stevenets365's blog

Printed USB Flash Drives in Just 24Hrs

Now we've entered Chinese New Year it's a bit like going going on the dark side of the moon if you're trying to source printed USB flash drives.

The problem is that pretty much every supplier that sells printed USB flash drives sources them from a variety of factories in China and when these factories close for Chinese New Year (and they can close for 2-3 weeks) nothing happens - nothing gets printed, nothing gets assembled and nothing gets shipped.

Even when the factories return there is normally such a backlog of work that it can take weeks before things get back on track again and a normal lead time of circa 10 days is resumed.

During this closedown period if you need printed USB flash drives you'll have to join everyone else hunting down the limited stock that is held by local suppliers. Most won't hold any because this demands cash, secure storage and a willingness to take a risk. So, it's only the larger, more established suppliers like USB2U that will carry stock in any volume and will carry stock across a range of products.

USB2U also have the capability to print in-house and dataload in-house so if you're really pushed then can turnaround printed and dataloaded USB sticks in as little as 24hrs albeit during Chinese NY their order books gets pretty rammed!!

Your best bet is to call them or get onto their web site and get a quote request in.

The image below shows some of the USB models they carry in the UK for immediate print and despatch!

Get Samples Of USB Sticks Before You Commit

Choosing the right type and style of promotional USB stick for your business or school is not easy these days because there are so many suppliers and so many different models of USB sticks to choose from. Do you go for a rugged leather model, a super slim credit card shaped USB flash drive or perhaps something a little more conservative like the ever popular twister USB flash drive?

Like most things the best way to narrow it down is to see the products in the flesh and to "touch and feel" the various models that you've shortlisted. The problem is that most suppliers of promotional USB flash drives either don't carry samples or will want to charge for the supply of samples!

One suppier that goes out of its way to not only supply you with free mock-ups of all your shortlised USB sticks (with your logo on) but that is also happy to supply you with a range of different samples (free of charge) is USB2U.

Let's face it if you're about to commit to buy hundreds or thousands of printed promotional USB sticks then you must make sure before you take delivery of them that the quality is good, that they're going to be right for your project and more importantly that your boss is going to be happy with them. If the suppliers you are talking to back off from sending you samples then take your business to a supplier that will. Simple as that!

Here's the sample pack that USB2U supplies to its customers:

Twilight USB Wristbands - if only

What a pity the News of the World went to the wall in such spectacular style earlier this year otherwise the hoards of Twilight fans might have been able able to get an updated version of these USB wristbands.

The "Twi-hards" who did manage to get their hands on these first time around could be sitting on a nice little collectors item - certainly worth tucking these USB wristbands into a drawer and hoping the value of the Twilight ephemera stock rises over the next few years.

Don't get Stung When You Buy USB Sticks - Check The Certificates

Making sure your supplier of USB flash drives is actually supplying products that complies with the current legal requirements (RohS, CE, FCC etc.) should be at the top of your list but so often it's price! Whilst price is understandably a key driver when making any buying decision if you base the decision on price and price alone then you could be storing up a whole world of trouble - failure to ensure your supplier sells you with properly certified products can leave you facing some pretty hefty fines - ignorance is no defence.

New Flash Drive Sample Boxes from USB2U

New Sample Boxes from USB2U - if you're looking around for promotional USB flash drives but you're not sure which model or design will work best for your company or your brand then it's worth getting hold of a sample box from USB2U.

USB2U have a huge range of sticks to choose from and they're now offering to send a selection of these out in their nice new sample box (see image below).

There's nothing better than checking out the USB flash drives in the flesh and this will certainly help you do just that.

QR Codes on USB Flash Drives

One simple way of getting customers to your stand at a show or exhibtion is to hand our USB flash drives. If you pre-load these with e-brochures you'll save a fortune on printing paper brochures and price lists etc. But why not go one step further and print your own QR code on the sticks as well - this way anyone with a smart phone can simply scan the QR code and jump directly to your company web site or better still web pages you've built for the show/event.

Here's a great example of just how a QR code has been used to great effect on a USB credit card:

Bamboo USB Flash Drives - 100% Eco-Friendly

Bamboo USB Flash Drives - 100% Eco-Friendly

If you need to build a case to justify buying USB flash drives for your company and you need to be sure to address all of the eco-friendly and sustainability issues then the best option is to go with Bamboo USB flash drives - not only do these look and feel great but arguably they are made from the most environmentally friendly product in the world - Bamboo!!

If you pre-load your paper brochures on them as well not only will you save the print, transport and storage costs typically associated with printed brochures but you'll also help to build an "offset" business case for the flash drives

These are from USB2U who are a top choice for any type of branded USB stick

Wooden USB Memory Sticks and a Box - Goodbye CD and DVD

Combine Wooden USB Flash Drives With Printed Gift Boxes You See the Death of the CD and DVD - OK, that might be a bit of a stretch but for some sectors its interesting to see just how quickly and how well branded USB memory sticks have replaced the CD and DVD.

Photographers seem to be one of the first professional groups to latch onto the marketing and presentation benefits a USB stick can offer - present your client portfolio on one of these and you'll really make an impact. Yes, you can print a nice label for a CD/DVD and you can put it into a jewel case but it just can't compete with the touch and feel of a wooden USB flash drive in a cracking presentation box.

We expect to see more and more photographers use printed USB memory sticks in the near future and we don't expect them to be the only profession to make the switch away from CD's and DVD's.

 

Metal USB Keys

It's strange really because some people call their USB flash drives "USB Keys" but now there are lots of USB flash drives that are in the shape of a house key so they get called USB Keys - confused?

Hopefully this picture will help - these are all USB keys, they're made from metal and they come in lots of different memory sizes. They pop onto a keyring just like any regular key and providing you get any image you have put on the key engraved rather than printed then the brand should be around on the key for quite a while - avoid the urge to print on them because whilst they may look good when they arrive you can pretty much guarantee that the ink will be scratched off in minutes.

Most USB key are available in silver, gold or a sort of "burnised" silver giving them a black sort of colour. They are a number of different styles of USB keys around but we like these square versions. As you can see from the image these have been engraved and they're supplied by the folks at USB2U.

USB Wristbands A Big Hit With Schools

I guess it should come as no surprise but the USB wristbands are incredibly popular with school and colleges at the moment. It's not because everyone is bored with standard USB flash drives but because the schools are looking for something a little bit different.

USB wristbands have exactly the same functionality as other USB drives, they come in a wide range of memory sizes and they can be produced in different colours and different sizes (for larger and smaller wrists)

As well as being incredibly useful to store and carry homework and research on they're also great fun and the children that are given them tend to get very enthusiastic about them. For schools or colleges that have a "house" structure they can buy them with a different colour for each house.

If you've got children of school age don't be surprised if you see them coming home anytime soon with a USB wristband