FAQ

Product Turnaround Time
Q.) What is your turnaround time?
Q.) What is the cut off time to get files in?

Product Use
Q.) Can I write on my printed product?

File Preparations
Q. How are file handled?
Q. What file formats do you accept?
Q. What is the deal with fonts?
Q. How do I setup my files with Abobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand?
Q. Do I set up files for Offset Posters and Short Run Digital Posters the same?
Q. Why are files with bleeds required?

Uploading Files
Q.Why are my uploads not finishing and what is Passive Transfer Mode anyway?
Q.How do I get my files to you?
Q.How do I order a Digital Proof?

Payments
Q.How do I pay you?
Q.What if someone else is paying for this order (3rd party payment)?

Shipping / Local Pickups
Q.How will I receive my order?

Quotes
Q.How can I order something that requires a quote (e.g. product or service not available through our shopping cart)?

Sample Packs
Q.How long do sample packs take to mail?

Direct Mailing
Q.What information do I need for Direct Mailing?

Non-Profits
Q.Do you offer discounts for Non-profits?

Jed.Black Rewards
Q.What are the requirements for getting a logo or tagline discount?

Refunds / Reprints
Q.I found a blemish on a small portion of my cards. Can I get a refund or a reprint?

What is your turnaround time?[back to List]

Turnaround is the measurement of time it will take to deliver your product after an order has been placed and printable files have been received. Our cut off time is 8am PST Tuesday-Friday. The following business day is considered the first day of turnaround if your files have been setup according to our guidelines and are suitable for printing.   If a job has revised files, is placed on hold, or is awaiting proof approval the turnaround starts from time the approval is given.

Product turnaround times are listed on their respective pages. On some occasions, a rush fee can be paid after printable files have been received in order to retain your desired turnaround time. Fees are subject to time left to complete order, size of files, and quantity.

All turnaround times listed are typical but not guaranteed. It is important to note that sometimes equipment can go offline for maintenance and repair issues. In light of this, you should plan extra time for your project whenever possible. Additional auxiliary services such as folding, die-cutting, ect. will increase your turnaround time.

Please note that turnaround times do not include shipping time. We are typically able to get orders shipped the same day they are completed, but we can not guarantee that will be the case every time. Depending on your chosen shipping method, your order may ship the following day.

What is the cut off time to get files in?[back to List]
The cut off time to submit an order and printable files is 8am PST during a business week (Monday-Friday). It is important to carefully follow file setup instructions and/or use a template in order to achieve the products listed turnaround.

Can I write on my printed product?[back to List]
Whether you can write on the stock you've chosen for your product depends on a number of factors. Jed.Black will not be held responsible if you order a product, intend to write on it, but choose a stock/coating that does not allow for it to occur without smearing. Products coated with UV can sometimes be written on with a fast drying felt pen, but use your own discretion. Drying times vary depending on environmental conditions. Matte stock IS COATED. That means that using the product as a stamp card or writing on the product with an ink pen can smear if the wait time between contact is not long enough. Do not order Matte/UV or even gloss stock if you intend on applying ink from an ink pad and then passing the card directly to your customer. Customers have the best results ordering an uncoated stock for secondary printing, writing, or additional inking.

How are files handled?[back to List]
All files go through a preflight process that includes checking the color mode, resolution, and the bleed and cut margin. Jed.Black is not responsible for graphic design issues such as corrupt fonts after they have been outlined or file setup for scoring, folding, and die cutting. We strongly recommend that you double check all files before they are submitted to our server. YOU WILL BE CONTACTED BY EMAIL IF YOUR FILES ARE NOT PRINTABLE AND NEED REPAIR. DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS, WE TYPICALLY DO NOT CALL.  Due to the expedient nature of how Jed.Black handles your files to ensure extremely fast turnaround time, it is assumed that your files are setup according to the file setup instructions listed on the website. As such, Jed.Black may not catch all file setup errors and therefore will not be responsible for files that are setup incorrectly after they have been printed.

What file formats do you accept?[back to List]
- PDF/X-1a
- TIFF
- Flattened .EPS
- Flattened, 8bit Photoshop files
- JPEG

We do not accept:
- Publisher files
- Unflattened Photoshop files
- Microsoft Word files
- AI files (Adobe Illustrator)
- ID files (Adobe Indesign)
- GIF
- PNG

PDF Files
If you send us a PDF, please make sure it stands true to the PDF/X-1a standard. DO NOT include crop marks, registration marks, or color bars. These are not needed and will ultimately have to be cropped out. Fees to crop files are listed in our Terms and Conditions. All PDF files should have a Bleed Box defined. This is important. Files set up incorrectly will increase your turnaround time.

If you are using one of these programs, please find a way to export your files as a PDF. Try to make sure the PDF conforms to PDF/X-1a. Please do NOT include crop marks, registration marks, or color bars. Make sure your file opens to the ordered size plus bleed.

