Any product in the world can be made into a virtual sample. You can find thousands of products in our Technologo Collection (or TLC) which is absolutely free to use. If you can't find an appropriate product in the TLC, all you need is a Technologo Lite account, and an image of the product and you will be able to create a virtual sample of that product in just a few minutes.
You can upload artwork either through your portfolio (please see the corresponding FAQ question for details) or through the virtual sample Laboratory (or VSL). In the VSL, click the "add art" button on the "Customization" tab. You'll see a box with your uploaded artwork in it (or our default logos if you haven't uploaded any yet). At the bottom of that box is a narrow bar that says "add your art to this list". Click that and follow the on-screen prompts to upload your logo to our servers.
To add artwork to the virtual sample, click "add art" if that window isn't already open, and double-click the artwork you want to add.
For text, you would click "add text" instead, and type in the desired text into the text box. Then click "add text".
Artwork must be under 3 MB in size. Most file types are supported: JPG - Almost all JPEGs can be used; CMYK jpegs, however, will display improperly. GIF - All GIFs can be used, however animated gifs will only display their first frame when placed on a product. PNG - PNGs can be used, though transparent areas will be replaced with a white background; you can restore the transparency by using the colour changing tools in the Perspective Engine. BMP - BMPs from any platform can be used. TIFF - TIFFs can be used as long as they are in RGB format; CMYK TIFFs will display improperly. AI - Adobe Illustrator: version 10 files must be saved as PDF compatible. Make sure any linked/placed files are included in the file. Fonts should be included, or text should be converted to outlines. EPS -- Make sure any linked/placed files are included in the file. Fonts should be included, or text should be converted to outlines.
If there is no white in the logo that you want to keep, simply click the "Clear White" button (this assumes you are in the virtual sample Laboratory). If there is white that you want to keep, you need to use the advanced tools. Click "advanced" or "colour" to go to the colour picker. Click on the white background you wish to remove (it will turn red to indicate that it is selected). Adjust the selection if desired using the Contiguous checkbox and/or the Selection Strength slider. Then click "Make Transparent". Click "OK" to accept the changes.
In the VSL, click on the "Decoration" tab. Select "Add Text" and the panel for text manipulation will open. Enter your desired text in the text box. You will also be able to choose the size, the font, the color etc.
Just outside of the window displaying the image, there are three buttons: a circle, and two arrows on either side of it. If you click on the circle, the rotation will stop (click it again to start the rotation again). Once the product is stopped, you can use the arrows to rotate it frame by frame, or click and drag on the image in the appropriate direction. You can stop at any given frame and save it as snapshot.
From within the VSL, decorate the virtual sample as desired and then move the mouse over the image of the sample. In the upper right of the product image, you'll see a button for "printable page" (this only appears when your mouse is over the product image window!). Click "printable page" and when the page loads, simply right-click on the image and select "save image as".
From your portfolio, click on the name of the snapshot you just created, right-click (command click on the Mac) on the image, and select the appropriate option (e.g. "Save image as…")
Saving a virtual sample as a jpg (or snapshot) allows you to download it to your computer, but you can't go back and edit it. Saving it as an editable link means that you can go back and edit it, but that your client will have to click the link in order to see the sample.
Once you've created the virtual sample, you can send it directly from the virtual sample Laboratory (or VSL), or from your portfolio if you have one. To send it from the VSL, simply click on the save/send tab or button. Fill in the blanks, and click send. To send it from your portfolio, please see the appropriate question in the portfolio FAQs page.
There are several ways to do this: From the VSL, separate the e-mail addresses by semi-colons.
Alternately, you can e-mail it to yourself and then use your e-mail program contact list to send it to as many people as needed.
Or from your portfolio you can create your own mailing lists and send an idea to multiple contacts. You can also use semi-colons to separate the e-mail addresses here. Also from your portfolio you can send multiple virtual samples in the same e-mail. Simply place a checkmark in the box beside the name of each of the virtual samples you wish you send. Next click the e-mail checked button and follow the on screen prompts.
They will see the image of the product with the art. The customization options are not visible to the recipient, unless the recipient is logged into a portfolio at that moment.
If you have saved the sample, you can edit it by clicking on the name of the sample from your portfolio. However, your change will not overwrite the previously sent sample, therefore you will have to save the sample again, and re-send it.
If you are a supplier, we can set up your products to show the fonts that you want to have available. If you are a distributor or end user, you would need to create an image of the text you want in the font you want and upload that to our server.
We have attempted to make the website easy to use and most people who are comfortable with the internet have no trouble. That being said, anyone can be stuck on one step. Check out our FAQ pages, and our tutorials if you require further assistance. If you are still having difficulty, we have a dedicated team of Customer Service and Technical Support to help you with any issue that you have regarding the use of our tools. We recommend using our e-mail support (support@technologo.com) and please be specific about who you are, the tool you are using and the issue that you are having.
Not right now. We've tried to make the website user friendly and we have demos and tutorials in every application. You will also be able to access all our demos under the FAQ section "Demos / Tutorials".
Creating virtual samples is free. Your portfolio and everything in it are free (e.g. newsletter, flyer builder, folders, uploading artwork, contacts, etc). Using the Technologo Collection is free. As a user of the website, the only thing you need to pay for is if you need to upload products that you can then customize.
Technologo Lite is the do-it-yourself solution to create and send virtual samples from any digital image of a product, from any source.
Technologo EOD is the do-it-yourself solution to instantly enable your web site with virtual sample capabilities so you, your clients and prospects can make virtual samples with your products, on your site, 24/7.
Technologo Custom is the customized solution to enable your web site with virtual sample capabilities. With our programmers, developers and engineers, we can create a solution that will satisfy all of your virtual sampling needs: we can simulate ALL imprint and decoration methods, on ALL shapes and surfaces with proper distortion, on multiple locations in 2D and 3D.
Yes, Technologo Lite is available for people who only plan to upload a few products (although there is no limit on the number you CAN upload). If you need to do a whole catalog, or a series of products, Technologo EOD might be a better service for you. Please contact our sales team for help deciding which service best suits your needs.
We provide virtual sample technology to the promotional products industry. We do not sell products.
If you are a distributor, you would need to contact the supplier. Their information would be found in your industry tools.
If you want to buy the products for yourself or your company, you'll need to find a distributor in your area. Check your local Yellow Pages under Promotional Products to find one.
In short, they are two completely different services. You may have a portfolio but not be a Technologo Lite user, or you may want to enable your site with virtual samples using Technologo Lite but may have no need for a portolio.
We have clients and affiliates all over the world. It would be impossible to mention them all here. Our software is embeded into ASI's ESPOnline software so if you can find the product there, you can make a virtual sample of it. Or you can also visit the TLC to see more clients (look under "brand" in the search tools). We also have clients in Mexico, Australia, and Europe.
