Promotional Gifts
A promotional wooden toy is still a toy. The branding is what the buyer cares about, and the safety rules and the campaign date are what decide whether the order arrives in time to be used.
Branding that suits a wooden toy
The material decides which branding method looks right, and the choice is worth making before the artwork is finalised.
- Laser engraving. Permanent, monochrome and well suited to a natural or lightly finished surface. It reads as a quality mark rather than a sticker.
- Printing. Suited to colour work, including printed panels and multi-colour logos, with the ink specified for the coating limits that apply to toys.
- Printed inserts and sleeves. Often the most economical route where the brand needs to appear with a message rather than on the product itself.
- Combination. An engraved item in a printed box is the most common promotional specification, and the two are produced in the same run.
How a promotional order runs
| Branding | Laser engraving, printing or a printed insert. Engraving is permanent and suits a natural or lightly finished surface; printing suits colour work. |
|---|---|
| Gift packaging | Printed boxes, sleeves or bags produced to your artwork, which is usually as important to the recipient as the item itself. |
| Compliance | A promotional toy is still a toy, so the item is tested at the age grade it is supplied for and carries the warnings that apply. |
| MOQ | 50 pieces per item on the in-stock range, which fits a campaign or an event run rather than only a container programme. |
| Lead time | Around 30 days after order confirmation, and custom sampling takes about 10 days per round if the design is being adapted. |
| Deadline planning | Tell us the event date and we plan the run and the shipment backwards from it rather than quoting a lead time in isolation. |
The date is usually the real constraint
- Work backwards from the event. Around 30 days for production after order confirmation, plus transit, plus any sample round of about 10 days if the design is adapted.
- Decide the artwork early. Packaging and engraving artwork approval is the step that most often delays a promotional run, because the deadline is fixed and the sign-off is not.
- Keep the specification simple. A standard item with a logo and a printed box moves faster than a new design, and for most campaigns it is the right trade.
- Confirm quantities late where possible. Where the item is in stock, the run can be planned once final numbers are known rather than on an estimate.
Why the safety rules still apply
A toy given away is still a toy placed on the market, and the obligations do not disappear because the item was not sold.
- Age grading and warnings. The item carries the age grading and the warnings that apply to the age group it is supplied for.
- Testing. Third-party test reports against the standards of the market the items are distributed in, for the item and material combination.
- Coating limits. The paint and any printed ink are specified for the migration limits that apply to toys, not for general print work.
- Documentation. The same reports and declaration are available for the promotional run as for a retail order. See wooden toy safety standards.
What we supply to a promotional order
- Laser engraving or printing to your artwork, produced in the same run as the item.
- Printed gift packaging, sleeves or bags to your specification.
- Third-party test reports for the item and material combination, and a manufacturer’s declaration naming the standards applied.
- Carton and packing marks prepared for your distribution or fulfilment partner.
Catalogue items can be dispatched for sampling within 48 hours, and see private label wooden toys for branding scope and wooden toys wholesale for volume terms.
Related: Private label wooden toys · Wooden toys wholesale · Solutions by buyer type · OEM wooden toys · Private label wooden toys · Wooden toy manufacturer · Request a quotation
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum order for a branded run?
50 pieces per item on the in-stock range, which suits a campaign or an event run rather than only a container programme. Customised items are quoted per product.
Which branding method should we choose?
Laser engraving for a permanent monochrome mark on a natural or lightly finished surface, and printing for colour work. A printed box or sleeve is often the most economical route where the brand needs to appear with a message.
Do promotional toys have to meet toy safety rules?
Yes. A toy given away is still a toy placed on the market, so the item is tested at the age grade it is supplied for and carries the warnings that apply to that age group.
Can you meet a fixed event date?
Tell us the date at the start. Production takes around 30 days after order confirmation, plus transit, plus about 10 days for a sample round if the design is adapted, and we plan backwards from your deadline.
Can you supply test reports for a promotional order?
Yes. The same third-party test reports and manufacturer’s declaration are available as for a retail order, for the item and material combination.
Can we have the items packed for our fulfilment partner?
Yes. Carton and packing marks are prepared to your specification, and units can be packed to the quantities your distribution or fulfilment partner needs.
Send us your product list
Tell us the items, quantities and the market you sell in. We will come back with a quotation, the documentation we can supply, and the next step.
Request a quotation