Glintmade is the custom-merch production partner Pupulan works with on acrylics, stickers, badges and printed bags. Its owned factory network has operated in Wenzhou since 2013, running custom orders through one connected brief, production and quality-control workflow — the same floor that measures and test-fits each finished piece before packing.
You send one brief. The partner produces it; Pupulan quotes it, inspects it and ships it — inside your existing sourcing programme.
That split matters when a custom item has to sit next to a mainstream order. The partner brings factory-direct customisation: short runs, unusual finishes, and the file work that makes a design survive production. Pupulan brings the commercial control, consolidation and export paperwork you already rely on for apparel, footwear, accessories and the rest of your programme.
Eight product families and more than 60 configurable products, all built from your artwork — die lines, finishes and hardware chosen per order. Below is the range at a glance, with the sub-types that sit inside each family.
The highest-volume category: single charms, epoxy-domed, shaker, magnetic, lanyard and multi-piece charm sets.
Die-cut vinyl through to holographic film and dimensional puffy stickers — for packaging, retail and giveaway use.
Character and product displays on custom bases, from single full-bleed pieces to motion and multi-piece builds.
Enamel, acrylic, tinplate and wooden badges with a wide range of fittings and backing options.
Paper, foil, holographic and support-banner prints, packed flat or rolled for retail and convention use.
Canvas totes, shoppers and drawstring bags — printed to the same QC standard as the goods they carry.
Small-format acrylic goods: phone grips, fridge magnets, hair accessories and decorative charms.
Framed art, printed tapestries, canvas scrolls and fabric wall scrolls for interiors and fan displays.
Printed T-shirts — cotton and all-over-print performance — are also available through the same brief. Tell us the product and we will confirm what is feasible for your quantity.
Most of the perceived quality of custom merch is decided by three choices made before production: the base material, the surface finish, and the hardware that attaches it. These are the options across the range.
The single biggest cause of a disappointing custom run is a file that was never ready for production. These are the requirements that avoid it.
Vector and layered files are preferred because they scale without losing edge quality: AI, PDF, EPS, PSD and CDR, plus a transparent PNG. JPG or JPEG reference images can be usable at sufficient resolution. Prepare colour artwork in CMYK at 300 DPI where possible, and name every design and quantity clearly in the brief.
State the finished size including the acrylic border, hardware hole and base — not just the printed artwork. The standard border is 2 mm. For a borderless charm, leave a 0.5 mm bleed filled with the background colour so the cut line has something to run through.
Same artwork on both sides is mirrored by default. Where the two sides differ — or where lettering must stay readable — upload front and back as separate files and label them.
For items configured in the partner's online editor, the preview is the production proof: what the preview shows is what gets made. Before approving, check the finished size, the cut line, the white-ink layering, and that enough material remains around the hanging hole.
Place translucent areas, white-ink layers and gradients on clearly named separate layers. Small text and facial detail should be inspected at actual size — reduction hides problems that only appear on the finished piece.
Send the artwork with your inquiry and Pupulan checks it against the intended product before anything is quoted — flagging low resolution, a missing bleed, or a detail too fine for the size you asked for. You brief once instead of trading emails across two suppliers.
Send artwork for reviewThis is the topic that causes the most disputes in custom merch, so it is worth stating plainly before an order rather than after one.
Print output, screens, material batches and production runs all shift colour slightly. Anyone promising a perfect match on every unit is describing something the process cannot deliver.
Pantone matching is available for specific products and processes, and must be confirmed in the quotation — not assumed from a colour reference sitting inside your file.
A physical sample becomes the primary colour reference, and the bulk order is judged against it — the same sealed-sample discipline Pupulan applies to your other categories.
The production partner publishes a minimum order quantity for every product, and these are the floors it publishes today — the numbers a mainstream factory will not come down to. If you are looking for a low MOQ custom merch supplier, this is the part that decides it: the minimum is counted per design, not per order.
| Product group | Published minimum | Production window | How the quantity is counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic products — keychains, standees, charms, accessories | From 1 piece per design | 7–12 business days | The lowest barrier there is to testing a design |
| Badges & pins — enamel, acrylic, tinplate, wooden | From 1 pc per design | 7–12 business days | Most products start at one piece; metal pins carry their own tooling |
| Stickers | From 10 per design | 7–12 business days | Sold in units of ten: 1 unit = 10 stickers, 10 units = 100 stickers per design |
| Posters, magnets, apparel and other editor products | Stated per product in writing | 7–12 business days | In a mixed order the longest item sets the ship date |
| Rhinestone transfers | Stated per design in writing | 7–15 business days | Minimum depends on stone density and placement area |
| Sewn or woven bags | Stated per design in writing | 12–20 business days | Printing and sewing run as separate stages |
Designs of the same product with the same options combine into a single quantity tier, so five designs in one run are priced against the combined quantity — not against five separate minimums.
