Current News At JP’s

JP Promotions is currently improving the website to include more content on the products page with links to pictures, dimensions, print and embroidery areas in an effort to help with your selection of goods. We have added over 700 items to date including; a raft of promotional products, high visibility gear, corporate wear and general apparel (with more to come in the future!) Enjoy!

What Is? - .eps File

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is a standard file format for importing and exporting PostScript files. It is usually a single page PostScript program that describes an illustration or an entire page. The purpose of an EPS file is to be included in other pages. Sometimes EPS files are called EPSF files. EPSF simply stands for Encapsulated PostScript Format.

An EPS file can contain any combination of text, graphics and images. Since it is actually a PostScript file, it is one of the most versatile file formats that are available. EPS-files usually contain a small preview image that is used to visualize the content of the file. This is done so that applications don’t need a PostScript interpreter to display the content of the EPS file. Even office applications such as Microsoft Word can display the preview image. If an EPS file is sent to a printer that doesn’t support PostScript, it is once again this preview image that is printed. The quality will not equal that of the read EPS artwork but at least there is an image on the print-out. There are millions of people working with *.eps files without realising how complex the artwork they are using really is.

EPS files can be generated by all drawing applications as well as most layout applications. Image manipulation programs like Adobe Photoshop can also save bitmap images as EPS-files. Some printer drivers are also capable of generating EPS-files as well as PostScript files. (Source: http://www.prepressure.com/library/file-formats/eps)

So when does JP’s use .eps files? As often as possible!! We use these files to add, re-draw and set artwork for promotional items as the quality of the file is very good and easy to manipulate if changes are required.

Tip: If you have a logo or style guide created by a graphic artist ensure that on delivery that a .eps file of the artwork is included as this will become beneficial when you wish to start branding items as consistency is easily transferred between software.

Tips from JP’s – Embroidery File Formats

The preferred file format for embroidery is .dst. These files tell the embroidery machines whether the needle is to "stitch", "stop", "jump" or "trim". The .dst file is created by a Digitiser and is generally where the initial set-up fee is incurred for embroidery jobs.

If you have your company’s .dst file then the initial set-up will generally be waived as long as there are no changes required.

Industry News – China Cotton Prices

Cotton prices increase 83% since July 2010! 15 year high! - This was the jaw-dropping email that we at JP’s received in late December and set the cat amongst the pigeons within our team. We had been watching as the price of cotton slowly increased from July but in October and November it jumped 60%. How can this be happening? Is this for real? Are professional traders inflating the price? What impacts is this going to have on our business? These were the questions we were asking ourselves. With cotton being a major component of garments Worldwide this news was sure to rattle the apparel industry. And it has!

So what has been the cause?

- The weather in China – droughts, cold snaps and torrential rain continue to hit the farming districts which has caused China to substantially increase its imports.

- The floods in Pakistan – the floods last year will affect Pakistan’s ability to produce cotton for years.

- Workforce pressures – wage increases topping 20% in China’s provinces and strikes in India have slowed production and put pressure on supply.

- The closure of fibre mills– 30% of fibre mills have closed down or cannot afford cotton this has added pressure to the one’s still currently open. - Over 2000 textile factories in China that were causing high pollutants have been shut down. (Source: www.appa.com.au)

Where to from here?

The next 6 months looks set to continue with these abnormally high cotton prices and then a decline to a more normal level which will bring stability to the industry.

Fortunately, JP’s has been insulated from the majority of the price increases due to solid relationships with importers and suppliers and therefore we have only passed on a maximum of 5% on a very limited range of clothing and have notified those clients affected. We are committed to keeping you, the client, informed about any changes in the industry where you may be affected.