The Promotional Products Glossary: Custom Order Terms Decoded
Every decoration, material, artwork, and ordering term you will meet on a custom quote, defined in one plain sentence each and grouped so the word you need is easy to find.
This promotional products glossary defines the terms buyers actually meet on custom orders, from decoration methods like sublimation and die striking to ordering terms like MOQ and design proof. Each definition is one plain sentence, grouped into four tables so the word you need is easy to find.
Skim the group that matches where you are in the process, or read straight through before a first order; ten minutes here prevents most surprises on a quote.
Decoration Method Terms
How a design gets onto a product decides its look, feel, and cost, and every method below appears on real quotes.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Screen printing | Pressing ink through a mesh stencil onto a surface, one screen per color. |
| Dye sublimation | Heat turns ink to gas that dyes polyester fibers permanently with no added feel. |
| DTG | Inkjet-style printing of full color art directly onto cotton garments. |
| Embroidery | Decoration stitched in thread, prized for texture and durability on apparel. |
| Digitizing | Converting artwork into the stitch file an embroidery machine follows. |
| Laser engraving | Marking a design permanently into a surface with a focused beam of light. |
| Die striking | Stamping metal under high pressure with an engraved die, the classic coin method. |
| Casting | Pouring molten metal such as pewter into a mold to form a three-dimensional piece. |
| Pad printing | Transferring ink onto curved or irregular products with a soft silicone pad. |
| Heat transfer | Applying a printed design to fabric with heat and pressure. |
Material and Finish Terms
Materials and finishes carry most of the perceived quality of a custom piece, and these are the words that describe them.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pewter | A malleable tin-based alloy that casts fine detail and carries a warm silver tone. |
| Brass | A copper and zinc alloy with real weight and a rich golden color. |
| Zinc alloy | The economical casting metal behind many die-cast coins and medallions. |
| Plating | A thin bonded layer of finish metal such as gold, silver, or nickel over the base. |
| Antique finish | A darkened plating that settles into recesses so raised detail stands out. |
| Soft enamel | Color filled into recessed areas below the metal lines, leaving a feelable texture. |
| Hard enamel | Color filled level with the metal lines and polished flat for a jewelry-grade face. |
| Epoxy dome | A clear resin coat over a design that adds gloss and scratch protection. |
| Twill | The tight woven fabric base that embroidered patches are stitched onto. |
| PVC | A soft molded rubber used for waterproof patches and keytags with a 3D look. |
Art and File Terms
Artwork vocabulary causes more quote delays than anything else, and these ten terms cover nearly all of it.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vector art | Artwork stored as scalable curves that stay sharp at any size. |
| Raster art | Artwork stored as pixels that blurs when enlarged past its resolution. |
| AI and EPS | Native vector formats that production teams prefer as source artwork. |
| Resolution (DPI) | The pixel density of raster art, with 300 DPI at print size as the standard. |
| PMS color | A numbered Pantone ink standard that keeps a brand color exact everywhere. |
| CMYK | The four-ink printing color model used to reproduce full color art. |
| Mockup | A visual of your art placed on the product before anything is made. |
| Design proof | The production-ready layout you approve before tooling or decoration begins. |
| Outlined fonts | Text converted to curves so a design opens identically on any computer. |
| Bleed | Extra art extending past the trim edge so printed pieces cut clean. |
Ordering and Production Terms
The commercial half of a custom order has its own shorthand, and these terms fill quotes, invoices, and schedules.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MOQ | The minimum order quantity a product can be produced in, set by setup costs. |
| Setup fee | A one-time charge covering screens, dies, molds, or digitizing for a first run. |
| Lead time | The working days from proof approval to finished, ready-to-ship product. |
| Rush order | Priority scheduling that compresses queue and shipping time for a fee. |
| Pre-production sample | One finished piece produced for approval before the full run. |
| Overrun and underrun | The small percentage over or under the ordered count that some runs ship. |
| Blank | An undecorated product waiting for your imprint or engraving. |
| Made to order | Production that starts only after your approved design, with no premade stock. |
| Imprint area | The measured zone on a product where decoration can be applied. |
| Reorder | A repeat run using kept tooling and art files, usually faster and cheaper. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Soft enamel sits below the raised metal lines so you can feel texture, while hard enamel is filled and polished level for a smooth, glassy face. Hard enamel typically costs a little more.
MOQ is the minimum order quantity, the smallest run the pricing supports. It exists because setup costs like dies and screens must spread across enough pieces.
Vector files scale to any size without blurring, and production equipment traces their curves directly. Raster files must be redrawn when they are too small to print clean.
Not quite. A mockup is an early visual for direction, while a design proof is the exact production layout you approve. Only the proof is the contract for what gets made.
Some processes yield a few extra or short pieces per run, commonly within about 5 percent of the count. Terms vary by shop, so check whether overruns are billed, included, or trimmed.
Fluent Enough to Order?
Bring the terms and your idea to a quote request, and a free design proof will translate the rest.