How do I place an order? Contact your CadetKit area representative by email or telephone - CONTACT US. Include your full name, rank (if applicable), unit/organization name, postal address, email address(es), and daytime and evening telephone numbers when you place your order. Please be sure that your email address can handle attachments, and that our email addresses are not blocked on your server (happens from time to time when we send email to @cadets.gc.ca addresses). If in doubt, be sure we have a non-DND email address for you as well.
What about security and privacy? We do not share, sell or distribute your contact information or email addresses. Any cadet unit or DND contact information that we have on file has either been given to us by people placing orders or obtained from publicly available sources like the national cadet unit directory at cadets.ca, League websites or unit websites. We do not have a secure ordering portal on the website (yet), so we communicate with clients by email, telephone or fax.
Who does your artwork? CadetKit and AFPP-International take pride in the quality of their design work and the products we sell. All artwork and layouts are done in-house by Rod McLeod, the company owner and resident graphic artist with over 30 years experience and a military background. Artwork approvals are normally done by email – so we need the email address that you will be checking most frequently. The longer it takes to get the design approved, the longer the overall delivery time for your order. For particularly large or complex design projects, we may ask you to print, sign and fax (or mail) the approved artwork to be sure everything is crystal clear before production begins. In these rare cases, production begins only after we receive that signed approval.
Do I have to pay extra for artwork? Unless unusually extensive drawing and design time is required, the cost of Rod’s time and the use of any custom artwork are included in the price of each item.
I have a crest I want you to use on a plaque. How do I get it to you? Let’s see if we already have your unit badge or crest on file. If not, please send whatever you have electronically if possible to your area representative as a starting point. Preferred file formats are high-resolution JPG or a vector format (.ai, .eps), but we’ll start with whatever you have and go from there. If Rod has to redraw or digitize the design, there may be additional charges; he will discuss this with you once he sees the artwork you already have.
I am in a rush for awards for the Annual Ceremonial Review or a special occasion, how early do I need to order? As you can imagine, by concentrating on awards for cadet corps and squadrons, our busiest time of the year for plaques and coins is in May and June. The earlier you place your order, the better it is all the way around. And by ordering earlier, you will be sure to have everything on hand well before your ACR and awards presentations – one less source of stress! If you need to wait until the absolute last minute before the awards presentation to select recipients, we recommend products that can be ordered ahead then engraved locally when needed: generic awards coins, or generic or custom keeper plaques with brass engraving plates.
From Design to Delivery – how long will it take? Delivery time hinges on the time it takes to complete a design and obtain your final approval of the artwork. If you have something that needs to be designed from scratch like a photo montage plaque for a “graduating” senior cadet or a retiring commanding officer, please give us as much time as possible, at least two weeks in addition to the normal delivery times listed below. Rod works directly with you for as long as needed to ensure you are delighted with the design of your custom products. Custom designs for coins, photo montages, vehicle wraps, require more time and attention so we appreciate your best efforts to plan ahead. Normal delivery times and minimum order quantities for the most commonly ordered items are shown below. For anything not listed or for custom items like lanyards, magnets, posters, medals, etc., please call for a quote. All times listed presume that we receive your approval of the design without delay:
What do you charge for digitizing artwork for embroidery or weaving? There are project-specific charges for digitizing artwork or creating weaving programs for crests and badges, woven lanyards, and clothing or cap embroidery. These digitizing costs will be broken out on your invoice OR they will be rolled into the per item cost on the invoice. If you are re-ordering items using the identical embroidered crest or woven design, you are not charged another digitizing fee so your per item cost will be less than the original order. Keep in mind, that embroidery shops usually charge an additional set up fee or some sort of premium for small runs of clothing or caps. At the shops we use, the preferred minimum of each embroidered crest or design is 12 items. Caps always come in multiples of 12 for best pricing; surcharges apply to smaller runs. Embroidery costs are based on the number of stitches in the design and the number of items being decorated. Number of colours in the design does not matter. We provide you an all-inclusive price that includes the base cost of the item, per item share of the digitizing or set-up charges, and the per item embroidery charge.
What is involved in silkscreening and what does it cost? Each colour in a design requires its own silkscreen. For dark T-shirts, there is usually an additional base coat of white ink to prevent bleeding of residual dye from the shirt into the light-coloured areas of the design. Silkscreening costs are based on the number of colours in the design – one screen per colour. Our pricing for silkscreened T-shirts includes the base cost of the item, per item share of the silkscreen set-up charges, and the per item screening charge.
What do custom coins cost? Before production of your custom coin design begins, you will be required to pay for the dies after you have approved the final design. Each die currently costs $347.50 (per side); this may increase slightly for very complex designs, unique coin shapes or larger diameter coins. Once purchased, they are considered to be co-owned by you and Rod McLeod because he retains the copyright as the artist. The dies stay at the foundry until they are no longer needed at which time they are destroyed. Your organization has the exclusive use of your dies. If someone contacts us wishing to use an existing customer's die for their coin, they must negotiate compensation directly with the owner. We will facilitate the initial contact and can provide some guidance for this process, should the need arise. If you select one of the dies that Stampede Graphic Services owns outright for the back of your coin, you do not pay for that die. Ask Rod about this option as part of your custom design. In addition to the cost of the die or dies, most custom coins are priced between $7 and $15 each, depending on finishing techniques, size, edging, etc. To see the range of custom coin designs created by Rod under the AFPP-International banner, go to www.afpp-international.com.
