Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

4imprint wants to help you celebrate teachers and educators with a giveaway!  Just pin your 5 favorite product ideas from 4imprint.com or 4imprint.ca.  One lucky pinner will receive $500 towards a 4imprint order for the school of their choice.

Full details below.

Good luck and enjoy your week!  And from 4imprint, thank you for all you do!

Even though I see hundreds of promotional products every day at 4imprint, it’s always exciting for me to get new ones to dress up my desk! This new addition to my personal collection is from a supplier visit last week (they love spoiling us with samples!), and it’s our Bob ‘N Magnetic Clip Holder.

Since Bob’s got magnets inside his hands, I like to slip a paperclip onto my day’s to-do list and let him hang onto it until I’m finished up. His enthusiasm helps my keep energy up….even on tough Friday afternoons!

NOTE:  Hi, Kevin here…below is a  guest post from John, a teammate of my here at the office. It’s a post about a project he and I both love:

Making Life Difficult For Our Company President

I’m John Van Den Brandt, a National Account manager at 4imprint. You may also know me as our wildlife photographer. My wildlife images have been featured in the 4imprint exclusive Wildlife Calendar for the past five years.

As a wildlife photographer, it’s my goal to make life difficult for our company president, Kevin Lyons-Tarr. You see, every May, Kevin joins our art director and a few graphic artists in pouring over scores of my wildlife images to narrow their favorites down to just twelve for next year’s calendar. My objective is to make that task as tough as possible.

From the far reaches of North America to the grasslands of Africa, my images are the product of hundreds of hours in the field, not a few days at a game farm photographing trained animal models. (Ever wonder why that bear in some calendars looks like its fur was just shampooed and blow-dried?) Instead, I seek to capture remarkable moments in the natural world that will elicit a gasp from the review team and delight our customers when they turn the calendar page each month. Here are the 2012 calendar images:

We feature those images in a calendar that is a cut above the ordinary. Saddle stitching (no spiral), larger size and premium grade paper (25% heavier) make this an art-quality calendar that we’re all proud of.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

Meanwhile, I’ll be out in the field, capturing photos that will give Kevin a headache next May.

For some, the 4^th of July is a bittersweet time to honor servicemen and -women serving in the armed forces at home or overseas. Here are some community-building ideas to salute those who serve and their families:

Give the gift of communication with imprinted phone cards for families of soldiers currently away on active duty to send a message of support from your organization. They’re available for full-color customization with your custom graphics on the front side.

Enlist the whole community in your promo by selling Yellow Ribbon Auto Magnets with a “Support Our Troops” message . Use the proceeds to benefit struggling military families or contribute to an established military aid organization.

Ship out care packages to thank and encourage service members from your neighborhood who are away on active duty. Include a special message inside custom 4^th of July picture frames — they’re easy to mail at just ¼” thick!

Need more inspiration for honoring those who serve? See the 4imprint collections for camouflage promotional items, patriotic giveaways or military gifts to send a clear message of appreciation this Fourth.

How often has thirst hit while running errands or on the way to a meeting? Rather than drop a few bucks for bottled, disposable options at convenience stores, new compact, collapsible bottles can stay with you almost anywhere! I’ve used mine to fill up at cafeterias, convenience stores and friends’ houses without adding to the disposable plastic pile.

We stock two such water “pouches” that tuck easily into purse, pocket, gym bag or day pack so you’re never caught without. Add your imprint to this go-anywhere hydration solution for exposure in all their regular haunts.

Our newest roll-up promotional bottle is the 24 oz. Flat Foldable Bottle featuring a contoured shape for easy gripping along with eye-catching “splash” graphics to frame your imprint.

The colorful Cabo Sport Bottle Bag is suited for action with a built-in carabiner clip and a bold, solid color design to offset your logo. Great for active lifestyles and vacationers! Keep an eye out for the Cabo in early June.

Both durable, BPA-free options have a push-pull cap to keep your drink in the bottle and not on you. Once filled with water, they stand on their own just like any other water bottle. Promote your event or organization with refillable, packable promotional products that keep thirst at bay and are willing companions for summer adventures of all kinds!

If you are looking for a great giveaway for families that gets both parents and kids involved, consider the classic coloring book.  As promotional products, coloring books are workhorses.  Kids love to pull them out again and again – and beg their parents to color with them – so your logo gets lots of visibility.

Promotional coloring books are available in a variety of different themes.  The Keep Our Environment Clean Coloring Book makes a great giveaway.  They’d be perfect for banks and credit unions hosting community shredding/recycling days.  Likewise, organizations holding grand opening celebrations in new LEED®-certified buildings could hand out coloring books like this to parents and kids.

