T-Shirts & Custom Apparel

There are a wide range of reasons our clients purchase custom T-shirts and unique apparel items.  They could be planning a stag and doe, or a 50th birthday party.  Maybe they are putting a team together to join a competition, play in a sports league like baseball or soccer, or host a special event like a fundraiser or charity.  They could own a business, play in a band, or even have their own personal art they would like to see on the latest style of T-shirt.

Whatever the case may be, you want to make sure you are getting exactly what you want, with no surprises.  This is our #1 focus! We take the time and effort to ask the right questions.  To us, you are a name, a face, and someone we want to impress by offering the best customer experience imaginable!

You might want a specific t-shirt or specific material...  With our help, you can "feel" a sample of the item before you order it!

What about the size of the logo or the location where it will be placed??  We provide a visual "paper proof" for your approval prior to ordering.

With lots of on-line options out there that may seem cheap... you can never be sure of what you are paying for.  With us, you can be confident in the product you are buying!

Branding of the T-shirt or custom apparel
 

The traditional screen printing process is great for one colour or multiple colour art work and tends to work on a variety of garment materials

The embroidered look, either sewn directly on the garment, or produced as a patch which is then sewn to the garment, gives the art work depth for that classic look. 

The heat transfer process is one of the quickest decorating processes there is!  Taking only seconds to apply, the result is a clean, crisp, sharp looking logo.  Great for colour matching and accommodating multiple colours, this is one of our favorite branding options.

Other branding processes include laser etching, infusion, sublimation, and embossing and debossing. All have their specific qualities that make each process stand out from the other. These processes are typically used on larger orders where bigger runs are required due to the time, effort and equipment used to achieve the finished product.

If you have an idea for a custom shirt for work or play... We can help bring it to life with one of these great branding options!

Thanks for reading!

Talking Tumblers

Recently we had the pleasure of sitting down with Luke Caton from Starline Industries to learn about the great products they are launching in 2015.

"Starline is a TOP Supplier in the promotional products industry and provides upscale retail quality gifts and awards among Bags, Drinkware, Electronics, ToolZone™ including CREE® Flashlights, LED Flashlights, Knives and Tools, Lifestyles, HomeStyles™, Safety including Eyewear, Head Protection, Hand Protection and Hi-Vis Apparel and Business Essentials. Starline is proud to be a committed leader in an industry that boasts nearly $18 billion in annual sales with over 3500 suppliers and over 22,000 distributors." See more about Starline.

With all the great products they provide, we decided to showcase one that really got our attention during the presentation.

Double Walled and Vacuum Insulated Tumblers

We were extremely impressed with the newly designed styles that Starline is providing this year. The countless colour options, and finishes like stainless steel and matte, open the door for creativity and personalization. There are so many to choose from... but the way each style transitions into the next, you get the calming sense that the right Tumbler for you is definitely within reach.  With prices ranging from as low as $12.49 to the mid $20's for vacuum insulated styles, you are sure to find the best fit for any budget!   Sizes range from 12oz to 20oz, and options include a snap button closure with screw on lid or a leak proof screw on lid with a visual open/close push button locking closure. These options also feature lip and finger grooves that allow you to position the drinking spout without even looking.
The specially designed lid can come apart for easy cleaning, and the mechanics of the leak-stopping push button lock must be heard to get a true sense of the superior quality that is present in this design.
All of these qualities make this product great.  But what about the logo imprint? Well, we can tell you that we have never seen anything like it before! "The TruColor™ Direct Digital Print process is an exciting breakthrough in printing technology.  This unique digital process allows us to print your logo in vibrant color directly on to our drinkware."   Again, this is a feature you really have to see to understand the level that Starline is on with this product!  Click here for some examples of the printing & etching capabilities.

For further information please don't hesitate to contact us! If you are looking to purchase drinkware, we can help find the best solution!  To browse the Starline Website for more great products go to ca.starline.com

Decorating with a twist!

Would you like your company logo to stand out over your competitors? Consider using a custom embroidered patch. Custom patches can take any logo design to the next level.  With different backing fabrics like twill or felt which come in a wide range of colours, along with hundreds of thread colours to choose from, your logo will look sharp and stand out over your competitors any day.

Custom patches come in two different application styles. The first being a "heat sealed" option, and the second being "sew on". Heating and pressing the patches onto the garment saves time and can be done in a matter of seconds. For items that take more "wear n tear", a sewn patch might be a better fit.  Patches also have a few edge finishes to choose from. There are fully embroidered, marrowed, zig zag, and clean edges that all give a unique look. With minimums as low as 25 pieces, this is a great option for any business, team, or event!

Corporate awards can capture excitement, nostalgia and company spirit

This past year was David’s 35th reunion for engineering at Queen’s University. Everyone had a wonderful time catching up and reconnecting with classmates and friends. “Science ’79” was a year to reckon with; they had great spirit, camaraderie, and cohesiveness that new students and alumni still recognize today. Their tagline is Science ’79 Forever!

After 35 years, “Science ‘79” still attracts a large group of classmates who travel from around the world to sing old songs, march in the parade around a football field and tell “do you remember” stories as if they had only seen each other last week.

You are probably wondering how this relates to corporate awards. The way I see it, a strong corporate awards program should create the same feelings as “Science ’79”: excitement, nostalgia, and pride.

Corporate award programs can be based around many different objectives: sales awards, health & safety awards, employee recognition awards, retirement gifts etc.