An approved design comes with its price or price ladder, the minimum quantity and multiple, the mould fee and the sample price, each with a validity date — nothing is left to be discovered at invoice stage.
Nothing ships below the confirmed paid quantity. Any uncharged production overage is supplied free of charge and does not change the invoiced quantity.
Customisation is not the bottleneck — proofing is. Orders that need a formal proof start production the day after that proof is approved, so approving quickly is the surest way to shorten a lead time. Samples are charged: standard products may carry a standard sample price, and custom samples are priced against the product, size, process and artwork. Sample charges are not automatically credited against a later production order unless the written quotation says so.
Incoterm, currency and payment method are agreed in writing before production starts — and the pro forma invoice controls if anything differs from the enquiry stage.
| Item | What you can expect | Confirmed in |
|---|---|---|
| FOB | Goods delivered to the port of loading, with you or your forwarder taking over from there. Base port is Ningbo, the nearest major port to Wenzhou; other Chinese load ports on request. | Quotation |
| CIF | Freight and marine insurance to your destination port are included in the quoted price. | Quotation |
| DDP (duties paid) | Door delivery with freight, import duties, import taxes and customs clearance already paid, to the destinations the partner serves. | Pro forma invoice |
| EXW | Available where you nominate your own forwarder and collect from the factory — worth it only when you already run a cheaper consolidated route. | Quotation, on request |
| Incoterms version | Incoterms 2020. Ownership passes to you once the goods are paid for in full; risk and delivery responsibility pass according to the confirmed Incoterm and the carrier handover. | Pro forma invoice |
| Currency | Quotations are issued in USD by default. The catalogue also displays CNY, EUR, GBP, CAD and AUD, so a currency to suit your accounting can be discussed. | Quotation |
| Payment | Factory orders require 100% prepayment, settled by bank transfer or T/T, with L/C available at the Pupulan level. No separate payment-processing surcharge is added. | Pro forma invoice |
| Quotation validity | Factory quotations hold for 15 calendar days; Pupulan restates the validity on the itemised quotation it sends you, so you always know how long a price stands. | Quotation |
| Documents | Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin as standard. Inspection certificates, FTA origin documents and third-party test reports on request. | Before shipment |
Two useful routes: duties-paid door delivery where the partner serves your country, or your own FOB or CIF consolidation alongside the rest of your programme. The complete DDP destination list is at the end of this section.
Custom merch ships Delivered Duty Paid across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The shipping amount includes freight, import duties, VAT or GST and customs clearance, so the recipient is not normally asked for a second payment on the doorstep.
Destinations outside those routes are quoted individually with an agreed Incoterm, and duties, taxes and customs formalities follow that written quotation. If a customs or regulatory change affects a DDP order before it ships, you are contacted before the shipping method or price moves.
Delivery estimates begin when the carrier accepts the parcel and exclude artwork review, proof approval, production, weekends, public holidays and customs inspection. Slow tracking updates do not mean a parcel is lost — some channels only update on arrival in the destination country.
Multi-item orders to one address ship together once every item is complete, and the longest production time sets the ship date. Acrylic, stickers and bags can also be consolidated into the same mixed container as your apparel, footwear or accessories — one shipment, one document set, one freight cost.
A complete, serviceable delivery address is the buyer's responsibility. Before shipment you can amend the address within the same country up to three times; after carrier handover it depends on the carrier. PO boxes, parcel lockers and APO/FPO/DPO military addresses are not supported unless a suitable channel is confirmed in writing.
Finished pieces are measured, test-fitted, counted and protected for the agreed transport method, and the document set reaches you for review before the goods move. Minor marks on an outer carton are not a product defect if the contents inside are undamaged.
