Plain-English Guide
Every industry has its own jargon. This page explains the terminology you'll meet when ordering branded merchandise — printing methods, artwork requirements, delivery terms and sustainability claims — in plain English.
Last updated: May 2026. If a term you need isn't here, get in touch and we'll explain it.
Different products take different decoration methods. Here's what each one actually does and when it's the right choice.
Screen printing forces ink through a fine mesh stencil onto the product, one colour at a time. It produces vivid, durable prints and is the most cost-effective method for medium-to-large quantities on flat surfaces like t-shirts, tote bags and pens. Each colour requires its own screen, so designs with many colours cost more. Typical setup cost: £15–£30 per colour.
Pad printing uses a soft silicone pad to lift ink from an etched plate and stamp it onto curved or uneven surfaces — perfect for pens, mugs, golf balls, stress shapes and small electronics. It's the standard method for branding rigid items where screen printing won't work. Best for solid colours and small-to-medium print areas.
Embroidery stitches your logo directly into the fabric using coloured threads. It gives a premium, three-dimensional finish that lasts the life of the garment and is the standard decoration for polos, fleeces, jackets and caps. Quality is measured in stitch count — your design is converted to a stitch file (digitised) before production. Setup is a one-off digitising fee, typically £15–£30.
Debossing presses a heated metal die into a soft material (leather, faux-leather, PU notebooks) to create a recessed impression of your logo. It produces a subtle, premium, tactile finish without any colour — ideal for high-end notebooks, journals and leather goods. Embossing is the same process but raised rather than recessed.
Laser engraving uses a focused beam to burn or vaporise a thin top layer of the product, revealing the base material underneath. It works beautifully on metal pens, USB drives, hip flasks, wooden items and stainless steel drinkware — producing a permanent mark with no ink. The engraved area appears in the natural colour of the underlying material (silver on chrome, dark brown on bamboo, etc.).
Sublimation uses heat to turn solid dye into a gas that bonds permanently with polyester fabric or polymer-coated items. It allows full-colour, photographic-quality prints with no felt-on-top texture, and is ideal for full-colour mugs, lanyards, sports shirts and mousemats. The product must be either polyester or have a special coating to accept the dye.
Direct-to-Garment (DTG) and Direct-to-Film (DTF) printing are digital methods that can reproduce full-colour, photographic designs in small quantities without screens or set-ups. DTG prints ink directly onto cotton garments; DTF prints onto a film that's then heat-pressed onto the fabric. Best for low quantities (1–50 pieces) or designs with many colours and gradients.
Getting your artwork right is the difference between a sharp print and a fuzzy one.
Vector artwork is built from mathematical curves rather than pixels, so it scales to any size without losing quality. Formats include .ai, .eps, .pdf and .svg. Almost all decoration methods (screen print, pad print, engraving) require vector artwork because the print machine traces the lines exactly. If you only have a JPG or PNG logo, we can usually redraw it as vector for a small fee.
The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a global standard for specifying exact colours by number. A PMS reference (like 'Pantone 186 C') guarantees your red looks identical on a mug today, a tee shirt next year and a banner in another factory. Always supply Pantone references for brand colours — even small shifts in red or blue can make a logo look off.
Origination is a one-off fee to prepare your artwork for production — making screens for screen printing, etching plates for pad printing, digitising files for embroidery, or producing lasers files. It's usually charged per colour per product. On re-orders within 12 months we keep the origination on file, so you only pay it once.
The print area (sometimes called the 'imprint area' or 'decoration area') is the maximum size and shape your logo can be on a given product, measured in millimetres or centimetres. It's defined by the physical curve, panel size or fabric of the product. Each product page on our site shows the available print areas for that item.
A visual proof is a digital mock-up showing exactly how your logo will look on the finished product before we go to production — correct size, position, colour and method. We provide a free visual proof on every order and never start production until you've approved it in writing. This eliminates surprises and is the single best protection against expensive reprints.
The commercial side of promotional product orders — quantities, costs and timelines.
The MOQ is the smallest quantity a product can be ordered in. It's set by the supplier and varies from 25 units for some apparel and drinkware to 250–500 for technical or moulded items. Each product page on our site displays its MOQ. For premium gifting we can sometimes break MOQ on selected items — just ask.
Lead time is the number of working days from artwork approval to delivery to your door. Standard UK lead time on most products is 10–14 working days. Express options of 5–7 days are available on many stocked items for an additional fee. Lead time starts when artwork is approved, not when the order is placed.
A pre-production sample is a single finished unit produced with your real artwork and decoration, sent to you for physical sign-off before the rest of the run goes to production. It adds 5–7 days to the lead time and is recommended for first-time orders of expensive items or new printing methods. Optional on most orders.
Carton quantity (sometimes 'inner pack' or 'master carton') is the number of units packaged in a single shipping carton. It matters for two reasons: ordering in full cartons usually saves on per-unit delivery cost, and some products can only be ordered in carton multiples. Bag carton sizes vary from 25–500 units depending on the product.
The set-up cost is a one-off origination fee to prepare your artwork (see 'origination'). The unit cost is the per-piece price of the product, including decoration. Smaller orders carry a higher effective unit cost because the set-up is spread over fewer pieces — which is why per-unit prices drop sharply at higher quantities.
Eco-friendly options are increasingly important. Here's what the labels actually mean.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification confirms that wood-based products come from responsibly managed forests. On promotional pens, notebooks and wooden gifts, an FSC mark means the material is traceable to sustainable sources. It's the most widely recognised forestry certification globally.
RPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) is plastic made from recycled drink bottles, processed into fibres or sheets. It's used to make eco-friendly tote bags, t-shirts, drink bottles and notebook covers — typically using 30–100% post-consumer recycled content. A good middle ground between virgin plastic and 'no plastic at all'.
Organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, fertilisers or genetically modified seeds. Look for GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification, which also covers fair labour and reduced water use. Compared with conventional cotton, organic uses up to 91% less water and significantly fewer chemicals.
Glossaries are useful, but a five-minute call with our team will save you hours of research. Tell us what you're branding and we'll recommend the right method, product and timeline.
