Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here, you can find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our products and services. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for in the FAQs, please contact our team, and we’ll do all we can to help.
- Order
- Artwork and Prepress
- Production
- Packaging and Shipping
- Payments and Invoicing
- After-sales
Order
Do you charge extra for fulfilling urgent orders?
No, we don’t add charges for urgent orders. However, we ask that you contact us first, before placing your order, so that we can agree an acceptable timeframe for production and delivery. Once agreed, we will go ahead with your order and you will not be charged any additional fees.
What is your minimum order quantity?
It depends on the product. For commercial printing products, folding carton boxes and simpler board games, our MOQ is 100 pcs. For card decks, our MOQ is 200 decks. With complex board games, our MOQ is 500 pcs. 500-piece and 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles have MOQs of 3000 and 5000 pcs, respectively.
How do I get a quote?
You may get an online quote for all products other than packaging, here: https://www.qinprinting.com/quote/.
For packaging products, go here: https://www.qinprinting.com/packaging-quote/.
Should you experience any difficulties, please contact us and one of our experts will generate a quote for you.
Can I cancel my order?
You can cancel your order until we start production. Once production has started, it is no longer possible to cancel an order.
Do you offer discounts for crowdfunded projects?
If you are crowdfunding with Kickstarter and clearly state on your project pages that you are printing with QinPrinting, we can offer you a special discount coupon.
Do you use sustainable and eco-friendly materials?
Yes. We offer FSC-certified and recycled paper stocks at your request and use biodegradable soy-based inks wherever possible.
Can I order a single item first?
If you have agreed to mass production, we will provide you with a sample first so you can make sure everything is to your liking before we go ahead. There is a small added fee for the provision of samples.
Do you print in black-and-white or colour?
That’s up to you. We can print in black-and-white or colour or both depending on your needs. Please note that our online quoting system is based on full-colour printing. If you want to print in black-and-white only, please contact us and one of our experts will generate a quote for you.
Do you offer an assembly service?
Yes. If you order packaging products with us, we can assemble the packages, load them with products, and carry out quality assessments on the products we load.
Artwork and Pre-press
Why do I need to add a 0.125” or 3 mm bleed to the artwork?
The 0.125” or 3 mm bleed zone provides tolerance, which allows for cutting and binding. It guarantees that your artwork is perfect on the page without unwanted white margins.
What artwork format do you need for printing?
We need high-resolution PDF formatted artwork (including a 3 mm bleed zone) for printing. Photos and images should be exported as vectors or with a resolution of at least 300 dpi to guarantee professional quality results. You may also provide us with original artwork and fonts with linked images.
Do you provide design services?
We are an offset printing company, so printing is the core service we provide. We do not provide a comprehensive design service. However, unlike many printers, we are committed to offering significant design support. For example, we offer free downloadable design templates for book formats, flyers, posters, and more, along with an expert artwork file checking service and, of course, one-to-one advice and assistance for all our customers via telephone, email, Skype, and the online chat.
How should I send my artwork?
You can send us your artwork via email, to [email protected], or send us a link to Dropbox, Google Docs, etc. You can also upload your files to file sharing sites such as Sprend or Wetransfer and share the link with us.
What colour mode is used for printing?
Offset printing uses the CMYK colour space. Most design software uses the RGB colour space. The most efficient solution is for you to change the colour space to CMYK when you export your print-ready files. If you don’t know how to do this, ask us and we’ll explain. But don’t worry too much. If we receive your artwork in RGB mode, we’ll change it for you before we go to press. However, as the colours can change a little when moving from one colour space to another, we recommend that you prepare and edit your original photos and artwork in CYMK using an application such as InDesign.
Which colour profile is recommended?
It is recommended to use CMYK: Japan Colour 2001 Coated
How do I count pages?
A piece of paper is called a sheet. A single sheet has two pages, one on the front and one on the back. If you fold a sheet in half, it then has four pages, one at the front, two in the middle, and one at the back.
Can I use Canva to design my artwork?
You can use Canva but we recommend Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator for better functionality and a more professional experience. If you must use Canva, please select “file” then click “view setting” and then, “show print bleed” to set up the bleed lines before you begin your design. When you download your finished design, select “PDF print”, and check “Crop marks and bleed”. Select the CMYK colour profile.
Production
Will you reprint if a mistake has been made in the printing process?
If the mistake is our fault, we will reprint an entire run for you at no charge after corrections have been made. If the error was on your side, we will reprint if you agree to cover the costs — which may be less than the original print run depending on the type of mistake made. However, mistakes are very rare indeed due to our thorough design support services — including expert, manual file checking — our attentive customer service, our expertise, and our rigorous quality control protocols.
How long does production take after I approve the proofs?
