General

1. What is your minimum quantity for an order?

With the exception of heat transfer decorations HR Personals Expressions does not have a minimum quantity for orders. We have selected garment and product decoration technologies that allow us to serve customers with orders of any size. For heat transfer decorations we do require a minimum order of six items.

2. How long will it take to complete my custom order?

For custom orders work is performed based on the order that it is received. We realize that waiting for orders to be completed is something that customers want to avoid and we work diligently to provide a short turnaround. If you need an order more quickly than we would normally be able to provide it to you we offer “Rush Services” where for an additional charge we will adjust our production schedule and resources to complete your order when you need it.

3. Can I bring in my own garments to be decorated?

Yes for many types of garment decoration such as embroidery and heat transfer. We do not allow garments to brought in for screen printing or direct to garment decoration. You will find however, that we offer an amazing selection of garments at great prices. If you purchase your garments from us we provide a discount on the cost of decorating the garment.

4. Do you offer gift certificates or gift cards?

Yes. HR Personal Expressions offers gift certificates which may be purchased by customers in a variety of denominations. The certificates may be redeemed for all products and personalization services provided by the company. In addition to the professionally designed certificates, an envelope is provided that is suitable for presenting the special gift. These certificates are a convenient way to show how much you care for friends, family and business associates and it allows them to obtain a personalized gift that they will always remember you for providing to them.

5. Are there any restrictions or conditions on gift certificates purchased?

For gift certificates purchased by customers, HR Personal Expressions has tried to make the redemption of the certificate as easy as possible. Simply present the certificate at the time of an order and the value of the certificate will be applied to the order. Since the certificates are paper based we do require that they be used in one purchase transaction. The certificates may be redeemed only for products and services. They have no cash value and cannot be redeemed for cash. A redeem by date is provided on each certificate which is currently two years from the issue date. In order to receive the full value of the gift certificate for products and services you must use the certificate by this date. After the redeem by date has been reached, a fee of one sixth of the certificate face value is assessed each month until the certificate no longer has value. We have implemented this policy not to reduce customer value, but to try to manage our outstanding liability over time. Our sincerest wish is that certificates will be used for their full value to provide services so that we can start or continue a longstanding relationship built on quality and service.

Embroidery

1. I want to take a picture that I took with my digital camera and have it embroidered on a garment. Why do I need to have it digitized? Can’t I just use a software program to convert to a file format that the embroidery machines can use?

Embroidery machines require a file with a specialized set of instructions in order to direct it on where to make stitches, the type of stitch to make, and the needle that will make the stitch. Pictures from a digital camera are raster based images made of up a collection of pixels. Embroidery machines cannot interpret the pixels into stitches. Commonly available file conversion programs do not support embroidery machine file formats. There are professional embroidery digitizing software programs that will import vector images and convert them to an embroidery format. But, even with this level of automation the imported vector images usually require modification by a professional digitizer and in some cases significant rework in order to produce a quality image for embroidery. Technology is improving quickly, but professional digitizers are still needed to produce acceptable embroidery designs for all but the simplest designs. To keep your costs and turnaround time to a minimum we have invested in one of the largest commercial libraries of 20,000 digitized images available. These designs are available on our Embroidery web page for viewing online.

T-Shirts/Apparel Printing

1. Printing Photos on Garments

The digital printer used by HR Personal Expressions is one of the best in the industry. Its ability to render clear, sharp and colorful images is amazing. It is however, limited to the quality of the images provided to it for printing.

As long as the image will be printed at its current size there will be no loss of definition or color and it will print very similar to what it looks on the computer monitor. Frequently, however, we receive images that were captured at a size of perhaps 2” x 3” and the customer would like it printed at 8” x 10”. If the image is a high resolution photo this usually not a problem. If it is a low resolution photo, as the image is enlarged it will start to lose detail and some of the individual pixels that make up the image will be enlarged enough to see them. A resolution of 180-600 dpi will usually result in the best prints on garments.

It is relatively easy to find the size your image was originally taken at and its resolution (dpi). If you are using the Windows operating system on your computer you simply go to the Windows Start Menu, select Computer, navigate to the folder with the image, place your cursor over the image, right click and select Properties. In the Details tab of Properties you will be able to find the image dimensions and resolution. Dimensions will be expressed in pixels. If you want to convert this to inches all you have to do is divide the number of pixels by 300 (there are 300 pixels in one inch). The resolution will be expressed in dpi (dots per inch).

If you are going to scan a picture for printing on a garment we recommend that you scan it at 600-1200 dpi for best results. If you don’t have a scanner we can do that for you.

For low resolution images we have professional imaging software that allows us to change the size and the resolution of the image. This allows us to provide the best print image possible based on the original image. However, there are some limitations of current technology. If an image has very low resolution and it needs to be enlarged significantly there may still be some loss of detail. Regardless of your image size and resolution we would be happy to evaluate your image and let you know how well it will print at the desired size at no cost to you.

Varsity Letterman Jackets

1. What do I need to know about Varsity Letterman Jackets?

HR Personal Expressions has worked with several companies to evaluate the quality and durability of school jackets. We realize that these jackets represent a significant investment for most people and we are able to provide high quality jackets that look good and wear well. Each customer is professionally fitted for a jacket that will fit well. HR Personal expressions does most of the customizations in-house which allows us to provide higher quality of the entire jacket and its customizations. Once your order is placed it typically takes 4-6 weeks for your customizations to be performed to the jacket. If we don’t have your size in stock it will take about 6-8 weeks to complete your jacket order.

2. If I want a Varsity Letterman Jacket how long will it take?

If we have your jacket in stock it will take 4-6 weeks for your specific customizations to be applied and your order completed. If we need to order your jacket from the manufacturer, either because we don’t have your size in stock or you need a unique jacket, it will take about 6-8 weeks for you to receive your customized jacket. If you are thinking about getting a jacket for a Christmas present please place your order by the beginning of October. Our professional staff is available to help you make the right selection and customizations that you want.

School

1. What school mascots and graphics are you able to print on a t-shirt or garment?

We have invested in professionally created graphics for most of the schools in the Southwestern School District and some of the Columbus schools. The standard mascot images we have are displayed on our School web page. In addition to these standard mascots we are able provide custom templates for advanced designs and also a variety of text/graphics-based garment designs. If we don’t have a mascot for your school please contact us. We are looking for opportunities to offer new mascots based on our customer needs.

Sports

1. Do you only offer sports apparel for specific sports such as baseball, basketball and volleyball.

While these sports are a significant number of orders for us each year we have access to a wide range of nationally branded and value priced sports apparel. In addition to team sports apparel we offer sports apparel for individuals. Please contact us to determine the type of apparel you need.

Frequently Asked Questions