One of the many benefits you receive as part of being a Printfection customer is having the ability to request samples!
Everyone loves free swag - even our Swag champions! Whether you are wanting to test out an item, physically feel or see a color, or just want to compare two items to see which you prefer - Printfection has you covered. This article will discuss how samples work at Printfection.
The first and most important thing to know is that Printfection can supply you with either a blank sample or a printed sample (which often is called a pre-production sample or proof).
Blank samples
Blank samples are samples of items that do NOT have your artwork applied to them. In some cases they are truly unbranded blank items whereas in other cases they might have a fake or generic logo on them.
The most common reasons you would request a blank sample are:
- You want to physically verify and see the color of a specific product
- You want to 'test' or wear a specific product
- You want to show the product to other stakeholders to get their feedback
- You know you want an item (such as a water bottle or mug) but are not sure which one to choose due to how many options we provide
Blanks samples are provided to current customers at no cost and the number of samples are based on plan type! In general Starter customers can request up to 3 blank samples per quarter, Standard customers can request up to 6 per quarter and Enterprise customers can request 10 or more. You can request blank samples of items thru your CSM or by submitting an Item Research request. Please note that there will be some limitations as to which items can and cannot be ordered, for example most retail items do not allow blank samples.
Printed samples (AKA pre-production samples)
Printed samples of products are actual prints of your item with your artwork printed on it! Due to the expenses, complexity, effort and time needed to print an item we do not provide printed samples on-demand. We do require you to place an order first. You can place either a Drop Ship or Inventory order.
After you place your first full order for an item, a pre-production sample will be printed and shipped out to you. Then after you approve the pre-production sample/proof, we’ll print the rest of the order.
If you aren't satisfied, we can cancel your order and you won’t be charged, or we can make slight modifications as necessary to ensure you are delighted.
Example: If you wanted to get a printed sample of a shirt you would take these steps:
- Order 50 shirts via an Inventory Order (there is always a minimum quantity that must be ordered, in this example let's say it is 50 units).**
- Printfection will print 1 shirt and send it to you for approval
- You (the customer) will approve the sample
- Once approved Printfection will then print the 50 shirts
Please note these samples can add 7-10 additional business days to the standard production timeline.
We also do NOT provide printed samples on any 'paper-goods' such as postcards, stickers, brochures or custom boxes. The reason for this is the cost to produce one unit is far higher than doing a full run on these types of items.
**Currently we do not have the ability to request a pre-production sample thru the platform so let your CSM or Merchandise manager know before or right after placing the order if you do want a sample!
If you have any questions please reach out to your CSM and we will be happy to help!