Frequently Asked Questions
Services
What services do you offer?
We’re a vertically integrated brand merchandise solution. That means instead of having to go to 7 different companies or freelancers to complete your project, we manage everything from start to finish. Our services include:
- Concept
- Design
- Ecommerce
- Marketing
- Production
- Fulfillment
- Customer Support
Do you have a pricing matrix or tiered pricing?
As product costs and availability can change frequently, we are able to provide quotes on a project by project basis.
A general rule of thumb is the lower the units, the higher the cost.
The complexity of the art is another large factor in pricing.
You can ask a project manager for further information regarding your project.
Do you do Print on Demand?
Though we currently manage a couple Print on Demand (POD) accounts, it is a model we are moving away from and not currently offering to new clients.
This is a common no-inventory model used to keep risk low and products flexible. Because printing is on an individual order basis, they are typically done with DTG printing which is still offered as a print production type.
Instead, we use our Quickstrike method for a similar result.
Note: Quickstrikes are designed for clients with larger audiences, whereas POD is typical for entry-level brands and businesses that have not built an audience for large sales yet.
What is DTG?
DTG stands for Direct To Garment printing. It’s a high quality digital print that works great for capturing complex art while allowing for flexibility with low units on 100% cotton garments.
What is DTF?
DTF stands for Direct To Film. These are high quality transfers that are a great option for projects with low quantities and/or complex art. It can be custom ordered to work with various fabric types.
Can you do cut & sew?
At this time, we do not offer cut & sew services, though we are looking into the development of these services
What kind of marketing do you offer?
We are equipped with an in-house studio, photographers, and designers that can help create marketing content for your products and brand. Lifestyle photos, product flats, promo videos, graphis, and the like. This is an add-on service and price will vary based on the type and quantity of items.
How does fulfillment work? What are the costs?
Custom fulfillment services are available to all orders produced at Brand Marinade.
The costs will be dependent on the products being shipped, as some require more time (i.e. a shirt vs. a poster). This is a separate cost from shipping and is typically in the ballpark of $5 per item.
Pricing
How competitive is your pricing? Do you guys have any deals/promotions going on?
Simply put, not really. We don’t “market” our services, but instead put what budget would normally go towards that, and invest it back into our community and the relationships we build with the masterminds we work with, like you!
Our team has decades of experience in the industry, and know how to price competitively without sacrificing quality.
We’d love to know more about you, your ideas, and add value to you with the services we offer to fuel your vision, while working within your budget.
Do I need to put down a deposit to start the order?
Once you’ve determined all of your order details, your project manager will send a final invoice for approval and payment. Payment is due at the time of approval in order to begin production, unless otherwise agreed upon.
Orders over $2,000 will require a 50% deposit at the time of approval; the remaining 50% is due upon shipment.
Payment terms (Net-15, Net-30, etc.) are available for businesses that qualify.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept payment via credit card, check, cash, and ACH bank transfers.
Do you charge rush fees?
If you need items sooner than our standard turnaround time, rush charges will incur.
- 1-2 days 100% increase
- 3-4 days 75% increase
- 3-5 days 50% increase
- 5-7 days 25% increase
- 7-10 day is possible if our workload is light
- 10-14 days is standard for a normal workload
- 14-20 days if we are busy
(these are all business days)
Strategy
What kind of shirt should I choose?
The biggest factors that go into choosing a shirt style is your budget and what quality you’re looking for.
Some qualities to consider are the softness, thickness, fitted (vs boxier), and fabric type. It’s a good idea to think of your audience and who will be wearing the garments.
How many of each size should I order?
Some things to consider would be:
- Who is your audience?
- Is this a one time event, or an ongoing brand you’re looking to scale?
- How do I plan to sell these?
Generally, you can think of it in the typical “bell curve”, where there will be some smalls, more mediums, maybe mostly large, some extra large, and a couple 2XLs.
You can always let us know what your short term/long term visions are and we can help provide you with some options!
Do I have to worry about copyrights?
This is a tricky question, but as a rule of thumb if you are unsure or have to ask the question it’s better not to print something that may have copyrights. We are not liable for any legal pursuance caused by printing copyrighted material.
Large companies or brands may be asked to provide a permission letter authorizing the logo use.
How quickly can I get this?
We estimate 10-14 days from the time everything is approved, though this can largely depend on workload at hand and the complexity of the job. We have a badass team of hardworking individuals who grind to turnaround projects as quickly as possible. Let us know if you have a deadline or event you need things by, and we’ll see what’s possible!
Are there minimums?
Depending on the production type and complexity of your artwork, there will be minimums.
1 color screen print for example could be as few as 24 units, whereas a screen print with 4 colors and 2 locations may require a minimum of 75 units.
What brands do you have available for wholesale?
We partner with a few suppliers with a variety of brands. If there is something specific you’re looking for, let us know! We’re open to suggestions, and partnering with a new manufacturer can take about 1-3 weeks depending on their sign up process.
How do I decide between screen printing, DTG and DTF?
There are many factors to consider when choosing a print type. Art complexity, order quantity, garments, and print location are key variables to consider. There is some overlap between methods, but each has specialized methods than can make it better (or worse) for your project at hand. Our team is well versed in these production methods and can help guide you through the process.
