What do Clark, Peter & Bruce have in common?

This weeks theme for the Business Exchange Leaders Chapter of BNI was cartoon characters. Great cartoons where clothes and I can definitely relate Seaglass to clothing & uniforms. As I thought more about it....what cartoon character can your think of that actually changes clothes? So, I had to change my thinking a bit and here is what I came up with....

What do Clark Kent, Peter Parker & Bruce Wayne all have in common? Yes, they all have a secret identity, but more importantly their secret identity requires a custom printed uniform! Although Seaglass Logowear didn’t exist back when they were seeking a uniform company, we are here now. And although you may not be a superhero, we will still help you design a uniform for your business. So if you know a business looking to outfit their staff, or a superhero seeking a new look, send them to Seaglass Logowear to design the perfect attire! Perhaps you believe the only thing your superhero look is missing is a name tag…and we can help with that too!

How is Seaglass like a Candy bar?

One of my favorite networking groups is the Business Exchange Leaders Chapter of BNI,  and our theme for this week's 60 second commercial was "Candy Bar". So how does Seaglass Logowear, a sign & apparel company, relate to a candy bar? After some pondering and a little Google-ing this is what I figured out.... 

The Take Five candy bar was introduced in January 2004 and is a combination of pretzels, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter, and milk chocolate. The Take Five is your all-in-one candy bar. Seaglass Logowear is quite similar. Introduced in October 2004 it is a combination of 5 outstanding employees -  Danielle, Ashley, Michele, Loressa & Lisa, who provide 5 days of superior customer service each week, with our 5 top sellers…embroidery, screen printing, promotional products, signs and engraving. So, the next time you are frustrated with your promotional company, Take 5 and visit the 5 at Seaglass. 

And then I ate my sample of the Take 5!

The "Seaglass-mobile" gets wrapped

Have you seen the newly wrapped "Seaglass-mobile" around Clifton Park these days? What began as a silver Rav 4, in one day transformed into a transparent water scene with the Seaglass Logowear logo & the information of what we provide...embroidery, screen printing, banners, vinyl lettering, trophies, awards, engraving...and now vehicle wraps! 

To begin, the car was cleaned & prepped with alcohol, extraneous pieces removed (side mirrors, back tire etc) and now ready for application. The printed vinyl sheets went on in sections, 2 pieces for the each side, 2 for the back door, 1 for the hood & 1 for the front grill. The windows were completed last with perforated window treatment (a view-thru material so you can still see out). With many choices for materials on the main body of the car, we used a cast material with laminate that conforms to complex curves (...basically my entire vehicle) and has superior durability. With many helpers, this vehicle transformed over the day with precision layout, squeegeeing and trimming.

Our vehicle now advertises for us, without us going above & beyond our normal daily activities. Research into vehicle wrap effectiveness has shown that an average vehicle driving around town will garner 30,000-70,000 impressions every day. That is 1.6 million people seeing your vehicle every year. Have you seen the "Seaglass-mobile"?

February Facebook Promotion

January has ended, yet the snow has continued. So, as I sit here on my snow day, during the 4th (or whatever number we are on now) major snow storm of 2011, I ponder the promotions that can benefit our Facebook fans. To encourage participation and sharing on Facebook, I have decided to offer a discount based on the number of fans we have. Here is how it works....

During the month of February, invite your friends to Seaglass Logowear's Page. The number of fans as of March 1st will determine the discount. At the time of this post, we have 429 fans, which would equal a 4.29% discount. However, if we hit 830 fans, the discount for March will be 8.30% and for 1000 fans, a 10% discount (and so on; you get the picture!). As of March 1st, all fans on that date, will be allowed to participate in the discount for the entire month of March.

The bottom line, every fan gets a discount during the month of March. The size of the discount depends on you!

Who visits a "t-shirt place"

I have had the pleasure of showing numerous visitors Seaglass Logowear, but have never enjoyed a group quite like the one I had last week. A group of young Girl Scouts setup a time to tour Seaglass Logowear, see the the equipment and create their own masterpieces. In advance, the girls had come up with a logo and I was able to prep it before they arrived. 

Once they settled in here, I brought up their design on the big screen and we played around with the colors and the logo itself. The girls saw how the decals were printed, and were able to take them home to show their families.

Once the decals were done, the t-shirts came out! We used single color, cut vinyl to print t-shirts for the girls. A picture of Charlie, my famous puppy, was placed into a star, printed and pressed onto t-shirts as well. Some of the girls have Charlie on their shirts so they will always remember the cool dog at Seaglass Logowear.

Thank you Girl Scout Troop 2278 for visiting our shop, and for the beautiful frame with all of the pictures for our wall. Visit us anytime!

