Convention Swag 101

So, you’re going to get a table at a comic book convention (as a bunch of us will be doing in June @ Philly). That’s just SUPER! Now, you want to promote your comic, right? Sure you do! But sometimes, sketches, ink-jet business cards and fliers printed on the laser-printer at work when your boss isn’t around just aren’t enough! What do you do when you want to take your con swag up a notch? You go to professionals! But what if you’re small press like most of us or just this side of the poor side of the tracks like me? Then you go to THESE GUYS:

Keep in mind that a lot of swag gets given away for FREE, so we want the most quantity for our buck while still getting some QUALITY!

http://www.overnightprints.com
I cannot stress enough how awesome these guys are. Glossy postcards and business cards usually have a 24 hour turn-around period and the quality is fantastic! Their prices are insanely reasonable , and right now there’s a huge sale on business cards/postcards. They also do rack cards, rubber stamps, stationary, book marks, you name it! They have templates on the site so you won’t screw up your design, too. Keep in mind you have to send your stuff in 300dpi, JPG, and CYMK. Free shipping on orders over $75.

http://www.busybeaver.net
Pins, man! Everyone loves pins! These guys make great pins at great prices! They even do packaging! You can plait orders between designs, and the turn-around is really fast. The service is outstanding, and they always check and double-check with you to make sure they’re making EXACTLY what you want.

http://www.curlyandspike.com
I’ve gotten screen-printed canvas patches and t-shirts from these guys. They’re great! Shirts can be ordered in batches as small as 24, and even the small orders are SCREEN PRINTED! A lot of places do shitty digital prints on small order shirts, but not Curly and Spike! They have a HUGE selection of merch for you to put your logos on (sweatbands, lighters, hats, shirts, shotglasses, hoodies) and the service is top-notch!

http://www.bannersinvinyl.com
Do you want to have a huge standing banner for your comic? Or perhaps a long one to hang over your table with your artwork proudly screen-printed on it in brilliant color? This is the place for you. Their prices are great, and the quality is really good for the price. Not the BEST banners in the world, but they’re REALLY good and REALLY affordable. On a scale of 1-10 on quality, they rate a solid 8.5.

I’m not getting any kickback from these companies, they’re just the ones I’ve been using. I’ve been nothing but happy with all the products from each company and with the service.

If you have a little more $$$ to burn on promotional material/swag to sell, here are some other helpful sites:
http://www.stbands.com/ wristbands/sweatbands
http://www.reminderband.com/  custom silicone wristbands(those Lance Armstrong ones)
http://24hourwristbands.com/wristbands-pricing/ more silicone wristbands
http://www.discmakers.com/merch/ shirts and stuff
http://www.bandwear.com/promoitems/ whole bunch of promo stuff (shirts, posters, stickers, patches, etc.)
http://www.luckynumber17.com/ shirts and stuff
http://www.mycustombandmerch.com/  shirts

I hope this was at least a little helpful guys. If you found this entry helpful at all, let me know. I’ll do more along the same lines…sowing my ill-gotten wisdom for you guys so you don’t have to go through the same trial and error that I did.

-Riot!