Whether your organization is exhibiting at a community health and wellness fairs or you are a gym, health care provider or grocery store, the Eat Right, Eat Healthy Coloring Book makes a great giveaway.

Coloring books are also available in several other themes – from the My Favorite Bank to Saving Energy & Water to Animals on the Farm.  These coloring books are equally useful in the office and as giveaways.  And, they’re a great way to share your message with this generation – and the next!

-Suzanne

Outdoor concerts, picnics and community events are right around the corner!  Get ready for fun in the sun with these color-changing promotional products that bring more excitement to outdoor adventures.

UV-sensitive giveaways blast off with color when exposed to sunlight for instant “WOW!”-factor. Color-changing lanyards and the caps on imprinted sunscreen bottles change from white to bright — a surprising transformation they won’t be expecting!

UV-sensitive cap reacts to sunlight with a colorful display!

Do warm temps and long days in the sun leave you moody? Maybe you need a nice, cold drink! Serve ice-cold refreshments in color-changing sport bottles – the color change is activated when bottles are filled with cold liquids. Hand these out at community run/walk events, parades, farmers’ markets or picnics to make sure all attendees stay happy and hydrated. (Color-changing stadium cups are also available!)

Looking for new and exciting ways to let the sun shine in for your outdoor event? Take a look at our Promotional Products for Summertime store. It’s loaded with imprinted gifts for barbecues, picnics, beach events and all kinds of summer fun!

Spring is here and everyone is getting excited to head outdoors. Celebrate the excitement of “spring fever” (and upcoming Earth Day on April 22) with garden inspired promotional products. There’s plenty to choose from, so let’s get right to the greens!

Plantable promotional giveaways can be as simple as customized seed packets for flowers or herbs! Use them like business cards for cost-effective and out-of-the-ordinary garden giveaways. A distinctive way to get your name out for Earth Day promotions!

Check out that generous imprint area!

Looking to show them the complete package? Green thumbs can start tender plants from seed or grow lovely windowsill flowers in logo’d plant pots — seeds, pot and soil are included!

No digging, measuring or hassle!

Get their mouths watering with edible plant promotions like beautiful, 3-piece imprinted herb kits (below) and Grow Your Own recipe kits! These attractive kits yield a harvest for their kitchen with common cooking herbs, lettuces, salads and salsas!

Elegant packaging adds real value to your gift!

Whether recipients grow their seeds to look at or have for dinner, plantable promotions draw them into the excitement of nature, engage them with your brand and offer plenty of time for leads to germinate into sales!

Now let’s get growing!

Is your organization planning an event or promotion around Earth Day? Check out our special collection of Earth Day promotional giveaways featuring more plantable promos and giveaway items made from recycled, biodegradable, alternative and organic materials!

I admit that I’m easily excited about promotional products, but the all-new translucent Javelin pen release really got me giddy. I’m very particular about my pens, but even I can’t pass these up! In fact, I have one right next to me from a recent benefits fair.

But don’t just take my word for how great these pens are…. We’ve received hundreds of positive reviews on the original Javelin Pen (see for yourself!), and the new translucent colors are destined to impress as well!

The Javelin pen is a best-selling, all-purpose logo pen with a comfortable curved shape and super-smooth ink flow. It’s also a flexible budget option starting at just $.39 each. No wonder it’s such a hit!

Whether the Javelin is already your favorite promo pen or you’re in the market for a new pen giveaway, we know you won’t be disappointed with the new translucent option and same great performance of the Javelin. Be among the first to roll them out!

I still remember my first Javelin…. Do you? Tell us about it in the comments!

It’s almost time to spring ahead an hour for Daylight Savings Time, and that means losing an hour of shut-eye! If you’re like me and have a hard time locating reality when the alarm clock goes off, even this little shift calls for a well-planned strategy: MORE COFFEE. And I bet I’m not the only one!

Consider this: According to annual industry reports, 150 million people in the US (that’s half the population!) enjoy hot, iced and specialty coffee drinks. What does this mean for you? Adding a jolt of joe to your promo could open new grounds for promotional success. Check out these unique giveaways that help you think “outside the mug”!

Great for java junkies! Reusable neoprene coffee wraps help keep their brew piping hot while reminding them of your organization or company. There’s less waste than using cardboard wraps, too!

No need to get the jitters when you have this coffee-cup shaped stress ball. And chances are, it won’t leave coffee rings on your desk, either!

Serve up piping hot espresso the way it’s meant to be: in 4-ounce logo’d  espresso mugs.  Your logo stands out on the matte finish, and modern café styling will remind them of a relaxing visit to their favorite coffee shop!

The specialty coffee market isn’t just for the hipster down the street anymore. Try something new with your promotional products to connect with your target audience and generate more than just a caffeine buzz!