How we work.

Orders and quotes

An order placed online is a contract to print what the order says, on the paper and with the finish it says, in the quantity it says, at the price shown at checkout. A quote is our offer to do a job for the price on it; it is good until the date on it, and accepting it makes an order on the same terms as one placed online.

Prices include what the order lists. Tax and delivery are shown before you pay. If we have made an honest mistake in a price, we will tell you before we print and you may cancel with nothing owed.

Proofs

Nothing prints until you have approved a proof. The proof shows what will print: the content, the layout, the page order. Once approved, the job prints as shown, and errors in the content (spelling, dates, numbers, images) that the proof showed are yours. We check that a file will print well; we do not proofread.

A proof on screen shows color approximately. A printed proof comes off the same press, on the same paper, as the job; when a color matters, ask for one before approving. There may be a charge for it, and we will say so.

Color, materials and quantity

Printing is a physical process. The press is calibrated and profiled for each paper we run and we hold color closely, but a small variation between the proof and the job, across a run, or between one order and a reprint can occur and is not a defect. Paper is a natural material and varies slightly in shade and texture from batch to batch; when a stock is discontinued we will offer the closest equivalent before printing.

We print the quantity ordered. If a job comes up short in finishing, we make up the difference or credit it.

Cutting, folding and binding are accurate to within about 1/16 in. Artwork should allow for this: 0.25 in of bleed and a 0.125 in safe area (0.25 in for booklets), as the artwork guide describes.

Turnaround

The turnaround we give you, on a quote or when you ask, is our estimate in business days, counted from your approval of the proof, not from the order. We keep to it in all but the rare case of a machine down or a paper delayed at the mill, and we will tell you the moment we know. A date agreed in writing as a deadline is a promise; an estimate is an estimate.

Your artwork

By sending us a file you confirm that you have the right to print it: that it is yours, or that whoever owns it has agreed. We will not knowingly print material that infringes a copyright or a trademark, and you agree to cover any claim that arises from artwork you supplied.

We keep your files for as long as your account is open, so you can reorder, and we treat them as confidential. We do not use them for anything but your jobs, and we do not show them as examples of our work without asking you first.

When we design for you, the design is yours once the job is paid for. The fonts, stock images and software we used stay under their own licenses.

Paying

Online orders are paid at checkout. A quote is paid when it is accepted, unless it says the job will be invoiced; invoices are due in 30 days. A job is not released for delivery until it is paid, unless we have agreed otherwise in writing.

Delivery and pickup

You choose delivery or pickup at checkout. A shipped job is packed with care and insured; if it arrives damaged, keep the packaging, send us a photograph within three days, and we will reprint or refund. Once a carrier has a package, its delivery date is the carrier's, and we pass on the tracking. A job for pickup is held for 30 days.

Cancelling

You may cancel an online order or a quoted job any time before you approve the proof, and we refund it in full, less any design time already done. After approval the paper is cut and the press is running; tell us straight away and we will charge only for what has been done.

When something is wrong

Look over a job when it arrives and tell us within seven days if something is not right. If the fault is ours (the wrong paper, a finish not as ordered, damage, a defect in printing) we reprint it at our cost, quickly, or refund it if a reprint would not help. If the fault was in the file and the proof showed it, we will say so plainly and work out with you the best way to put it right. Our liability is limited to the price of the job.

The rest

Our privacy policy says what we keep about you and why. These terms are governed by the law of North Carolina. We may update them; the date at the top is the current version, and an order is governed by the terms in force when it was placed.

Questions about any of this: GetStarted@HowlingPress.com, or (919) 744-1801.