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Why should you choose Costume Inventory Resources for your Inventory Solution?

Here is a list of important things to know about Costume Inventory Resources and the Inventory Databases. Perhaps you can use some of these in your discussion with your boss.  If you have any questions, please call or email us.  Here is a link to a PDF of this information.

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Costume Inventory Resources:

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  • Costume Inventory Resources was started in 2010 by Margaret Messick to inventory costumes for theatre and ballet.  Margaret has 30 years experience as a database designer and developer and has been creating costumes and garments since her teens.  She has worked with hundreds of theatre / entertainment / performing arts groups in the last 10 years.

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  • Costume Inventory Resources serves over 1,200 Customers in the USA and 26 other countries.  Most customers order more than once with an average of 1.8 orders per customer.  Some customers order an inventory database and tag/labels or just tags/labels or just the software or other inventory supply we carry.

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  • We offer 17 software modules to help all performing arts groups manage their collections.  These modules include: Costume Pieces, Props/Sets, Wigs, Patterns, Lighting, Sound Equipment, and more.

    •  They are grouped into larger applications –

      • Theatre Inventory Database (Costume Pieces, Performance Mgmt, Props/Sets, Scripts - plus Add-ons of Patterns, Jewelry, Wigs, Tools)

      • Equipment (Lighting, Sound, Tools, Stage Properties, Consoles)

      • Music Dept Inventory Database (Uniforms, Instruments, Equipment, Sheet Music) 

      • Work/School Uniforms (Uniforms, Equipment)

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  • We have over 850 installations all over the world.

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  • We print customized inventory tags (for garments) and labels (self-adhesive) to help customers identify individual items.  Last year we printed over 280,000 tags and labels.  Since we began in 2010 we have printed over 2 million.  Most of our theatre, music and equipment customers order again and again.  We select our materials for the tags and labels to be high quality, durable, designed to fit into the appropriate garment or item.  See more information below and at  https://www.costumeinventory.com/tags-labels

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  • We also sell Barcode Scanners, the Petite Press (a Mini Ironn to apply the Iron-on Tags), Rack Dividers, Tyvek Tags, Adhesive Pockets for Storage boxes and more.

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  • ​Phone support (M-F – 9 am – 4pm Pacific Time).  We are hear to answer questions about the software, tags, installation or how to set up equipment.

  • On-line – Screen Sharing – we are happy to log on to customers’ computers with TeamViewer to help customers with their installations, fix issues, help to re-link tables and photos, and more.  This is a free service we offer to all our customers.

  • Email – we are happy to answer Email questions/requests.  

  • Zoom Meetings - we are happy to connect to you through Zoom - anywhere in the world

  • Website Support Page:  https://www.costumeinventory.com/support

  • Resource Guides – Installation, Photos, How to apply Tags and Labels, How to set up a Costume Inventory Data (to enter as many costume records as possible in a day), etc.

  • Tutorials – How to apply Iron-on tags, Use a Barcode Scanner, etc.

  • FAQ

  • On-line User Guides for the Inventory Databases.

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  • Orders can be placed through the store (www.costumeinventorystore.com), over the phone, or by email.  We accept credit cards, checks, PayPal, Purchase Orders, and international bank transfers.

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  • We manage over 300 orders per year.

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  • We attend 3 or more conferences and trade shows a year to meet with over 1,000 current or potential customers to demonstrate the databases and tags/labels.

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  • The company name is Costume Inventory Resources but we are also known as Costume & Theatre Inventory Resources and Uniform Inventory Resources.  Since we serve so many different groups we decided to go back to the original name of Costume Inventory Resources to keep the name shorter.

 

All Databases:

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  • The Inventory Databases are MS Access database applications that run on Windows.  (It can be installed on a Mac/Apple computer if that computer has a partition set up with MS Windows installed).

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  • The database can be installed on a single PC or a network to be shared by multiple computers/workstations.

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  • All software is available for a free 30-day trial.  Visit the website and download the database you want.

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  • The cost of the databases depend on the version and the number of modules purchased.  The cost is a one-time fee.  The database is licensed to the organization (per location) so there are no extra fees for extra users.

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  • For the Theatre and Music Dept Inventory Databases there in an International English version.  The International English version has all reports formatted for the A4 paper size (as well as the USA Letter size).  The Phone numbers and postal codes are not formatted to allow for all types of numbers/letters to be entered.  Some field name spellings are set for the UK (Colour vs Color, etc).  The date and currency formats are pulled directly from the computer so they will be correct for your country/format.  The Equipment Inventory Database will be getting an Int’l English version soon.

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  • We update the database applications several times a year to add new features and fields.  Most of the new additions in the last 5 years have come about from customer requests and suggestions.  We offer free updates to all customers in the first year.  After that there is a $75 charge to update the data tables to accommodate the new fields.  Most customers update their databases every 2 or 3 years.

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  • We do offer customization of databases on a per hour basis.

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  • All module records (i.e. Costume Pieces, Props/Sets, Equipment) include drop-down boxes or lookup tables for many fields (i.e. Color, Costume Type, Time Period, etc).  The values in each drop-down box are based on a table.  Each table can be updated through the Utilities menu for that module.  You can add new values, edit the spelling or delete values.

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  • The Titles of the Productions, Rentals and People (Performers, Students, Staff, etc.) can be changed to anything you wish from the Company / Application Setup screen.

