Q: What is a "promotional product"?
A: Promotional products are useful tangible items imprinted with an advertiser's name, logo or message designed to increase brand awareness among consumers products. Imprinted items can be given out to promote a company, organization, product, service, special achievement or event. T-shirts, mugs, pens and key tags are popular examples, and just about anything can be imprinted. We have over 700,000 items available.
Q: How do I place an order?
A: You can call us at 929-390-7077 or email us at info@grandcentralpromos.com. We will confirm your order and payment information by telephone. Once we receive all the necessary information, we will send the invoice to you for review, approval, and signature. You may fax or scan and email the order back to us. The order will be processed once we receive your approval of the order form.
Q: How does the order process work?
A: Ordering promotional products online is a little different. Each order is different and can have many options. Therefore each order must be reviewed by one of our Product Specialists to make sure we have all the information to accurately process your custom promotional product.
The order process has 5 stages: Order Inquiry, Processing, Proofing, Production, & Shipping.
1. Order Inquiry: Once you have chosen a product, click the product link on the desired item's page or note what item and page you are interested in from the catalog. Then send us an email at info@grandcentralpromos.com or call us at 929-390-1944. A Product Specialist will then review your inquiry and contact you to gather any other needed information to include payment info. If you are not sure what promotional item meets your intent, no problem! Just call or email us to assist you! We love being creative!
2. Quote: Once all required information has been obtained, we will then send you an order invoice form (quote) via email that includes the total base price, the price of any options you chose, any applicable set-up charges, artwork charges, tax, and estimated shipping charges. Prices listed may be exclusive of any setup charges, art changes, shipping charges, state / provincial required taxes, rush charges or any other additional charges, which will be communicated prior to processing the order. Once you approve, sign, and return the order form to us, your order will then move to the next stage of the order process.
3. Art/Design: Please email your art or logo to keysia@grandcentralpromos.com. If you don't have any art at the time, no problem, still submit your quote request and we can work with you on the artwork. We typically request an EPS Vector art file. If you need assistance with your art, logo or text, no problem! We have a graphics arts and design team ready to assist!
4. Processing: Upon receipt of your approved order form and artwork your order will be processed, your credit card will be authorized for the amount, and the order will be forwarded to the factory which in turn will prepare your order for production. This process usually takes about three business days (Monday-Friday).
5. Proofing: Visualizing a completed print design project is important during the design stage, but it is essential before production. A proof is a representation of how a digital file will look on the printed item. You can use it to confirm that the correct design, spelling, fonts, graphics, colors, margins, and overall positioning are all in place before you give the approval to for production. Every order must be proofed and approved by you to ensure the correctness of your desired imprint. A proof will be provided to you by the factory producing your order. Proofs are normally emailed to you within 3 business days (Monday-Friday), however, some proofs may take longer. The proof must be approved and returned to us before production can begin.
6. Production: Production time refers to the time it will take the factory to custom produce the items for you. Each product has the production time listed. For example, if an item states 5-day production, this means 5 business days (Monday-Friday). Weekends, legal holidays and shipping time are not included in the calculation of the production time. Please note that the production time starts when the factory receives your signed proof and approval of the artwork.
7. Shipping: Once production for your order has been completed, it will be shipped to you and credit card will be charged with final charges to include shipping. Shipping time will depend on the method chosen and the carrier.
Q: What kind of artwork do you accept?
A: In order to expedite your order, Camera Ready Art is preferred for all logos and artwork. However, we accept most types of art, as our Professional Graphics and Art Team is here to help for those items that are not camera-ready, which may require additional design fees.
Camera-ready artworks are vector files or high resolution -300dpi or better. All required fonts must be included with your art file if your text is not converted to outlines.
Common vector file types that are preferred are:
Illustrator File .AI
Vector Art File .EPS
Vector PDFs .PDF
Other image files that are not high resolution that we accept are: .PSD, .TIF, .JPEG, .PNG or .BMP
If you are unsure if your art file will work for the product you select, please contact us for assistance.
Q: I have artwork that is not in the proper format, what can I do?
A: No problem! We have a Graphics and Art department that can take care of your artwork needs for a reasonable fee.
Q: What is a screen charge or set-up charge?
