From Logo File to Approved Sample

Why the sequence matters

A custom lock is not a stock lock with a logo added at the end. The mark, the colour, the packing and sometimes the mechanism each affect the others, and changing one after production has started means either scrapping the batch or accepting something you did not ask for.

Running the order in a fixed sequence — requirement, feasibility, proof, sample, production — keeps each decision cheap while it is still changeable.

Step 1 — requirement

What we need at this stage is small and specific: the product or category, what has to change, the quantity you have in mind, and the date it has to be in your hands. Send artwork or a reference image if there is one; a rough sketch is enough to start.

What we do not need yet is a final decision on every detail. Several options disappear on their own once feasibility and cost are on the table.

Step 2 — feasibility and what it costs

Not every change is possible on every product, and some are possible but not sensible at your volume. This step answers three questions in writing: what can be done, what it adds to the unit price, and what order quantity makes it worthwhile.

Where a change needs a new mold, the tooling is quoted separately and explicitly, so it does not reappear embedded in the unit price on a later order.

Step 3 — proof

Before physical production, the change is shown to you in a form you can approve: an artwork proof for printed packaging, a mock-up for a logo placement, a drawing for a structural change.

This is the cheapest place to catch a mistake. Moving a mark five millimetres on a proof takes minutes; moving it once the locks are made means making them again.

Step 4 — the physical sample

A proof shows what the product looks like. A sample shows what it does. For anything that has to fit — a cylinder into a bore, a latch onto a door, a mark onto a curved surface — the physical sample is the only step that catches the difference.

No production starts before the sample is approved. It is the single most useful control in the process, and it is why we would rather send one than have you guess.

Step 5 — production

With the sample approved, production runs against the approved version — not against a verbal description. Before the goods leave, we send photographs and video of the finished batch, along with the inspection record, so the shipment is confirmed rather than assumed.

Where custom orders usually go wrong

• Artwork sent at low resolution, producing a mark that looked correct on screen and soft on the product.
• The logo on the key forgotten. It is often the part the end user actually sees.
• Colour named, not referenced. 'Blue' and 'the blue on this sample' are different specifications.
• Packaging decided last, after the production slot is already booked.
• No approved sample retained, so a later batch has nothing to be measured against.

What we need from you to start

The product or category, the change you want, the quantity, the deadline, and any artwork or reference image. From there we will tell you what is feasible, what it costs, and what the sample will look like — before you commit to a volume.