With the festive season just around the corner we would like to announce our closing period for December/ January. JP’s last trading day for 2011 will be Thursday 22nd December. We will re-commence on Tuesday 10th January 2012.

We also have some important dates which we would like to make you aware of for pre-Christmas delivery of goods.

Last date for promotional product orders: Thursday 1st December (artwork must be completed)

Last date for uniform/ clothing orders: Thursday 8th December

News at JP’s – Both Renee and Jarrod were apart of team ‘Blue Groper’ in the BHP Ramble around Perth City on Sunday 9th October. A treasure hunt come ‘Amazing Race’ style competition saw over 4000 people enter for a fun filled day with some fantastic costumes and many laughs had while trekking around Perth CBD (and surrounding suburbs). The Blue Gropers finished 31st out of 451 teams and a fantastic day was had raising money for Telethon. There are photos of the day on the JP’s facebook page.

What is? - Getting to know ‘Polyester’ clothing – Microfibre Micromesh

Defined: Microfibres refer to the synthetic fibres that measure less than one denier (very very light!) and are most commonly made from Polyesters. When microfibers are created for apparel they are specifically made to include softness, durability, and wicking ability (moving sweat away from the skin).

Micromesh: refers to the structural surface look of the fabric (it looks like a very small mesh knit!)

Microfibre Micromesh garments are usually found in top quality High Visibility polo shirts. They are commonly called; Cool Dry, True Dry, Breathable and Moisture resistant garments. There are many products in the marketplace that claim to have the same properties as Microfibre Micromesh and in-experienced sales people sell a lesser quality product that is generally a core-spun Polyester. This type of polyester fabric may look similar to Microfibre, however it will not demonstrate the outstanding performance qualities or excellent hand feel (very soft) of true microfibre.

If you have a team that will be working externally this Summer. Consider enquiring about Microfibre Micromesh products to keep them as cool as possible!

Tips from JP – Things you didn’t know about embroidery

The main functions of embroidery are to enhance the value of the product that is being branded and to increase brand exposure and awareness of the company represented on the embroidery.

The best products to use embroidery on include:

Apparel – Business shirts/ blouses, jackets, vests and polo shirts are the most commonly embroidered apparel items in the industry. Generally, the more expensive the garment the more likely it is to be embroidered as embroidery is regarded as a premium finish.

Bags – Sports bags, back packs and sling bags are often embroidered as an alternative to screenprinting and transfers.

Caps – Almost all caps are embroidered due to different fabric types. Cap surfaces are more amenable to embroidered logos.

Towels – If a small multi-coloured logo is required, embroidery is a more cost effective decoration method.

One of the biggest advantages of embroidery has over garment printing is that you can get multiple coloured logos without increased set-up charges. Screenprinting is more cost effective though when a large amount of the product needs to be covered, as the pricing for embroidery is based on stitch count of the logo.

- True 3D logo’s can be achieved with embroidery. - True metallic colours can be achieved as some threads are actually made of metal. - Solid colours and logo’s reproduce the best results.

One of the drawbacks of embroidery is that it is not a perfect art and you cannot reproduce a logo with the same quality as print on paper! Also, the finer the detail and smaller the logo, the harder it is to achieve optimal quality.

(Source: Promotion Magazine, September to October 2011, Service Central, p.68)

Industry News - Hot pink 700ml Economy Drink Bottles are now available! - Nex Workwear has released a new range of Closed Front Taped and Non-Taped Drill Shirts. - The new range of Christmas Chocolates is now available. Feature your logo on chocolate trees, chocolate Santa’s and chocolate fortune cookies. These are a great novelty item as filler for your Christmas gift packs.