FAQs / Warehousing & Fulfillment

We offer short- and long-term warehousing for printed materials, marketing collateral, signage, promotional items, and packaged kits. We serve as an extended member of your team, not simply storage space. Clients can monitor inventory levels, place outbound orders, and track shipments without warehousing the inventory themselves. Our warehousing program is designed for companies with recurring print and distribution needs. You receive the cost advantages of bulk production with the flexibility of on-demand fulfillment, and a partner who treats your inventory with the same care we give your production.

We warehouse a wide range of marketing and print materials: brochures, flyers, catalogs, postcards, business cards, letterhead and envelopes, presentation kits, signage panels, retractable banner stands and display components, promotional products, branded merchandise, tradeshow exhibits and materials, and custom-assembled kits. For oversized or unusual items, reach out and we'll confirm compatibility. We do not warehouse perishables, hazardous materials, or items requiring climate-controlled storage beyond standard indoor conditions.

Your inventory is stored in designated bin, shelf, or pallet locations in our secure facility and cataloged in our inventory management system with descriptions, quantities, reorder thresholds, and location tracking. Items are received into inventory when produced or delivered and debited as orders ship. We conduct regular cycle counts to maintain accuracy and facilitate real-time inventory reports via customized online storefronts. We'll also alert you when stock levels approach the minimums you define. Knowing exactly what you have on hand, without having to ask, is the standard we hold ourselves to.

No, there's no rigid minimums as we work to accommodate programs of all sizes. Larger programs with dedicated pallet or rack space are quoted based on occupied space and throughput. The right structure depends on your inventory profile. Contact your GISI Account Executive and we'll design a program that fits your volume and makes financial sense for your organization.

Our warehouse is a secured, monitored facility with controlled access limited to authorized staff, and we maintain appropriate insurance coverage for stored client materials. Inventory is tracked from receipt through shipment, providing a clear chain of custody for everything in your program. For clients with sensitive materials we're happy to discuss additional security protocols tailored to your needs.

Print fulfillment means your marketing materials are stored in our warehouse and shipped on demand as orders are received. Depending on your needs, order requests can originate with your sales team, retail locations, event staff, or end customers. Rather than maintaining a collateral closet and hand-packing boxes, your staff place orders through a customized online storefront. We pick, pack, and ship directly from our facility located in Portland. The right materials reach the right person, at the right time, without the operational burden falling on your team. It's one of the clearest examples of how we simplify complexity for our clients.

We configure the order submission process to fit your workflow via a branded online storefront where authorized users browse available inventory and submit requests. Print on demand SKUs are also available for ordering via the same online portal. Access to ordering can be role-based. For example, sales reps ordering within defined quantity limits, with administrator approval for larger or non-standard requests. We build the process around how your organization functions, not the other way around.

Standard fulfillment orders placed by noon typically ship the next business day. Rush same-day shipping is available for urgent requests depending on order complexity and carrier cutoffs. Kit assembly or multi-item packing may add one business day. We confirm expected ship dates when your order is received and proactively communicate any delays. Reliable, predictable turnaround is something our clients count on, and we take that seriously.

We ship via UPS, FedEx, and USPS, selecting carrier and service level based on destination, timeline, and cost preference. Available service levels range from overnight and 2-day express to ground and economy. For large or heavy shipments, we coordinate LTL freight. You can specify a preferred carrier and opt to utilize your company’s account or allow us select the most cost-effective option per order. All shipments include tracking provided to you or directly to the recipient.

Yes. Direct-to-recipient drop-shipping is one of the most valued capabilities in our fulfillment program. We can include a packing slip, insert card, or custom note with each shipment and blind-ship under your company name and return address if preferred. For programs with high outbound volume or complex recipient lists, we batch-process orders from a data file and ship all destinations in a single production run. Your recipients receive a seamless experience that reflects your brand, not ours.

Yes. We assemble kits combining multiple components into finished packages ready for distribution. Examples include: printed pieces, branded merchandise, promotional items, product samples, and inserts. Kitting is priced per assembly based on component count and complexity. Common kit types include new employee welcome packages, location opening packs, trade show materials bundles, product launch kits, and seasonal campaign packages. We store components individually and assemble on-demand, or pre-assemble and store finished kits when order patterns make that more efficient. Whatever approach best serves your program, that's what we'll recommend.

