Account Opener: Premiums given to customers of financial institutions as a reward or thank you for opening an account.

Advertising Specialty: A useful or interesting item of merchandise usually carrying an imprinted advertising or promotional message and given with no obligation. A subset of promotional products.

Antron: Fabric made form a trademarked trilobal fiber by Du Pont. This taffeta nylon fabric is distinguished by its shiny finish.

Award: Recognition merchandise, often personalized, used to acclaim performance or milestones. May be useful objects (paperweights, clocks) or for display only (plaques, trophies). A subset of promotional products.

Award Jacket: This generic term is used to describe an athletic jacket, usually a waist-length style with knit collar, cuffs and waistband. It can feature a zipper or snap front. Often used interchangeably with baseball jacket.

Blind Embossing: A design which is stamped without metallic leaf or ink giving a bas-relief effect.

Bomber Jacket: A loose, zippered jacket with fitted waist and cuffs, resembling those worn by American bomber pilots in World War II. Can be made from nylon, woven blends or leather. Usually has a fur or pile collar, double-entry cargo pockets and set-in sleeves with a pocket on the sleeve. Traditionally, this is a heavier-weight jacket with a shearing or quilt lining. Also called a fight jacket.

Bronzing: Printing with a sizing ink then applying bronze powder while still set to produce a metallic luster.

Business Gift: Merchandise given by a business in goodwill, without obligation to its customers, employees, friends and the like. Unlike promotional products, the business gift often is not imprinted with the advertiser’s identification.

Casting: Method in which molten metal is forced into a mold, made either of rubber or plaster, and cooled in the desired shape. Because the process often uses precious metals for jewelry, business gifts, etc., and a master or model is required to make a mold, specific samples are rarely given.

Chenille: Hand tufting in multi-coloured wool or cotton yarn onto heavy fabric creates a luxurious pile design. This classic style offers a very high perceived value. Best suited for: melton wool, leather or polar fleece jackets. Not suitable for lightweight fabrics.

Cloisart: The desired logo or copy is foil hot stamped on a solid brass or metal base, then covered by an epoxy dome. There are fewer limitations with Cloisart because it is a hot stamp procedure. This is a cloisonné lookalike for a fraction of the cost, and is not generally considered as fine quality as cloisonné. Used in jewelry and pins.

Cloisonne: Metal emblems are stamped from a die. A coloured paste made from ground glass is applied into the recessed areas of the emblem. The emblem is then fired at 1400° and polished by stone and pumice to achieve brilliant colour. Gullies and ridges separate each individual colour, so fine lines between colours are difficult to achieve. This is considered a very high-quality product, and is slightly more costly than other alternatives. Used in jewelry and pins.

Colour Break: In multicolour printing, the point or line at which one ink colour stops and another begins.

Colour Separation: The separation of multi-coloured original art by camera or laser scan techniques to produce individual negatives for each separated colours. The four common separations: yellow, magenta (red), cyan (blue) plus black are required for full-colour (four-colour) printing.

Combed Cotton: Combing separates long, choice fibres from short ones. The comb straightens and arranges the fibres in a parallel form to create a finer, cleaner, more lustrous, stronger fabric.

Commemorative: A merchandise keepsake used to mark a ceremony, anniversary, event or milestone.

Co-op, Catalogue, or Company Program: An agreement whereby a client’s dealers order promotional products exclusively from a distributor’s specially prepared catalog and the distributor arranges for fulfillment.

D.P.I. (dots per inch): Refers to the number of dots that make up a printed design. If there are too few DPI, the gaps between dots will be visible to the eye and produce a jagged, poor-quality reproduction.

Debossing: Stamping an image on a material, such as paper, leather or suede, so the image sits below the surface of the object. Ink may or may not accompany the stamp.

Decal Transfer: A water-soluble decal, printed on an offset or letterset press, is submerged in water and slid onto the product to be imprinted. The decal is rubbed with a cloth or squeegee to remove any excess water and air from between the product and the decal. The product is then kiln-fired. Once fired, the decal becomes fused with the glaze. Hairline registration and superior reproduction of detail make it an excellent choice. This imprint withstands washing very well. This method is labour intensive, since each decal must be aligned and applied by hand. Used in porcelain, ceramic, and glass products.

Die: A mold into which molten metal, plastic or other material is forced to make a special shape, such as pen barrels or rings. Also a tool made of very hard material used to press a special shape into or onto a softer material such as coins and emblems.

Die Cutting: The use of sharp steel blades to cut special shapes from printed sheets.