We’ll start printing as soon as we’ve received the agreed deposit and you’ve approved the PDF proofs. Here’s a quick breakdown of our production speeds for different products:
- Softcover books— about 5 to 10 days
- Hardcover books— about 2 to 3 weeks
- Carddeck --- about 2-3 weeks
- Leaflets and posters — about 3 to 5 days
- Cardboard paper boxes — about 7 to 10 days
- Rigid boxes — about 2 to 3 weeks
- Custom board games — about 3 to 6 weeks
Can I change my designs after I’ve placed an order?
If we haven’t started production yet, you may change your designs after you’ve placed an order. However, we will charge you a fee for any pre-production processes we’ve already completed, which the changes will affect. Once production starts, it’s no longer possible to change designs.
Can I see a proof before production?
We will send you a PDF proof as standard before we begin production. At your request, and for an added fee to cover the costs of manufacture and mailing, we can provide a full range of physical samples, including hard proofs, dummies, digital printing samples, and offset printing samples.
Packaging and Shipping
Are your turnaround times guaranteed?
We offer a timeframe guarantee once all pre-production procedures have been completed on both sides. In the unlikely event that we experience a delay and are unable to fulfil your order according to the agreed turnaround time, we’ll offer you a discount against further services as compensation. While we can guarantee our production timetable, delivery times are necessarily estimates as transit may occasionally be affected by circumstances and conditions beyond our control. While we have long-established relationships with our reliable and trusted shipping partners, we trust you will understand that we cannot accept responsibility for goods once they have left our facilities.
How do you pack the products for shipment?
It depends on how we ship. Usually, if the total weight is more than 700 kg, we will pack your goods in sturdy cartons loaded onto pallets. If the total weight is less than 700 kg, we will pack your goods and ship them in cartons without pallet-loading.
How do you ensure the safety of the products from damage or getting wet?
We take multiple measures to optimize the safety of the products that we deliver. We wrap them with packaging paper and then seal them into waterproof plastic bags before loading them into the cartons. We then load the cartons onto the pallets and further secure them with impermeable plastic shrink-wrap and heavy-duty tape. These measures make sure that your products are protected from movement and moisture during transit, so that they arrive in pristine condition.
What shipping options do you offer?
We can ship by air or sea. For air shipment, our trusted partners are FedEx and DHL. For sea shipments, there are two options.
- If shipping over two pallets, we will ship by sea, complete customs clearance in your local port, and then complete delivery of the pallet-packed goods by truck.
- If the total shipping weight is less than 1000 kg, we will ship by sea, complete customs clearance in your local port, and then complete delivery with UPS Ground, FedEx Ground, or truck depending on your country. When shipping by truck, we’ll pack your products in master cartons without pallets.
Where will my products ship from?
Our facilities are in Shanghai in China. We ship products from the Port of Shanghai to destinations all over the world.
Do you ship to P.O. boxes?
For practical and security reasons, we do not ship to P.O. boxes.
Can you send one order to different addresses?
Yes. We can split orders for shipping to multiple addresses, no problem.
Do you offer storage and dispatch services?
Yes! Contact us to discuss your needs.
Can you print my logo on the outer packaging?
Yes, of course!
Can you ship to third-party fulfilment centers such as Amazon?
Yes, of course!
Payments and invoicing
What's payment term?
We ask for a 50% deposit before printing and the remaining balance before shipping. If you choose T/T payment, and the entire sum is lower than $2000 (US), we recommend a complete upfront payment to save on transfer charges.
Are credit cards acceptable?
Our bank account does not accept payments made from credit cards. If you want to pay using a credit card, you may do so, but you must pay via our PayPal account. PayPal charges 5% PayPal fee. You need to pay the PayPal fees.
What currencies do you accept?
We accept US, Australian, and Canadian dollars, UK pounds, Euros, and Chinese RMB.
After-sales
What if I do not receive the products I ordered?
For any shipment made by air, we provide you with the tracking number for our shipping partners, FedEx and DHL. You can check the logistics information on their official website using the tracking number or contact their local branch and get the requisite information. For pallet shipments via sea, we will provide you with the Telex Release and Bill of Lading (BL) once the balance clears. You can use this to check the logistics information with the freight forwarder or contact them using the information provided on the BL. For carton shipments via sea, after the vessel arrives at the Long Beach port and our forwarder finishes the customs clearance in the US, we will provide you with a UPS ground tracking number. We always keep an eye on the delivery status from our end and can contact our delivery partner on your behalf if you wish.
What if the products are damaged on arrival?
Multiple measures are taken from our end in order to ensure that your products are perfectly secured for shipment via both air and sea. In the case of sea shipping, if you have opted for CIF (cost, insurance, and freight) or DDU (delivered duty unpaid), we also take out insurance against any possible damage that might happen to the products. If you have received a damaged product, the insurance company will pay compensation, which is equal to the cost of the products. Once we receive the compensation, we will provide you with a complete refund or reprint the products for you as you choose.