20 QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD BE ASKING BEFORE YOU ORDER YOUR WEDDING INVITES...
Ordering wedding invites can sometimes be a little complicated with all the new print vocabulary you need to understand. Engraved, matt, glassine, letterpress, lithographic – what does it all mean? To get the invite you want, make sure you find a good wedding invitation supplier to help guide you and when you go visit him or her, bring with you this useful list of questions to ensure you cover everything.
This is a thorough list, and of course just a guideline for you to use. So print it out and highlight the questions you want to ask.
1. Do you print in-house or do you outsource it? NB: It is usually less expensive if it’s outsourced.
2. What types of printing processes do you offer and which do you specialise in? Which do you recommend for my budget and style?
3. Do you offer bespoke invitations as well as template styles? Is there a fee if I want a sample? If so, how much?
4. If I choose a bespoke wedding invitation, what are my options for colour, paper, ink and fonts? Is there a word count limit?
5. If I want to include a picture or graphic on my save-the-date card or invitation, can you help with this? If yes, does the image need to be in a specific format? Do you have photo retouching available? What is the price range? Can your photo specialist convert images to black & white or sepia? Is there an additional cost?
6. Can I order my table numbers, place cards, ceremony programs, menus, etc. from you?
7. Do you offer any packages or discounts if I order everything from you?
8. Are there any new styles, trends and colour combinations I should consider? What different hand-made or artisanal paper do you offer? NB: The answers will give you an idea of how creative and up-to-date the wedding invitation supplier is.
9. Can my invitations be printed on recycled paper?
10. Based on the paper I select and the number of pieces, what would it cost to mail my wedding invitation? NB: If you use a non-standard sized envelope, postage may be more expensive.
11. How long have you been in business?
12. What is your design background/experience?
13. How long will it take from when I place the order to the delivery? Do you have rush-order available and what are the extra fees? If ordering from an online company, ask: What are the shipping methods they have available and the costs?
14. If the invitation involves multiple pieces, can you assemble them? If so, is there an additional fee? Will it affect the delivery date?
15. Do you offer an invitation addressing service? If so, what is the charge? What lettering style options are available? Will the lettering push back my delivery date?
16. When will payment be due? And what is your refund policy if for some reason I need to cancel my order?
17. Will I have the opportunity to sign off my invitation proof before you send my order to print?
18. Once I have signed off the proof, I expect the printed invitations to match the approved sample. If they don’t (i.e. an error was made after I signed off) will my invitations be corrected and reprinted at no additional cost? How much additional time will it take to redo my order if there is a problem with it?
19. When can I expect to receive my contract from you?
20. Can you provide me with the contact information of 3-4 recent brides who I can call or email for references?
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