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Q. I don't understand one of your printing terms, how do I find out what it means?
A. You can find the meaning to many of our terms here.
Q. Are rush orders available?
A. Often we are able to accommodate rush orders but these are evaluated on a case-
A. Each product has a minimum quantity required for custom printing. For some items we may be able to print less than the standard advertised minimum and there may be additional charges to do so, please contact Customer Service for details.
Q. Can I see a proof of my product printed with my artwork before production begins?
A. To see an actual sample of your artwork imprinted on the product is only available with certain products. The price ranges from $50 to several hundred dollars, and will increase the production time of your order. If you have concerns about your imprint or the product, these are highly recommended. Our standard procedure is to email you a PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format) for your approval before we begin production.
Q. Can I provide the artwork in a digital format?
A. Yes. The best formats for us to receive are AI (Adobe Illustrator) files in vector format or PSD 300DPI or better. All fonts must be converted to curves, paths or outlines. High resolution TIFs may also be acceptable, but we don't recommend sending us any text as a TIF. Pixelated files such as TIF, BMP, JPG, GIF and PNG are usually not appropriate for print jobs that require printing in spot colors because they can't separate properly for printing.
Click here for more information concerning the differences between vector graphics and raster images (bitmaps).
Q. What if I can only provide a JPG or GIF?
A. You can email us the file and we can check it out for you. If it's not usable, we can often give an estimate on what it would take to recreate the artwork in a suitable program such as Adobe Illustrator.
Q. Can I email you the artwork?
A. Yes. Please don't email files larger than 10 megabytes. If your files are larger than 10 megabytes, please try compressing them with WinZip before you email us your files. For larger files, call us ( 714-
A. Each product lists its own specific available printing dimensions, or its "Imprint Area". Product templates and die-
A. The templates are in PDF or Adobe Illustrator (.ai). These files can be opened with Illustrator or can be imported into other design programs such as CorelDraw or Adobe Photoshop.
Q. What if I don't have camera-
Q. What if I want a price on a product that I can't find on your site?
A. Our site only shows some of our most popular products. And we're adding new products to our site all the time. If you want a price on something you can't find on the site call our Customer Service Team (714) 615.2599 or fill out and submit the a contact form for a custom estimate on your next printing project, including your information on prior projects such as brochures and business cards.
Q. How much will I be charged for shipping?
A. We ship UPS or FedEx Ground unless you advise us to ship your products differently. Since many of our products are bulky and heavy, UPS and FedEx Ground are our most convenient and cost-
A. If you are shipping to California, Kansas, Maryland, Wisconsin or Texas, you will need to pay those states' local sales tax. If you are shipping to one these states and are tax exempt, please email your tax certificate to affordablegraphicss@gmail.com. Remember simply because you are a 503c does not make you exempt from state tax.
Q. What do I need to know about printing multiple colors?
A. When printing more than one color, there are a couple considerations to keep in mind. Some print methods do a better job than others of "registering" or lining up the imprint colors to each other. Affordable Graphics prints in a variety of ways, such as pad printed, screen printed, or by letterpress. With any of these methods imprint colors can move as much as 1/8" in position and compared with other imprint colors. Some products, such as balloons and plastic bags, may even require a significant gap between imprint colors.
Often we can help compensate by "trapping" or "overprinting" the imprint colors.
A "trap" is when a printer spreads a color so that the different colors overlap just a bit. That way if one color moves during printing, you don't end up with the surface color showing through.
Another method used to compensate for color registration is to "overprint". Often the darker color can be printed right over the top of the lighter color, avoiding registration issues.
Where the colors overlap you may notice some color variations in the imprint colors. Some colors are less noticeable. Some may be quite noticeable.
There's no way to exactly "butt" the colors up to each other and guarantee perfect color registration. The amount of trapping and overprinting required by any specific product varies. If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Customer Service about your specific art and product ordered.
Q. What's the difference between a decal and a cling? And what do I need to know about imprinting on a clear material?
A. In the promotional product industry, it can be easy to confuse bumper stickers, decals, stickers, labels and clings. These terms are often used interchangeably. For our usage, all of our stickers and decals include an adhesive to provide a more secure bond except those that have the word "Cling" in the product name. The clings do not include an adhesive, and "stick" to windows through their static properties. We do offer "transparent" decals and "transparent" clings. Click here for more information concerning the differences between these products, and other important information about imprinting on these transparent surfaces.