Questions about submitting your artwork?  Other Questions?  Click HERE for the FAQ page...

Due to the amount of variables involved in choosing the appropriate branding tool, we do not have online ordering.  You can call us at (888)583-5353 to place an order, and to get any questions answered that are not found below.  Our office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm EST, except major holidays.

If possible, artwork should be submitted via email in a VECTOR format. This includes Corel Draw (.cdr - X3 or lower), Adobe Illustrator (.eps - CS2 or lower), and some Adobe PDF (.pdf) Files, among others.  If it is not possible to provide artwork in a VECTOR format, any high quality  black & white (no color, no grays, no drop shadows) artwork at 350 dpi or higher (.jpg, .gif, .bmp, .psd, .png, etc) should work; these are RASTER formats.  Please send the image as big as possible, at its original size, and do not increase the DPI of the file.  If specific fonts are required, please let us know the EXACT name of the font, and/or email us the font (Windows True Type Fonts, Only).  If possible, do not insert the image file into a Word Processor Document, PowerPoint Document, Excel Document, etc; send the image on its own.  DO NOT FAX YOUR ARTWORK.  Before any branding iron is made, a proof will always be send to the customer for review and approval.   PLEASE CONVERT ALL FONTS TO OUTLINES or CURVES BEFORE SENDING IN YOUR ILLUSTRATOR, CORELDRAW, or PHOTOSHOP FILES.

A few other things to keep in mind when submitting your artwork:

• Saving a RASTER image file (.jpg, .gif, .bmp, .psd, .png, etc) as a PDF, or Illustrator file (.AI, .EPS), or inserting an image into a PDF or Illustrator file (.AI, .EPS), does not make it a proper VECTOR graphic.
• Please save Adobe Illustrator files with a .EPS extension.
• Photoshop files are NOT vector images.
• Do not resize or change the resolution of your original RASTER (.jpg, .gif, .bmp, .psd, .png, etc) file, as this does not increase the quality of the image.  Send it at its original size; we can always shrink it down.
• In general, artwork that is FAXED is not a high enough quality to properly duplicate.
• Artwork should be emailed to sales@brand-first.com.

A few more helpful hints on which type of designs work well...

• It is not recommended that you have large branded areas surrounding smaller unbranded areas.  These unbranded areas will have a tendency to burn in, and the  detail & definition will be lost.  Also, large branded areas may have a tendency to brand unevenly.

 

• Text smaller than 3/32" (0.094") will not brand very well, especially if the font has serifs, or is overly complex.  As a general rule, the smaller the text is, the simpler it should be.

There are TWO ways you can submit your signature; you can mail it in, or you can scan it and email it to us.  Signatures that are FAXED are not a high enough quality to properly duplicate.  If scanning the signature, scan it at 350dpi to 600dpi.  Once scanned, do NOT shrink the dimensions or enlarge the dimensions; this only decreases the quality.  We will shrink the signature down to the final size AFTER we have it converted.  Do not insert the image file into a Word Processor Document, PowerPoint Document, Excel Document, etc; send the image on its own.  Either way, here are a few things to remember:

• Sign a clean, WHITE piece of paper only.  Make sure the paper has no other marks or lines on it.
• When signing the paper, sign it as LARGE as possible; we will reduce it to its final size.  The bigger it is, the easier it is to get all the details of it reproduced.
• Make sure to sign the paper with a fine tip BLACK pen or marker.  Do not use pencil, colored markers or pens, crayons, etc.  Also make sure the lines are solid, and the pen is not running out of ink.  The way the paper is signed is the way it will be duplicated, flaws & all.
• If mailing in the signature, do NOT fold the paper through the signature

For Cattle Brands, you can either FAX, EMAIL or MAIL in a copy of your brand certificate, or a sketch of what you want the brand to be.  Cattle Brands do not have interchangeable heads, and designs cannot be changed after the brander is completed.

Up to a certain point, yes.  But once your branding die is in production, changes cannot be made.  The die can be remade, but you will incur a fee.

To figure out the Square Inches, you need to multiply the WIDTH of the image by the HEIGHT of the image.  For example, if your image is 2" wide, and 1½" high, you would have 3 Square Inches (2.0x1.5=3.0).  If it is 2½"x4", then you have 10 Square Inches.  The square inches for 125 Watt Tools is based on 7/8'' minimum height, for Flame Heated Tools is based on 3/4'' minimum height, even though your design may be smaller.
REMEMBER:  A 2"x2" image is not 2 Square inches, it is 4 Square Inches, a 3"x3" image is 9 Square Inches, a 4"x4" image is 16 Square Inches, etc...

