 Make sure a business card is the size of a business card
Some magnet companies are selling business card magnets that are
sub-standard sizes. They represent these as 'approx' 3"x2" business cards.
First of all, standard business cards are 3.5" x 2.0", so what they are
selling is 14+% smaller than what you may expect.
Second, the samples that they sent one of our customers were only 2.78" x
1.83" which is an additional 15+% smaller than what they tell you. It
seems that 'approx' means 15% less. Add both numbers up and you have 27% less magnet
In comparison, our standard (no-bleed) business card is EXACTLY 3.75" x 2.0".
This is 0.5" square inches or 7% larger than a standard business card.
When comparing prices, keep in mind that their business card is 32%
smaller than ours.
Are you being forced into a template?
Many magnet brokers & manufacturers force you to fit into a template.
Because we have design & production facilities in-house, we're glad to
make you your very own custom design.
There are very few manufacturers of photo quality magnets. Therefore,
most are brokers and you are simply paying a markup.
If you keep seeing the same samples on different web sites, that's because
they are all reps for the same factory. If you notice, our samples are
completely different from any other web site. That's because most of our
artwork is created in-house.
Ask questions before you buy magnets
- How long has the company been in business? Can they prove it?
Can they fax or e-mail you any real documentation, or will you get a verbal
answer designed to appease you.
- Do they have any references? Not just from last month, but going
back years.
- Are the magnets gang printed? Do they even know what gang printing
means? We explain gang printing in about us.
- Will they give you a free proof?
Will they guarantee that your order will look EXACTLY like their proof?
Will that proof be a piece of paper or an actual magnet so that you will
know exactly what the finished product will look like?
- Do they have a money back guarantee?
Laminate protects your printing
Some companies print on paper and use no coating. Others use a varnish
coat and call this a laminated finish. This is a cheap way to get a shiny
surface, but it doesn't protect the printing. The varnish coat wears off
easily, leaving the magnet exposed. Water, grease or dirt can easily
damage the magnet. Other manufacturers use a polypropylene coating.
While this is a protective film coating, it is the cheapest of the 3 kinds.
Polypropylene tends to scratch easily, leaving your magnet with a scratched
face.
Our magnets have either a polyester or nylon film, the best 2 kinds of
laminate. You can see these materials if you take a
factory tour.
Vinyl is no comparison to paper
Some companies print one or more colors on vinyl. While vinyl is
superior for car signs and outdoor magnets, it is clearly inferior for full
color or photo quality magnets, especially when you have to pay for colors one
at a time. The world is in full color, shouldn't your magnets be also?
Shapes are cute, but wasteful
We can die cut just about any shape, but we prefer to talk you out of custom
shapes.
Why? In addition to custom die charges, there are several reasons.
Let's say that you really want a magnet shaped like a telephone, a cute
novelty. However, in die cutting there is more waste with special shapes
than with rectangular shapes. Since magnetic scrap is not recyclable, it
ends up in the landfill - and you paid for it. In addition, a fancy die
cut magnet is weaker than a standard business card size. Pieces of the
magnet tend to break or tear off quickly, reducing the life of the magnet.
Rectangular shapes with square corners offer the most efficient use of
material
"But what about the cute telephone?" you may ask. Well, we can make up
for any cute die cut with a cute design. If you want an impressive design,
we can do that, too. We have an in-house digital library of over 1 million
color illustrations, clip art, cartoons and photos. You will end up with a
better product in the end.
Magnets are much more expensive than paper. Why not benefit from every
square inch of magnet that you're paying for?
Thicker magnets are not necessarily better
We use the industry standard 15 mil or 0.015" magnetic backing. Our
business card magnet is designed to hold a letter size piece of copy paper to
the refrigerator. That's all.
A thicker magnetic backing is a waste of money. It is harder to peel
off, so your nails dig into the magnet and separate the paper from the magnet.
Ironically, the thicker, more expensive backing reduces the life of the magnet.
Some manufacturers boast of a thicker magnet by quoting you a "finished"
thickness. Yes, the finished product may be thicker and a more rigid
magnet than ours, but they usually achieve this only by using a thicker paper.
Thicker paper leaves more room for your nails to dig in and separate the paper
from the magnet.
Compare apples to apples
Look at the hidden charges and the fine print. Some companies charge
for artwork, setup, film output, match prints (proofs), printing plates, die
changes, and all kinds of other charges that
really add up.
Who is hiding behind their web site?
Here's one way to see who owns the web site you are visiting. Go to a
'WHO IS' lookup.
Click here
Type in only the web site name omitting the "www."
If you were searching for our registration you would enter 1-888-MAGNETS.com
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