Die-Casting (Injection Molding): Molten metal is injected into the cavity of a carved die. In the case where a double-sided impression is necessary, two dies are placed together, carved sides facing the inside, and the molten metal is injected between them. Fine detail is available, and thinner lines available than with die-struck products. Used in metals such as jewelry, pins and belt buckles.

Digital Vinyl Label: Your logo is printed directly on a vinyl self-adhesive label, then applied directly to the product. This application is available on several products, and it is UV protected and water resistant. Colour consistency, color registration and image detail are superior.

Door-Opener: An item of value offered by a salesperson to persuade potential buyers to listen to a sales presentation or to initiate interest in a product or service for a sales-call follow-up.

Embossing: Stamping an image on a material, such as paper, leather or suede, so the image rises above the surface of the object. As in debossing, ink may or may not accompany the stamp.

Embroidery: A design stitched onto a material through the use of high speed, computer controlled sewing machines. The design is reproduced with tightly-stitched thread. Embroidery is most commonly used on logo patches and directly on some wearables. Fine detail is difficult but not impossible to achieve.

Engraving: The cutting or etching of designs or letters on metal, wood, glass or other materials. There are three engraving techniques, hand-engraving, hand-tracing and computerized engraving. Engraving is performed with a diamond point or rotary blade that cuts into the surface of the product. Engraving offers a permanent imprint that will not wear off because it is cut into the metal base. Used in metals such as trophies, pens and nameplates.

Epoxy Coating: This process involves the application of a protective clear epoxy coating over an imprint. By applying this dome, the imprinted product has a three dimensional appearance and adds further protection against wear and tear.

Etched: The product to be imaged is coated with a resist (a protective coating that resists the acid). An image is exposed on the resist, usually photographically, leaving bare metal and protected metal. The acid attacks the exposed metal thus leaving the image etched into the surface of the metal. Very fine lines can be reproduced by this process and the only tooling is a piece of film, so specific samples are easily-made.

Font: The collection of a typeface including the lower case, caps, numbers and special characters having unified design. This can be an important consideration when copy includes foreign terms or names with special characters. The different kinds and quantity of characters in a font will vary according to the manufacturer of the typesetting system.

Four-Colour Process: The reproduction of full-colour artwork through the combination of four process ink colours – magenta (red), cyan (blue), yellow and black – in specified intensities.

Four-Colour Seperation: The breakdown of full-colour copy into individual colour plates so that when printed in register, they produce a full-colour illustration. Four-colour separations refer specifically to the process colours: magenta, cyan, yellow and black.

Fulfillment: The process of packaging and shipping an order for a distributor. Fulfillment may be performed by a supplier, a distributor or an independent fulfillment house.

Garment Dyed: Garments are made in an undyed fabric (griege), and then dyed in garment form. Most garment-dyed items are 100% cotton, as natural fibers accept dyes better than synthetic fabrics do.

Glass Etching: A process in which a piece of glass is covered with a template that has a design cut out of it. The glass is then sandblasted while the portion of the item not covered by the template is protected. The template image is thus etched into the glass.

Graphic: A line, oval, rectangle, square, circle, logo, chart, illustration, drawing, cartoon or photograph used in a layout.

Hard Copy: Any machine copy readable on paper or film as opposed to on a computer monitor.

Heat Transfer Printing (Direct Transfer Process): Image is screened on a transfer substrate which is then laid directly on the material to be imprinted. The image is then "transferred" from the substrate to the material through the use of heat and pressure. Works best on cotton and cotton blends.

Heat Transfer Printing (Sublimation): A process in which a design is transferred to a synthetic fabric by heat and pressure. The heat causes the inks to turn into a gas so that they penetrate the fabric and combine with it to form a permanent imprint.

Herringbone Knit: This ever-popular knit pattern is made up of rows of parallel lines with adjacent rows slanting in reverse directions forming a chevron effect.

Host Gifts/Host Incentives: A gift or premium given by a party plan operator to a consumer who agrees to be the host for a demonstration party. The value of the gift is usually proportional to the amount of sales at the party.

Hot Stamping: Method in which type or designs in the form of a relief die are impressed with heat and pressure through metallic or pigmented foil onto the printed surface. It is used to decorate fabric, leather, paper, wood, hard rubber, coated metal and all types of plastic. Hot stamping is a "dry" imprinting process meaning the object can be handled immediately after the stamping without fear of smearing the imprint.

Imitation Suede: These garments feature unique suede-like finishes in classic tones of English tan. This supple polyester and cotton blended fabric offers the look of natural suede in an easy care product.

Imprint: To mark by pressure.

Incentive: Reward for a purchase of performance; as it applies to promotional products, it could be, depending on the response required, an ad specialty, premium or prize.

