5% Commission on Referrals

It’s the New Year and we have a new program, to implement…

I am always trying to come up with creative ways to grow our business.  Last year, we did March madness and offered a 10% discount for anyone that paid COD.  I want to try something different for this year. Here it is:

If you send us a new customer, Info Screenprinting and Graphics will pay you 3% check or a 5% trade out on everything your referral prints with us for 2 years.  We all know how valuable referrals are so this is our way of saying THANK YOU for helping to grow our business.

Fine Print Stuff

I know over the years you have all sent in tons of referrals, but unfortunately we can not make this offer retroactive.  

This offer expires 7/1/2012.

The two year period starts from the time of your referrals 1^st order.

All new customers must tell us who referred them.

This offer is also good for just providing leads.  If you know of a potential customer that we should call on, please pass their contact info along to us and we will do the leg work.  And if they become a customer of ours we will still give you the commission. 

This offer is good at the individual sales rep level only.

All commission will be based on dollars paid not billing for each month.

Your choice of payout must stay the same for the entire program.

If you choose 5% trade out and do not have a balance with us we will issue you a credit

Proof Vs. PO

I still have a lot of people that are surprised when their PO says '1 color print' and they are billed for something different. We bill you for whatever you approve on your proof.  If your PO says 1 color imprint and you approve a 3 color imprint, you will be charged for a 3 color print.  As a default our artist will do the art to what we think is necessary for a quality print.  If we think the job would look better as a 3 color rather than a 1 color that is how we will do the proof.  It is at this point you and your customer will have to decide what you really want/need. If you think 1 color will be better or is all the customer can afford, then you need to DECLINE the proof with that information.  

We are not trying to upsell you anything, like when you go to any car wash in town.  

ME - I would like a basic wash please

THEM - we have a special, $5 more and we can do a full detail

ME - no i just want a basic wash

THEM - I can fix your windshield for you for free

ME - no i just want a basic wash

THEM - you should really get this window fixed

ME - thanks but really i just want a basic car wash

THEM - this is a large truck it will be $2 more

ME - Fine but that is all correct

THEM - $1 more i can add air freshener

ME - Please just wash my car

ThEM - do you need gas

ME - I hate this place

So the moral of the story is

1. You will be billed for whatever you approve on your proof
2. Read all the information on your proof and make sure it all is correct and what you expect to pay for
3. no one likes to be up-sold

Thanks for the work!
Eric Gibby 

March Special!

It's MARCH MADNESS!! Any order that is paid via COD in the month of March will be discounted 10%!  That means you bring a check or cash when you pick up your order. 

Any good deal has lots of fine print so here goes:

This offer excludes any orders that were placed before March 1st 2011
This offer excludes credit card payments
This offer excludes any customers we do not like
If you think you are one of those customers, most likely you are not
If you know you are not one of those customers, most likely you are
This offer excludes all orders under 51 prints
This offer excludes any orders that have  already received special pricing
You must put this special discount code on your PO: "the super secret March special pricing"

In order to help out those that have to have checks cut by their corporate office, I will pre-invoice all orders that have the code on them.  If for some strange reason I miss one of your invoices please let me know as soon as you can.  

This promotion is a trial run to see if we can make this a full time offer. Let us know your thoughts.

Thanks for the work!
Eric Gibby

2011 Price List

We have a brand new price list posted for the new year. You may recognize it because it's EXACTLY the same as 2010's price list! In the last few months or so, cotton prices have driven the price of shirts through the roof. So, we're trying to help keep your costs down by locking in 2010's prices for this year as well. We hope this helps y'all out.

As always, thanks for the work!

