CSPO's Squad Patch production services

 

contact: patches@canadianscenariopaintball.com
 

 

Being a scenario paintball organization, CSPO understands the needs of paintball squads and their desire to wear their team logo on their uniforms.  Most embroidery or patch production services out there are designed for corporate and government clientele requiring large orders of patches in order to be cost effective.

CSPO understands that most squads are small, ranging in size from as small as three or four people and up.  Paintballs squads have little need for hundreds or thousands of patches and the cost is prohibitive.

 

CSPO's patch production services allow you to place an initial order with nominal charges, and then peice out as little as a single patch at a time as your squad grows and attracts new members.

 

CSPO also offers a 35% discount on the base patch rates for CSPO squads that want to include the CSPO logo (minimum size 2cm x 2cm) in their squad logo design.

 

Digital rasterization services

 

CSPO can convert your squad logo from a digital image file into a stitchable format.  The cost for this service is a one-time charge of $2.50 per 1000 stitches.  Complex designs will contain more stitching and you will be given a cost estimate prior to starting production. 

 

We can work with you to ensure that your image file is appropriate for rasterization to ensure that the design you send us is the design that is applied to your patch.  Most JPG images are in a 16 million color format, while most patches have 6 or less colors.  While photo rasterization is available, it can be prohibitively expensive due to the number of colors and number of stitches.

 

See the FAQ at bottom for how to ensure that your squad logo will look good when stitched to your patch and ways to save money by reducing stitch count.

 

Predesigned images

 

CSPO has over 110,000 predesigned embroidery images, everything from fairies to fonts to flames.  There is no rasterization charge for making use of these images.  Unfortunately, due to the sheer number of images, a catalog of these images is not available online.  We can work with you to design your patch using these images and show you a sample image.

 

Predesigned images tend to be much sharper and higher contrast than rasterized images.

 

Discounts for CSPO members and supporters

 

CSPO squad members of Corporal or higher rank who have been on the site for longer than 3 months are eligible for a 15% discount on the base patch rate.  CSPO squads that opt to include the CSPO logo integrated into their patch design will receive a 35% discount on the base patch rat provided the logo meets or exceeds the 2cm x 2cm area within the total patch size.

We value our supporters and squads and are happy to provide this discount.

 

Base patch pricing

 

These are the base patch production prices.  CSPO discounts apply to these amounts.

Full patch production with velcro backing (hooks) : $4.00 per patch
Patch production without velcro backing : $3.50 per patch

 

Setup fees and additional charges

$20.00 per color - one time charge good for up to the 50th patch ordered 
$2.50 per 1000 stitches for rasterizing your digital image (you will receive a quote) one time charge

$0.65 per 1000 stitches per patch

 

* Note: Solid background colors that can use the fabric backing instead of stitches do not require a color charge.  A black background for example can use black fabric instead of black thread requiring a color charge.

 

How do I get started?

 

First you will need to decide whether you would like to create your own digital design, or use our predesigned images.  If you already have a digital design, you may want to tweak it to ensure that it will come out with as low a number of stitches and colors as possible in order to save money.  For more information on how to do this, see the FAQ below.

 

Next, you will need to work with us to get your patch design quoted.  If you are using predesigned images, you will want to work with us by first identifying some types of images that you would like to see integrated into your patch design and we can work on a proof, and we can show you images of what we have.  If you are using your own digital image, you will need to send it to us so we can take a look and work with you to ensure that your patch design will turn out as you expect.

 

FAQ - Working with your digital image - how to ensure good results

 

I am about to design our logo.  How do I ensure that I "do it right the first time" so I dont have to make a lot of changes later?

 

More cartoon like images are better than images with a lot of shading.  Think solid, uniform colors, preferrably with an outline.  PLEASE AVOID using drop shadows, bevels, blurs, and other photo image editing effects, as these will dramatically increase the number of colors in your image and when downconverted to a low number of colors, the end result is blurry, blocky edges.

 

Design your patch in the highest resolution possible you can work with.  When we downsample the image for conversion it will turn out sharper than if we had to upsample a low resolution image, resulting in excessive pixelation (square, blocky edges).