Jersey Knit: Plain, weft-knitted fabric. Good for printing and, if heavy enough in weight, embroidery.

Keeper: A premium offered in direct-mail marketing for accepting a free trial of the sale merchandise and to be kept by the consumer even if the trial item is returned.

Laser Engraving: A process in which an optically-read or stenciled art or copy is engraved (burned) into a material by a laser beam. Wood is the most common lasered material, but acrylic, some plastics, marble, leather and paper are also used. Metal requires specialized lasers. In addition to the exceptional detail of your logo, laser engraving provides a "sense of luxury".

Laundered Taslon/Oxford: A laundered fabric with a somewhat wrinkled look.

Letterman Jacket: Typically refers to an athletic jacket with a melton wool body (14 to 24 ounces) and leather sleeves. Sleeves can be raglan or set-in. Also known as a varsity jacket. Usually differs from an award jacket in that award jackets are made with lighter-weight fabrics such as nylon or wovens.

Lextra: A very soft textured material is used for your logo in single or multi-colours, offering a different and stylish appeal to your design. Lextra is made from yarn-dyed nylon that will not peel, crack, wrinkle or colour fade over time. Offers the ability to achieve fine lines, text, and gradations.

Mail-In: A premium consumers can order through the mail with proof-of-purchase on a free or self-liquidation basis.

Mercerization: A chemical finish in which cotton is treated with a cold concentrated solution of caustic soda while under high tension. This procedure swells the fibers, which increases its strength, durability, affinity for dyes, and results in fabric with a silk-like hand and brilliance. This is a permanent finish. Double mercerization is quite common, triple mercerization is not.

Microfibre Fabrics: Small fibers are used to create fabrics with a suede-like, soft hand.

Offset Lithography (Offset Printing): A printing method in which an inked image on a flat plate is transferred to a rubber surface before being pressed onto the printing surface. The plate surface is treated to accept greasy ink in image areas that resist water and to accept water in non-image areas while resisting ink. In this method of printing, the ink is less likely to rub off after an object is handled as often happens with letterpress printing.

Oxford Nylon: A stiff coarse nylon fabric with a basket-like weave and a durable finish. It is generally used for award/baseball/athletic style jackets. Not as smooth as a taffeta nylon.

Pad Printing: Your corporate logo is acid etched into a specialized printing plate where ink is then applied. A soft silicone pad is pressed down onto that plate, then reapplies the image directly to the product. Pad printing advantages include improved image detail, improved color registration and the ability to print contoured surfaces.

Parka: This loose-fitting, hip-length jacket, usually hooded, often comes with a fleece or pile lining. It was worn originally by Eskimos and introduced to the public during the 1930s for winter sportswear.

Part-Cash Redemption: An option often included in coupon plans permitting the consumer to get premiums faster by redeeming fewer coupons with a cash amount.

Perceived Value: What someone believes merchandise to be worth. To successfully sell premiums, the consumer must be convinced the proposed premium is worth putting forth the extra effort required to earn the item.

Photo Etching (Metal): Process in which an illustration and/or copy is imprinted into metal, usually aluminum, by acid and then sealed by an anodizing process. This is popular for awards and plaques.

Piece Dyed: This refers to fabric dyed in bulk. Body fabric and collar/cuffs are dyed together at the same time to ensure a 100% color match.

Pigment Dyed: An insoluble color substance in finely ground powder form, which imparts its color to the surface of the fabric.

Pique Knit: Has a honeycomb appearance on the outside of the fabric that is achieved by alternating tuck stitches up and down creating a raised texture effect. Not ideal for printing, but great for embroidery.

Ply: The number of strands that are twisted together to make up one yarn.

PMS/Pantone Matching System: A universal numbered colour scale used to match colours for printing. The number of each colour indicates instructions for mixing inks to achieve that particular shade.

Point-Based System: A program in which recipients earn premiums based on an acquired number of points. Airline mileage and hotel frequent guest programs are examples.

Poplin: A durable, plain weave class of fabrics which has fine cross ribs. Heavier than broadcloth, but not similar, poplin is usually made of a polyester/cotton blend.

Premium: A product or service offered free or at a reduced price if the recipient performs some task, such as purchasing an item, meeting a sales quota, etc. Usually consumer-related.

Program Selling: An organized effort to analyze specific client objectives and develop a program that meets these objectives in part by the use of promotional products and ending with a review of the results.

Progressive Proofs (Colour Keys): Process colour proofs that show the reproduction of each colour plate separately and in combination with each other.

Promotional Products: Useful and/or symbolic items used in advertising and promotion as communication vehicles, goodwill reminders, signs, gifts and incentives. Included in this category are ad specialties, premiums, recognition awards, business gifts and other identification applications.

