A Visual Proof™ is a digital image of the product you've chosen with your own logo on it, sent to you before you commit to anything. Ours are free, they come back within 20 minutes during working hours, and there's no obligation to order once you've seen one. You can make unlimited changes, and the price we quote alongside your proof is held for 14 days.

There's a gap between approving something on a screen and opening a box of 500 of them. That gap is where most of the worry in buying branded merchandise sits, and it's the reason people put off placing an order they've already decided to place. The proof closes it. You see the actual product, your actual logo, at the size and in the position it'll print.

How to get a free Visual Proof Choose your product. Pick anything on hotline.co.uk. Every product page has the option. Upload your logo. A vector file works best. There's more on file formats below, and if you're not sure what you've got, send it anyway.

Tell us what matters. Which version of your logo to use, your Pantone references if you have them, and any text you want alongside it.

We send your proof back. Within 20 minutes during working hours, made by our in-house design team, with a price quoted alongside it.

There's no charge at any point in that process and no obligation to place an order at the end of it.

How long a Visual Proof takes Within 20 minutes during working hours. That's the figure published on every product page on our site and it's the one we hold ourselves to. Send your artwork over first thing and you'll normally have the proof before your second coffee.

Your proof is made by our in-house design team rather than assembled by a template, which matters more than it sounds. If your logo won't reproduce well on the product you've picked, whether that's because the print area is too small or the artwork is too detailed for the branding method, our designers will tell you at this stage rather than after it's printed.

What artwork file to send A vector file gives the cleanest result on every branding method we offer. That means an AI, EPS or PDF file. Vector artwork can be scaled to any size without going blurry, which matters when the same logo has to work on a pen with a 40 x 6mm print area and a notebook with a 91 x 186mm one.

If you've only got a JPEG or a PNG, send it anyway. We'll tell you whether the resolution is high enough for the product and branding method you've chosen, and we'll tell you before anything is charged for. In many cases the artwork can be cleaned up or redrawn as part of the proofing process.

It also helps to say which version of your logo to use. If you have a full-colour version and a single-colour version, the single-colour version is usually the better choice for screen printing and pad printing, because those methods are priced per colour and a simpler logo prints more cleanly at small sizes.

Changing your proof before you order You can make unlimited changes to a proof before you order. Move the logo, resize it, change the print position, try a different product colour, compare two branding methods on the same item. None of it costs anything and none of it commits you to an order.

This is the stage to be fussy. Changes are free now and expensive later, and a proof you've skimmed is a proof that comes back to you as 500 units of a slightly wrong shade of blue.

Things worth checking properly before you approve:

The logo position and size relative to the product Colour accuracy, particularly if your brand has specific Pantone references Any text, including URLs and straplines, letter by letter Whether the branding method shown is the one you wanted The price on your proof is held for 14 days Every Visual Proof comes with a price for the quantity you asked about. That price is held for 14 days from the date we issue the proof.

Fourteen days exists because merchandise buying almost never involves one person. You need a purchase order raised, or a manager's sign-off, or a finance approval that has to wait for somebody to come back from leave. The price hold means the number you took into that conversation is still the number when you come out of it.

What happens after you approve Nothing goes to print until you've approved your proof. Once you approve it, the order goes into production and the product page shows you the date we'll deliver on or before. Our guide to guaranteed delivery dates explains how that date is worked out.

If what arrives doesn't match the proof you approved, we'll replace it or refund it. That's the real point of proofing properly. The image you approved becomes the standard your finished order gets measured against, which is a much better position to be in than arguing about what you thought you'd asked for.

You can also use your Visual Proof to claim our Price Match Promise. If you've got a current quote from a UK competitor for an identical product, upload it to your proof form and we'll verify it.

To see yours, pick something from our tote bags range, or any other product on the site, and upload your logo.

Frequently asked questions What is a visual proof? A visual proof is a digital image showing the product you've chosen with your logo applied to it, at the size and in the position it'll actually print. You see how the finished item will look before you place the order.

How much does a Visual Proof cost at Hotline? Nothing. Visual Proofs are free and there's no obligation to order once you've seen one.

How long does a Visual Proof take? Within 20 minutes during working hours. Your proof is made by our in-house design team and comes back with a price quoted alongside it.

Should I approve a proof before printing? Yes, and nothing goes into production until you have. The proof is your last chance to change the logo position, size, colour or any text at no cost. If your delivered order doesn't match the proof you approved, we'll replace it or refund it.

What file format do I need for my logo? A vector file works best: AI, EPS or PDF. If you've only got a JPEG or PNG, send it and we'll tell you whether the resolution is high enough for the product and branding method you've chosen, before anything is charged for.

Can I get merchandise branded if I only have a JPEG of my logo? Usually, yes. Send us the JPEG and our designers will tell you whether it's high enough resolution for the product you want. If it isn't, we can often redraw it as part of the proofing process, and we'll tell you before anything is charged for.

Can I change a Visual Proof after I've seen it? Yes, as many times as you need. Changes to a proof are free and unlimited right up until you place the order.

How long is the price on my Visual Proof held for? 14 days from the date the proof is issued, which gives you time to raise a purchase order or get sign-off from someone else.

What if my logo prints badly on a dark product? Tell us the product and the colour when you request your proof. Our designers will show you the options, which usually means a single-colour reversed version of your logo, a different print position, or a lighter product colour. You'll see the result in the proof before you commit.