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  • Security can be set up to limit users in what they can do in the database.  There are 4 levels:

    • Administrators (Can access all forms and add/edit/delete all records)

    • Data Entry (Can Add/Edit/Delete Costume Piece, Props/Sets etc. records but cannot edit the Utility forms/tables.

    • Read-Only – Can view add records but not add/edit any data.  They can do searches and print reports.

    • Data Entry Clerk – Can add new Checkout/Rental/Hire records but not edit any Costume Piece/Props records

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  • There is no real limit to the records.  Many customers have over 25,000 items in the database and the file size is about 40 MB.  The limit to an Access Database is 2 GB.

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Theatre Inventory Database:  https://www.costumeinventory.com/theatre

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  • There are 4 versions  - Standard:  Includes the Costume Pieces and  Props/sets  modules.  In the Elite version the Performance Management (Ensembles) and Scripts are added.  There is also the Costumes Only (Costume Pieces and Performance Mgmt) and Props Only.

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  • For each version there are Features as well:  Productions, Checkout/Rental/Hire, Reports and Utilities.

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  • There are Add-on modules – Wigs, Patterns, Jewelry, Scene Shop Tools.

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  • Each record (i.e. Costume Piece or Prop/Set) has many descriptive fields and up to 6 photos.

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  • Costume Piece and Props/Sets records can be assigned to one or more productions, checked-out/checked-in, and have the repairs/alterations noted.

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  • For each Costume Piece or Props/Sets record you can Add new records, Copy (1 or more copies), do 3 types of searches (By TagID, By name or an advanced search by most fields in the record (By Name, Description, Size, Costume Type, Color, Time Period, etc.), Delete record, Discard record (to exclude from searches and rentals but keep record information for reference)

 

Equipment Inventory Database:  https://www.costumeinventory.com/equipment

 

  • Each module in the Equipment Inventory Database can be purchased separately or as a complete database.

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  • There are 5 modules: 

    • Lighting Equipment – includes Fixtures, Accessories, Gobos, and Gels

    • Sound / Multi-Media Equipment 

    • Tools/ Rigging Equipment

    • Stage Properties

    • Consoles – for Lighting, Sound and Rigging Consoles and computers

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  • Features include 

    • Add/Edit/Copy/Delete records

    • Search

    • Rentals (except Stage Properties and Consoles)

    • Assigning equipment to productions

    • Reports

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  • Equipment records include:

    • Many descriptive fields

    • One or two photos 

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Tags / Labels:   https://www.costumeinventory.com/tags-labels

 

  • We offer many types of tags and labels – designed for theatre or performing arts organizations.  We print over 250,000 tags/labels each year.

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  • All tags and labels designs are customized for the customer.  No orders are printed until the design is approved.

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  • Tags and Labels can include the company/theatre name, logo, extra lines for Size, Production, etc, sequential number (or custom number from a spreadsheet) and a barcode.

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  • We offer free samples of all our tags and labels.  Just contact us with the information you want printed and a mailing address.

  • Garment tags:

    • Iron-on tags –  Designed to be applied with a very hot (350 degrees F / 177 degrees C) iron or heat press.  Not good for all fabrics due to the high heat requirement.

      • 1.5” (3.8 cm) wide by any length.  Our 1.5” material is a continuous roll and can be printed to be .75” long to 1.5”.  (Tags longer than 1.5” can be hard to apply).

      • 1” x 0.25”  (2.54 cm x 0.64 cm)   These are fixed size, tiny tags.  There is room for a few letters/words, the barcode and number.  These are very inconspicuous and can be applied inside garments where there is not room to hide a bigger tag.

    • Sew-in Tags – Can be sewn in by machine or hand.  Both sizes can be any length from 0.75” to 3.5” long.

      • 1.5” (3.8 cm) by any length  

      • 2” (5.1 cm) by any length.  

    • Can be washed and dry cleaned many, many times without coming off the garment or losing the image/barcode.​

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  • Self-Adhesive Labels.  We offer 5 types of labels in many sizes.​

    • Cable Labels – Small (1.6” x 1”) and Large (4” long x 1” wide).  These labels have a small square where the company/theatre name and barcode/number are printed on a white background.  The rest of the label is a clear overlay to wrap around the cable and cover the printed area.

    • Extra Durable – One-Size – 1.8” x 1” tags with clear laminate overlay.  The clear overlay protects the label from all kinds of abrasion, moisture and dust.  They are not waterproof – just water resistant.

    • Industrial – Large (2” x 0.75”), Small (1.25” x 0.5”) and Tiny (7/8” x 3/8”) .  These are very durable and the adhesive is ‘extra sticky’.  They will stick to metal, plastic, wood and more.  They are very durable and resistant to abrasion.

    • Standard adhesive – Small (1.5” x 0.5”) and Large (1.9” x 0.75”)  -  Good for accessories like hats, purses, small props, set pieces like paintings, clocks, etc.  The adhesive is permanent and durable.  The large Standard Label is also used on Tyvek Tags to attach (with a string or twist tie) to items where an label cannot be permanently attached (i.e. a Teapot).

  • Heat-Tolerant – 1.5” x 0.5”  These labels are designed to withstand heat up to 425 degrees F (218 d C).  Used on equipment that gets hot.

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We have everything you need to get your collection of Costumes, Props/Sets, Equipment and Uniforms inventoried and organized.  We hope we can help you like we have helped so many other organizations.

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