Large Format Wall Graphics

First tile is complete

 Last week was a fast week, with the Thanksgiving holiday squished in the middle. Monday began a 3 day adventure of printing and installing a 36' wall mural. This is an 8' x 36' graphic installed in Clifton Park Center which shows the layout for the newly begun renovations (the addition of a hotel on top of the mall...yes, you read that correctly... and the new cinema). As you may have noticed, the renovations have already begun over there!



The material used for the job is an actual wall graphic material (Seramark) (same concept as the "Fatheads") and is removable without leaving residue behind. After finalizing the graphics and size, Steve set the job up for printing...a total of 9 tiles (4' wide by 8' long each) and we spent Monday watching the printer. Once each tile was printed it was trimmed, wrapped and set aside ready for the next step...the big install!

Tuesday morning, we met with DCG and determined the final placement of the prints. The wall was measured, lines drawn out and Steve & Michele began. Laying the initial tile, they lined up the top and bottom to be straight with the floor & ceiling and taped the graphic to the wall. Removing a portion of the top of the graphic from the backing, they carefully squeegeed the print to the wall. From there, it was easy to proceed downward with the rest of the graphic.

Michele squeegees the first tile

First tile is almost finished

Almost complete (Thank you Santa's Helpers!)

When the first tile was down, the second tile was overlapped onto the first, lining everything up top to bottom. The same procedure was followed, removing a a portion of the print from the backing and squeegeeing it to the wall. I had the "brilliant" idea of these awesome Elf Ears...and Michele & Steve were good sports about wearing them for some pictures. I do believe they received some compliments from mall shoppers too! (Oh, and don't worry, I made sure they found their way to Facebook!)

This is it...the big moment!

Thirty six feet later, the wall graphic was completely installed and I had to check it over (Yes I did sit there taking pictures and sipping coffee throughout most of the install...tough job, but somebody had to do it!) Overall, the installation took approximately 3 hours and with two sets of hands, and a great supervisor (if I may so so myself...) things went quite smooth!

The following day, we added the wall graphic prints referring to gift cards purchases. What a week and an awesome project! If you are ever in Clifton Park Center, take a look at the wall and the beautiful expansion project DCG has going on.

Thanks for Buying Local

The Chamber of Southern Saratoga began a campaign this year to promote buying locally. Below are the top 10 reasons for buying local. So thank you, for shopping locally this holiday season and putting your money back into your economy.

Top 10 Reasons to "Buy Local"

#10 Keep Money in Our Community - Significantly more money re-circulates locally when purchases are made at locally owned businesses
#9 Support Community Groups - Non-Profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller locally-owned business owners.
# 8 Keep Our Community Unique - Where we shop, where we eat and have fun-all makes our community home.
# 7 Keep Recycling Your Dollar - Locally-sourced products are often "greener" because they don't require as many fossil fuels to reach you.
# 6 Create More Good Jobs - Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community-providing the most jobs to residents.
#5 Get Better Service - Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they sell and take more time to get to know YOU!!
#4 Invest In Your Community - Local businesses are owned by people who live in your community and have much invested in our community's future.
#3 Put Your Taxes To Good Use - Buying local contributes to our community's tax base and charitable giving.
#2 Encourage Local Prosperity - Buying local strengthens area businesses, service providers and employees.
#1 It's the Right Thing To Do - Your family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances rely on you! Help us keep our community strong.

Chamber Angels

Last Thursday, Seaglass Logowear joined over a hundred individuals at the Chamber Angels gala. Located at the beautifully decorated Mohawk Country Club, Jess, Michele, Steve and I enjoyed the delicious food and wonderful company. Best of all, it is a great cause! All proceeds go directly to the children in Saratoga County providing them with gifts they would otherwise not receive this holiday season. We had our picture taken, courtesy of Creative Photography, and mounted to a magnet (but of course, it is too early in the morning for anything too cooperate and I can't get the photo on here...perhaps later).

The silent auction was fabulous and some members of the Seaglass team won a trip to the Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid as well as boot camp sessions! A great night, with fabulous company!

Seaglass Logowear Does Exist....

I realize I have not been keeping you up to date on the events with Seaglass Logowear....Did you know we moved? I know, I am slacking! This past August, we decided to expand our business by doubling our space. We now have a 4000 square foot store next to the DMV in Clifton Park Center. We love it here! It is open and spacious in here. Walking in the front door, you can see the entire production area, the garments being embroidered/printed, decals and banners printing. Ever wonder how it's done? Stop in and take a look.

Since I have now updated the blog after 6 months, I will work at keeping you up to date on the latest and greatest at Seaglass Logowear!

