Quotation

Quick, accurate, complete.
We strive to respond to quotation requests the same day if possible, or the next business day at the latest.
Your price will include all details and options you requested, and the options will be fully explained.
If your design or intended use provides a challenge, we won't just promise we can make exactly what you're asking for just so we can make a sale; we'll explain the challege and recommend a solution.

Price

Honest, accurate, and guaranteed.
Your price is based on an honest assessment of your design, the quantity, size, and any other factors that affect the cost of production. And we guarantee the best price in Canada.
All prices are in Canadian funds unless otherwise stated. For your convenience, estimates of the price in your local currency may be provided along with the actual price, but payment must be for the actual price, in Canadian funds. If you pay by credit card, your credit card company will automatically convert the funds for you. If you wish to send a check or money order, it must be payable in Canadian funds (available at your bank or anywhere international money orders are sold).


Incidental fees:
Crests/patches, epaulettes, and fire helmet shields have no incidental fees. You pay only the quoted price, plus Shipping & Handling and any applicable taxes if in Canada. (Outside Canada, local tax and/or duty may be collected by your government, but not by us. No duty to the USA or Mexico thanks to the NAFTA.)

Metal and PVC or Silicone items (badges, pins, key fobs, bracelets, patches) usually have a one-time mould or die fee (it's like making a cookie-cutter for shaping the item). If your item requires a mould or die fee, it will be listed with your price quotation.

Design Service

Our design service is a low-cost yet valuable service, and may be discounted or even free with your order.
A $75 design deposit is charged up front for custom design work. When you order the designed item, we'll refund $25 of the design deposit to an order of $200 - $349, $50 to an order of $350 - $499, and the full $75 to an order of $500 or more. If you already have a design and it just needs a few adjustments to make it work in thread, in most cases we'll do that at no charge. We want your design to look as good as possible in embroidered (or woven, moulded, stampted, etc.) form, because we want you to be happy with the end result. We believe that making sure you're happy with your order is a good investment in our future.

What our Design Service can do for you:
We'll start with your existing item, or your drawing, sketch, comments, or other input, and translate it into a design that will work very well as a finished product. That means any lettering will be as crisp and readable as possible, and the overall design will be balanced, and as clean and presentable as possible. But we'll also put our marketing skills to work for you and make sure your finished product displays your image and your message quickly and clearly, with the kind of visual impact that makes people notice, and makes you proud. We'll send you a sketch or two, or more if necessary, to show you some of the ideas our design team came up with. Then we'll take your favourite one, along with your feedback, change requests, new ideas, etc. and make another sketch or two. Pretty soon we'll have a design that you like and that will work well as a finished product.

Free Design Proofing

If you already have a proven design (it's been manufactured before and you liked the results):
In most cases we can mutually approve your design immediately and start production of your items as soon as we have your order. If for any reason there is a challenge, such as a reduction in crest size that makes the lettering too small, etc., we'll discuss it with you and offer suggestions for solutions (see "If you have a new design..." below). There is never a charge for this service.

If you have a new design on paper or computer (that's never been digitized or manufactured):
We want you to be happy with the crest, so we take the time to look for any details of your design that might not translate well to a finished product. If there's anything that might not turn out very well, we'll discuss it with you and offer suggestions for solutions. There is never a charge for this proofing service.

If you don't have a finished design yet, just the basic idea:
No problem! Just send us whatever you have and let our talented designers draw up some ideas for you. You can e-mail us a computer image, or a scan or digital photo of your design, or you can even mail your sketch and/or notes to us. Or if you're not able to draw something up, just send us an e-mail or letter describing what you'd like to see. We'll send you back an image and see if it's what you were thinking, and then work with you to update it as required. A $75 design deposit is required, but may be partailly for fully refunded when you order the designed item - see Design Service above.

Samples

See your finished item before you order.
Sample policy: We do include a sample scan for final approval with every paid order, so if you're already sure you'll be going ahead with an order, there may be no need to order a sample first. But if you're undecided, or need to have a team or committee approve your crest before approving the funds, or if you need a guarantee of an exact design and colour match to an existing item, you can see exactly how your crest will turn out before committing to an order via a pre-production sample. There is a small fee to offset some of the set-up costs, but we apply part of it to your full order if you order the sample in quantity with no significant changes. The price and credit value of your sample depends on the item and will be provided with your quotation or upon request.

We strongly recommend ordering a sample before placing a large order, or if you need to be absolutely sure how the finished item will turn before you order in quantity. And keep in mind that even a sample takes a bit of time to make and ship (though usually less time than a full order).

Crests,  patches, logos, epaulettes, helmet shields: A single sample will be embroidered so you can see exactly what your finished item will look like. We can then e-mail you a high-definition full-colour scan of your finished item, or ship you the actual item, or both.

