While we (EmbroidMe of Crystal Lake) would love to say we are way better than Custom Ink, we can't. However, we can say, we can compete. We can say, we have some pros over their cons. And, they have a few pros over our cons.
Pricing - we're competitive. We can be less than Custom Ink. We can be more than Custom Ink. And, periodically we match Custom Ink. NOTE: For a full color photo type design, we do have a direct to garment printer that allows for a cost effective option. And, in this case, we're always less expensive than Custom Ink for 2 shirts or more (their single shirt is less than our single shirt on white, we are less on a light colored shirt for a single shirt).
Delivery / Turnaround time - standard is same for both, 2 weeks. Custom Ink rush options are less than our rush charges. However, you need to consider if our overall price was lower and add in our rush fees, could the total cost of ownership still be in EmbroidMe's favor (and it can)?
Shipping - Custom Ink includes free shipping. We assume you'll pick up your items in our store. And, we sometimes need to include a shipping charge for small orders to get blank goods (however, this is rarely the case for T-shirts).
Shirts available - We have the same brands.
Minimums - Custom Ink is 1. We prefer 36. We can do 12. We prefer you do less than 12 as a direct to garment print. AND -- we will do a 1 shirt screen print if you want to pay for it.
Ink Matching - I know Custom Ink has had complaints about ink colors seen on screen versus actual printed on shirt. They do have humans reviewing the art but there are times that you picked maroon and really wanted red and they would have no way to tell. We try to have you always specify PMS/Pantone colors so that we can match better the color you want. Exact matches may have an upcharge and it depends on the shirt color it is going on. Since we have a bit more interaction up front, there is usually less of a possibility of ink color issues.
Repeat Orders - In this area, we have a huge advantage over Custom Ink. Custom Ink uses screen printing locations across the US. It would be unusual for your repeat order to actually process in the same location every time. While they have standards, running the same shirts in a different location creates a greater risk of ink color discrepancy. Once we run your shirts, we use the same screen print equipment. While their could be an operator error (it's happened), it is less likely to have any ink discrepancies.
