Suitable for: Procurement managers, brand owners, QA leads
Reading time: 5 min
Best for: Any custom / logo gift order
You’ll learn:
A pre-production (PP) sample is a physical example of your custom gift, made with the actual materials, decoration method and artwork you’ve specified. Approving it is the moment assumptions become facts. Get it right and bulk production is a formality; skip it and you may discover a colour mismatch only when the container arrives.
⚠ The Golden Rule of Samples
Approve the sample in writing and keep the photos. The approved sample should serve as the agreed visual and physical reference for the bulk run, together with the specifications and quality requirements stated in your PO or order documentation — if the production differs from what was approved and specified, you have a clear basis to raise it.
Check logo colour against your brand guide (Pantone or HEX). Screen print, embroidery and sublimation each render colour differently — judge the actual method, not a mockup.
Feel the substrate. A “ceramic” mug that feels light or a “stainless” item that a magnet doesn’t stick to is a red flag worth catching now.
Measure the logo. A 40mm logo specified but 25mm produced is common — and only visible on the physical sample.
For functional items (knives, lights, electronics), test the function. A battery compartment that’s stiff or a zipper that snags shows up here, not in a photo.
If the gift ships in a custom box or with a hang tag, approve that too. Damaged or off-brand packaging undermines a premium gift.
For US/EU-bound children’s or regulated items, confirm the required marks and test documentation are represented or planned (see our customs & duties guide).
When the sample is right, reply with explicit approval referencing the sample photo and any agreed deviations. If it’s wrong, list the specifics: “logo 5mm too small, colour leans blue, request resample.” A clear rejection costs a few days; a silent one costs the whole order.
A digital mockup is typically 24–48 hours and free. A physical pre-production sample usually takes 3–5 days (typical, depending on product and decoration method); sample cost is often credited against your bulk order. For sea-freight timelines, order the sample by early October so approval lands before the production slot closes.
Don’t approve “good enough.” Send a written list of corrections and request a resample or a clear confirmation of the fix. The approved sample, together with your written specifications, becomes the reference for the bulk run, so ambiguity now becomes a defect later.
Yes. For applicable projects, we provide quality-check photos at 30%, 60% and 100% completion so you can confirm the running line still matches your approved sample before goods ship.
For a high-value or highly customized order, skipping a physical pre-production sample increases the risk of discovering colour, material, size, packaging or decoration problems after bulk production has started. A digital mockup can confirm artwork placement, but it cannot fully verify the physical product, so we generally recommend approving a physical sample before committing to the full run.
Send us your artwork and product idea — we’ll return a digital mockup within 24 hours and a physical sample shortly after.
