Who doesn’t love free stuff?
Whether it’s something as practical as a T-shirt or a phone case, or as simple as a pencil or ruler, if a company is giving something away, consumers eagerly line up to take it home.
These give-away items serve a greater purpose to companies than just a show of goodwill. They act as travelling advertisements. Luckily for businesses looking to spread the word, almost any item can be turned into a promotional product. In fact, promotional products may be the most effective marketing plan of all. It’s a low-cost, high-impact strategy: promotional items have an average Cost Per Impression (CPI) of $0.004 per impression, and more than half of recipients keep the item for up to two years.* It’s word-of-mouth marketing: people see others using a product, and that’s more of an endorsement than any paid ad could buy. Promotional items increase brand recognition and serve as great lead generators. Two-thirds of people give a product to someone else when they’re done with it (as opposed to throwing it out or filing it away).*
Give-away items – or “swag” – typically require customization. Using a jig, these items can be easily and accurately produced and customized in large batches all in one flow on your flatbed printer. Using a flatbed for these applications affords you the ability to do short runs, offer limitless graphical possibilities and ensure quick turnaround times. To spark your creativity, here are 10 easily customizable promotional products that can be produced on the Arizona Series of digital flatbed printers.
Decal Transfers
Brand any garment or cotton bag into a fashionable billboard. Print the design or logo on transfer media then apply to the garment or bag using a household iron appliance. Take advantage of the White Ink Option to create stunning graphics on darker materials.
Rulers
Custom-printed rulers, paint stirs, yardsticks and even tape measures are a great vehicle to help customers market their messages, brand or business. These items are also great as custom gifts for almost any occasion or event. Print on plastic, wood, fiberglass, metal and more.
Memory Cards
The Arizona does an excellent job of decorating flat, small objects that are held in placing using a jig created on the ProCut digital cutter. Ultra-compact, ultra-useful memory cards become ultra-visible reminders of a brand every time a consumer connects it to a device.
Door Hangers
Door hangers are both functional and effective in communicating a message. Easy to produce and inexpensive, they can be printed on low-cost paperboard or, for added durability, styrene or PVC either single- or double-sided.
Wood Plaques and Acrylic Plaques
These allow customers to express the value of their brand by displaying awards and honours. They’re also a unique idea to present to winners of a promotional contest. Wood plaques are a great application for both indoor and outdoor use. Print directly onto the wood using UV inks and cut, if necessary, on the ProCut digital flatbed cutter. Acrylic plaques are often used in waiting areas such as a doctor’s office or a business. Apply primer to acrylic before printing and cutting. For best results, use the ProCut to score and cut the plaque, and finish with lacquer spray for effect and protection.
Stickers and Decals
Stickers, labels and decals can include a number of items used by packaging firms, cleaning services, product manufacturers, as well as small engine, automotive and RV manufacturers, or any type of hardware or equipment manufacturing company. For packaging companies, in particular, these items offer value beyond promotional purposes: recent innovations in the industry, including customized and smart packaging, have stickers, labels and decals serving a functional use as well.
Coasters
Drink coasters not only serve as a de facto business card but also help customers embrace their sense of touch and experience print in a new way. Slightly raised patterns or images can help keep condensation or liquid on the outside of the glass from creating a vacuum between the glass and the coaster. This allows the two to more easily separate from each other so the coaster stays on the table when you raise your glass.
Inflatables
Not so much swag as straight-up promotional items, inflatables take a brand’s name to new heights. These are a fun way for a business to incorporate outdoor signage into their marketing initiatives. With the Arizona Series, you can print directly on deflated inflatables in any shape and know you’ll get true-to-life colour over the entire surface once it’s fully expanded. Just make sure to print on something sturdy enough to withstand the wind.
Apparel
Create custom flip-flops by printing directly onto the foam then cutting on the ProCut digital flatbed cutter. With darker colours of foam, print a few layers of white ink first—this prevents the foam from absorbing other ink and ensures a brand’s logo doesn’t take on the tint of the foam.
Phone Cases
Personalization drives demand for digital product decoration, and phone covers are just one example of a common item that can be imprinted to better reflect its owner. Using the Arizona, you can print directly onto the flat surface of pre-manufactured phone covers. It’s as easy as this.