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What is your phone number and operating hours?
You may call us at 919-515-2131 from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday or fax us 24/7 at 515-7272. For your convenience, you may also e-mail us at any time. See our staff listings for addresses.
What about privacy and security?
No information collected by us for order processing or from inquires is shared with any other company or website. Your information is only used to contact you when necessary.
Can I order color printing from you?
Yes. We have the ability to print 1, 2, 3 and 4+ colors. If you desire 4-color process, please refer to NCSU purchasing for specific guidelines.
Do I have to put my job on bid?
North Carolina Department of Administration purchasing regulations requires that any publication, done outside of University Graphics, over the price of $5,000 require the bidding process. Any publication, regardless of price, may be brought directly to University Graphics without going through the bid system.
How do I place an order?
If you are a part of the University . . .
We prefer printing requests be accompanied by a Service Unit (SU) at the time the order is placed. The SU will give us the order date, delivery instructions, quantity requested, and authorized signatures and billing codes. If you are not familiar with the SU , your bookkeeper can help you, or call us and we can help you fill it out. Orders may also be placed online via e-mail (See order forms). Please provide your FAS & OUC numbers when placing your order. Reorders and standard items, such as letterheads, envelopes, and business cards can be ordered through campus mail. Please send a sample with the SU . If you are reordering a job that we have done in the past, include a sample of the last order along with the last job#. This should be stated on your invoice and on your former delivery ticket..
If you are a State Agency . . . University Graphics (UG) is a state approved e-procurement vendor. You may bring your work directly to University Graphics without entering the state bid system . There are no restrictions concerning size or cost of the publications. We will need a Purchase Order/e-procurement from your department at the time you bring the publication to us for production. This is our authorization to proceed with your work. Before ordering from University Graphics, we will be happy to supply you with an estimate of cost, based on the specifications you supply to us, or we can work with you to develop the specifications for your project.
Can you print jobs that are different than the standard layouts that you offer?
Yes. Use our estimate form to request a quote on any job not included on any of the layout sheets provided.
How do you charge for type corrections?
We charge at our standard rates.WE DO NOT CHARGE TIME AND A HALF .
How do I order multiple pieces?
To keep things simple, please place a separate order for each different printed piece you want produced. For example, if you want 3 different 11 x 17 brochures, please place 3 orders. Obviously, the price for 3,000 of one brochure is not the same as 1,000 each of 3 brochures.
How well will my job match what I see on my monitor?
Most people are surprised at how well their job matches what they see. But because of wide differences in monitor calibration and the different technologies used, some printed colors may not exactly match the colors on your specific monitor. We will, however, always strive to make your job look good.
What is the difference between RGB and CMYK color space and why does it matter?
RGB refers to the primary colors of light , red, green and blue that are used in monitors, television screens, digital cameras and scanners. CMYK refers to the primary colors of pigment , Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These are the inks used on presses printing 4-color process, commonly referred to as “full color printing”.
The combination of RGB (light) creates white , while the combination of CMYK inks create Black. Therefore, it is physically impossible for the printing press to exactly reproduce colors as we see them on our monitors.
Many programs have the capability to convert the layout/images from the RGB color space to the CMYK color space. We request that you convert your colors from RGB to CMYK if your tools allow you to. By doing this yourself, you have maximum control over the results. You may notice a shift in color when converting from RGB to CMYK. If you do not like the appearance in CMYK, we recommend that you make adjustments while working in CMYK (usually lightening). Generally, you should specify CMYK color builds that look a little lighter than you want, since the dots of ink “fatten up” on press, giving you more pigment on paper that you see on your monitor. Be especially careful to keep backgrounds light if there is black or dark colored text over it, so that the text remains readable.
Will you match a sample I print out on my own printer, or a previously printed sample?
At University Graphics, part of the way we help hold prices to a minimum is by printing to a “pleasing color” standard, using standard ink densities. Therefore, there is no guarantee that your finished piece will approximate your sample, either from your printer or printed piece. This is due to the widely varying results from different output devices including inkjet and laser printers, continuous tone proofing devices, high-resolution film-based proofs, and true offset lithography.
If you require precise color match, please contact us to arrange for a film-based hard proofs. Once you approve the additional fees necessary (Starting at $135.00) we will produce the necessary hard proof for you. When you approve and return the proof, we will strive to match the color of the proof when printing your final piece.
There are substantial additional charges for precise color match service. Also, at this stage, if you request color corrections or other changes after you see your proof, there will be a minimum of another charge of $300.00 for color correction time, a new set of color negatives (4 pieces) and new proof. The bottom line: the final product we produce for you is unlikely to match the output from your inkjet – ours will look more professional.
Will I always receive exactly the quantity I order?
Most of the time, we will ship you slightly more than you ordered, free of charge. On occasion, we will have more than the industry standard allowable overrun and we will contact you to see if you can use the extra copies at a reduced price.
What is the acceptable industry standard for printing over/under the quantity ordered?
Depending on the complexity of the job, the acceptable standard in the commercial markets is from 5% to 10%. Our personal standard is to be 5% or less.
What types of storage media do you accept?
We can take your files on 3.5” floppy diskette, CD, DVD or Zip Disk.
How long will it take to upload my files?
It will vary depending on the size of your file. Also, the speed of your internet connection and the volume of internet traffic at the time you send it.
Why can't I see my graphics file in the file upload utility?
You will need to change the “Files of Type” dialog box away from the default of “HTML FILES” to “All Files (*.*). The dialog box will then display all the files. This is just an annoying feature of some older browsers.
Should I do anything special if I'm on AOL?
If you use America Online (AOL) for your Internet connection, you should be aware that AOL could limit your inactivity on the web and disconnect you from the Internet if you are not a current, active user. Uploading files appears to be inactivity to AOL. It is recommended that you keep your AOL email account open at the same time you are uploading your files. This can “trick” AOL programming into thinking you are still active on the internet, thereby preventing the possibility of getting disconnected during your file upload.
How do I check for proper imposition or backup?
“Imposition” and “backup” refer to how the front of a printed piece is oriented to the back. In the case of a brochure, you may normally turn it over right-to-left (like you turn the page of a book) in order to have the backside read correctly – not upside down. Seems simple, until you get to a postcard where one side is layed out in landscape (horizontal) orientation, and the other side in portrait (vertical) orientation. We use our best judgment when imposing a job, so that it backs up in the most natural or normal manner. Some designs, however, contain both portrait and landscape elements on both sides, making it difficult to make a clear call. Be sure to print out a copy of each side of the job you are going to print and put the two sheets together back to back to create a “mockup” or “dummy”. This is especially important when a job will be folded.
Do I need to impose by Business Cards 8-up if they will be printed more than 1 to a sheet?
No. Please send us a single layout of your job un-imposed; we will handle any imposition needed on our end.
Do you have templates to help me correctly design my project?
Templates are available for letterhead, #10 envelopes and business cards. Our Templates page has these available for you.
Where can I find Post Office Regulations?
Go to: www.usps.com/send/postagepermitimprintsandmeters/tipsforusingapermitimprint.htm
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