Question and Answer
Q. Can you help me with my design?
Q. What is a ‘File Upload’?
Q. Is there a setup fee? Or any other charges?
Q. How do I Order Online?
Q. Will I receive Proofs before printing?
Q. What are your desired File Specs?
Q. What is monitor calibrating? How do I do it?
Q. What formats do you accept?
Q. Do you have Templates?
Q. How can your prices be so good?
Q. What does AQ coating mean?
Q. What does writeable gloss mean?
Q. What is the difference between digital and offset printing?
Q. What does 100lb mean?
Q. Should I get 14pt or 18pt?
Q. Can I use 2 sets of Graphics for my Print Run?
Q. What does shipping cost?
Q. How long does shipping take?
Q. What does ‘unzipped’ mean? What’s a ‘zip’ file
Q. Is your product good-quality?
Q. Is mail order secure and safe? What about credit card security?
Q. What methods of payment do you accept?
Q. What if I have a problem? What do I do?
Q. Is Your Product Environmentally Friendly?
Q. What Type of Equipment do You Use?
Q. What Is Bundling in 100s?
Q. Can you help me with my design?
A. Absolutely! We take whatever you have; pictures, a logo, an old design, or nothing at all, and combine it with the text you want! We can also supply pictures based on your requests. After we have completed your design you will be sent a proof by email for your approval or necessary revisions. Simple! Check out our our design portfolio HERE.
NOTE: Graphics Design services can be added to your cart by by choosing the We Design option on the product tabs.
Or, call with any questions. 1 888 587 2383
Q. What is a ‘File Upload’?
A. This is simply a way to send us big graphics files. Email can usually only send 10MB or so. To use our file uploader:
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Click the top Browse button. This opens up a window, showing files on your computer.
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You now select the file you want to send us and click Open.
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Then, fill in your contact info and any instructions. Click upload.
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Q. Is there a setup fee? Or any other charges for my existing graphics?
A. Absolutely not! The only time there is an additional fee is if you require design work from us.
Q. How do I Order Online?
A. Go to the product tab that is of interest to you. use the drop-down menus to select the options that you desire. Then add that item to your cart. You can add multiple items from different product tabs to your cart before clicking Go to Order Form to Complete Your Order.
Q. Will I receive Proofs before printing?
A. Yes, Proofs will be sent to you by email. We never print a job untill you are satisfied and have approved the latest set of proofs.
Q. What are your desired File Specs?
A. We can make anything work, so if none of this makes sense to you don't worry about it. Just send in what you have and we will make it work.
The ideal specs are as follows:
300 dpi (resolution), with a 1/4inch bleed and a 1/4inch text safety. Blank Templates are HERE.
Bleed Definition: Bleed is the 1/4inch extra added to each edge of a print job. For instance, a 4x6 postcard should be submitted at the size 4 1/2 x 6 1/2. The reason for this is that the cutting process in printing is not absolutely perfect. The extra 1/4 inch will be cut off at the cut line and just in case the cut is off a tiny bit you will see the bleed rather than plain white. Practically speaking you need to extend any graphics or pictures to cover the 1/4inch bleed.
Text Safety Definition: This is essentially the opposite of a bleed. Because of the slight margin of error in cutting mentioned above, you should not put text (or anything important) within 1/4 inch of the desired cut line.
Q. What is monitor calibrating? How do I do it?
Often, computer monitor manufacturers do not make monitors with accurate colour reproduction in mind. They are often very bright for improved readability. Or people turn the brightness up manually for the same reason, it looks good!
The problem this can cause is that your graphics, in actuality, are darker than they appear on the screen. This is often discovered when a print job comes back darker than it appeared on the monitor.
A monitor can also be displaying too much red, or blue or any number of problems. However, having too much brightness is the most common problem.
There are a couple things we can do to work against this problem.
Please be aware that by providing you with advice on proper monitor calibration, Vertical Thinking is not taking responsibility for how your monitor displays colour.
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Q. What file formats do you accept?
A. Virtually everything under the sun! However, PDF, TIFF, or JPG are best. Please be sure to save everything at the highest quality or at a resolution of 300. Here is a partial list of the formats we can work with:
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PDF
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TIFF
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JPG
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Microsoft Publisher
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Microsoft Word
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Photoshop
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Illustrator
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EPS
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Q. Do you have Blank Templates?
A. Yes! They are available for download HERE.
Q. How can your prices be so good?
A. Two reasons. One, by operating online we maintain a much lower overhead than many of our competitors. That way you are not paying for our store-front overhead when you buy your Business Cards. Two, we print in larger volumes from a larger customer base making it possible to get lower prices from our suppliers, which we then pass on to you!
