PPB September 2021

chapter (www.aiga.org/membership- community/about-aiga-chapters) may be a good place to start. They are the professional association for designers and are an active group of professionals and students around the country and the globe. Great connections can be made. KELLY MACDONALD Marketing Project Manager The POP Shop, a Geiger Company Alpharetta, Georgia PPAI 267927, D3 I teach on Canva multiple times per month. Here is a video: vimeo.com/ 540325202 I’m happy to do a webinar or answer any questions. Canva is a beast . You can now order products straight from it and so much more. I use it for virtuals among other things. Let me know how I can help. CHARITY GIBSON National Account Coordinator Peerless Umbrella Co. Newark, New Jersey PPAI 112666, S10 If customers are creating their artwork using only graphics provided by Canva, having them export their artwork as an EPS or a PDF file could work, but only after bringing the EPS or PDF file into AI and converting the artwork yourself. Customers usually will upload images or graphics themselves to Canva that are not vector to begin with, and build their artwork off of that, which means you will never be able to make some artwork vector. Rather than waste your valuable time trying to make it vector yourself, just send their artwork out to a company like www.camerareadyart.com . They’ll have it converted to vector within one to two days, or you can have the vendor’s art department handle it for a fee. In short, with Canva’s current features, it’s safe to assume that whatever artwork was sent will not be vector and will need to be converted. CANDICE BROUILLETTE Production Manager One World Promo Newport Beach, California PPAI 350950, D4 I had a customer use it to create text, but they were using the free version, so they could not send it to me with fonts converted to outlines. I bit the bullet earlier this year and paid for an annual subscription. I was able to go in, use the font she wanted, then send it to myself as an SVG file and it worked and is vector. I have Illustrator and know how to tell the difference. Some of the files are vector but if you don’t know how to use the software to tell, you have no way of knowing until your vendor rejects it. DAWN KUHSE Owner and Manager APP Imprints, LLC Woburn, Massachusetts PPAI 486015, D3 Q A Distributor Asks: In the state of New Jersey, single-use plastics will be banned as of January 1, 2022. I usually put all my orders (which include all types of shirts) in a plastic bag with a label to identify the size, quantity and what’s disclosed. What can I use instead to replace this plastic bag? I’ve thought about wrapping the orders in Kraft paper, but it’d be too time-consuming. Search “Kraft bag” in whichever promo search tool you use. Just about any maker of bags does Kraft ones and will imprint on them. Ask about self-promo pricing. Also, look at reusable bags. If you’re putting your name on a product, make it something people will use. A reusable grocery tote is a great self-promo item. Create a memorable message versus just your logo. MANDI RUDD Owner Brand Energy Marketing, LLC Leawood, Kansas PPAI 772980, D1 I ordered nice, reusable grocery totes with my own brand and use them to deliver items (when I deliver in person; most are shipped direct now). The clients love these, especially since they have wine bottle sleeves. RANDY BERNSTEIN Head Shark BrandShark Promotional Products Hillsborough, North Carolina I just stack folded shirts in the box. I decided the expense of the bags wasn’t worth it. If you feel like dressing up the contents, wrap them in a paper band logoed with your company name. SUSAN ANDREWS VONDERBECKE Owner Inklings Ink Screen Printing Fork Union, Virginia Do You Have An Answer? A Distributor Asks: As a distributor, how are you measuring your customer experience? Are you doing so in a way that’s more descriptive— through feedback, testimonials, surveys, etc.—or a way that’s more analytical? Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB. | SEPTEMBER 2021 | 13 INNOVATE