 

You will also want to lower the "dither" of your image as much as possible.  While dither gives you the ability to create the appearance of more colors while using less it will also increase your stitch count.

 

I am working with an image that I have already designed.  Is there a way I can easily test it myself to see if it will work well?

 

The easist way to see what your image will look like and how many colors your design will require is to use your image editing program to export it to a GIF file with the number of colors you intend to use.  Most image editing programs give you an export preview feature, which makes this process faster.  If you use this preview feature, you can select 2, 4, 8, 16 and often values inbetween for the number of colors to see what your design will look like after it's rasterized.

 

Remember that the initial setup is $20.00 per color for the first 50 patches, using a lot of colors will get very expensive (a 16 color patch for example will cost you $320 in color setup alone!).  If you are used to working with JPG images you will see quite rapidly using this method how many colors are usually used in digital image editing.

 

I just cant get my design to look any good at all with a low number of colors.  What can I do?

 

Well one great first option is to check and see if we have any predesigned images that are similar to what you are trying to create.  Nonrasterized images are sharper and tend to use less colors with lower stitch counts.  If you are using non-unique elements in your design and are willing to flex a little on the actual images, you may end up getting what you want at less cost with less hassle.

 

Also remember that if your patch has a solid background color, we can usually select a backing fabric of that color, eliminatiing the need for one color.  We do not charge you a color charge for the backing color.

 

FAQ - Placing your order

 

How long does it take to see what my patch would look like?

 

For rasterized patches, once we've worked with you on your design you should be able to see an image of what your patch would look like in 7 business days.  Proofs using predesigned images are also produceable within 7 business days.  During high volume times, this may take slightly longer.  You will be advised of any potential delays in showing you an image preview of your patch.

 

How long does production take?

 

Production times vary based on the number of stitches the patch requires and how many patches you have ordered.  Complex patches take longer to produce.  A good rule of thumb is that once production on your patches has started, 5-6 patches per day can be produced, this is based on a 10,000 stitch patch.  Less complex patches can be produced faster.

 

What if you have other orders?  When will production start?

 

We will give you an estimated production start time calculated based on the order we are currently working on's stitch count and number of patches ordered.  Due to the complexity of the machine, threading, etc. we only produce one variant of a patch at a time. 

 

What do I need to pay in order to start my order?

 

In order for us to start your order, you will need to pay for rasterization (if applicable), color charges, the per base patch charge (less any discounts), plus the stitching surcharge in advance.  Once this is received we will obtain the supplies and colors specific to your order and start production as soon as possible and you will be given an ETA on production start time prior to receiving your invoice.

 

What is the process of reordering (more patches of same design)?

 

Reordering is fast, simple, and easy.  Simply contact us and say how many more patches you would like.  We will send you an invoice for the base patch charge (less any discounts) plus the stitching surcharge.  You will not need to repay the color charge until you have ordered 50 patches of the same design.  You can order any number of patches on a reorder, even as little as a single patch.

 

FAQ - Returns, credits, exchanges, policy

 

The rasterization charge and color charges are non-refundable.  The cost of any patches produced already are non-refundable and will be sent to the customer.

 

We will only refund any nonproduced amounts of patches on a prorated basis, less applicable payment service fees for credit cards, paypal or Interac e-mail money transfer.

 

FAQ - Payment options

 

Cash - We accept Interac Email money transfers

Cheque - Cheques can be deposited at any Scotiabank branch in Canada

PayPal - We accept PayPal money transfers

Credit card - Credit card processing is available via PayPal, a 3.5% surcharge applies

 

NOTE: PayPal debit transactions can be very time consuming when there is not already a balance in your PayPal account.  We cannot start production until your payment clears, using this method may cause your order to be delayed for up to two weeks, depending on PayPal and your bank.  Interac e-mail money transfer is a much faster option.

 

All prices are in Canadian Dollars.

 

FAQ - Shipping options

 

We will ship via Canada Post ground free of charge to Canadian customers.

 

For next day air service via courier an additional charge of $45.00 applies. 

 

Shipment to the United States is $30 for ground or $60 for air service.  For international overseas shipments, contact us and we can look into options for you.