ASI: T-Shirt Printers Big Winners In Big Game

No matter who wins the big football game today, the big winners will be T-shirt printers, according to a release from Trevose-based Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI).

ASI said hundreds of promotional products companies will work into the wee hours Sunday into Monday to get thousands of Super Bowl items to sports fans waiting for commemorative T-shirts, jackets and other logoed items.

"The ad specialty industry works overtime whenever there's a big national event to make sure everyone who wants a special keepsake gets one," said Timothy M. Andrews, ASI president and CEO. "ASI research shows logoed T-shirts generate huge sales among Super Bowl fans and that companies continue to order them all year long to give away to promote their brands or thank their clients."

Jay Meyer, president of ASI member Blue Dolphin Screen Print & Embroidery of New Hampshire, heads one of hundreds of companies working tons of OT this weekend to keep sports fans happy.

If the New England Patriots win in the big game against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Blue Dolphin expects to print at least 25,000 shirts overnight in the initial order.

"The big sports stores start showing up around 3 a.m. because they want to have the apparel ready in the morning when they open," said Meyer. "If it's really doing well, they'll reorder, probably another 5,000. Last week after the AFC championship, we printed 7,000 shirts."

Over 40 employees will work on the initial order, starting by the game's third quarter. Printing starts as soon as the game finishes. And even if the hometown team fails to take home the title, Meyer said Blue Dolphin still expects to print at least 9,000 Giants shirts.

ASI is the largest media, marketing and education organization serving the promotional products industry, with a network of over 27,000 distributors and suppliers throughout North America.