StampsFirst.com - Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions

About Our Stamps


Q.	Do you stand behind your products?
A.	Yes! If you are not satisfied for any reason, just let us know. We will do everything possible to make it right. We want you to be completely satisfied with any product you purchase from us. (We can only refund shipping charges if we've sent the wrong item or the item is defective.)

Q.	Can you make a stamp using my artwork/signature/custom designs?
A.	Yes. You can email them to us at info@stampsfirst.com.

Q.	My design/copy/artwork is proprietary or confidential. How will you protect my design?
A.	We are a business built on integrity, honesty and stong ethical and professional standards. Our confidentiality policy regarding the handling of custom designs/copy we receive from our customers is a high priority to every associate at StampsFirst.com. We are in the business of custom stamp manufacturing. We do not publish a catalog of designs for re-sale. The clip art and copy examples you see on our website has been obtained through CorelDraw! and is available for our customers to re-use. We will never show or make available your artwork/copy to another customer.

Q.	How can I tell if my art will look good on a stamp?
A.	For best results, clean black and white designs usually work best. Shaded areas sometimes do not work well on a stamp. When sizing large images to a smaller size, there can sometimes be a loss of detail (narrow lines may lose definition). If you have any doubt, feel free to send us your image for our recommendation. If we notice any problems when working on your stamp, we'll let you know before we make it. We won't make you a poor-looking or unreadable stamp!

Q.	How should I scan my art?
A.	Scan at the highest resolution (at actual size) supported by your scanner, and then adjust the resolution of your image to 300 dpi at 100% scale.

Q.	Can the actual size of my image be enlarged?
A.	Yes. Enlarging or reducing your image is no extra charge. If you can provide your image at a high enough resolution (300 dpi min.), we can increase the size of your image without a loss of quality.

Q.	Can you resize my image to fit a certain size?
A.	Yes. We can proportionally make your image smaller to fit your specific needs, or the size of the desired self-inking mount. We can also increase the size of your image without a loss of quality if the resolution of the image is high enough.

Q.	Are your self-inking stamps re-inkable?
A.	Yes.

Q.	How do I re-ink my Printy self-inking stamp I purchased from you?
A.	Re-inking is easy, BUT PLEASE NOTE: BE SURE TO USE A WATER BASE INK, DON'T USE INK THAT IS LABELED QUICK-DRY OR PERMANENT (these will ruin your stamp) just depress (push down) the stamp a bit (just enough to release the tension so the pad will slide out). Pull or push out the ink pad located on the side of the unit. As you are dropping the ink onto the pad, slightly push the nozzle of the ink bottle into the pad (to make sure the ink is going into the interior of the pad and not just sitting on the surface). When you see the ink start to puddle on the surface of the pad as you are pressing the nozzle into the pad - you have enough ink in the pad.

Q.	How do I re-ink my SoftStroke Pre-Ink stamp I purchased from you?
A.	Re-inking is easy, BUT PLEASE NOTE: BE SURE TO USE A WATER BASE INK, DON'T USE INK THAT IS LABELED QUICK-DRY OR PERMANENT (these will ruin your stamp) just turn the stamp upside down, so you are looking at the stamp copy and drop the ink directly onto the letters and numbers. The amount of ink will vary due to the size of your stamp, you will see the ink absorbing into the stamp. Let the stamp unit sit upside down for approx. 1/2 hour before stamping. If the copy is still light or light on one side add more ink. THE INK IS NOT APPLIED THRU THE TOP OR KNOB OF THE STAMP MOUNT. IT IS BEST NOT TO TURN THE KNOB - THIS IS FOR ADJUSTING COPY AT TIME OF ASSEMBLY.

Q.	How can I get the best looking signature stamp?
A.	Write your signature three times in black ink with a fine point black ink pen on plain unlined white paper. Put an arrow next to the one you like best and we will try to work with that signature. (For the best looking results, please avoid felt tip pens, they tend to make the signature very bold). Don't worry about writing it the size you need, we can enlarge or reduce it to the size desired at no extra cost.

Q.	How can I get the most out of my ink pad?
A.	For optimal use it is best to store your stamp pads/ink pads upside down - this keeps the ink at the surface and will last much longer. If you have just re-inked your ink pad we recommend that you keep it upright for 24 hrs. to insure the ink is being pulled into the pad. Then resume storing your pad upside down.

Q.	Is it possible to clean my stamp pad?
A.	Yes, a quick way to remove paper particles, lint and dust is to take a business card, or something similiar and scrape the surface of the pad.

Q.	What is the best way to submit my camera ready art?
A.	You can send it to us as a digital file at our email info@stampsfirst.com. Please include in your message the actual dimensions desired for your stamp.

Q.	What file formats work best?
A.	.jpg (JPEG) and .tif (TIFF - please make sure .tif's are cropped) are the formats we prefer. The "resolution" of your image should be a min. of 300 dpi at 100% scale.

