FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.


PRINTING SERVICES FAQ
SENDING ARTWORK FAQ
GRAPHIC DESIGN FAQ
LOGO DESIGN FAQ
WEBSITES FAQ
PROMOTIONAL RANGE FAQ
PAYMENT | DELIVERY | PACKAGING FAQ


PRINTING SERVICES FAQ

1. What printing services do you offer and where can I find prices?
Lithographic Full Colour Printing | Digital Booklets | Large Format Posters, Banners and Displays | NCR. Take a look at online prices on the print prices page.

2. Do you have any special offers?
Current offers are listed on print offers page. There's a different offer every month and you'll typically save 50% on the usual print price. Offers are announced on the first day of each new month so check this website for information. Or join mailing list here by contacting us. You can unsubscribe at any time.

3. Can you supply print samples?
Our lithographic print quality is the finest there is and samples are available to allow you to judge this for yourself. You can call into the store to pick samples up or order print samples here and we'll post them to you within 1 working day.

4. Do you do spot UV / spot gloss?
Yes as well as full colour printing, you can have a spot UV effect also on a wide range of products. See online print prices on the print prices page.

5. Is artwork included in your prices?
Artwork is extra, however our charges aren't expensive. A business card costs £35 to design. An A5 single sided leaflet costs £59 to design. For more information on design prices click here.

6. Full colour printing - what exactly does that mean?
Full colour printing is 4 colour printing CMYK. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ink are used to create the full colour images. The screening technology used by printing.com produces the highest definition printing.

7. Lithographic printing and digital printing
Lithographic printing produces a high quality print from traditional ink. Digital printing typically uses toner or inkjets. Printing.com are lithographic printers for the majority of printing, but also use digital toner for "fast & few booklets" and digital inkjet for posters.

8. Guaranteed turnaround times. Can you explain this further?
We despatch 99.95% of printing on time or earlier. If we fail to do this with your order, then we'll give you a print credit to the full value of your order. What other printers promise this?

9. What's your policy on green issues and recycling?
Printing.com have quite a large range of recycled products for you to print onto. A large proportion of paper stocks is FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) approved where the management of forests is closely monitored to minimise environmental impact. We're also endorsed by Dr. David Bellamy and The Tree Appeal. A tree is planted for every 8 orders processed and so far we've planted over 50,000 trees. For more information, please view the online brochure, pages 2 and 18.

10. Is VAT applicable to printing?
All prices are listed ex VAT. This is because some printing is VATable and some isn't. In our brochures we list printing that is "usually zero rated" so check the print prices page for further information.

11. printing.com is a franchise. Do you do the printing yourself?
Printing.com is a Manchester, UK based franchise. So yes we do our own printing in our own multi-million pound print facility. The files are prepared in the store on Gt Ancoats St and then sent over the Internet to be printed to the highest standards of printing available.

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SENDING ARTWORK FAQ

1. Do you supply a service to check my artwork is correct?
Yes we can check your artwork over thoroughly to ensure it's technically correct for printing. The cost for this starts at £15 and is to cover the time it takes to file check. Take a look at the send artwork page for details of checking the files yourself.

2. I'm sure my artwork is print-ready. Do I need to sign anything?
If you're certain that your files are 100% correct for printing, then please download the disk risker form from the send artwork page and complete it. NB this puts the onus onto yourself to get the files correct for print so if you're unsure - we can disk check it for you for a nominal fee.

3. How can I supply my own artwork to you?
20MB files or less - email to ancoats@printing.com
20MB - 100MB - send to us from mailbigfile.com  
Bring your disk to the store
Bring your USB memory stick to the store
NB Please view send artwork page for information on supplying artwork.

4. I've heard of CMYK and RGB, but not sure of the difference?
CMYK is primarily used for printing. RGB is primarily used for web graphics. So for submitting files it's CMYK (Cyan | Magenta | Yellow | Black) that we require. Printing uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks to achieve the full colour.

5. Do you print spot Pantone colours as I need my colours exact?
Printing.com print in CMYK to achieve full colour. Spot colours or Pantone colours are extra colours and are pre-mixed colours. People believe that Pantone colours will look exactly the same every time they are printed, but the reality is that Pantone colours can still vary depending on the type of stock they're printed onto. The reality with printing is that colours can vary slightly. Please contact us and request colour charts containing actual colours printed on our presses.

6. What file formats and versions of software do you accept?
For the full list of software and versions, please review the send artwork page.

7. I have my design in Microsoft Word. Is this OK?
Please email over your word documents and we'll take a look. To be honest Word isn't a great application for printing from, but send it over.

8. Can you accept PC files as well as MAC files?
Yes PC files and MAC files are accepted. There are still some incompatibility issues around certain configurations, but in general absolutely everything can be printed by some means. Email it over and we'll take a look for you.

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GRAPHIC DESIGN FAQ

1. What artwork services does printing.com offer?
Dreamwaves graphic design located within the printing.com store on Great Ancoats Street in Manchester can take on your design project. We've a track record with businesses big and small. Best advice would be to come along and talk to us and see what we're about. 

2. I need professional design. Can you do this?
Yes Dreamwaves graphic design can fulfil your design requirements and you'll save money on using separate design and printing companies - why - because the whole project from idea to print can be managed by one company and one point of contact - so costs can be kept in check.

3. What about magazine/newspaper adverts?
Many adverts placed in magazines (apart from the glossy high end ones) are notoriously bad. As a contrast, an advert from us will be well designed. It will also be eye-catching and very easy to read and understand what the advert has to offer.

