Ordering printed promotional magnets: what to specify

Price per magnet falls as the quantity ordered goes up, and the reason is mechanical. Setting up a job, whether that means preparing a printing plate, a screen or a cutting die, costs the same whether the run is short or long. Spread over a hundred pieces that setup cost is a large share of each unit; spread over several thousand it barely registers. This is why a printer will quote in bands, and why the first band is the most expensive per unit.

What moves a job from one band to another

Material is the biggest single factor. A flexible magnetic sheet magnet uses less material and less machine time to cut than a rigid hard ferrite disc or a neodymium-backed piece, so the same quantity band prices differently depending on which you specify (see what a fridge magnet is made of for how the constructions differ). Size matters too, since a larger magnet uses more sheet per piece even before the print cost is added. Lamination and any special finish sit on top of the base material cost as a separate line, so a quote that mentions lamination without pricing it separately is worth querying.

Getting a quote you can actually compare

Ask a supplier for a price broken down by quantity band, and get a date on it. Magnetic sheet, ink and lamination film are all commodities whose costs move, so a price given six months ago is not a reliable guide to what the same order costs now. A written, dated quote also lets you compare two suppliers fairly, since a verbal figure with no band attached tells you nothing about whether it holds at the quantity you actually need. The UK magnet printer directory is a starting point for finding suppliers to put the same specification to.

A UK printer needs six things settled before an order can be quoted properly, and asking for them up front avoids the back-and-forth that delays a job by a week. Each one is a separate decision.

Material

State whether you want a flexible magnetic sheet (ferrite bound into a rubber or polymer sheet), a rigid hard ferrite disc, or a neodymium-backed magnet fixed to a printed insert. Most printed promotional magnets, the kind handed out by takeaways, tradespeople and estate agents, use flexible magnetic sheet because it is cheap to cut to shape and light enough to post. A neodymium fixing is only worth specifying if the magnet needs to hold something heavier than paper, such as a set of keys or a tool. See what a fridge magnet is made of for how the layers differ.

Thickness

Give a thickness in millimetres. Flexible magnetic sheet is commonly supplied at 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.75 mm or 0.85 mm, and the thickness is what determines whether the finished magnet holds itself to the door or slides down under its own weight, let alone a sheet of paper. A 0.4 mm magnet is fine for a card that sits flat with nothing pinned beneath it; a menu or calendar magnet that has to hold something else in place usually needs 0.6 mm or above. Check the numbers in will it stick before you settle on a figure.

Lamination

Lamination is the clear protective film bonded over the printed face, and it is what stops ink scratching or fading from repeated handling and the general grease and condensation of a kitchen. Ask whether the standard finish is gloss or matt, and whether either is available at no extra cost, because printers differ on this and it is not always the default you'd assume. A magnet that will be handled daily, such as a takeaway menu on a fridge door, benefits from lamination more than one displayed once and left alone.

Proof format

Ask whether the proof supplied before print is a digital file (a PDF showing layout and bleed) or a physical printed sample. A digital proof confirms layout and text but not colour, because screen colour and printed colour are not the same thing. If the job matches a specific brand colour, ask for a physical proof before the full run goes to print, and confirm with your printer what colour matching process, if any, they use. Before you send artwork for that proof, use the artwork size and resolution checker to see the resolution your file will actually print at, and the pixel size it would need to cover the bleed cleanly.

Delivery timeline

Get a written turnaround time that separates proofing time from print and delivery time, since these are often quoted together but run to different clocks. A supplier who gives a single combined figure has usually not separated out how long you'll wait for your own sign-off on the proof, which is the stage most likely to slip if artwork needs revising.

Checking the supplier

The British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) keeps a member register of promotional merchandise suppliers who have agreed to its code of practice. Checking a supplier against that register before committing to an order is a five-minute step that tells you whether the company is one that has signed up to an external standard. It does not replace asking the six questions above, but it is a reasonable check to run alongside them.