job, the is a cost for us to ship direct to you, unless you choose to pick them up yourself.  If it is a large order, it makes sense to pick up yourself or have the garments couriered for additional savings.
7. Packaging:  If you are doing mass events bulk is the standard method.  But if you are using these as gifts, I normally recommend having them folded and bagged.  There is typically an extra charge of $.15 to $.25 extra, but it is well worth it.  Do not fold and bag for large events, as they are likely to create a lot of trash lying around.  Be sure to ask that each bag is marked with the size of the garment.
8. Retail packaging:  There are a number of up-scale brands that we can order in small quantities, print and do our own packaging but for the full retail look, you may need to order a minimum of 72 or 144 pieces for the factory to do their own packaging.  What is the difference?  Factory packaging for brands such as Callaway, Ashworth, Cutter Buck, Tehema, Antigua, etc… have tissue paper used in the wrapping.  Some of these are also available in shirt boxes or branded bags.  We can create this image in house using your own branded boxes, color of tissue paper or custom bags, to achieve the rich look you may be shooting for.  We can also supply all of these packages.  Or for another twist, we can turn it into a compressed tee shirt in the design of one of your products.
9. Fulfillment:  Fulfillment is really designed specifically to fit your needs and is quoted accordingly.  While some people are looking to do minimal fulfillment, a company like www.cafepress.com might be the best solution, but for those looking to ship 1000’s of shirts, there are likely better choices.

If you are looking for the creative ideas and high quality service, contact us at Sales@ProfessionalGifting.com.

Since the company was formed in 1987, Skagen has brought a collection of watches, jewelry, sunglasses and unique Danish designs to America.  Now for their latest encore they have launched a new line of bags.

The NIVA tote comes in brown, black and oyster white.  The interior offers a designer satin lining with a leather trimmed zip pocket.  An attractive metal trim is used to accent the hardware.  The style numbers are 30840-BR for brown, 30840-B for black and 30840-ow for oyster.  List price is $175.

The Svendborg line offers 3 matching pieces.  Item # 11468 also comes in the same 3 colors.  Full hand picked leather with many of the same interior amenities found in the NIVA Tote.  Retail price starts at $315.

The messenger bag works well for ladies and men and is priced at $295.  A fabric / leather option is also available with retail pricing at $185.

Also available is a duffel, #14317 that is available in black and white.

These types of gifts are designed for those that appreciate the finer things in life.  While they are available with logo tags included, this bag and it’s fine packaging say it all.

 To see if you qualify for discounts, contact sales@professionalgifting.com.

We recently had a client that was looking for a great business briefcase for their direct sales force.  After showing them a number of styles, I asked if they had ever considered a backpack?  I told them that I would make up a sample, with their logo on it at no charge.  All they needed to do was either place an order with me or write a review on what they thought about the piece.  Well they decided to do both. 

Having placed an order for 125 of them, at a price of $67 each, they said the reasons they chose it were as follows:

• After traveling most of the monring, my neck was not hurting from the constant pull of a shoulder strap
• Both the padding on the back, lower back and the straps made if extra comfortable
• I liked the easy to reach pockets for my cell phone and IPOD player.
• The hardware reaked quality throughout
• The laptop sleeve held my computer snug and secure
• I was surprised that you were able to embroider on it.  Every other vendor said they could not.
• The thick, course nylon looks like it will last forever.

When looking for items that will be representing your company, it always makes sense to use high quality, name brand goods.  The Swiss Army and Wenger name are sure to show that you work with the best. 

For this client, Swiss Army / Wenger fit their budget best.  If you have a higher level client or sales team, we recommend Tumi first.

The Pulse Forsyth Computer Backpack (style 5481FLM) is designed for hands free mobility.  While it is retail priced at $250, we have sources that are a bit more competitive.  It is also available in black.  By looking at your artwork, we can best recommend how to decorate this bag.  In most cases we recommend a luggage tag or a lasered fob.

The Tumi messenger bag (style #5589)  is a nice option when you know the Tumi brand name is most important, but your budget may not be as high.  Retail price is $195 blank (contact us for discounts), is also available in black and also does a nice job holding your laptop in the computer sleeve.

When you are looking for the best in laptop briefcases and backpacks, contact us at sales@ProfessionalGifting.com and we will shoot you a sample.