Each year, a new group of parent volunteers take responsibility for fundraising and promotions for their high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and support clubs or PTA and PTO organizations. The first task is often to plan, produce, and sell school spirit clothing.

Here are some important questions to ask prospective screen printers or embroiderers so that you can ensure you have a reliable spirit apparel supplier that will deliver your project on time, to spec, and on budget.

How many years have you been in business? No need to experiment with a newbie, there are many seasoned screen printers and embroiderers available.

Can you provide some references? Any reputable decorated clothing supplier should have many references available. In fact, they should make their references available online so you don’t have to ask.

Will you help with the artwork? Obtaining good quality artwork is probably your biggest challenge. If there isn’t someone on your team who can produce vector artwork, see if the vendor can.

Are there charges for supporting graphic arts? There will almost always be an additional fee. If you are not using a vector illustration program such as Adobe Illustrator or Coreldraw, your vendor may need to redo your design.

Is there a setup fee? This is usually the case, unless you order a very large quantity or a very simple design.

Can I see the design before printing or embroidering the item? Usually screen printer can provide electronic file and embroidery can provide sample stitching.

What is your response time? Does it vary by order size or time of year?

Is there an additional charge for rush orders? What constitutes a rush order?

Are there shipping and / or handling charges?

Is a deposit required in advance or can it be billed to the school? Will you charge sales tax or can I provide my non-profit tax exemption form?

Can I have a detailed quote in writing? Any screen printer, embroiderer or supplier of promotional products should always provide a detailed written quote clearly stating its valid duration.

Do you provide a custom order sheet? More experienced vendors have a sheet to help you keep track of sizes, orders, and payments.

Can you provide an online store? If you need online ordering and shipping for individual orders, you need an online store. You do not have to go to a national Internet provider. Most local businesses can also offer you this service. Just ask!

Is there an additional charge for reordering? Embroiderers always save their logo or design in a file, so there is no need to charge you a subsequent digitization fee. However, there are usually set fees for repeat screen printing orders.

These 14 questions will help you feel comfortable with the qualifications of your candidate supplier and help you select the best partner for your spiritual clothing project.