Corporate recognition awards or corporate sales awards do not have to be boring or give the off-the-shelf impression. When an organization creates awards with no thought put into them, they miss the opportunity to give meaningful recognition awards that inspire, celebrate and recognize the recipient. Sure, the easy route to creating a “customized” award is to take an inexpensive off-the-shelf award, engrave it, and call it a day. But, consider the impression you are leaving with the recipient and anyone who sees that award.

When companies take the time and effort to create customized awards to celebrate corporate or individual successes, they take advantage of a great opportunity to showcase their company and brand in a favourable light. Corporate sales awards, in particular, can be a crowning achievement to the recipient and when they walk away with the award in hand, you want them to feel pride in belonging to a company that celebrates their achievements in a memorable way. As an organization, you want to create a customized award that highlights your brand in a way that creates pride in the recipient.

Organizations should be creating a corporate award that makes the recipient feel like an individual winner while also feeling proud that they play a significant part of the corporate team. The last thing you want is for your recipient to walk away feeling, “they had to give me something so they threw together the easiest and cheapest thing they could.”
 

Thoughtful and creative
Don’t be unimaginative or stuck in the past and think an award is just an award. Just because you don’t want boring, doesn’t mean that corporate awards have to be elaborate and complicated. They should be thoughtful and creative.

Make corporate awards special
The goal of a corporate recognition program should be to make the recipient feel good about themselves and the company/brand. So, instead of leaving the impression that you don’t really care; why not create a corporate awards program that impresses?
The feeling you want to leave your recipients with is that they are a winner. You want them to embrace the spirit, camaraderie and cohesiveness needed to build a great organization. Very much like Science ’79 Forever!

Fighting the cold with STORMTECH

As the days get closer to the "mid winter" season, the temperatures start to become a bit more intolerable. The easiest thing to do is avoid it completely by staying inside... But how many of us really want to do that??  The next best thing is to be as warm as possible while throwing yourself into the frigid temperatures. There is a handful of great brands out there that carry great products to keep you toasty. But when it comes to buying these winter items, usually the prices are not cheap. And... at the same time, the most expensive items are not always the warmest.

Enter Stormtech.

We have been standing behind Stormtech and their products since the early days at 1st Impressions Corporate and Sportswear. Our belief is that they offer some of the best products on the market without the painful price tag. They provide great jacket options, from warm insulated work jackets, to technical jackets for winter sports like snowmobiling and snowboarding. They also carry a range of insulated pants and work coveralls, as well as winter gloves and toques.

If you have heard of Stormtech, you already know. But if you haven't, then you need to check their products out before buying any other winter items. You won't be disappointed!

The 1st Impressions Team

Need promotional items for your business???

We have decided to offer FREE items when making certain purchases for your company or event.

This weeks feature is a quality pen with a free logo imprint!!

All clients making an apparel purchase (t shirts, sweaters, hats, jackets, etc) of over $1000, will receive 250 FREE PENS with the logo of their choice.

We have done the math, and on this pen, that is a $300 value!

But this deal will not be our last. Watch for other FREE Items to be linked with special purchases in the upcoming weeks and months.

Please don't hesitate to call or email us today if you would like more details!

Join our mailing list to get further updates and notices sent to your email

Thank you,

The 1st Impressions Team

Happy Holidays To All!

We have been super busy the last few days with all the special orders for the young hockey players of the Kitchener Jr Rangers, Kitchener Lady Rangers, and Kitchener Minor Hockey program. We hope our hoodies, t shirts, hats, toques and jackets help make Christmas morning a success!  We would like to thank all the great people who placed orders with us or stopped by the showroom to have a look at all the creative ideas and apparel we have to offer!

This has been our busiest holiday season ever, and we really appriciate all the support we recieved from our clients!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The 1st Impressions Team

There is nothing better for any business then to get a referral from a happy client. We are lucky to have such great customers, that this tends to happen quite regularly. They speak well of our services, and we receive new calls and emails from people we have yet to meet. We are extremely grateful for this and thank anyone who has taken a moment to chat about us to their friends, family, business colleagues or teammates!

We were blown away when we received an email from The Dalton School from Toronto last month. They had been referred to us by another Toronto school who we work with and they decided to give us the opportunity to provide sweaters and tee shirts for them as well. Everything went smooth and they actually placed a second order soon after.

When it comes to getting great service, sometimes the distance between you and that service is not so important. The important part is the great service!

Thanks to Jason at Arrowsmith School for the great referral, and Kim and the staff at The Dalton School for giving us the chance to provide their school apparel!

With the Kitchener Minor Hockey Association's season well underway, we have had the pleasure of assisting many coaches, parents and players with apparel and accessories for the upcoming year. Our Kitchener minor hockey teams have always had a sense of pride and class on and off the ice, and we are proud to be apart of the KMHA spirit by providing the items that help teams look professional and respectable. We really enjoy working with everybody involved with KMHA and would like to thank all the people who have stopped by 86 Queen st N to visit our showroom!

Thank you for your continued support!

Laser Etching

Embroidery, Screen Printing, and Heat Transferring are not the only options when it comes to branding apparel. Laser Etching is a great way to have your logo added to quality apparel, in a very professional looking way. Perfect for fleece, polyester, and other technical garments, laser etching has added a new look to the mix. Come by and see our showroom samples!