The engraving depth on our Flame Heated, Electric Heated, and Propane Heated tools are about 0.055" deep.  The BBQ Branding Irons, are between 0.060" & 0.100" deep, and the NCAA Branders are cast 0.187" deep.  Extra deep engraving MAY be available on some tools for an additional fee.

YES!!  All the pricing on our website is all-inclusive.  We do not pull you in with a good price, only to add necessary items on later.  The replacement heads listed are so you can have a number of branding heads, with only one tool.

While the Temperature Regulator is not necessary, it is very helpful in getting a clean, consistent brand.  This is important when branding Softer Woods, Plastic, Leather, and Cork, and/or when there is a fair amount of detail in the image.  It is also helpful when getting a smaller head on a higher wattage branding tool.  For example; when getting a 4 Square Inch head on a 400 Watt tool (which can efficiently heat up a 12 Sq In head) or a 1 Square Inch head on a 125 Watt tool (which can efficiently heat up a 3 Sq In head), the Temperature Regulator is highly recommended.

Due to the great variations in screen size & screen resolution, your proof will NEVER appear actual size on your screen.  In order for the proof to be ACTUAL SIZE, it needs to be PRINTED.  Make sure when the print dialog box comes up, the PAGE SCALING is set to 100%, Full Scale, or No Scaling.

Due to the custom nature of Branding Tools, all orders MUST be paid in full when the order is placed.  We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express Credit Cards over the phone, or you can mail in a Check or Money Order.  Please do NOT email or fax you credit card information to us, we will get it over the phone.  All credit cards get run through our parent company, ARGON TOOL INC.  You can also pay via Electronic Funds Transfer ($30.00 fee).

We can usually have your order shipped out in about 7-10 business days.  Cattle Brands take a bit longer, about 10-20 business days.  Lead times are not guaranteed; if you need your items by a specific date, please let us know at the time of ordering.  We ship all Domestic orders via UPS, unless otherwise specified (refer to the chart below to determine approximate UPS transit times within the United States).  All order are shipped from Madison Heights, MI 48071 USA.  For international customers, we ship via the US Post Office, and the recipient is responsible for Foreign Duty, Import Fees, Taxes, etc, where applicable.  NOTE: BRAND-FIRST is not responsible for delays in shipping due to courier errors or weather conditions...

Yes, we ship our tools WORLDWIDE!  Unless otherwise specified, International orders are shipped via the US Post Office.  BRAND-FIRST has shipped tools to Canada, England, Greenland, Australia, Dubai, Malta, Ireland, Mexico, and more.  Please be sure to let us know if your electricity requirements differ from the USA standard 110/120 Volt.  When purchasing items out of the country, you may be subject to import duties, taxes and VAT, which are levied once the package reaches your country. Additional charges for customs clearance must be paid by you; we have no control over these charges and cannot predict what they may be. Customs policies vary widely from country to country; you should contact your local customs office for further information. Additionally, when ordering from BRAND-FIRST, you are considered the importer of record and must comply with all laws and regulations of the country in which you are receiving the goods. 

Any item that has been used, along with all custom made branding tools & branding heads are non-refundable.  NCAA BBQ Branding Tools, as well as the RMW BBQ Brander Set can be returned within 30 days, less shipping costs, and a 15% restock fee, as long as they have not been used.

Instruction Manuals can be downloaded below:
  Pneumatic Branding Machine Instructions PDF - 1.90mb
  Manual Branding Machine Instructions PDF - 1.83mb
  Custom Hand Held Branding Tool Instructions - 362kb
  Custom Drill Press Mounted Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 488kb
  Standard Drill Press Mounted Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 1.29mb
  Standard Hand Held Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 2.30mb
  Electric BBQ Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 730kb
  Flame Heated Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 261kb
  Flame Heated BBQ Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 1.68mb
  Propane Powered Branding Tool Instructions PDF - 795kb

BRAND-FIRST warrants its line of branding and hot stamping equipment to be free of defects in material, and workmanship. Our liability under this warranty is limited to 90 days from the date of purchase. Claims not made in writing within such period are waived.

Warranty does not extend to parts damaged after date of shipment from BRAND-FIRST’s plant where the damage is not directly due to a defect in material or workmanship, nor does it apply to goods altered or repaired by anyone other than BRAND-FIRST’s authorized employees, nor to goods furnished by buyer or acquired at buyer’s request and/or to buyers specifications.

BRAND-FIRST’s liability shall be limited to repair or replacement F.O.B. seller’s point of shipment. In no event shall BRAND-FIRST be liable for labor or consequential damages. There is no implied warranty by BRAND-FIRST for fitness of purpose.

For a warranty claim to be considered, buyer must contact BRAND-FIRST for return of product for inspection. All returns must have BRAND-FIRST’s approval prior to return.