What if I need an exact quantity?
Our terms of service outline a 3-5% margin of error when printing. This is an industry standard and can vary from project to project. Straightforward one-color designs will have a smaller margin of error, than a design with 5 colors on polyester fabric for example.
If you need an exact count for a team or event, we recommend padding the numbers a bit when ordering, as this can reduce the possibility of shortages. Having a few extra is never a bad idea either, as there are usually a few people who weren’t accounted for (or want another!)
Screen Printing
I already purchased my garments. Can I provide them to you?
You can definitely provide garments. A few requirements are that they are new and not used, and that the material and structure will work with our production requirements. You can ask any of our project managers to help check this for you.
Can I mix garment styles and colors with the same design?
Using the same design across different garments is a good strategy to have a variety while keeping costs down. Keep in mind the fabric and cut of the garment must also work for that print.
(reference article about separations and screen burning)
Can I get a sample?
Because of the setup and labor costs it takes to produce 1-2 items, samples can be made using the DTG digital print method. (This also means it is subject to the DTG printing requirements)
Further options can be discussed for larger production runs or ecommerce quickstrikes.
Pricing will be dependent on the garments and art complexity.
What is the max amount of colors you can print on a shirt?
We have a 12 color automatic ROQ press that can handle larger jobs than most print shops.
Do you offer finishings to products?
Yes. We can add custom neck labels, hang tags, stickers, and/or polybagging for most products. If you have a special request, please reach out to our project managers to inquire.
What size print can I do?
It's never recommended to screen print smaller than capitals at 12 point text, and this is half that size and lowercase.
Keep in mind the size range of shirts in your order. We can only print as large as the smallest shirt. For example, we can print up to 12” wide, but an adult XS shirt may only be able to fit a 9” wide print.
Is it possible for the graphics to be raised/textured?
There's a whole fun world of possibilities, though most of the textured options for screen printing are best with simple graphics. If you do a search for 'puff ink' or 'suede ink' you can get a feel for what that looks like.
Can you use high density ink?
Yes. We have black and white in stock pretty regularly, though other colors may need to be special ordered and are subject to availability.
This type of ink has a higher concentration of particulates and results in a very opaque print. This is used in special situations and not necessary for standard printing.
What are the best practices for taking care of screen printed items?
- Wash inside out
- Do not iron directly on the print itself
- Follow the care instructions on the garment tag
What are the screen fees?
We charge $25 per screen (per color). This is to cover the labor and materials that goes into prepping the art separations, printing the films, burning the screens, and then setting it all up on the press. Though it may sound simple, it is a highly technical process that requires great skill and experience to execute well.
Do you print on wood or plastic panels?
Wood and plastic require special inks and screens that we are not setup with at this time.
Do you do discharge printing?
Yes. This is a specialized process that will have specific requirements for the artwork and garments used. For more information please reach out to our project catalysts.
Do you screen print on hats?
Screen printing on hats is a specialized process, therefore we do require specific styles to be used, with minimum orders of 24 units per design and limited to 2 color prints.
Embroidery
Are there any limitations to the designs that can be digitized for an embroidery file?
There are some things to keep in mind with the artwork, as any small details do not translate well in the stitching.
The structure and seams of the garment will also factor into where embroidery decoration can be added.
What color/style hats are available?
Inventory is an ever-changing game, but there are many styles including snapbacks, dad hats, baseball hats, trucker hats, bucket hats...you get the idea. Let us know what you’re looking for and we can start to source some options.
Can you do embroidery work on Tshirt/jackets?
Yes! We do embroidery work on all kinds of garments. In most cases, we add fabric to the back to keep the stitching from puckering, especially on thinner fabrics.
Do you do 3D/Puff embroidery?
Yes, though it will also depend on the artwork. Thin lines and small details will not work, so it will work best for bigger, bolder logos and designs.
What are the digitizing fees?
We charge $25 per design to digitize your art. Minor size changes are included at no additional cost.
Design
How do I submit artwork, and what kind of file is best?
You can add your art files when submitting your Start a Project form. Providing all original artwork will help expedite the project process.
Vector files are highly preferred (Illustrator or CorelDraw)
High resolution raster files of at least 300 DPI can also be used (Photoshop layered files are preferred) Other raster file types can be low resolution and result in poor quality.
These can also be emailed to your project manager during the sales process.
Art should be to scale for printing when submitted and will be used at submitted size unless otherwise noted.
All text and strokes should be outlined to prevent the need to send fonts or resizing issues with strokes.
If you file contains images inside your vector artwork they need to be embedded to prevent issues with linked images.
Ecommerce
How much is a website?
Website development starts at $2,500 and can be as high as $10,000. Pricing will depend on the complexity of design and amount of revisions required to complete.
I already have a website, but would like to add a page for a webstore, is that possible?
Yes! We can build a stand alone webstore page that links to your main website for seamless integration.
I already have an ecommerce site, can you manage it for me?
We manage all of our ecommerce pages and orders through Shopify. If you also have a Shopify web store, you can easily share the login with us for website and order management. At this time, we are unable to facilitate pages built on other platforms.
What does the e commerce billing look like?
At the end of each month, we run reports for the orders shipped to calculate the fulfillment and shipping costs, along with any management/hosting fees outlined in your startup agreement.