PU Coating: PU coating refers to a polyurethane coating that is applied to the back of a fabric surface. This coating is applied at certain levels such as 450mm, 600mm

Quilt Lining: A lining with two or more layers that are padded with filling.

Raglan Sleeve: A type of sleeve sewn in with seams slanting outward from neck to underarm. The sleeve continues in one piece to the collar so there are no seams at the shoulder, allowing for ease of movement.

Referral Premium: A premium offered to customers for helping sell a product or service to friends or associates.

Reverse fleece: Often heavier than traditional fleece at 20 oz. It’s flipped inside out and washed through enzyme. This process eats away the top layer of the fabric so it doesn’t pill. It also makes the fabric soft to the touch, giving it a unique texture and feel.

Ring Spun: Refers to yarn that has a higher density twisting at the time of spinning, producing a stronger, highly lustrous yarn/fabric.

Saddle Stitching: A method of binding publications in which the pages are stapled together through the centerfold. The advantage of saddle stitching is that it permits the magazine to lie flat when opened. Another is that it is an inexpensive method of binding.

Sales Incentive: A premium or monetary reward offered to salespeople for attaining a specified performance level such as exceeding a sales quota during a given period.

Satin Nylon: This type of satin-finish material is usually made of nylon. Probably the most common satin fabric used in our industry. There are two types of satin nylon: taffeta, and "crow’s foot" or pro-weight (heavier). Rayon (or bridal) satin is used occasionally for jackets, but it is a more expensive dry-clean only fabric.

Screen Printed Vinyl Labels: This process is a method of silk screening your logo on the reverse side of a transparent vinyl panel. The result is a permanent imprint that is protected from the elements. A background colour is applied behind the imprint and the panel is affixed to the product.

Silkscreen Printing: A method in which image is transferred to the surface to be printed by means of ink squeezed by a squeegee through a stenciled screen stretched over a frame. Screens are treated with a light-sensitive emulsion, and then the film positives are put in contact with the screens and exposed to a strong light. The light hardens the emulsion not covered by the film leaving a soft area on the screen for the squeegee to force ink through. Screen printing is capable of printing on irregular shaped objects. Glass, plastic, fabric and wood are popular materials on which to screen print. Also called "silk screening."

Single/Double Mercerized: This is a chemical process which expands the yarn (or yarn and resulting fabric) permanently to increase the fabric’s luster, strength, stability and affinity for dyes.

Spun Polyester: Spun polyester is a modified polyester yarn. By construction it is soft, warm, wicks moisture, is water resistant and breathable. Spun polyester is made up of short textured yarns, which result in a soft and cotton-like feel. Spun yarns have more stretch and provide more comfort than filament yarns. North End spun polyester fleece has all of these great qualities and more.

Sublimation: A process of creating a multitone imprint on vinyl, cloth or toher material using a paper transfer created through the use of screenprinting and raio wave transfer. Heating a solid substance into a vapour that on cooling condenses again to solid form.

Tackle Twill: Appliquéd images often seen on varsity jackets. Unique, high perceived value. Best suited for: jackets, heavy fabrics. No set up. Many fabric and colour combinations. Not suitable for lightweight fabrics.

Taffeta: A group of fabrics made with a plain weave and having a smooth, crisp feel, and either lustrous or dull face.

Taslon: This imported nylon fabric is designed for its durability and is generally used in more rugged outerwear.

Teflon: When applied to a fabric, Teflon works by surrounding each fiber with an invisible barrier. Whether it keeps you dry in the rain, or protects you against the spills and accidents of everyday life, Teflon will deliver unsurpassed protection.

Trade Character: A visual identification or personification of a particular brand of merchandise or of a particular advertiser. For example, Tony the Tiger is the trade character of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.

Traffic Builder: A promotional product or premium designed to get consumers to come to a store or to a trade show.

Travel Incentive: A trip offered to salespeople or dealers as a reward. Often tied in with sales meetings at resort areas.

Tricot: The type of fabric is flat knitted, with fine ribs on the face (length-wise) and ribs on the back (crosswise). Often used as lining material.

Waterproof: The proper term for material that completely keeps our water. Waterproof garments also have sealed seams while water-resistant garments do not.

Yarn Count: This measures fineness or linear density of yarn. Lower numbers designate heavier or thicker yarns, while higher numbers refer to finer ones.

Yarn Dye Jacquard: The yarn is dyed in individual colors and then the yarn is knit on specialty machines equipped with jacquard attachments to create a knit fabric in intricate two-color or multi-color design patterns.