Product type against sector — 275 combinations

Two hundred and seventy-five product and sector combinations. This half of the matrix pairs each product type with the sectors, venues and audiences that actually use it.

Request a quote

What this half of the matrix is for

The matrix carries two grids. One pairs each decoration method with the product types it works on and is listed under method x type. This one starts from the product and runs towards the situation: which product type belongs in which sector, venue or audience. Read it from the sector side when the question is what the people in front of you will actually pick up and use.

Every entry names one product type and one sector and gives the reason the pairing holds. A conference needs something that can be carried through a hall and kept at a seat. A hotel needs something that survives a daily wash and a daily turnover of staff. A classroom needs something a child can hold. Where a product does not fit a situation, the entry says so and names the condition that would have to change.

How to choose inside this sub-section

Start from the sector if the audience is known and the gift is not. Most programmes are decided by who receives the item rather than by what it is, so reading down the sector first narrows a broad catalogue to a short list of product types that are already used there. Start from the product type instead when the range is fixed by an existing relationship or by stock you already own.

Each entry is short by design. The product type and the sector are in the title, the reason the pairing works is in the first part of the page, and the constraint is in the second. Read the constraint before the price. A tote bag can be bought by the hundred and still be the wrong choice if the sector expects something worn rather than carried, and a knitted garment can be the obvious answer and still be wrong if the people receiving it work outdoors for eight hours.

If two product types fit the same sector, decide by how long the item has to last and how often it will be used. A sector that rotates staff every season needs a durable, cheap item that can be ordered again. A sector where the same people meet every week needs something that reads as a mark rather than as a handout.

Order quantity, lead time and price

Prices on these pages are quoted in euro excluding VAT, and a business customer in Spain receives a 21% VAT invoice issued through FACe/SII. A single figure on a matrix page is a starting rate for the simplest version of the product with one-colour decoration, not a quotation. The unit rate moves with quantity, with the number of colours, and with how much setup the artwork requires.

Minimum order quantity is the number that decides most programmes, and it moves with the sector as much as with the product. A sector of several hundred people can usually take a run at the standard entry point of 25 to 50 pieces per design, while a small team may be better served by a smaller quantity at a higher unit cost. Where the sector is made up of many teams, splitting the order across designs and sizes usually costs less than ordering one size in bulk.

Lead time is quoted in working days from the approval of the artwork, not from the order. Standard production is 5 to 8 working days for decoration that runs on an existing line, and 10 to 15 where the order has to open a new setup. Rush production in 48 to 72 hours carries a surcharge of 20 to 30% and needs artwork that is final on the first proof.

What to send us with the artwork

Send vector artwork wherever the method allows it: an.ai,.eps or.pdf file with converted text and no linked images. In a sector-led programme the artwork is often reused across several product types, so keep the master file free of product-specific backgrounds and expect us to place it on each item. If the same mark has to work on a dark garment and a light one, say so, because a single artwork file does not always cover both.

For embroidery, send the design as it should look and let the digitising be done here, then approve the stitch-out on the actual fabric. Thread colours are chosen from the stock list, and the stitch count moves the price, so a design built from fewer, larger elements is normally cheaper to embroider than the same logo drawn as fine detail.

When it pays off, and when it does not

This half of the matrix pays off when the audience is known and the gift is open. A company that already knows its audience, or a sector that behaves in a predictable way, can be served directly from this list without a catalogue round.

It does not pay off when the item itself is the decision. If the range is already fixed and the only question left is how to mark it, the method x type half of the matrix is the faster read, because it starts from the technique and shows where it holds. Use this half to decide what to give, and the other half to decide how to put the mark on it.

type x industry (275 pages)

Alphabetical by product type, then by sector. Every entry opens the page that sets out the pairing, its conditions, its price band and its lead time.

Questions about this matrix

What does an entry in this matrix actually tell me?

It names one product type and one sector, explains why the pairing works, and states the condition that has to hold for it to work, such as a minimum order quantity, a garment colour or a panel type.

Does a combination listed here guarantee availability?

No. Availability depends on the stock position and the production route at the time of the order. The matrix tells you whether the combination makes sense, and we confirm the stock and the date when we quote.

Can we order a combination that is not listed?

Usually yes. The matrix covers the combinations we run regularly, and we can quote most others. If the product type and the sector are both known, the pairing can usually be produced even when it is not written down here.

Tell us what the programme has to do

Send the quantity, the product, the decoration, the delivery city and the date you need it. We reply with a written proposal and the lead time that applies to your order.