Q.	What file formats won't work?
A.	We are not setup to accept: Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Publisher files.

Q.	Can you accept MS-Word files?
A.	Yes, but if the document contains images, we prefer to receive those separately.

Q.	Can you accept Adobe Acrobat files?
A.	Yes, but if the document contains images, we prefer to receive those separately.

Q.	How should I save my file as a JPEG?
A.	"Flatten" your image prior to saving. (No layers.) Use the highest quality setting ("large file") and select "Baseline Optimized" if available in your graphics software.

Q.	How should I save my file as a TIFF?
A.	"Flatten" your image prior to saving. (No layers.) Select "IBM PC" as the "Byte Order" and use the "LZW Compression" option if available in your graphics software.

Q.	How big of a file can you accept?
A.	When sending us email we ask that you please limit email attachments to 1 MB (megabyte) in size. If your file is larger, just let us know and we'll send instructions for uploading to our FTP site.

Q.	I don't have a scanner. Can I fax my art?
A.	Yes. To produce a good quality image we always want to start with a clear and clean copy. We can receive copy/art by fax if the quality is maintained during the transmission. Most fax machines have a setting for resolution (which is quality of the transmission), just set the resolution to fine or high. We will always contact you if we feel the quality isn't high enough to produce a clear impression of your design.

Q.	I don't have a scanner or a fax machine. Can I send my art through regular mail?
A.	Yes. You can send it to us at: StampsFirst.com PO Box 1603 Grants Pass, OR 97528 We'll let you know when we receive it and match it with your order pending.

Q.	I don't have a credit card. Can I still order through your web site?
A.	Yes. You can follow up your order with an email to us at info@stampsfirst.com and let us know how you want to pay for your order. (NOTE: You will need to pre-register with the web site so you won't have to provide a credit card number during checkout.)

Q.	What forms of payment do you accept?
A.	We accept the major credit cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover), cashier checks, money orders and personal checks. If you send a personal check as payment, your order will be held for approx. 5-7 days before being entered into production. For your protection, we cannot accept cash as a form of payment through the mail.

Q.	My company wants to issue a purchase order for our stamps. Can you invoice me?
A.	Yes. We are happy to set-up your company on account. We need the company's bank/trade references which you can fax to us at 1-800-858-4495. We can then enter your order in production. We do reserve the right to limit the amount of credit extended on first time orders.

Q.	I want to order several identical stamps. Can you offer a discount?
A.	Yes. We offer discounts for multiple stamps with the same setup. Contact us at info@stampsfirst.com describing your needs and our quote desk will be happy to assist you.

Q.	I want to order several non-identical stamps. Can you offer a discount?
A.	Yes. When ordering a large volume of stamps with variable setups we can often provide special pricing. Contact us at info@stampsfirst.com describing your needs and our quote desk will be happy to assist you.

Q.	My stamp impression has to fit within an exact area. Can you make the stamp the right size to fit?
A.	Yes. Just let us know your size restrictions via the "Special Instructions" field when ordering or via email to info@stampsfirst.com.

Q.	I want to design and resell my own custom line of stamps. Can you help?
A.	Yes. Contact us describing your needs and we will be happy to assist you. We can do as much or as little of the manufacturing and assembly process as you want.

Q.	I ordered stamps from you in the past. Do you keep my order on file so I can re-order more stamps with the same design?
A.	We maintain records of your orders for up to two years. (Web order details are maintained longer.) Just let us know you want your stamp to be the "same as before" and we'll be happy to help you. (We can also make modifications to your previous set-up.)

Q.	I don't see the font I want on your web site? Do you have others?
A.	We have many more fonts available than those listed on our web site. Just us let us know your font needs and we can usually find an exact match your font or a similar match.

Q.	I have a custom font I want you to use. Can I send it to you?
A.	Yes. Feel free to include your font in Windows .ttf (TrueType font) format.

Q.	I didn't specify a font with my order. What font will you use?
A.	"Souvenir" or "Switzerland" is the standard default font we use when a typestyle is not specified. Click here to see a sample.

Q.	Can you match the font used on my submission?
A.	Almost always. We offer many different fonts to choose from and can usually find an exact match or a close match to the typestyle you submit.

Q.	Can you send me a proof before proceeding with my order?
A.	Yes. Once you place your order, there is no charge to send you a proof of your set-up. We do charge a min. of $3.00 for changes to your proof.

Q.	Can you send me camera ready art of my stamp?
A.	Yes. There is a charge of $19.95 per image for this service. We can send you the image as a JPG or TIF file.

Q.	Can I email my credit card information to you?
A.	For your protection, we strongly recommend against sending sensitive information (like your credit card number) via email. Regular email is a completely unprotected method of communication. Instead, you should call us at 1-800-527-0007 or fax us at 1-800-858-4495 with this information, or go through our secure on-line website www.stampsfirst.com.