Taken from the production partner's published shipping policy. A destination missing from this list is not refused — it is simply quoted individually with an agreed Incoterm.
From the first brief to the parcel at your door, every stage stays connected — and each handover has a named owner, a written record, and a check before anything moves on.
01
The brief is logged and the first practical questions are answered — dimensions, artwork format, material and quantity — before anything is scheduled.
02
Artwork, materials and the approved details move onto the right production line, with in-process checks at the station that actually produces them.
03
The finished order is counted, protected and packed for the agreed transport method, then handed to the carrier once Pupulan's inspection is closed out.
04
Your custom products arrive ready for the next step in your market, with tracking to follow and a 30-day quality window from the day of delivery.
Custom merch means handing over artwork you own. Here is what happens to that intellectual property — and what to insist on in writing, whichever route you take.
You retain ownership of everything you supply. The factory receives only a limited licence to use it as reasonably necessary to quote, proof, produce, inspect, pack, ship and support your order — nothing wider, and nothing that survives the job.
Your artwork and identifiable finished products are not published in a portfolio, advertisement, trade-show display or social-media post without your written permission. Process photographs may be used only where they reveal nothing about your artwork, brand, personal information or project details.
A design produced for you is not offered to another customer, and your moulds and dies are not reused for a different brand's order without your agreement. We put this in writing in the agreement for the order rather than leaving it as a verbal assurance.
Mould and die fees are itemised separately from the unit price, with exclusivity stated where you want tooling reserved for your brand. If you work under an NDA, sign ours or send yours — it is signed before files move, not after.
Small custom production lives or dies on whether the twentieth piece matches the first. Here is how that is controlled.
Finished pieces are measured and test-fitted individually before packing, rather than spot-checked by eye at the end of a run.
The production partner publishes a 30-day quality guarantee on its orders. Claims are raised through Pupulan, so the conversation stays with one contact.
On top of the partner's own QC, Pupulan's AQL-based pre-shipment inspection applies to your order — findings and photographs are shared before goods are released.
Figures published by the production partner. They describe the factory network, not Pupulan's own headcount or premises.
Every custom order passes through the same four gates. Each one is either a point where you approve something, or a point where we confirm something in writing.
Send your artwork or a reference image, pick the options and set a quantity. A drawing or a photograph is enough to start the conversation.
The preview shows the finished size, cut line and white ink, and automatic checks flag problems. Items we review come back within 1–3 business days.
The order is printed, cut and assembled in the Wenzhou factory, then measured and test-fitted piece by piece before it is released.
Finished pieces are counted, protected and packed for transport, then dispatched under the agreed Incoterm with tracking you can follow.
Six stages, with a written record at each — the same discipline we apply to every other category.
A drawing, reference image or short brief is enough to start. Pupulan confirms the product family, feasibility and the file requirements before anything is quoted.
You receive an itemised quotation for the specification, quantity and destination. Where the item warrants it, a sample is produced and approved before bulk.
You review the preview or formal proof — size, cut line, white ink, colour reference — and approve it in writing. The approval becomes the benchmark for the run.
Produced in the partner's own Wenzhou factory, then measured and test-fitted piece by piece against your approved reference.
Pupulan's pre-shipment inspection runs against the sealed sample. Findings and photographs are shared, and nothing is released until you approve.
Counted, protected and packed, then folded into your shipment under FOB, CIF or DDP — with a full document set sent for review before the vessel sails.
Custom merch is priced per item, and the difference between two similar-looking quotes almost always comes back to the same handful of variables.
A larger charm and a thicker acrylic block consume more material and more machine time. Finished size should always be quoted as the physical piece, including border and hole — not the artwork dimensions.
Single-sided, double-sided matched, and double-sided with separate front and back artwork are three different products. White-ink underlay, gradients and translucent layers each add a pass.
Epoxy doming, specialty film, holographic effects, and the choice between a split ring and a lobster clasp all move the unit price. Hardware is priced with the piece, not added at the end.
Unit cost falls with volume, but the bigger swing is often packaging and freight: an OPP bag versus a retail box, and whether the goods travel alone or consolidated in a container with your other categories. Custom packaging is quoted as its own line, so you can see exactly what presentation costs before you commit.
Going factory-direct is efficient right up to the point where something needs chasing. That is the part we handle.