What is the deal with fonts?[back to List]
All files must have fonts either converted to outlines or flattened appropriately. Any fonts included with file submissions will be considered useless. If you send in a file that does not have the fonts outlined or flattened you run the risk of having the wrong font included in the final product. We accept no responsibility for missing fonts in any case (see Terms and Conditions). We strongly suggest that you double check your files before submitting them

How do I setup my files with Abobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand?[back to List]
It is very important that you do not have any text or graphics outside of the black outline of the artboard. If you do, Illustrator will include that information as a part of your actual job because it rates width and height according to available mathematical data. As a result, the job will be larger than intended. For this very reason do not include crop marks as they are unnecessary and will also make your file larger. If we have to rasterize and crop your work, appropriate fees will be included in the final price of the order.

Do not use your program's artboard as a white background color. If you do so Illustrator will "think" that your job is smaller than it actually is. If your design calls for a white background, create it using an object such as a rectangle or square.

Do I set up files for Offset Posters and Short Run Digital Posters the same?[back to List]
Yes.

Why are files with bleeds required?[back to List]
All products require bleed and files without will be automatically rejected.  Submitting your files with bleeds costs nothing extra for the extra space used and helps make for good design sense.

Along with bleed, it is important make sure you have provided adequate cut margin. This provides space between the edge of the card and your text or graphics that you want to keep safe. If you are not able to set your files up with bleed, you have to at least have cut margin. We can not print files without cut margin.

For a visual guide on bleeds click here.

How do I get my files to you?[back to List]

There are a number ways to submit your files. Jed.Black prefers that you upload your files through the shopping cart while ordering.  You may also upload your files after your order has occurred by logging into your Jed.Black account and utilizing the Files manager.

You may also use personal resources such as google drive, dropbox, onedrive, etc. Just provide us a link to your files and be descriptive as to what order they belong to.  Also, make sure that anyone with a link may download them.  

Email is also an option for smaller files. Please don't send us anything over 25mb.


It is recommended that orders that contain multiple files that have them compressed.  Most all computers have a built in compression utility on board.

How do I order a Digital Proof?[back to List]
Digital proofs are ordered by choosing digital proof as a product and placing it into your shopping cart.  Please keep in mind that ordering proofs may affect your turnaround time by one day. Digital proofing is not available for rush turnarounds. Digital proofs will not help you proof color; rather, they are generally only effective for checking graphic issues, font issues, and typographical errors.

How do I pay you?[back to List]
Payment is made through the website during the order process.  Sometimes a digital invoice may be sent with a payment link through PayPal.

What if someone else is paying for this order (3rd party payment)?[back to List]
A digital invoice may be sent with a payment link through PayPal.

How will I receive my order?[back to List]
Your order will typically be sent using UPS ground service.

- Shipping time to Oregon and western Washington is typically one day delivery by UPS Ground.  Please search the web for the UPS shipment map showing their various transit times.


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How can I order something that requires a quote (e.g. product or service not available through our shopping cart)?[back to List]
If you need a quote for a quantity or service not displayed on our site, please use our contact form.

* Please note that Quotes are good for only 30 days *

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How long do sample packs take to mail? [back to List]
Generally we try to get sample packs out in the mail within 24 hours but it may take a few days depending on various factors.

Do you offer Direct Mail? [back to List]
There's a few bits of information that one could use in regard to our Direct Mailing service:

Acceptable Sizes: The smallest size postcard the Post Office will accept is 3.5" tall x 5" wide. The largest size accepted is 6.125" tall by 11.5" wide.

Minimum Quantity: We offer a minimum quantity for mailing at 500 units. Our minimum run for offset printing is 1000 units so we can either ship the extra postcards at the customer's expense or they can be recycled. Otherwise we can price out a digital short run for 500 pieces in special circumstances.

Direct Mail File Setup: If files for a direct mail job are not set up correctly Jed.Black can make adjustments as necessary based on a $75 / hour rate.

Do you offer discounts for Non-profits? [back to List]
Typically our pricing is set as near or approaching wholesale as possible and as such it's often not possible to offer sizeable discounts per se for Non-Profit organizations. However we would like to accommodate any request as best as possible so please contact us and if turnaround is not a driving factor we may be able to arrange an attractive discount.

What are the requirements for getting a logo or tagline discount? [back to List]
The most important step in meeting the requirements is to contact our design department for the logo or tagline graphics and having your designer place them appropriately and visibly in your files. Location does not matter provided it is not shrunk down.

I found a blemish on a small portion of my cards. Can I get a refund or a reprint?
Due to the rigors of the offset lithographic process it is natural to have a small percentage of a job to have minor blemishes due to dust and other particulates on the press blanket, plates, or other mechanical areas of the machinery. If these blemishes appear at all they are usually very slight or unnoticeable. We work hard to enact proper quality control procedures to isolate all issues although generally it is acceptable industry practice to have no more than 10% of an order with minor blemishes. We typically overrun work to accommodate for this percentage as a result. If you have blemishes on your job and it exceeds the acceptable threshold then you may return the defective prints at our expense and we will either discount your order or reprint the appropriate amount.