2011 Price List- Excel format

2011 Price List- PDF format

Together We Thrive

The recent events in Tucson has effected a lot of us.  President Obama will be at The U of A today for a community event call "Together We Thrive".  We got a call Monday night around 6:30 PM that the event needed 20,000 shirts delivered in Tucson by Wednesday 7:00 AM.  That meant we had to have McCreary's Tees pull shirts through the night Monday and have them at our shop by 6:00 AM Tuesday.  The art was in our hands by 9:00 AM, the 1st shirt was approved at noon, and the total job was printed and boxed up by 11:00 PM.  The shirts were in Tucson before 7:00 AM this morning.  It felt really good to meet this deadline.  I am very proud again of the people we work with.  McCreary's came through with the shirts, our employees came through without taking breaks yesterday, and our other customers gave us permission to move their work to the next day so we could get this project done. It makes us feel great to be able to do our part in supporting an event like the one in Tucson this morning.Thanks everyone!

Here are a few links to visit where you can follow the events today and I assume most of the news channels will be covering it as well.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/01/the-schedule-for-together-we-t.html
http://www.uanews.org/node/36874
http://tfitz.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/january-12-2011-%E2%80%9Ctogether-we-thrive-tucson-and-america%E2%80%9D-starts-at-6-p-m-at-mckale-center-university-of-arizona-tucson/

Bowl Season is Over!

Last night, we were among 78,000 screaming fans. Most were all watching to see if their teams would be National Champions. Well, we watched knowing that this was the end to another long bowl season for Info Screen Printing.   It looks like we may have survived one more year.  I would like to simultaneously thank AND say sorry to all of our customers whose jobs we had to move around to keep up with the Bowl demand this year.  I will do some finalizing of the numbers but it appears with all three bowl games this year, Insight Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and BCS National Championship game, we printed about 64,000 shirts.  The frenzy this year over this game was unbelievable and it affected us daily.  Demand continued to rise for shirts almost on an hourly bases.  If it were not for the efforts of McCreary's Tees, (and our brand new 12 color press!) we would have never gotten it all done, this year.  The McCreary's staff, especially Dave and Jimmy, really took great care of us.  I am sure they do not want the world to know that they work extra hours and weekends to keep up with the demand.  To have a local supplier that is so willing to work with us and understand our needs was invaluable!  There is no way we could every thank them enough.  

It is always bitter sweet when it comes to an end but after 7 years we are getting use to it.   Even with all the crazy demands, last minute jobs and chaos that there is working with the Fiesta Bowl, I don't think any of us would change a thing.  They expect a lot of us, 24 hour shifts, staying on call for the Holidays and meeting unrealistic time-lines, but they do it with respect.  That is what makes them such a great customer.  Thanks for the work, Fiesta Bowl, and we look forward to next bowl season!!

Here is a picture and a video from last night.

Latest Wraps

SPA TIME NOW: cost-$1,900
Spa Time Now offers groovy spa deals nationwide. Consumers can search for spa deals and book appointments directly online. Spa Time Now was founded in 2010. 

FIESTA BOWL- cost-$500
This is one of the trailers you may have seen selling t-shirts at the games this year.  Not much of a wrap but I thought it looked great for how simple it was.  This trailer had graphics on all sides also.

I have included prices so people could get an understanding of the cost of different jobs.  This might help you sell your customers on wraps when you at least have a ballpark number.  Over the next couple of months I will keep updating this list.  Also keep in mind we are giving a 10% commission on referrals.

For more information on wraps please check our earlier post.
 http://infoscreenprinting.squarespace.com/blog/2010/9/17/vehicle-wraps.html

Thanks for the Work!

Eric 

Calendar

2010 Holiday Contest!

Every year we have some kind of contest to keep our customers on their toes.  Because I believe that an educated customer is almost as good as a customer that pays on time, these contests revolve around testing your knowledge of contract screen printing.  We have just over a week until the big McCreary's party this year. 

This is how it will work this year:

1. We will post several questions on our blog  that should be common knowledge in the Info Screen Printing contract  world.

