1. Where are you located?
Don’t our accents give us away?!
Howard Custom Transfers is headquartered just outside Chicago in Elgin, Illinois with additional manufacturing locations in Houston and Los Angeles.
Our Chicago facility primarily focuses on production of plastisol screen printed heat transfers, while our other locations produce our specialty products. Houston manufactures Endure, Evergreen, and colorVIBE, while Los Angeles solely manufactures colorVIBE.
All three locations offer pick-up services for local customers.
2. How fast can I get my transfers?
We take pride in being crazy fast. Seriously, our industry friends ask us how we do it and we tell them it’s our super-power!
We aim for a standard next business day turnaround on our plastisol screen printed heat transfers shipping out of our Chicago location. During high-volume production times, that may get extended and during slower times of the year, we’re able to offer Free Same Day Service on print-ready artwork submitted before 12pm CT.
Specialty products range from 2 business day turnaround up to 7-9 business day turnaround during peak production times.
With all of that said, you know what we won’t do? Schedule a delivery date and not deliver. If we fall behind in production, we’ll prioritize orders based on shipping service and upgrade shipping services to be sure your transfers are delivered on time, because your deadlines matter to us!
3. Do you have gang sheets? What’s your biggest sheet size?
We offer a variety of seven gang sheet size options – yes, seven!
Our Mini Gang (7x10.5) is a unique option, great for low-volume, small image sizes. We offer a range of additional sizes, all the way up to our Mega Gang (17.5x23) which is ideal for single-color, high-volume work with a large print area and 75 sheet minimum. In-between, you’ll find more traditional gang sheet sizes like Large Gang (12.5x14.5), Oversize Gang (12.5x17.5), and more.
To learn more about our gang sheet options, click here.
4. Why should I choose you over another supplier?
This is our favorite question to answer at trade shows! Truthfully, choosing a supplier is a big deal. You need to make sure you’ve done your homework, the products are a good fit, the services are in-line with your own, but the biggest question – was the vibe right?
Howard Custom Transfers was founded on three core foundations: high-quality products, extraordinary customer service, and industry leading fast turnaround times. We’re constantly working to improve and innovate when it comes to our custom heat transfer products. We may be biased, but our customer service reps are the best in the biz! They’re dedicated to providing an exceptional buying experience with every order. And turnaround? We’re fast.
If we can provide our customers with the best products and services with crazy fast turnaround, they can in-turn gain the competitive edge in their own marketplace. Simply put, we want our customers to succeed!
5. What’s the durability of your transfers?
The boring answer? We test all our custom heat transfer products through at least 50 wash cycles.
The exciting answer? When properly applied and properly laundered, our products will outlast most wholesale blank garments. That $3 or $4 blank tee you applied our Howard Multi-Purpose to? Doesn’t stand a chance compared to our tough transfers.
PRO TIP: Laundering instructions can be found on our application instructions (sent with every order and also found on our website here) and should be passed along to your customer to ensure longevity of the application.
6. What kind of heat press is that?
We’ve been bringing along our Insta 256 Manual Heat Press to shows this year, and you’ve been loving it!
Howard Custom Transfers is a distributor of Insta brand heat press machines. We’ve been selling them since the day we started selling transfers and owner, Jeff Howard, has been selling them much longer than that! We truly believe in the durability of Insta heat presses and use them exclusively in-house.
For start-up through intermediate level apparel businesses, we recommend using the 256 Model, which is a swing away with interchangeable platens. For high-volume shops, we recommend using the 718 or 728 Model, which are swing away automatic air-operated presses with interchangeable platens.
7. How do I place an order?
When you’re ready to place an order, you have a few options.
You can jump on Dashboard, our online ordering portal that allows you to easily upload your artwork, select your product, sizing, colors, etc. and checkout. Don’t worry, as a new customer your order won’t go straight into production. Our team will look everything over (quickly, of course, because…fast) and let you know if there could be any potential issues.
If you’d rather deal with a human, we have those, too! Give us a call or send us an email to get the ball rolling. We have a team of new account representatives that will help get you acclimated and make sure your first order is a seamless experience.
8. What file formats do you accept?
Honestly, we accept almost any file format.
Vector files are preferred because they can easily be color separated and resized without losing detail. Vector artwork is comprised of points, lines, and curves to create a series of shapes and ultimately, your custom design. Typical vector file extensions include: AI, CDR, PDF, EPS.
9. Do you have any set-up fees?
Easiest question all day. Nope! None. Not one. We’re proud to say, there are zero set-up fees on any of our screen printed heat transfer products and absolutely no hidden costs!
10. What happens if I have an issue with my order?
The best question you can ask a potential new vendor!
Every company will make mistakes. It’s inevitable. It’s how they handle those mistakes that will set them apart. At Howard Custom Transfers, we take pride in making those hiccups as smooth as possible for our customers. When there’s an issue on our end, we will re-run the order as quickly as possible at no-charge. If you’re up against a deadline, we’ll upgrade your shipping service to be sure you receive your transfers in time.
At the end of the day, your success is our number one priority.