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Newelley.BearsHey People...
I just posted about this in the original thread regarding the pin, but out of fear that no one would see it, I am reposting the info here for everyone to see...
I was visiting The Teddy Bear Abbey yesterday and Bob Ross gave me the link to a website that his wife Cheryl of Cherbears uses to make medallions for around her bears necks. I thought it would be great to maybe have them make up the pins for us as they do wonderful work and their pins/medallions are of the best quality. The pins could be made by this company and sold online like the TT t-shirts. I am sure we would probably have to get permission from the copyright owner first though before we use the logo? The website is : www.mrpinman.com . They are a company based out of Alberta, Canada.
Thanks
Jeremy
Original Thread By Bearalive, TT pin : http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=12597
Excellent recommendation, Jeremy; thank you.
I'm going to say here what I'll also post to the original thread (which you've so kindly referenced.) And that is that while the pin idea is a fantastic one -- truly; I love it! -- if we create pins in the same fashion we created the TT t-shirts, it will require an up-front layout of cash on the part of Intercal, the owner of our beloved forum. I'm not sure it's up to us, the readership, no matter how proud we are to sport the TT logo!, to "pin" that kind of financial responsibility on the forum ownership so publicly, without having at least run the idea past them, first.
This particular option that Jeremy has recommended, which indeed looks to be a place that produces very nice work indeed!, would require a minimum order of 100 pins, which, in the smallest size, totals out to nearly $300 up front, as production cost.
If five (5) people order pins, that would leave Intercal with a rather large loss and a lot of pin-ventory; one that I, for one, would not want to take on, personally.
Let me pass this idea by the big cheeses at Intercal and see what they have to say about it before we get too enthusiastic, okay?
If we can't find a way to have pins made via this type of mass-production manufacturing process, I'm sure we can find outfits on the internet which allow us to print up pins one at a time. They may not be beautiful, embossed metal pins, but they would be attractive. I created the logo myself and with permission I would gladly reconfigure it to whatever dimensions are required, with the permission of the forum owners, should need be.
I'm thinking some place like Cafe Press (although I haven't looked there yet for pins, specifically), which prints ON DEMAND, might be a good option. Lulu.com is a printing press which will print books in that same fashion -- ON DEMAND, meaning: as they are ordered. One at a time. This ON DEMAND type of print process would NOT require an up-front outlay of cash, which would make for a lot less red tape and involvement on the part of the forum owners, who are busy enough filling orders and keeping the books on their current product line of mohair and bearmaking supplies -- and t-shirts!
More later, when we Advisors have spoken with the powers that be...
Thank you, Jeremy and everyone else, for your wonderful suggestions!
Oh, and I want to add that it's not just the financial aspect that concerns. It's not quick or easy -- someone has to be paid to do the work -- to add catalog items, and to reconfigure a shopping cart, on a website. Not to mention the shipping and handling costs, ordering headaches, etc. that go along with something like this. I'm just reluctant to saddle Intercal with ANY of this work if we can somehow get the pins made in another way, which doesn't involve them directly. And I know you all know that, technically, you're violating copyright in using the TT logo to create your own pins, and that's illegal. I don't think, intuitively, that anyone at TT or Intercal is going to have a problem with that -- you're wonderful to want to support and advertise the forum in this way, and even without "knowing," I "know" the owners are appreciative and grateful, as am I in my role as Advisor here; I'm sure the other Advisors feel the same -- but it's just something to keep in mind as you proceed independently in your pin making, all the same.
Again, let me see where the owners are on this idea, generally, before we move to specifics. More later, when I've heard back! It truly is a wonderful idea if we can make it work.