2. Various questions will be randomly posted on our blog for about 24 hours each, then removed without warning.

3. It is an open book test so use whatever means necessary to find the correct answers.

4. Find us at the McCreary's Party and check your answers with one of us.

5. The customer with the most correct answers wins.

Prizes are as follows:

    1st Place $150 in future printing

    2nd Place $125 in future printing

    3rd Place $100 in future printing

    4th Place $75 in future printing

    5th place $50 in future printing

    6th place $25 in future printing

In the event of a tie, whoever gets to us first will win.

As an added bonus we have another chance for people to win something. For those of you who don't know, Henry is a human PMS Book. If you can stump him on an actual PMS color you will win $10.00 in future printing.  Keep in mind Henry will not have a PMS book with him. Make sure you bring yours to prove him wrong. Each person gets only one chance, so make it a good one.

Eric Gibby

Holiday Hours

We will be closed this week Thursday and Friday.

For Dec we will be closed the 6th, 24th, 27th, 28th and 30th.

For January we will be closed 6th, 7th and 10th.

Eric Gibby

Rhinestones!

It is official, Info Screen Printing now offers custom rhinestones.  We finally broke down and made the investment about 2 months ago.  During that time we have been practicing and selling on a very limited basis.  We have figured out about 90% of the issues and are ready to offer it to the world.  I have listed some information below.

Pricing
It's going to take some time for us to get a real good understanding on how to price each job.  It seems to fit the pricing mold of embroidery where you need to send the design in and we will need to count how many stones will be needed before we can price it.  The down side of this is that we won't be able to just look at a design and get you a price on the spot.  It will take some time to figure out the cost of each one.

Minimum
We will have no minimums.  We can do one shirt at a time, all the way up into the 1000's.  

Production Time
Design time will take about 2 days and then another day to build the template, after artwork is approved. Once the template is built we can have shirts done within hours.  I know that none of you will ever need something done that quickly but we have the ability, just in case.

Custom Designs
Send us your art or art work ideas and we can produce print ready vector art, and a virtual proof for you and your customer to look over before we go into production.

Stock Designs
We have tons of stock design that can save you time AND money.  

If you have any questions, please post them below.

 

Eric

Not Safe For Work Video

Every month we get at least one customer in here that we have this exact same conversation with. Well, if they meet with Chad or I, it is the same but without all the cussing.  If they meet with Henry, then there is usually much more cussing and swearing.  It's a great video but is has some explicit language, so enjoy it after the kids are in bed. (NSFW!)

Click to read more ...

Top Volume Screen Printers

The numbers are in and Info Screen Printing is #17 on this years 'Top Volume screen printers' list in Impressions Magazine.  I would really like to thank all of you for this achievement. Whether we're doing that one shirt job or doing 160,000 prints for a sports franchise, it ALL adds up.  In the end, every shirt we print comes from you, our customers, and we deeply appreciate it.

Here is a run down of our numbers for 2009.

839,227 finished garments this could be a shirt that has a front and back print but is only counted once
1.4 Million impressions this is every print our presses print over the year
160,000 Prints  was our biggest job

THANKS FOR THE WORK!!!!!!

Vehicle Wraps

We are now offering vehicle wraps! 

Some of you know that we actually run two different companies here.  'Info Screen Printing' is our main business, and our sister company is called 'Domed Numbers'.  Domed Numbers produces 3 dimensional domed decals.  Most our of business is centered around the boat/marina industry.  We can also do domed decals for anything from construction hard hats or car dealer ID plates, to business or church logos for the back of your car. And now Domed Numbers has expanded into vehicle wraps. We can do it all from design, print and install.

For the most part we have built both companies to do work on a sub-contractor basis.  We very rarely have any involvement with the final customer.  Unfortunately that does not work with vehicle wraps.  There are so many small details that need to be taken care of, so it works much better if we deal with the end-customer directly.

So, if you or your customer that would like a vehicle wrapped, please let us know.  We will pay a 10% commission on all referrals, when the customer pays.   Most jobs will be from $2,500 - $3,000.

