Learn what to expect when starting a project with us for promotional goods or custom apparel.

Idea Stage - Whether you know what you need or need help deciding, the first stage is deciding what exactly you need is the first step to every project. We’ll need to know items, sizes, quantities, colors, decoration methods, sizes, artwork, artwork colors, and any important deadlines. Browse our website for ideas, or promo@riverink.ca and we can send you a presentation with some options. 

Quote Stage - Once you know exactly what you want we can send you a quote with everything together for your approval. To gather accurate pricing and check inventory we often need to contact suppliers and wait for responses, so sometimes you may have to wait 1-3 business days before receiving your quote. Once you approve, we’ll send you an order confirmation and an estimated completion time. If required, your deposit will be due at this point to continue. 50% Deposits are required on orders over $2000.

Proof Stage - Unless it’s a repeat order, you’ll receive a digital proof in approximately 1-5 business days. Your approval at this stage affects how quickly your order moves through the queue. In general for apparel orders we send a proof before anything is ordered, so these proofs happen quicker depending on their complexity. However, for hard goods often times it is the supplier putting together the proof. We have to place the order in order to receive that proof. Don't worry, at this point you can still cancel your order if you end up changing your mind, though we know you'll love it.

Production - Whether we’re decorating your items or working with a supplier to decorate your items, during this phase there are many moving parts. The product needs to ship and go through several stages from preparation to packaging until it’s considered complete. So while you’re waiting, know that we are working diligently to make sure everything stays on track. For apparel order, we order the garments from the supplier who then ships it to us or to a decorator of our choice. Then it goes through a quality check to ensure the correct garments were received without damage. Sometimes we have to request replacements, which can extend the timeline a little. Then the items get decorated. This stage can involve many steps from pretreatment, to imprint, to trimming or drying. Then the order is packaged up and ready.

Completion - Once your job is complete it’s given to the accounting department where they create your final invoice and give you a call that your project is ready for pickup. Every order requires payment on pickup unless you have an account set up with us. Now you get to enjoy your new products!