Understanding your quote

You’ve received your quote from your merchandise consultant, and you’re excited to get moving with your merchandise journey. Here we’ll explain some of the standard terms used in your quote and some frequently asked questions.

What are lead times? 

The lead time of a product is the number of working days it takes to produce and brand. This is measured from when artwork approval is received, to when the product is despatched.

Your lead times may vary depending on the product, and if you have multiple items on your quote, each one will have its own independent lead time. We can sometimes improve upon lead times in extreme circumstances, but usually, these are set. 

For example, if your quote for bottles states that their lead time is 7-10 days, this means that it’ll take 7-10 working days from artwork approval for the order to be despatched. Working days are based on the UK’s working week from Monday - Friday, not including weekends. 

What’s the unit cost? 

The unit cost of your item is the individual cost of each item. This will fluctuate depending on the quantity ordered. It’ll be high if a low quantity is ordered, but lower if the more stock is ordered - usually. This is dependent on the items you’ve ordered, so please speak to your merchandise consultant if you have any further queries or questions. 

How do I order a sample? 

You can order a sample from your merchandise consultant. These can either be plain stock (so, no branding) or branded. Each may incur a charge, however, your merchandise consultant will let you know. 

What’s a MOQ? 

The MOQ, or minimum order quantity, is the smallest quantity of an item you can order. For example, if the MOQ of a pen is 250 units, this means you cannot order less than 250 units. These are set due to the processing abilities of the machines, and cannot be changed. If you’d like to order less than the MOQ of an item, an alternative item may have to be found.MOQ are unique to each item. Please discuss this with your merchandise consultant. 

What is origination? 

The origination cost is the cost to brand your item. This can vary depending on how many colours your artwork is, to the size and positioning. 

What is set-up? 

The set-up cost is usually the amount it costs for the machines to be set-up for the order. This can sometimes be included in the unit cost of the item or may appear separately on your quote. 

What’s a visual? 

A visual is a mock-up image of your artwork on your chosen products. These are to give you an idea what the items will look like once branded, and make you aware of any limitations the item may have when it comes to artwork position and size. This is not a proof. 

What’s a proof? 

A proof is an official document that depicts how your finished product will be branded. This will inform you of the exact print colours used, the size of your logo, and its position. 

If you’re not happy with your proof, we can amend it. If anything is wrong with your proof, please let us know before approving it. 

Once approved, your order and artwork cannot be changed. Once we receive your proof approval, your order will go into production, so it is very important that you are 100% happy with your proof. If you’re not, please speak to your customer service specialist. 

What’s the difference between a visual and a proof? 

The difference between a visual and a proof is that a visual’s purpose is to give you an idea of how your artwork will look on your item ONLY. It is NOT an official document. You cannot approve a visual, however, we will use these to help with getting your official artwork proof correct.