| A: It depends on the type of announcement
you are ordering: 1. Classic and Deluxe, and Budget Announcements:
These are shipped on the third business day after
the printer gets the order from us, and it normally
takes a day for us to enter the order into our system
and look it over. For example, if you place an order
on a Monday afternoon, we would have it to the printer
on Tuesday, and it would most likely be shipped on Thursday,
though occasionally it may go out a day earlier or a
day later depending on the time of year. With
regular shipping methods (UPS ground directly from the
printer in Minnesota), you can use the map below to
determine shipping time. If you have a post office box
address and are ordering announcements, please give
us a physical address, since they are shipped UPS
2. Custom Department Announcements:
These are shipped on either the 3rd or 5th working day
after the printer gets the order from us (see the information
on the individual announcement for the exact number
of days) Remember that it also takes a day for us to
enter the order into our system and look it over. For
example, if you place an order on Monday afternoon and
we have no need to contact you about the order, it will
go to the printer on Tuesday and, if it is a 3-day production
time, would be shipped on Thursday via UPS ground. Use
the map below to calculate the shipping time.
3. Custom Department "Semi-Personalized
Announcements:"
The announcement itself is already printed and in our
office waiting for your order, but the name cards take
about 3 days for us to produce. They ship with other
"stock" items from our office, such as apparel
and diplomas.
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Q. When should I order announcements?
A.
We recommend ordering about 4 weeks before you plan to send them.
This way you have plenty of time to address them. It also allows
time for any unexpected errors on our part to be corrected. See
our etiquette page for more information
about mailing and addressing announcements or invitations.
Q. I
have waited too long. Can I get the announcements printed faster?
A. Yes, we do offer
a RUSH on announcement production, but only on those found in the
Classic, Budget, and Deluxe sections. The RUSH on announcement orders
is not offered on those in the Custom Department. A RUSH speeds up
the production time on the order by one day, and it costs $15.00.
This option is offered on the order form for announcements for which
it is offered.
Q.
How can I expedite the shipping on my announcement order?
A.
If you would like to upgrade the shipping from ground
to overnight, two-day, or three-day shipping, you can
select the shipping option when you check out. Note
that this does not speed up the production
time on your order; it simply means that the shipping
will take less time once it leaves the printer. When
calculating when your order will arrive, remember that
only business days are counted
for shipping, and the day the order goes
out does not count.
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Q.
What does the word"vellum" mean where it is mentioned in descriptions
of the announcements?
A.
The word "vellum" is confusing because it means different things
to different people. Those involved with scrapbooking or paper crafts
are familiar with the term "vellum" as it refers to a translucent
paper, often used as an overlay. This is not the meaning of the word
in the world of printers and stationery papers. The word "vellum"
as we use it refers to the finish on the paper. It means that the
paper has a smooth finish, as opposed to a "recycled" paper, which
is textured, or a "parchment" paper, which has a mottled appearance.
"Vellum," whether it is ivory, ecru, white, or any other color, is
simply a "smooth" paper -- it is NOT transparent or translucent.
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Q.
When should I send announcements of my son's graduation?
A. If the announcement is being sent as an invitation
to the ceremony and/or a graduation party, they should be sent
out at least 14 days before the event. Three weeks ahead of the
ceremony is ideal. If it is just being used to announce the accomplishment
of graduation, it is still proper to send it up to two or three
weeks after the ceremony. See our etiquette page for more information
about sending and addressing your social items.
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Q.
We have twins graduating. What is the normal way to handle this as
far as sending invitations?
A. The easiest
way to do it is to send one announcement that comes from the parents
and includes both names in the text. Each can be on a separate line.
If you wish to use a name card because the text does not contain
the student's names, both names can be printed on the name card,
one above the other. There is no extra charge for this; simply put
both names in the space on the order form. It is also possible to
buy a name card for each student and enclose them both in the same
card. We can give you suggestions for doing this if you give us a
call. It is not uncommon for families with twins to send an separate
announcement for each student. If this is done, they should also
be mailed separately.
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Q.
Our daughter will be graduating with a group, but there is limited
space at the ceremony. How do we let people know that not everyone
is invited to attend?
A. You may send an announcement of the graduation
that does not actually "invite" the recipient to attend.
Use corner copy to say "Admission by ticket only," and
enclose the tickets in the announcements of those few whom you
are inviting to attend the ceremony.For those that you do not
give tickets to, you might enclose an open house
card or party invitation to let them know
how they
can honor
the graduate
if they are not invited to the ceremony.
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Q.
Can I get a proof of the announcement sent to me?
A.
Yes, if you are ordering from the Classic, Deluxe, or
Budget sections of our site. (Proofs are not available
from the Custom section.) We can fax or e-mail you a
proof before printing the order. The charge is $7.95.
Once a proof is sent, you must contact us with any changes
or with confirmation before the order will be printed. For
this reason, the process of approving a proof usually
adds a day or two to the total production time.
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Q. My daughter's
name is French and includes a cedilla under the "c." Can
you do this correctly on the announcement?
A. Yes. We have 9 special characters,
including the cedilla, hacek, breve, tilde, and others. There
is no extra charge for special characters. Please use the text box
at the bottom of the page where you type your announcement text.
It asks for any "additional information" that we might
need to know. This is where you should mention any special characters.
If we have a question about it or don't understand it, we will call
you!
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Q. We are part
of a Spanish-speaking community, and would like the announcements to
be in Spanish. Can you do this?
A. Yes, but there
is a $10 charge for non-English wording, and we will need an e-mailed
or mailed copy
of the text, since we do not read or speak Spanish. Sorry, but we
do not provide customer service to non-English speaking customers.
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Q.
If the order is incorrect, who pays for the re-printing?
A. It depends on who has made the error. When you
provide your announcement text you are given a confirmation screen
so that you may proofread the information. You are asked to print
this information. If the order is not printed according
to the information you submitted, we will replace it for
you immediately at no cost to you. But if you miss
a problem and approve an order that has an error (an incorrect
date, for example), you will have to pay the wholesale price for
the replacement of the announcement itself. (Obviously, non-printed
items such as blank envelopes would not need to be replaced.)
In
other words, you are responsible for your own errors
and we are responsible for ours. We do everything possible
to be sure that your announcements come to you exactly
as you want them, and if we spot something that looks
like it could be an error, we will not submit it to
the printer until we ask you about it. Our experience
has been that any occasional errors made by the
printer are resolved quickly, and replacements shipped
out the next business day.
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Q.
Do the announcements come ready to mail?
A. Announcements in the
Classic, Budget and Deluxe sections are shipped flat
and are scored so that you will need to fold them along
the scoring lines and put them in the envelopes. They
stay fresher-looking if they are not folded before they
are shipped to you. Some of the announcements we sell
DO come pre-folded. See the information about each announcement
to find out if they are folded or not.
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Q. What if
I need more announcements after my initial order?
A. It is far more cost-effective to get
the larger quantity to begin with than it is to re-order. However,
if you find that you must have more, we can give you a 10% discount
on the second order. The printer does not save the set-up so
we have to begin over again as a new order, and it is priced as if
you were placing an entirely new order, minus the 10% discount. The
best way to do this is to call us! Because the expense of reprinting
is substantial, we suggest that you order more than you expect to
need the first time... or count your list very carefully!
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