A: The screen charge or set-up charge applies to many orders for custom imprinted items. It is charged by the factory for the labor necessary to make a screen that imprints your logo or the product and to calibrate the equipment or machinery to produce your custom order with your specific color and size imprint requirements.
Since each item has a unique imprint area, and imprint methods vary from item to item, it’s necessary to create fixtures for imprints every time you order an item for the first time. Each new fixture requires another setup fee.
Usually, this is a one-time charge. If you were to re-order the same product again within a 1-2 year period, the screen or set-up charge in most cases would be waived.
A set-up fee is not an artwork fee. Designing your artwork is a completely different cost.
Q: How much will shipping be for my order?
A: Prices do not include shipping & handling charges. Shipping varies from product to product. Once you place an order you will receive an invoice containing estimated shipping charges.
All orders are shipped from the factory which means that the customer pays for shipping. Promotional materials are generally shipped either via Fed Ex, UPS or truck depending on weight, date needed and delivery. When you prepay your order, we will give you a shipping estimate and add this amount to sales acknowledgment & invoice. You will be invoiced for any extra amount by Kaeser and Blair Inc. shipping charges may vary from this estimate and will be billed accordingly. If you prefer to provide an alternate shipper account number, please let us know.
Q: What is an artwork charge?
A: An artwork charge normally applies to all orders unless you send your entire imprint in an acceptable electronic file and format. If you require only a small change in artwork such as the addition of a website address or phone number we may be able to add that at no charge. If you require a more complicated artwork change or design, a fee may apply.
Q: What methods of payment do you accept?
A: We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, money orders, checks, and Cashiers Checks. Checks or money orders should be made payable to Kaeser and Blair, Inc.
Q: How will the charge appear on my credit card statement?
A: Your credit card will be charged by "Kaeser & Blair Inc." This is because Grand Central Promos is an authorized dealer for Kaeser & Blair Inc., a company that has been in the promotional products business since 1894.
Q: Why is a sales tax applied to my order?
A: The company that we are authorized dealers for, Kaeser & Blair Inc., has physical locations in all 50 states. Therefore we must collect sales tax in any state that imposes sales tax regulations. However, if you are tax-exempt, please provide us with your Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certificate information.
Q: Can I see a sample of the product before placing my order?
A: Most likely! We can send you a sample (with a random logo) to try before you buy, except of course the expensive ones. Please note that samples are intended for clients evaluating a product for a planned future purchase. They are not intended for personal use. Some samples will have a random imprint; others will be imprint-free. Some samples are for review only and are thus non-functioning. Samples may not be available for all products. Simply contact our friendly Product Specialists to discuss or email us. We reserve the right to refuse free samples and a nominal fee may be charged for the samples.
Q: What are over-runs/under-runs?
A: Due to the high volume in which products are produced, there is a chance you will get more or fewer pieces than you ordered. This is what our industry calls over-runs/under-runs. The industry standard is +/- 5%. Some products, such as plastic bags can vary as much as +/- 30%. All over-runs are charged additionally, and you will be credited for under-runs. Exact order quantities are possible, but additional charges may apply.
Q: Do you do rush orders?
A: Please contact us to discuss. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis due to the many variables beyond our control, such as shipping delays and on-hand inventory.
Q: What is your return/refund policy?
A: First, we want to make sure you are happy and satisfied with the product and service provided. If you have any problems or concerns contact us and we will work with you to see if we can come up with a solution. We work hard to make sure that you are informed at every step of the process. We are very careful to make sure that we understand exactly what item you want, what art you want and when you want it to receive it. We do this using a written order approval, digital art proof of your order and thorough communication throughout the process. If we have made a mistake on your order, we will either fix it or return your money. Therefore, due to the personalized nature of our products, we do not offer refunds on imprinted, embroidered, decorated, or blank merchandise unless the product is defective. All claims for defective merchandise must be submitted in writing with a sample of the merchandise within 5 business days of receipt.
Q: Can I cancel my order?
A: No guarantees can be made on orders that have been submitted to our suppliers or that have entered into production. If you would like to change or cancel your order, you must do so before your order is processed and goes into production. Once an order has been placed into production, the order cannot be canceled as it has been customized to your specifications. To make changes to your order, please contact us immediately. A partial refund based on the production status of your order may be available. You are however responsible for all charges of completed work, including but not limited to set-up charges, proofs, art charges, applicable restocking fees.