Wrap stats (provided by Outdoor Advertising Association of America) 

• Mobile advertising can be the most effective and efficient form of outdoor advertising, reaching more consumers at a lower Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM) than any other form of outdoor advertising.

• More than 95% of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers.

• The average American has traveled 302 miles in the past 7 days.

• One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 - 70,000 impressions daily.

• Federal Highway Administration study forecasts a sharp increase in the amount of time spent in personal vehicles and the number of trips per household.

• Fleet vehicle wraps are ideally suited for various types advertising campaigns, including new product launch, and event marketing and are increasingly being used as part of the marketing mix.

• Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times greater than any other form of advertising.

• 30% of mobile outdoor viewers indicate they would base a buying decision on the ad they see.

• Transit advertising has grown to be the second largest segment of the outdoor advertising industry in terms of dollars spent (as of 2003) representing 19%. The Outdoor Advertising industry has nearly doubled since 1993 from $1.19B to $2.09B in 2003. These numbers continue to grow each year.

• Eight out of ten Americans report they have walked in a town, city or downtown area, on average 6.1 miles in the past seven days. This pedestrian traffic represents a significant reach opportunity for advertisers.

CPM (Cost Per Thousand)

Comparing the CPM (Cost per Thousand) of different forms of advertising reveals the value of a vehicle wrap.  The following statistics are from the Outdoor Advertising Association of America:

1. In the top 100 Television Markets a 30 second Prime time spot cost $17.78 per CPM
2. In the top 100 Newspaper Markets a one third page b/w ad cost $22.95 per CPM
3. In 23 Magazine Publications a 4 color, one page ad cost $9.35 per CPM.
4. In the top 100 Radio Markets a 60 second drive time ad cost $8.61 per CPM.
5. The average for all forms of Billboard ads cost $2.18 per CPM.
6. Vehicle Wraps - $.77 per CPM!

Thanks for the work!

Eric Gibby

T-shirt Seller's Guide from Hanes

This was sent to us as a mailer but I thought it was very useful. If you haven't already, please take some time and check it out.  There is some really good information in here.  I scanned and saved it as a pdf so I hope it can be read ok.

 

Click to read more ...

Henry's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

It is Henry's Birthday today!  Henry does not like attention at all so we are going to have a little fun with him.  To make this work I need EVERYONE'S help.  Here is all of Henry's contact info.  

Call at 602-770-0788

TXT at 602-770-0788

E-mail at henry@infoscreenprinting.net

We are going to blow up his blackberry!  I do not want his phone to stop ringing all day.  E-mail him 10 times today and say Happy Birthday.  Text him every hour to let him know you care.  Every time you have to talk to him start by saying Happy Birthday.  You all must help!! Afterall, HENRY'S WORTH IT!

Also here is a picture of Henry in all his manhood fishing with a pink Barbie Pole.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HENRY!!

Closed July 5th & July 16th

We will be closed Monday July 5th and Friday July 16th.

I also wanted to update everyone that we finished the 80,000 prints on Saturday.  So we are back to our normal schedule.  Thank you to all the customers that helped us out last week by moving their orders to this week!  

Fun facts about the job

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Henry's New Motorcycle

Much to Henry's surprise on Monday his motorcycle was updated with some new accessories.  It seems these were gifts from one of our customers.  We do not know which customer showed so much love for Henry, but the rumors are flying.  

Click to read more ...

Coyotes White Out Shirts

We just finished printing 25,000 shirts for the Coyotes Hockey team.  The print was 2 locations so the job was a total of 50,000 prints

Click to read more ...

How to Approve Your Proof

In today's post, we are going to explore how to approve a proof on-line.  In theory it's simple but there are a lot of details that need to addressed on every job.  I'm assuming that you all can login and look at your orders.  If you do not know how to log on to our website, please refer to the post HOW TO LOG ON. 

Click to read more ...