Your online storefront features real time inventory reporting on demand. Reports include item descriptions, quantities on hand, quantities fulfilled, and items approaching reorder thresholds. Your Account Executive is also a direct resource for inventory questions. Our commitment is simple: you should always know exactly what you have in stock without having to track it yourself.

Yes. For recurring print programs, we can establish reorder triggers. When a SKU drops below a defined minimum, we automatically send you a notification for approval before reprinting.

When content changes require a reprint, we work with you to transition cleanly. The standard approach includes approval the updated file, print the new version, and decide whether to deplete or dispose of existing stock. We'll help you assess remaining quantities and weigh the options. For high-velocity items, we recommend designing update cycles into your print schedule to minimize stranded inventory when changes occur. Planning ahead here saves real money.

When we produce a print job for your program, finished pieces are received directly into your inventory upon completion. There are no separate delivery or intake process required. If you're shipping inventory from an outside vendor, we can receive inbound shipments into your warehouse account with advance notice and a packing manifest allowing our team to accurately verify accuracy. The goal is a seamless flow from production to inventory to fulfillment, regardless of where the pieces originate.

Yes, with advance coordination. If you have branded merchandise, promotional items, or materials from other suppliers that belong in your fulfillment program, we can receive and warehouse those items alongside GISI-produced materials and fulfill them together. This makes us your single fulfillment hub for all marketing materials, regardless of origin, simplifying your logistics and your vendor relationships at the same time. Contact your GISI Account Executive to arrange third-party inbound receiving.

Yes, every client utilizing our fulfillment program receives a customized online storefront. The storefront provides a single source to browse available marketing assets, select quantities, request print-one-demand SKUs, submit orders that ship from our warehouse, and generate usage reports. Portals can be configured with role-based permissions, order approval workflows, and spending limits. It eliminates the administrative burden of managing collateral requests manually and ensures everyone is ordering from current, approved materials. If your team spends meaningful time managing print requests, our online storefront will be a game changer.

GISI’s web-to-print program is combined with your fulfillment dashboard within our online storefront system. Select items can be personalized, such as business cards and other print materials. On screen proofing allows your team to fast track approvals and move the project directly to production. It delivers the most value for organizations with multiple locations needing localized versions of shared templates; a need to maintain brand consistency while giving field teams limited customization; or high administrative overhead from managing print requests manually. We can walk you through our online storefront program options and give you an honest assessment of whether your volume and use case will benefit from the program.

Yes, multi-location and franchise fulfillment is a core strength of our warehousing and fulfillment program, and one of the applications we're most proud of. We produce and store brand-approved materials centrally and distribute to any number of locations on a defined schedule or on demand. Every location works from current, brand-compliant materials without managing its own print sourcing. We can also produce localized template versions with location-specific contact information as part of a web-to-print layer on top of the fulfillment infrastructure. If brand consistency across a distributed network is a challenge for your organization, this is exactly the kind of problem we solve.

Our pricing structure is straightforward, and typically has three components: a storage fee based on the space your inventory occupies (bin, shelf, or pallet), a pick-and-pack fee per order or per item fulfilled, and outbound shipping at cost. Setup fees may apply for programs requiring extended portal configuration, inventory cataloging, or kit assembly documentation. Contact us with your estimated inventory profile and monthly order volume and we'll build a customized quote.

To set up a new program, we typically need: an inventory list (item names, descriptions, initial quantities), your preferred order submission process, ship-to addresses or ranges, any special packing or presentation requirements, and a list of staff members authorized to request orders. Most programs are operational within 2–3 weeks of kickoff. Your dedicated Account Executive guides the onboarding process from start to finish.

Program structures are flexible. We prefer to structure agreements that reflect the actual scope and duration of your program, and there's no penalty for scaling up. If your volume grows, your program grows with it. The right arrangement is the one that works for your situation.

The clearest signs that a fulfillment program would benefit your organization: your team spends meaningful time managing, packing, or distributing marketing materials; materials are stored in multiple locations with inconsistent availability; sales or field staff frequently request collateral that's out of stock or outdated; you're paying premium prices for small print runs because you can't predict demand; or you're missing distribution deadlines because fulfillment is handled manually. If any of these feel familiar, contact us for a no-obligation consultation. We'll assess your current workflow honestly and give you a straightforward picture of the time and cost savings a managed program could deliver.