4imprint is North America’s biggest distributor of promotional goods. They customize everything from apparel and pens to bags, cups, and golf umbrellas. But biggest doesn’t always mean best, and every day, more customers start looking for 4imprint alternatives.
Many have noted quality issues with 4imprint goods, like shirts that fall apart within a few washings. Others have complained of badly reproduced logos, late deliveries, or poor customer service.
You can’t take chances with any of that if you’re placing bulk customized orders. The good news is you don’t have to - the best alternative to 4imprint is right here at Diehard Custom.
With low minimums, quick turnarounds, and your favorite brands ready to be customized with free design support, it’s clear why companies, organizations, and sports teams choose us over the rest.
If you need custom scarves with logo, custom hats with logo, custom socks with logo, or anything in between, call us today and find out why we’re the best 4imprint alternative.
Overview of 4imprint
While it was founded in Indiana in 1985 as Nelson Marketing, today 4imprint has its headquarters in England and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. But around 97% of its business is in the US and Canada, and its operations are based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
4imprint has a wide selection of customizable products, including:
- Apparel
- Bags
- Cups & Mugs
- Trade Show Displays & Lanyards
- Blankets, Coolers, & Outdoor Items
- Keychains & Magnets
4imprint remains the market leader in customized goods. But its growth slowed to 3% in 2024, down significantly from 2023’s 16% growth. With a little research, it becomes clear that many people are now looking for an alternative to 4imprint.
Why Businesses, Clubs, and Teams Are Looking for 4imprint Alternatives
Custom merchandise orders are often time-sensitive. But many former 4imprint customers complain that orders arrive late, or not at all. Others tell stories of overbilling errors that take months to fix, or hours spent on futile phone calls.
Here are just a few of the issues we saw customers mention when asked why they’re looking for 4imprint alternatives.
The Need for Lower Minimums and More Personalization
Companies often find that they have to order more 4imprint custom goods than they need. The extra goods sit in a closet gathering dust. This is a problem for smaller organizations running on a tight budget in particular.
You have a clear vision of what your custom item should look like. Sometimes, though, 4imprint doesn’t make it easy to bring that vision to life. Many customers are looking for an alternative to 4imprint that offers more personalization in the process.
When Product Quality and Brand Representation Matters More
4imprint relies on a network of over 2,000 third-party suppliers for its goods. Material quality can vary widely from supplier to the next. If your team shirts fall apart in the wash or your team hats are poorly sized, the recipients will blame you and not your supplier.
Promotional goods represent your brand, so you want your logo or emblem to be clear, sharp, and centered. If the design looks bad or the colors are off, you look bad. People are seeking 4imprint alternatives because they no longer trust 4imprint to provide quality merchandise.
Faster, Friendlier Support and More Hands-On Service
Customer support issues are a recurring theme among people who choose an alternative to 4imprint. There are many complaints of rude customer service agents, long hold times on the phone, and confusing, contradictory responses by different agents.
Because 4imprint is such a large company, customers often get bounced back and forth between different departments when they try to resolve an issue. This leads many to choose a smaller company that responds more quickly and builds personal relationships with clients.
See What Real Customers Had to Say
With a 2.9/5 average rating on TrustPilot, it’s clear 4imprint has some serious issues to overcome. Nearly 60% of its TrustPilot reviews are 1-star, and many former clients describe serious problems with their 4imprint orders.
Here are just a few TrustPilot complaints from customers in search of 4imprint alternatives.
“I didn't know the level of unprofessionalism and lack of response until I ordered some products myself. This is the last time am ordering from these people (4imprint). I need to find another supplier. Very disappointing for what I am paying for. I am still waiting for my tracking number.”
“Attempt to obtain some samples- customer service person was rude and treated me poorly- will take my business elsewhere where I am sure I will be treated better- lost out on a major sale refused to let me speak to a manager.”
“Absolutely awful. It is like pulling teeth trying to get the order complete. So many steps, so many people to talk to to try and complete the process. Very unprofessional. Our company has spent thousands with 4-imprint. That, we will do no more.”
What’s the Best Alternative to 4imprint?