Your custom merch is quoted, coordinated and invoiced by Pupulan alongside the rest of your programme — no second supplier relationship, no second set of payment terms, no second place to chase a delay.
Custom merch can share a container with your apparel, footwear or accessories, so you pay for one shipment and receive one document set instead of three — the same logic behind our supplier consolidation service.
The same AQL-sampled pre-shipment inspection and export documentation we apply everywhere else — findings with photographs before release, and a document set in your inbox before the vessel sails.
From one piece on acrylic items — a practical bridge when a mainstream factory's minimum sits far above what your launch, convention or test drop actually needs.
The shortlisting method, verification checks and scoring approach we use before any order is placed.
Service guideHow orders from several factories become one container, one invoice and one document set.
Cost guideEvery line item between a factory quotation and the true landed cost at your warehouse.
Risk guideThe errors that sink first orders — samples, payments, Incoterms and inspection.
Risk guideSupplier fraud, product compliance, payment exposure and logistics risk, with the controls for each.
Back toSupplier matching, sampling, inspection, consolidation, documentation and logistics in one programme.
Acrylic products and most badges start at one piece per design, and stickers start at 10 per design, sold in units of ten — one unit is 10 stickers, ten units is 100 stickers per design. Designs of the same product with the same options combine into one quantity tier. Rhinestone transfers and sewn or woven bags state their own minimum in writing, and the applicable figure for your item appears on the product page, in the quotation or on the pro forma invoice.
Factory orders require 100% prepayment, settled by bank transfer or T/T, with L/C available at the Pupulan level. FOB from Ningbo, CIF to your destination port and DDP duties-paid door delivery are all quoted; EXW is available on request where you nominate your own forwarder. Incoterms 2020 apply, ownership passes once the goods are paid in full, and the pro forma invoice states the confirmed Incoterm. Factory quotations hold for 15 calendar days.
You keep ownership of everything you supply. The factory receives only a limited licence to use it for quoting, proofing, producing, inspecting, packing and shipping your order. Your artwork and identifiable finished products are not published in a portfolio, advertisement or social-media post without your written permission, your design is not resold to another buyer, and your tooling is not reused for a different brand without your agreement.
DDP duties-paid delivery is available to 68 countries and regions, with freight, import duties, VAT or GST and customs clearance included in the shipping amount. Other destinations are quoted individually with an agreed Incoterm. Transit estimates begin when the carrier accepts the parcel and exclude production, proofing, weekends, holidays and customs inspection. Custom merch can also be consolidated into a mixed container with your other categories.
Glintmade's owned factory network in Wenzhou, China produces the goods. Pupulan coordinates your order, the quotation, the inspection and the shipping, so you keep one point of contact.
Vector and layered formats are preferred: AI, PDF, EPS, PSD or CDR, plus a transparent PNG. Prepare artwork in CMYK at 300 DPI where possible, and label front and back files when the two sides differ.
Acrylic products and stickers typically run 7 to 12 business days after payment. Rhinestone transfers run 7 to 15 business days and sewn or woven bags 12 to 20 business days. Weekends, holidays, shipping and customs time are not included.
Yes. A sample can be produced and approved before bulk production, and for colour-critical work a physical sample becomes the primary reference the bulk order is judged against.
A 100 percent exact match is not possible, because print, screens, materials and production batches differ slightly. Pantone matching is available only where the product and process support it, and must be confirmed in the quotation.
For items designed in the partner's online editor, yes: production follows the approved preview, including size, cut line and white ink. Bulk and OEM orders that need a formal proof receive one before production starts.
Yes. Custom merch can be consolidated into the same mixed container as your apparel, footwear or accessories, so you receive one shipment and one document set.
Rush production may be available depending on complexity, quantity and factory capacity. It requires written confirmation and may carry an additional fee, and it does not shorten shipping or customs time.
No. Published figures are guide prices. Pupulan confirms an itemised quotation for your specific specification, quantity and destination before any order is placed.
Yes. Printed bags, backing cards, tags, boxes, barcodes, labels and inserts are specified and priced as separate lines on the quotation, and printed branded packaging is released only after written proof approval. Where no custom retail packaging is confirmed, standard protective packaging suited to the product and the transport method is used instead.
Send your artwork or a reference image, the product family, quantity and destination. We will confirm feasibility and return an itemised quotation — usually within two to three working days.