4. How much do you charge for design?
Artwork costs can vary from project to project. We're very competitive and will give a fixed price before any work commences. There's no ongoing hourly charges where costs mount up and get out of control. As a guideline, a business card costs £35 to design and a single sided A5 leaflet costs £59 to design. See design prices page.

5. Who are Dreamwaves graphic design and where are they located?
Dreamwaves graphic design are a creative design studio located within printing.com on Great Ancoats Street in Manchester. Dreamwaves graphic design can take on your graphic design, logo design, web, promotional goods or marketing project. if printing is required, then this is handled by printing.com within the same location.

6. I have my own design, but it only looks OK. Any advice?
Good design sells, but bad design can do more harm than good. So if you're not confident that your design will represent your company in absolutely the best light, then don't get it printed. Get in touch with us for an informal free chat and we'll see what's wrong and how to put it right for you.

7. My friend can do design for me. Is this a good idea?
Yes it's a good idea if your friend can produce high quality design. Friends doing design at "mates rates" is a cheap option, but if it's not up to scratch then seek some advice and don't waste your money. Bad design on screen won't magically look good in print.

8. My design looks great on-screen. Will it look as good in print?
If your design looks good on screen, then it should also look great when printed. However colours on screen and colours in print can vary so don't expect an exact replica. You'll need to get it all technically correct for print also - see send artwork page for technical advice or get in touch with us.

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LOGO DESIGN FAQ

1. Can you design great logos?
Yes we absolutely love designing logos. Take a look at the portfolio to view examples we've produced recently. To produce a logo for you, we'll need to ask you lots of questions to find out all there is to know about your business. Then we'll get to work and create the perfect logo to complement your busines. So please get in touch and we can chat over some ideas.

2. Can you produce a full corporate ID for me?
Yes we can. A full corporate ID will be designed to be multi use. For example you may need your branding and logo to we used in print, on the web, or even on the side of a lorry. We'll incorporate all of the brand guidelines with the ID and make sure it works in black and white as well as in colour.

3. I've started my logo and it looks OK, but not great. Any advice?
If your logo isn't pushing the right buttons with yourself, then don't expect it to inspire others to do business with you. A bad logo can do you more harm than good and will actually drive people against your brand. So please give us a call and we'll take a look. It may just need a nip and tuck and a shot of bottox or alternatively a full make-over.

4. Why is a logo so important?.
If logos weren't deemed important, then why would the big-boys spend so much on theirs? Yes logos cost money, but skimping on something that's so important in the world of business is probably a mistake. It's estimated that people can be exposed to up to 200 logos over the course of just one hour. Which ones are memorable to you and why?

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WEBSITES FAQ

1. Tell me about your website packages?
There are 2 levels of website packages starting at £99. The first is the Web Business Card package starting at £99. For that you get a one page website with your logo and contact details on. So for £99 you not only get your own domain name, but you'll also get a professional email address. Secondly is the Web Brochure starting at £399 for a 5 page site. You can add additional pages and build the site up as you wish. See websites page for further details.

2. Can I edit the site myself or do I have to pay for every update?
Both the Web Business Card and the Web Brochure packages come with a year's subscription to Update Centre allowing you to edit the site as and when you need to. Adding a news item, a picture or a downloadable PDF has never been easier - putting you in control. See websites page for further details.

3. Can you get me on the first page of Google?
The website you're reading this on - www.manchester4printing.com is a printing.com web brochure. To see how highly this site is ranked by Google click here. It's impossible to promise to get somebody onto the first page of Google. However our websites allow you to enter keywords and descriptions which is the sort of information that search engines such as Google will use to index your site.

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PROMOTIONAL RANGE FAQ

1. What promotional items do you offer?
To view the full range of products that are on offer, please view the promotional section on print prices page page. All items, descriptions and prices can be found there.

2. Will your promotional range be increased in the future?
Yes the range will be increased as and when we get enough enquiries about certain products to allow us to stock them. So if you need something that we don't currently do, then please let us know.

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PAYMENT | DELIVERY | PACKAGING FAQ

1. What payment options do you accept?
Debit cards, credit cards (credit cards incur a 2% surcharge), cash, company cheque, bacs.

2. When and where do I pay?
Payment in full is required before a file goes to print and once you're happy with your proof and have clearly indicated your approval. If you need artwork, then we need payment for this before commencing work, but only after taking a detailed brief from you. You can pay at the store, by using a card over the phone, by electronic banking via bacs.

3. Where do I pick up my printing from when it's completed?
You can pick up your printing for FREE from the store on Great Ancoats Street during normal shop opening hours, Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:30, Friday, 09:30 - 17:30, Saturday and Sunday, closed.

4. Can you deliver directly to me or to another address?
If you need your printing delivered to another address, then there will be an extra charge to cover the extra costs involved. Each product in the online brochure has a small letter next to it indicating the postage band. Page 111 of the brochure tells you the price of each postage band. Call us on 0161 237 1883 if you're unsure.

5. Where can i park when I come to see you?
There is FREE PARKING less than 80 metres away in the Central Retail Park next door. See contact us page for more details. There is short term metered parking in Redhill Street outside Roche Bobois (next door)

6. How is the print packaged?
Most printing (A4 and below) is packaged in convenient shoe box sized boxes. Other items such as folders will be in A3 sized boxes. Posters come in tubes. So you will easily be able to lift and transport your print and it will store robustly. If it's delivered to you then it's well protected for the journey.

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