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So..... who are you guys anyway?
Owner | Designer, Susie Fransen and a creative team of support staff!
imagine-ations,llc was born like most companies of it's type. While working full time in a large dental practice for 15 years, I would spend my evenings with a late night pot of coffee, designing for fun. Having also been committed to youth ministry for years, most projects revolved around graphics geared toward young people, hence the lean toward modern design.
Soon, there were requests for random invitations for friends and after my own experience as mother-of-the-bride, I realized the need for modern designs that offered price ranges for every bride! With that idea in mind, I waited for the "green light" from the Lord and traded in my little black suits and heels, for New York and Co.'s little black yoga pants and haven't looked back.
With invitations that are in high demand, the late night coffee is still needed...!
What if I choose the options for my invitation and it's going to look ugly?
Don't worry, If you submit a combination of colors or graphic that we know isn't going to jive, we will contact you before working up the digital proof and make suggestions for an alternative. And .... there is safety in our process. You will see a digital proof 1st, and then we will send an actual paper proof to hold in your hand, so you will see one finished product before they are all printed. We won't let you send out an ugly invitation, it will only make us look bad!
What shipping method do you use?
Modern Invitation Design uses US Post Office Priority Mail to ship your box of invitations.
- shipping is 1-3 days depending on your location
- they offer Saturday shipping (for us) and Saturday delivery (for you) so that a Friday completion does not have to wait until Monday to go out!
- Paper products are heavy and due to contrary belief, they are less than the other carriers!
- Boxes continue to travel on Saturday AND Sunday. (unlike the other carriers which leave them parked on the weekend), so a Friday shipping can go across the country by Monday!
How do I know what postage my invitation will require?
Modern invitation design is not able to estimate your postage due to ever-changing guidelines of the post office. Postal clerks are also able to use their own judgement based on whether an item seems "machine-able" (if the piece is able to be "machine cancelled" by the automated equipment or has to be hand- cancelled.) Therefore, it can be based on "stiffness" even if a piece is underweight.
You will receive a full paper proof with an envelope. You can take that invitation to the post office to determine postage needs.
We can share the following guidelines that we do know:
Any square items require additional postage regardless of size or weight.
Clear "poly" envelopes incur add'l postage.
Items that are stiif, rigid, or unbendable can incur add'l postage
Any lumps due to ribbons or other embellishments can cause the piece to require "hand-cancelling".
Items over 1 oz will be based on weight.
Postcards over 4" x 6" require full postage.
You can purchase single stamps in the denomination needed to avoid multiple stamps. If you are looking for a particular stamp design, you can also go to the official postal service website to see what is available or to order stamps directly. (www.usps.com)
Can I get my envelopes before the invitations are completed to begin addressing?
Sure. We can ship your envelopes when they arrive and you can begin addressing them while we complete the invitations. If we are printing a return address, we will need your final print approval first. (Or save yourself some time and let us print the guest addresses in a matching font for you!)
Can I purchase my invitations unassembled?
We can sell you cardstocks, pocket folders and any individual invitation components if you would like to create and print your own. We do not offer our printed invitations unassembled to protect the integrity of our designs.
Do you offer printing of the guest address on the envelopes?
Yes! We can print your envelopes in coordinating fonts and ink colors for less than most calligraphy. With addresses submitted electronically (excell or comma delimited), the guest address, and return address (on back flap) is $1.00 each
Can I get menus, table cards, programs and other items to match my invitations?
Sure, see some designs in the Etcetra category of the invitation gallery, or we will match what was done on your invitation. Thank you notes are also available with the matching graphic / fonts.
When do I need to know the exact quantity for my order? Can I order add'ls later?
When submitting your design form, if you have not yet confirmed your quanity, enter estimated quantiy. The digital proof process can be started while you are still determining the quantity you need. When you receive the digital proof you will get an invoice to submit half of payment. That invoice can be calculated with the estimated quantity and the 2nd half can be adjusted for final payment. However, your final quantity needs to be determined before all of the paper products are ordered. (normally 3-4 weeks before you want to receive your invitations.)
If you add to your quantity AFTER your papers have been ordered but BEFORE PRINTING, you will be charged any add'l shipping for the incoming paper order and the order will not be printed until all of the components are received, and will all be shipped together. The add'ls will need to be in units of 10 due to minimums set by the paper supplier.
If you add to your quantity AFTER YOUR ORDER HAS GONE TO PRINT, the above charges will apply as well as an additional set up fee to reprint a second time. The set-up fee will be determined by the number of printed pieces in each invitation as well as assembly needed with a minimum of $35 (this is in addition to the price of the invitation). The printing will also fall in line with the other orders already scheduled to be printed.
Considering all of the above, please carefully determine your quantity before ordering and allow for some extras as it is very common to have last minute additions to your guest list.
What if my event is cancelled?
In the event that your wedding or other celebration is cancelled during the design process the following terms would apply:
If we are in the process of designing your digital proof, please call or email us immediately to stop the process. No charges will apply.
If we have gone through the digital proof stage, you have paid 1/2, and we have printed your paper proof, a design fee (minimum $75, depending on the number of pieces and complexity) will be due. The remainder will be refunded.
If we have ordered the paper products specific to your design, there is no refund of the 1/2 paid.
If printing has begun, no refund is available.
What is the time-frame for invitation production?
When you submit an order using option 1 or 2 (designs from the website, or designs that you create) we will contact you upon receiving it if there are any questions or concerns about features chosen or info submitted. We will then work up a digital proof (7-10 days). After you let us know any corrections or changes that are needed on the digital proof, we will mail you a printed paper proof of the actual invitation. (4-10 days depending on whether we have the exact paper components on hand to do your paper proof or need to order something.) Once you receive the paper proof, you do a final proof-read of each piece and give print approval. Printing will occur once we have received all of your paper components. Normally within 3-7 days of approval . So, the answer is: orders average anywhere from 3 - 10 weeks depending largely on when we receive all of the final information from you.
VERY IMPORTANT - we will not be ordering your paper products until we have received your confirmed final quantity, (your inital order submitted can have a confirmed quantity or an "estimated" quantity.) You will want to stress the importance to the in-laws of working on their list and arriving at an accurate number. (Past experience has been that the groom's family are usually the ones asking if extras can be ordered after the printing has occured) :)
Can I cancel an order once it has begun?
After seeing your digital proof and deciding to proceed with the order (with 1/2 payment) , cancellation is only available with the following terms:
Contact imagine-ations,LLC.
The terms will be the same as stated above under event cancellation.
Can I call with questions or order by phone?
We do list a phone number on the site, however email and website contact is the preferred method as it is best for both of us to have a written record of changes, quotes, or answers to questions. We do not do verbal quotes, or take verbal revisions to orders. We are able to respond much more quickly to email as printing can often result in most calls going to voicemail until the end of the day. We are often able to respond to your emailed questions during the evening or weekend as well as we know that is when you need to do your wedding planning.
We do not receive orders by fax as most would arrive with illegible handwriting and we want your text to be correct!
Do you offer thermography or other print methods?
We offer flat printing, however because of the coated papers and the printing method, the toner "bakes" onto the top of the paper giving it a crisp rich look unlike printing on flat, matte stocks. You will see an example of it in your design kit.
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