Who owns the copyright on the artwork? Rod Mcleod retains the copyright on all artwork he creates, including but not limited to, coins and logos, unless he has expressly sold or transferred the copyright to another person or organization. Unit crests and badges included in coin designs and/or reproduced as lapel pins, embroidered or woven crests (patches), embroidered or silkscreened on clothing, or used on or in any other articles supplied by CadetKit, AFPP-International and Stampede Graphic Services Ltd. are not the property of Rod Mcleod and are reproduced on the understanding that persons authorized to use those marks have placed the order for such items. If you see any of Rod’s artwork on a coin or product that has not been produced by AFPP-International or CadetKit and are wondering about the quality, please contact him! CLICK HERE
Do I have to pay a deposit when I place an order from CadetKit? Normally, we do not require a deposit. We trust that you will pay when invoiced, as you trust that we will deliver top quality goods on time. For large orders and projects extending over several months, we may require a deposit and/or progressive invoicing to ensure that suppliers are paid in a timely manner throughout the project. An example of this would be building interior design or perhaps a large vehicle wrap. These arrangements will be discussed with you and set out at the start of the project.
How are orders delivered, and what does shipping cost? We ship by Canada Post (Express Post or Expedited Parcel) unless you ask to send by another means. We charge you only for the actual Canada Post costs, including insurance when appropriate, rather than some guess-timated or standard number. From time to time, there may be a small additional allowance in the invoiced shipping cost for packing materials if we need to do something special to protect your order while it is in the gentle care and keeping of Canada Post.
When do I get an invoice? Invoices are issued by email as .PDF documents on the day your order is shipped. Please be sure your email address can handle attachments to ensure you receive your invoice promptly. You will also need a current version of Adobe Reader or an equivalent program in order to open and print the invoice for your records. Invoices include Canada Post tracking information so you can use the Canada Post website to follow the progress of your shipment. If you do not have email or the capacity to print invoices, please advise and we will gladly mail the invoice separately from the shipment.
What are CadetKit’s payment terms? Invoices are payable upon receipt – we do not build in an allowance in pricing to allow for late payment of invoices. By the time you receive your order, we are less than 30 days from paying the creative people behind the scenes who created your coins, plaques, etc. We truly appreciate your prompt attention to paying the invoice. We do understand that sometimes it is difficult to pay immediately, particularly for cadet units that stand down right after the Annual Ceremonial Review in June. If you absolutely cannot pay until the cadet corps returns from summer stand down because your sponsoring committee also closes up shop for the summer, please advise us at the time you place your order and we will include our financing costs in your order. We calculate financing costs using prevailing bank interest rates calculated from the date of the invoice. We really hate to pester you about paying your bill, so please help out everyone by paying promptly and avoid those additional finance charges! Although we prefer payment by cheque or money order, we will accept payment by VISA credit card. First time customers are encouraged to pay by credit card for their initial order. Repeat customers and those living without credit cards are encouraged and welcome to pay by cheque or money order. Please do not send cash through the mail. If you do pay by credit card, we will record the number at the time you provide it to us then remove it from our records when the payment has been verified through the bank. We really do not want to keep track of your credit information – names, addresses and phone numbers are enough!
What about the quality of your products? WE GUARANTEE THAT OUR PRODUCTS MEET OR EXCEED ALL EXISITNG LEAGUE STANDARDS! CadetKit and AFPP-International take pride in the quality of the products we provide. If you ever have a comment or complaint about quality, please call us first. We will work with you to try and correct the situation. Or, if you see some of Rod’s artwork, perhaps on a custom coin, that just doesn’t look quite right, please let Rod know. Unfortunately, others have been known to reproduce his artwork without permission and the lack of quality can be quite noticeable – not to mention the copyright infringement.
Can I return something I purchased from CadetKit? For all products, we have you approve designs, wording / spelling, styles and quantities by email or in writing to make sure everything is correct and exactly the way you want it before production starts. Anything customized, engraved or personalized is not returnable. Customized clothing and caps cannot be returned. Once embroidered or decorated, we have no use for it and cannot return it to our suppliers. In the very rare situation when there is a problem with a piece of clothing such as a manufacturing flaw that was missed during numerous quality control checks, please contact us immediately and we will work with you to address the situation as quickly as possible. Unused, mint-condition, generic sea, army and air cadet award coins and plaques may be returned if absolutely necessary, provided you pay the postage. Once engraved, generic coins and plaques cannot be returned. We recommend ordering the quantity you need for each year, or retain any unused award coins and/or plaques for use throughout the training year or at the next annual awards presentation. You never know when a dignitary may visit and having a coin or plaque on hand to present would be a nice touch!
Can CadetKit do…? Although coins, award plaques and banners are front and centre, we can provide a wide range of custom products to support your recruiting, retention and celebration activities. We have done refrigerator magnets, bus ad posters, memorial displays, competition medals, and more. Just ask!
Any other questions? Please contact us if you have any other questions, comments or queries.
We look forward to being of service to you and your corps or squadron.
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Cadet Kit and AFPP-International are divisions of Stampede Graphic Services Ltd. of Calgary, AB, Canada.
Any contracts written or implied are subject to the laws and statutes of the Province of Alberta, Canada