Caring for your printed garments

Ever wonder the best way to care for your screen printed garments? Soon you will see a postcard with every t-shirt order from Seaglass Logowear & Promotions describing garment care. Until then, when washing, use mild liquid detergent, and skip the fabric softener. Turning your garment inside out will help protect the print from scraping across other garments, zippers, buttons etc. Use warm and a low dryer setting will also help. Refrain from adding the bleach...this can be quite harsh on your prints!

We have done some testing recently to determine the best way to save your printed clothes. Pictures will follow soon so check back!

Save green ... on the green

Although the weather doesn't seem warm enough today, golf season is upon us! With charity events, corporate golf outings and tournaments, what are the most popular giveaways this year? Avid players will tell you, a golfer needs a lot of accessories to play the game (golf balls, tees, club cleaners etc). From golf tees to performance apparel, we can help you get everything you need for your event. Some of the hottest items for golfers this include tees, balls, multi-tools, water bottles and pocket towels.

Tees are available in numerous colors, with a screen printed logo about 1 1/2" wide. Packaged in groups of 10 (other quantities available), these tees start at $0.74 per package. Would you rather print your name on golf balls? Not a problem! We can get you Titleist, Wilson, Pinnacle, Top Flight, Nike and Callaway brand golf balls printed with your logo, and packaged singly or up to 12 per box. The average logo size for these balls would be 3/4" diameter.

Ever need a golf ball cleaner? This was voted the PGA Merchandise Show Award Winning Product because it is a safe and unique way to clean your golf ball on the green. Completely soak inside, wring out excess water and place flat in the pocket. The pocket stays bone dry! 

Not sure about the best promotional product for you? How about the deluxe golf knife,a chrome finished mutli-purpose golf knife with ergonomic styling. It features 6 tools: divot repair tool, spike wrench, bottle opener, screw driver and removable ball marker. Starting at $3.60 each, these multi-tools allow for two printing areas measuring up to 1" wide. 

Don't forget about the divot tool, golf club groove cleaner, multi-purpose brush (spike wrench and shoe horn), detachable divot key ring, ball marker, golf pouch, water bottle and golf club cover; and who wouldn't love a golf cooler, filled with towel, tees, divot repair tool, can holder and bottle opener! Add more items before the big event as well!

Promotional shoe bags are always a hit! Made of 600 denier nylon, this bag features a large main compartment for shoes, small side compartment for golf balls or shoe spikes, separate compartment for polish, shoe mitt etc., and a nylon webbed carrying handle. The imprint area is as large 7" x 3". This shoe bag is so versatile that your name will be staying with golfers for a long time!

Now that you have your promotional products all set, what are you going to wear?! From cotton to polyester, we can find a polo shirt that works for you. With moisture wicking capabilities, you will stay cool on the green all day. Brands available include Nike, Adidas, Port Authority, Reebok, ALO, all of which are available in women's styles. (Ladies you are all set!) Visors and caps are also available. 

Don't limit yourself! Stop in today to see what we can do for you! With so many items to choose from, we can make promotional items and apparel work on your budget! Mention this blog and we will save you an additional 5% off your golf promotion order!

Have a successful and safe golf season! We hope to see you on the green!

How is that t-shirt made?

Have you ever wondered how your t-shirt was made? Or why some printed shirts look different than others? Or why there are so many printing options when all I want is my logo on a shirt? There are several ways to make a t-shirt with benefits to each. I am sure the first thing that comes to mind is screen printing because this has been around "forever". Screen printing uses open areas of mesh screens (the open area being your logo) that allow plastisol ink to be squeegee-d onto a garment. Once the ink is on the shirt it is "flashed" (partially cured) and layered with another color, or run through a dryer to completely cure the ink.

A similar alternative to screen printing is heat pressing plastisol transfers utilizing the same type of inks. With this, the image is screened onto sheets of paper rather than directly onto the garment. The sheets are partially cured and then heat pressed onto the garment. With screen printing and plastisol transfers, these are best purchased in bulk. Typically the largest number of colors you would want to use is 6.

On that note, if you are looking for a full color print on a shirt you may consider a custom printed vinyl transfer. This type of transfer allows for full color reproduction of virtually any design and color (photos, gradients etc). These are printed on a large format printer with eco-solvent inks and then pressed onto the garment. This is a notable option for small quantities, intricate designs and numerous colors. The industry has brought out numerous specialty materials that give an added edge to your logo. These vinyl materials are printed directly onto, then pressed and include flock print (fuzzy & soft), glitter print, twill print (gives the look of a printed patch), reflective print, metallic print and puff print (actually puffs out on the shirt when exposed to the heat press). (The Niskayuna Fire logo's are full color prints on standard printable vinyl. The camouflage star is a camouflage image printed onto flock material and then embroidered onto a garment, and the"feeling lucky" is glitter print material before it has been weeded.)

