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M-F 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Pacific

FAQs

Here you'll find answers to common questions our clients ask. Start by selecting one of the links below. If you don’t see what you need – call or contact us online.

  1. At what resolution should I save my photos and graphics?

    Resolution should be set to 300 dpi.

    Pictures and graphics pulled from the internet are often low resolution, typically 72 dpi or 96 dpi. Avoid these graphics, as they will appear pixilated and blocky when printed.

    Also note that you should save all photos in CMYK mode, not RGB mode when possible. Images saved in RGB mode may not print properly. If you are unable to save your image in CYMK mode, please let us know.

  2. How do I go about getting an estimate from you?

    Glad you asked! You can use our online estimate request form; send an e-mail; FAX; or call us. We may ask a few questions to be sure we understand exactly what you want done, and we'll also ask how you would like to receive your estimate (e-mail, FAX, return phone call).

    We also may ask you a few questions about timing -- when you need the quotation and whether the project is "live" or still in planning stages. This helps us schedule our followup with you.

  3. How long does it take for you to complete my order?

    The short answer is: it depends on the complexity of your job. In general, we allow one day for each step in the production process. However, you do not have to figure this out. Our customer service representatives will offer a delivery date that conforms to our standards. In most cases, our customers are surprised at how quickly jobs can be produced. Once we have committed to a delivery date, you can be assured your job will be ready as promised.

    If your job is complex, our customer service representatives will offer you a timeline that includes all the steps in the production process -- even yours. We have found this is an excellent way to stay on schedule.

  4. If I order products not produced at your facility, won't I be paying more than if I purchased directly from the manufacturer?

    Not necessarily. We began developing partnerships with printing industry trade vendors in 1970. (Trade vendors are like wholesalers -- they supply services only to printers.) We turn to our partners when our equipment is not optimal for the printing project or when using a trade vendor will better meet the job requirements.

    We also are a dealer for products such as thermographed business cards, labels, rubber stamps, signs and posters.

    We pledge to be honest with you -- if we think you should be dealing directly with a printer whose equipment is better suited to your job, we will provide a recommendation and introduction.

  5. Is white considered a printing color?

    Not typically. Because white is the default color of paper, it is simply recognized as the absence of any ink. However, when using colored paper, white ink may be used if any text or graphic requires it.

  6. Tips on how to save your design files

    Make them print ready and acceptable for us to print.

    COREL DRAW:
    Saving your Corel Draw file as an Adobe Illustrator EPS
    • Embed all Images
    • Convert all your text/copy to outline fonts
    • Export as Illustrator EPS

    FREEHAND:
    • Embed all Images
    • Convert all your text/copy to paths
    • Export as Illustrator EPS or PDF

    PAGEMAKER:
    Saving your PageMaker file as an EPS
    • Embed all Images
    • Convert all your text/copy to outline fonts
    • Export your file as an EPS using the below settings:
    Postscript Level 2
    CMYK Mode
    TIFF format and
    Binary

    PUBLISHER:
    You will need to have the full version of Adobe Acrobat PDF. If you don’t please download and use our Adobe Job Ready Program. If you do have the full version of Adobe Acrobat PDF please follow the steps below.
    Under File, Print, select Adobe PDF writer
    Under Properties select Press Quality and Save your PDF

  7. What credit cards do you accept for payment?

    We accept MasterCard, VISA and American Express.

  8. What electronic file formats do you accept?

    For documents, our standard file formats are PDF (portable document format), Quark XPress, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publisher and Corel Draw. For single color printing or for digital output, we also accept Word files.

    We support both Windows® and Macintosh® operating systems. We are an Adobe® Service Provider, a Quark™ Authorized Commercial Printer, a Corel® Platinum Service Provider, and a Microsoft® Publisher® Service Provider.

    If you wish to submit your document in a format different from our standards, we can provide you with a special print driver called SeePRINT™ to transform your file into a printable PDF. Ask our customer service representatives for more information.

    For mail lists, our standard file formats are dBase, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and ASCII. We also accept mail lists in other formats (such as Filemaker Pro or Word) which we will convert to a standard file format.

