Our top tips for buying printed promotional mugs, hold true for buying any sort of promotional items – sticking to the following advice will ensure you get the most from your budget:
Think about what the purpose of these products is to be. Are they purely to get your message across to as many people as possible, or are they to be given to select people? The more specialised the recipients are to be, the smarter the product should be. If creating awareness among the general public is what is necessary, then a general mug will do the job perfectly well.
If you’re a designer and want to retail these mugs with your artwork on, then you need to be a bit savvy about which mug to choose. Choosing the cheapest mug is tempting, but then are people really going to spend a lot of money on it? Likewise, many people understandably want an expensive mug to put their design on, however, unless your Damian Hurst, you’ll struggle to make much of a profit when you re-sell. Picking an average price mug is usually the best bet!
Your budget is always going to be important, but choosing the very cheapest mug isn’t always the best option. Spending literally a few pennies extra per mug, may mean you get a design you much prefer. Bone china models can also vary in price quite considerably, so just because one model is too expensive, it doesn’t mean they all will be. Remember that regardless of price, all our promotional items are microwave oven and dishwasher safe*.
Be original. The more unique the mug is, the more likely the user will be to use it - remember, the recipient of your mug will probably already be using one so yours has got to be that much better in order to convince them to use yours!
Mugs are very functional, and they provide an excellent space to identify your brand. Use the space well to reinforce your company’s message.
Look at your artwork. Your artwork is very important for three reasons, depending on the process, the more colours you use the more expensive the finished mug is likely to be. You may wish to trade off less complicated artwork, for a more expensive mug. Likewise, some print processes are only possible on certain mugs, for a full explanation; please talk to our friendly team.
Secondly, if you have lots of information you want printing, then you will require a mug with a larger branding area. If you want the contents of a phone book printing on your mugs, then don’t waste your time looking at the smaller models.
Finally, as with any piece of promotional merchandise, what you buy should reflect the values of your organisation. If your mugs are to celebrate an anniversary, your organisation is particularly historic or the subject matter of your artwork is traditional then you should choose a mug shape that reflects this. Likewise, many marketing agencies and PR companies order promotional mugs, to whom we always recommend more contemporary styles too.
Tell us when you need your mugs by, and ideally give yourself as much time as possible. Many people expect their mugs to be ready, by the time they put the phone down, however, this usually isn’t possible. Lead times vary depending on quantity, what print process you use, stock levels and how busy production is. If you have an especially tight lead time, we can usually offer you what you want, but if not, a great alternative.
Ask us what extras are available on the mugs you’re looking for, or for the type of print you’re using. If you’re printing silver or gold, have you thought about using special metallic inks to really bring out your logo? If you need your mugs to have a bigger print area, have you thought about printing on the handle or on the inside too?
You didn’t think we couldn’t make a great job of the packaging too did you? We’re promotional experts here! Depending on what mug you choose, there are various packaging options available, depending on if they’re designed to be protected in the mail or to be branded and re-sold.
* Excludes metallic prints, which are not microwave oven safe as they contain actually metal parts. Our dye sublimation mugs are as good or better than anyone else’s, however over time under continual use, they will fade in a dishwasher. Put it in a dishwasher a couple of times a week, and it will still be a long time before you notice any difference at all though. Our screen-printed or transfer printed mugs are extremely durable – nothing will remove your fired on print, whether you like it or not.