Fortunately, you have plenty of 4imprint alternatives at your disposal in this day and age - some better than others. If you want to avoid all the stress and frustration of ordering custom goods online, look no further than Diehard Custom.
Diehard Custom
Diehard Custom offers high-quality personalized items for clients of all sizes. We offer all types of socks, scarves, beanies, hats, golf accessories, blankets, towels, and pins. And we offer free mockups and revisions on all our custom designs and edits.
We offer low MOQs for smaller buyers. For example, our Nike custom hats have a minimum order of just 10 pieces! And we stand behind all our products. If there’s an issue with your order, we’ll make it right, guaranteed.
Diehard Custom crafts many of our items from the ground up. This gives us full control over product quality. For others, we use blanks from well-known and trusted companies like Nike, Carhartt, and New Era.
We’re big enough to handle large orders, but small enough to remember your name. You don’t get an endless runaround with surly customer service agents to find custom hat prices. We’ll give you an immediate quote and keep you in the loop through the entire order process.
Placing a custom order for personalized goods can be stressful. We work hard to make it as easy as possible. We can help you with choosing the right socks, deciding between different scarf brands, or provide you beanie design ideas. Call us today for a free, friendly consultation.
Vistaprint
While Vistaprint offers a wide range of goods, its real strength lies in its stationery, business cards, and posters. Its online design tools and templates are user-friendly, so even amateurs can create beautiful professional-quality graphics.
Vistaprint’s prices are reasonable and you’ll find frequent discounts and bargains on their website. They’re a great alternative to 4imprint for smaller businesses who want to build brand recognition or create catchy business cards for their employees.
That being said, more experienced designers complain that their templates and tools are limited beside professional design software. And while it generally receives good customer service reviews, some complain of delivery delays and scripted customer service responses.
Custom Ink
Custom Ink has a wide variety of customizable apparel, hats, bags, and promotional giveaway products. They also offer an integrated fundraising platform that lets individuals and groups design and sell custom items to raise money and awareness for different causes.
Reviewers give Custom Ink high marks for its user-friendly Design Lab and its helpful, friendly customer support. They also speak highly of its team of staff artists who review and help refine designs.
Others note that Custom Ink is one of the most expensive 4imprint alternatives, especially for smaller orders. We also see complaints that print and product quality remain inconsistent despite the higher prices.
Printful
Printful’s primary market is e-commerce businesses. Their print-on-demand services print, pack, and ship products directly to the consumer. This lets creators sell custom-designed products without holding inventory.
In addition to printed goods, Printful offers embroidered options. Their platform is integrated with many popular online marketplaces, including Shopify, Etsy, Amazon, and eBay. And they have fulfillment centers around the world, allowing for easy global POD sales.
While Printful is one of the most popular 4imprint alternatives with e-commerce owners, some report quality and durability issues. Other customers complain that Printful frequently runs out of the products used to make custom items, which leaves sellers dealing with angry customers or forced to pivot after relying on the same style for a long time.
Quality Logo Products
Quality Logo Products (QLP) provides a wide selection of branded items. You can get personalized desktop awards, pens, drinkware, flash drives, first aid kits and many other items. QLP offers one of the most extensive catalogs in the promotional products industry.
When you place an order with QLP, you’re assigned a dedicated sales representative. You’ll work with that rep on repeat orders. And you also get a lowest price guarantee on your orders, so you know you’re getting a reasonable price.
While they offer returns on defective items, those items must be returned within 5 business days. And some customers have complained that after their returns they were hit with processing and transaction fees of over $1,000.
Bringing Our 4imprint Alternative Guide to a Close
There are several good 4imprint alternatives. But Diehard Custom is the BEST 4print alternative for teams and businesses looking for consistent quality and top-notch customer service with low MOQs and free design support in bringing your vision to life.
Unlike 4imprint or other large promotional goods companies, we specialize in a smaller range of products that we create ourselves - but we also carry some of the most sought-after brands like Nike, New Era, Carhartt, and more.
If you’re tired of bad products and worse customer service, why not work with a company that treats you like family? We stand behind our work and we consistently provide you with the best customized products. Call us today and let us help you create custom goods you’ll love.