Direct embroidery (sewing your design into clothing etc.): In this case we need to charge for the digitizing and the embroidered item itself (shirt, etc.). So you are essentially buying quantity one. But then the digitizing fee won't need to be charged again for your full order (or for future orders of the same design).

Metal items: As with direct embroidery, we need to charge for the set-up work, including any mould or die making, plus the cost of making one item. In most cases this is quite expensive due to the cost of making the custom mould or die.

Ordering

Order Date:
Your Order Date is the date your payment clears. For credit card, wire transfer, e-mail transfer, debit (Interac), and PayPal payments (not including e-checks), it's the same day you place your order.
Money orders and certified cheques are considered cleared one day after they arrive, so it will depend on the mail or courier service.
Cheques and e-checks may take 1-2 weeks to clear, or in some cases possibly longer. We are not responsible for any delays caused by the banks.

Minimum Order Quantities:
Standard-sized machine-embroidered crests, patches, logos: Minimum qty. 25, with price breaks at 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, and higher.
Large-sized and specialty items: We may able to produce smaller quantites of some items, depending on a number of factors including resource availability. Please enquire.

Epaulettes (shoulder slides): Minimum 1 pair, with price breaks at 2, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 750, and 1000 pairs.

Embroidered Garments (caps, shirts, etc.): Minimum 24 items, with price breaks at 36, 48, 60, 72, 100, 150, 200, 250, 500, 750, and 1000.

Production

Start Date
Production starts on the day your payment clears, or the day you approve the design for production (if using our Design Service), or your final sample approval if you ordered a sample, whichever happens last.
Online payments clear the same day, unless sent after business hours. Production time will not start on a weekend and does not include statutory holidays. For example, if you approve an order for three-week Production on a Friday, it will ship on or before the Friday three weeks later; if you approve it on a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, it will ship on or before the Monday three weeks later. If a stautory holiday occurs before your order ships, it may ship one business day later than it otherwise would have. In addition, there may be further delays in late December and early January; you will be kept up-to-date regarding any such delays.

Production Times
The length of time it takes to make or prepare your order depends on what you're ordering, so we've divided our products into three categories based on production time:

Category "A" = standard crests: standard cloth, felt, or velvet; standard thread, or silver or gold metallic; standard backing, or Fibecloth, PVC, heat-seal / iron-on, or peel & stick.

Category "B" = all metal items; epaulettes (shoulder slides); special crests: glow-in-the-dark thread, other colours of metallic thread besides silver or gold; Velcro® (hook & loop) backing, magnetic backing; offset-printed crests; moulded soft PVC or silicone crests/items; leather crests; woven labels, ribbons, or uniform stripes.

Category "C" = all garments (shirts, caps, etc.).

Standard Production:
Category "A" = 3 weeks maximum, usually less
Category "B" = 3 weeks
Category "C" = 3 to 4 weeks

Rush Production (when available): price = approx. +20% of order subtotal
Category "A" = 2 weeks maximum, possibly less
Category "B" = 2 weeks
Category "C" = 2 to 3 weeks

Shipping and Handling ("S&H")

Size and Weight Categories
The cost and speed of shipping your order depends on the package size and weight, so we've divided our products into two categories based on shipping requirements:

Category "A" = under quantity 500 crests, 200 pairs of epaulettes, 100 metal pins or badges, 100 moulded PVC & silicone items.
Category "B" = greater quantities of the above, or any garments (shirts, caps, etc.).
Note: very small orders of garments or metal items may qualify for category "A" rates, depending on size & weight.
Items not listed above will be categorized based on order size.

Standard S&H: 1 to 10 business days, depending on your location
Category "A" = $15.99 within Canada, $19.99 to the U.S.A.
Category "B" = $22.99 within Canada, $29.99 to the U.S.A.
S&H price and speed to other countries will be provided with your order form.

Rush S&H: 1 to 4 business days, depending on your location
Category "A" = $34.99 within Canada, $39.99 to the U.S.A.
Category "B" = $46.99 within Canada, $49.99 to the U.S.A.
S&H price and speed to other countries will be provided with your order form.

ASAP S&H: Price and speed will be quoted based on shipment size, weight, and destination.

Courier Options  (Available during the ordering process)

Depending on your location and the S&H option you choose, the following options may be available for your shipment:
NOTE: If you have special instructions (such as "use side door", "leave on porch", etc.) please use the "special instructions" line on the shipping address form when placing your order.

None:  In most cases, the courier will attempt to leave your package with someone at your location. If nobody is available to receive the package, they may leave it at the door, or they may leave a note telling you the day and/or time they'll try again, or telling you where and when you can pick up your package.

Leave at door:  If there is no answer at your door, the courier will leave your package by your door.

Card for pick-up:  If there is no answer at your door, the courier will leave a card with instructions for picking up your package at the nearest post office or courier depot.

Require a signature:  The courier will require the person receiving your package to sign for it (often useful in larger organizations).