  9. What file format should I use when submitting my electronic document for printing?

    PDF (Portable Document Format) is the most common and preferred file format for submitting digital documents. With the installation of a PDF print driver on your computer, virtually any program can generate a PDF file suitable for printing. Both commercial and free PDF print drivers are available online for download from different sources.

  10. What is a "proof"?

    A proof is a way of ensuring that we have followed your instructions for design, layout, typesetting and color. Depending on the complexity of your project, several rounds of proofing may be required. We do not proceed to print until you are completely satisfied with your proof and have authorized us to proceed.

    We have several ways to provide proofs: soft proofs are PDF (portable document format) files sent to you as an attachment to e-mail or viewed via a link to our web site. Hard proofs may be FAXed to you or you may come to our shop to view them. We recommend soft proofs as you will be able to check color and can easily share the proof with others in your organization who may need to see it.

  11. What is the Pantone Matching System?

    The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a color reproduction standard in which colors all across the spectrum are each identified by a unique, independent number. The use of PMS allows us to precisely match colors and maintain color consistency throughout the printing process.

  12. What kinds of services does your printing company provide?

    We offer a full range of printing and copying services, as well as complete mailing services.

    We also offer dependability -- on time, as ordered and at the agreed-upon price.

    PRINTING SERVICES - From one-color to full-color printing, we can meet your needs for offset printing.

    Examples of printed materials we produce to our current customers include business stationery items (business cards, letterheads, envelopes); forms (carbonless and single piece); envelopes (remittance, catalog and booklet styles); educational materials (newsletters, flyers, instruction sheets, product sheets); sales collateral (brochures, sell sheets, catalogs); direct mail marketing pieces (seminar invitations, self-mailers, post cards, traditional multi-piece direct mail marketing packages); social printing (invitations, membership booklets).

    COPY SERVICES - We offer high speed digital copier services in both black and white and color. Our Canon equipment prints 105 copies per minute in black and white and 39 copies per minute in color. If you have an electronic file, our equipment can print directly from your file.

    Many printed items can also be produced on our digital copiers. We will advise you when this might be an option.

    FINISHING SERVICES: Some printed or copied items require finishing work such as cutting or trimming, folding, padding, collating, stapling, or fabrication into booklets prior to delivery. We have a complete bindery department to provide these services onsite. In addition, we have equipment to score covers, number and perforate carbonless forms, affix wafer seals to mail pieces.

    MAILING SERVICES: We have been providing mailing services to our customers since 1988. We can provide and manage mailing lists; maintain data quality and hygiene by checking for duplicates and identifying problem addresses; merge multiple lists into one; add ZIP+4 and CASS-certify mailing lists. These services are provided by our on-staff database manager.

    We also provide services to qualify our customers' mailing for postage discounts. We presort mail, inkjet address, affix tabs and prepare the mail to qualify for postage discounts. We also lend our bulk mailing indicia to customers that do not have their own.

    PREPRESS SERVICES - We provide two kinds of prepress services -- design, typesetting and layout for customers who don't have the time or tools necessary for these tasks; and preflight of files prepared by our customers.

    Preflight checks files to be sure they will print correctly. When needed, we provide feedback to customers on file preparation for press. We also offer file troubleshooting services.

    PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES: You may not think of project management as a service offered by a printing company -- and that's precisely why we mention it. Our customer service representatives are trained to plan every aspect required to produce the job, from setting interim due dates for each production step to ordering paper to reminding you when copy, proof approval or postage deposits are due.

  13. Why do the printed colors look different from the colors on my screen?

    In short, printers and monitors produce colors in different ways.

    Monitors use the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, which usually supports a wider spectrum of colors. Printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model, which can reproduce most—but not all—of the colors in the RGB color model. Depending on the equipment used, CMYK generally matches 85–90% of the colors in the RGB model.

    When a color is selected from the RGB model that is out of the range of the CMYK model, the application chooses what it thinks is the closest color that will match. Programs like Adobe Photoshop will allow you to choose which color will be replaced. Others may not.