Q. What does AQ coating mean?
A. AQ is short for Aqueous and is a water based varnish applied over the finished print product. Applying the Aqueous coating to a sheet prevents scuffing and gives it additional gloss.
Q. What does writeable gloss mean?
A. It simply means that it is not so shiny that it cannot be written on with a ball point pen. This is important as people often want to write notes on print material, such as a price you gave them or a personal phone number.
You have probably seen cards so shiny that they look like a mirror. Most people find this unattractive and it often causes the card to concave or bend a bit.
Q. What is the difference between digital and offset printing?
A. Digital printing is generally used when printing smaller quantities. This is because there is much more time and cost involved with preparing for an offset (printing press) job. Offset printing is used for larger quantities where the higher cost of setup is justified by the lower cost of production per piece.
The quality of our digital and offset product is very comparable and on most products it is very difficult to tell the difference. However the industry consensus is that offset printing produces the preferred quality.
Q. What does 100lb mean?
A. 100lb is the thickness. This is the heaviest of the most commonly used flyer and brochure weights amd looks really great.
Q. What's the difference between 12pt, 14pt or 18pt?
A. Pt stands for points which is how thick it is and 14pt it is very thick. Many of our competitors go as low as 8pts. 14pt is the thickest you will commonly see on business cards.
For the extremists out there who demand the absolute best, we offer business cards in an 18pt Matte Laminated! Most of have us never seen a business card this thick or a finish so beautiful. Feeling decadent? go with the Matte Laminated!
Q. Can I use 2 sets of Graphics for my Print Run?
A. You can not split an order, such as 5000 flyers into 2500 of one version and 2500 of another. To do this you need to order two sets of 2500. the runs are defined by the fact that the graphics are the same for every piece.
Q. What does shipping cost?
A. Shipping is calculated in the cart. Simply add the items you want to your cart and then enter your postal code. Different shipping options and prices will appear in the drop-down menu.
Q. How long does shipping take?
A. shipping in the Greater Toronto Area is usually 24 hours. The rest of Canada can expect three to five business days. Rush delivery is available at reasonable rates and is quoted in the cart. Tracking numbers are sent out upon shipment.
Q. What does ‘unzipped’ mean? What’s a ‘zip’ file
A. A zip file is one or more files that have been compressed into a single file. The idea is to make it as small as possible for easy download from the web. If you are using Windows, you just have to right click the zip file and choose to unzip the file from the WinZip menu.
If you are using a Mac and don’t have WinZip installed you can download a copy HERE.
Q. Is your product good-quality?
A. Yes! Our products are some of the best you will ever come across. Our paper is bright and thick and our printing process among the best in the world. For more information about our process and equipment, visit the equipment page.
Q. Is mail order secure and safe? What about credit card security?
A. All product is sent through UPS and you are provided with tracking numbers. Credit Card transactions are done through a Secure Socket Layer, or SSL. This encrypts all your information keeping you safe during your online experience. This is the industry standard in Online Security.
Q. What methods of payment do you accept?
A. Visa, MasterCard and American Express Online. In addition, we can make arrangments to accept Interac Money Transfers, Paypal and money orders.
Q. What if I have a problem? What do I do?
A. Just give us a call. We will get it sorted out right away. 1 888 587 2383.
Q. Is Your Product Environmentally Friendly?
A. All of our products are created very Green! At each step of the production process we are very environmentally conscious. here are a few examples of how we are attempting to respect our planet:
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All paper stock is created using approximately 30% recycled content
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We use soya-oil based inks instead of traditional petroleum-based ink.
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We use coatings that consist of very low to 0 traces of the VOC
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Fountain solutions are free of or use reduced VOC solutions
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We use alcohol substitutes rather than alcohol
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We use paper that is produced specifically for paper-making. This means our paper is not produced from illegally to forested trees
Q. What Type of Equipment Do You Use?
From start to finish, your orders are processed on state-of-the-art equipment to ensure your printed materials are of the highest quality. We use the latest technology in software, printing equipment and processing procedures along with the latest in Pre-Press equipment, Computer-To-Plate Technologies, Sheet fed Presses, both Full and Half Web Presses, inline coating capabilities, several cutting systems, multiple folding machines, stitching lines, drilling and assembly stations.
Q. What is Bundling in 100s?
This is done primarily for customers who are going to be distributing with Canada Post. Canada Post (and sometimes other distribution companies) require that everything be bundled in 100s. If you choose this option your postcards or brochures will arrive to you separated into groups of 100 using elastic bands.
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