Frequently Asked Questions
(The following questions and answers apply to Printing on paper.)
- What is your turn around time?
- Is there a minimum order requirement?
- What information do you need to prepare a quote?
- In what format do we need to provide the artwork?
- Do you work with brokers?
- How long is your quote good for?
- Is proof approval time included in your turn around time?
- Do you have a price list?
- What are the procedures to work with you?
- Can you shorten your turn around time?
1. What is your turn around time? Standard turn around time is 6~8 weeks, including production and shipping back by sea from China to the USA. Shipping back by air or courier will wipe out your cost savings by printing in China. If you are in an urgent need of your products, printing in China is not an option.
If you are a magazine publisher who publishes 4 times a year or more, we probably are not a good fit either. Most magazines need to sell ads till the last minute, 6~8 weeks turn around time doesn't leave enough time for magazine publishers to sell ads. 2. Is there a minimum order requirement? Yes, $3,000 or up each order. 3. What information do you need to prepare a quote? It varies. We use books as an example here.
- Book size
- Printing quantity
- Binding method
- Cover paper weight
- Inside pages paper weight
- Color or black and white printing
- Page count
- Any coating or lamination or other requirement
- Your artwork ready time
- Your estimated go-to-print time
4. In what format do we need to provide the artwork? The preferred format is high resolution PDF format. Other formats are acceptable too, such as cdr, eps, ai, tif, psd files.
Softwares we work with: Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, Freehand, Photoshop. 5. Do you work with brokers? Yes, if you have a contract in hand for your project, you are welcome to contact us for a quote. 6. How long is your quote good for?
Our quotes are valid for 15 days. It is highly recommended that you contact us for a printing quote after your artwork is ready before you go to print to get an accurate and updated quote.
7. Is proof approval time included in your turn around time? No. Turn around time counts from when green light is given to start the production or when the signed back proof is received in our factory in China, whichever is later. It does not count from when you first submit your order. 8. Do you have a price list? No. We do custom printing according to client's specification, therefore we don't have a template or price list to offer. Price list usually applies to small size orders at much higher prices. 9. What are the procedures to work with you?
- We prepare quote and you accept it.
- You provide artwork and order a proof. Proof takes around two weeks including express mail time from China to USA.
- You approve the proof and place the order to start production.
- Upon completion of production and receipt of full payment, we ship out your goods from China.
- We handle the importation in the US when the shipment arrives.
- We deliver the goods to your door or you arrange your own pickup at the landing port.
10. Can you shorten your turn around time?
No. Our standard turn around time is 6~8 weeks, shipping back from China to the US by sea. There are many procedures involved from production till the goods landed in LA port. Up to the point when the goods are delivered to the exportation port in China, we don't have control over following procedures, i.e. Customs release in China, overseas shipping, importation, customs clearance in US etc. Say if the weather is bad, the boat may arrive a few days later, or if the container is picked randomly by computer for inspection by the Customs, it may take longer than usual to release. 6~8 weeks is the usual time frame for the shipments we handle. |