For full color prints there is also sublimation and direct to garment printing. Sublimation uses specialty inks that when heated at high temperatures next to a polyester substrate, form a gas and adhere to the item. This is also used on mugs, tiles, fiber board and more. Although you can print unlimited colors, the catch is that it must be pressed onto a polyester fabric...so no cotton t-shirts with this! Direct to garment printing is fairly new to the industry and utilizes inkjet technology to print directly onto a garment (which is why it is called direct-to-garment...). The shirt is put onto a platen and run through the printer, which means unlimited colors...and cotton t-shirts!

If you have a single color design and you need a small quantity, an alternative is single color cad cut vinyl. Similar to the full color custom printed vinyl, this material is instead cut (versus printed) into the desired logo, weeded (the removal of the excess pieces) and pressed onto the garment. This is not recommended for complex, detailed designs as the weeding can be time consuming. (The Saratoga Stryders logo is white cad cut vinyl adhered to polyester track jerseys.)

So now you know why we ask so many questions when you come in and tell us you want your logo on a t-shirt! We are trying to match your logo with the best printing method to meet your needs. There are pros and cons to each printing method, and we will work with you to determine the best outcome for your logo.

As with any custom printed garment, follow the manufacturer's washing instructions. We recommend washing your shirts inside out for added life.

It's all about canvas

Did you know that Seaglass Logowear & Promotions offers custom printed framed canvas? With the Roland Versacamm large format printer, we have the ability to print on hundreds of materials, photo quality canvas being one of them. You may have even seen several canvas prints hanging on the wall in our shop. Those photos were taken by S. Christian Photography (www.schristianphotography.com) here in Clifton Park and we now use them as samples in the shop.

A canvas print begins with your creativity (and they make awesome gifts)! Email us your best photo in the highest resolution possible (the higher the resolution the cleaner/clearer the print) and we will work with you to decide the best size for your framed canvas. Once this has been decided we bring your photo into our printing program and set the proper size print area. Then we wait for the printing to finish and the canvas to dry. 

While waiting for the print, we will put together the frame based on the size you chose. Each print is a custom job and only limited by your wall space! Once the frame is connected and stapled for extra stability and the print is dry, it is time to wrap the canvas around the frame. Beginning with one side, the canvas is stapled to the frame; the opposite side is now stretched to ensure a snug fit and stapled. This same pattern is used for the other two sides. Any remaining excess canvas is trimmed and your photo is ready for display!

Frame sizes vary from 8” x 10” to 24” x 36”; which size you choose depends on the final destination of your canvas print as well as the quality of the image you are looking to print. (If you have a very low image resolution we do not recommend printing in the 24” x 36” size as it will look extremely grainy, but you could most likely get away with a smaller size just fine.)

**Photo for canvas demonstration was taken by  S. Christian Photography

Reviews on the 5.11 Light for Life

It has been nearly six months since the promised innovative, high powered, durable 5.11 Light for Life has hit the market. At close to one pound and nearly 12 inches long, this flashlight has proven itself over and over in numerous markets. With a 90 second re-charge and run time of 120 minutes, this flashlight could be your new life-saver. Here is what our customers have to say;

"Having effective lighting is crucial for treating patients pre-hospitally. The brightness, rapid charge, and light weight of the Light for Life has made it an essential tool during all of my night shifts." (Used in a local EMS agency)

"Don't use the Light for Life in a corn maze; people will yell." (Personal use)

"Ouch, my eyes." (Personal use)

"This flashlight was perfect for our recent family camping trip. My young daughter said it was the brightest flashlight ever (and was not disappointed by the fact it wasn't pink.)." (Personal use)

"As a fire police member, this Light for Life is perfect at any scene. I can re-charge it 90 seconds without losing the ability to control traffic at a cene. The cone tips [flare wand and lens filters] are just what we needed to go along with these flashlights." (Fire Department)

"Many times approaching a scene, you don't know what your lighting/visibility will be. With this Light for Life I know my crew will be able to do their job more efficiently." (Fire Department)

"I purchased a Light for Life from Seaglass Logowear for my wife's birthday. She loved it! I feel much better knowing she has proper tools in her vehicle, ones that I dont't need to check the batterises in on a regular basis!" (Personal use)

Over the next few months, 5.11 will be releasing a smaller version of the original Light for Life. A light 10 ounce flashlight, measuring 8.75 inches long, you will still receive the fast 90 second re-charge with a 100 minute run time. We will let you know once they have hit our store!

Mention this blog posting and receive a FREE AC Adapter for your home with the purchase of a Light for Life. (Limited quantities are available, so act fast.)