Invitation Samples & Approving for Print
This is an important one to read as the sample process is quite lengthy, and often some of our stipulations seem to get ignored as I don't think people realise the importance of each one. This then delays the process as I have to chase missing info. So I'm going to explain a few reasons and give scenarios to explain just why all our requirements are there in the first place.
We ask you to do 3 things: return the samples, sign your chosen sample on every loose insert/page AND sign a print approval form. This is why…
1. Returning the Samples.
Clients that have booked with us for bespoke invitations will receive a hardcopy sample of their invitation for proof reading. We don't charge for samples because we see them as a necessity- so we don't feel it is justified to charge YOU for something that WE want to do in order to give the best service. However, these remain OUR property since you are not charged for them, therefore we ask for ALL to be returned (including rejected samples in cases where we send more than one sample). They cost a lot of money to make and a lot of the rejected samples can be dissected for parts to be reused, which is why we like them back since they haven't been paid for.
The other reason- and the MAIN reason, is that we will often refer back to it to look at little details when we come to make additional extras or your day stationery. Although the main details are on the order form i.e. colour and theme, tiny details such as ‘did I leave the border on or trim it off?’, ‘did I leave a 5mm mount backing or 10mm?’, ‘did I place the crystals on the initials or as line breaks?’. We have ALOT of orders, all varying widely, so it’s impossible to remember or note down THAT amount of tiny details. It is much more efficient to have the sample kept in your file to just take a quick look at as and when needed, in order to keep the consistency throughout your stationery.
We are having an increasing number of unreturned samples and this is all counting towards our stock loss, a lot of time spent scouring through any communication threads or photos trying to find evidence of any detail needed or back and forth messages asking you for information. So... I have recently implemented a new rule that is now starting to be rolled out to new clients; any samples not returned will be charged to the account. We understand that the samples may be sentimental and the desire to cling on to them may be overwhelming, but your approved sample that you sign off can be returned to you (free of charge) at the end, once our contract ends. Alternatively, a brand new one can be produced as part of your order as a keepsake with your names printed, now being offered at half price.
2- Signing each section of the invite.
Sometimes we send more than one sample of an invite to give you a choice. So signing your chosen/preferred one makes sure that they don't get mixed up and that we make the correct one. Another reason (an unlikely one at that, and has never happened) but let's say you've approved a sample, then we've produced them all, and you notice an error AFTERWARDS- by having your signature on each section it removes any doubt that we have switched it to 'cover up' a mistake on our part. It's proof that it is indeed the approved copy that has been produced. We would never do that anyway, but the fear of accusation of these things is there, as people can be quick to blame a company for mistakes of their own in the hopes of avoiding more costs. This protection works in your favour too- should we accidentally make an error between approval and printing (again, this has also never happened as I do full quality checks against the original approved sample at each stage of production), but it's a there to protect just incase.
3- Signing the 'Print Approval' form.
This is a form that comes with your sample for you to sign to give us permission to go ahead, IF and ONLY IF your sample is perfect and ready to print. We won't begin printing without your approval in writing. "Is this necessary when we've already signed the sample?" I hear you say. We used to only ask for signatures on samples for the reasons above. But usually these extra things are implemented following a bad experience where something has gone wrong in the past, to make it fool proof. Here's the story: we once did a sample where the client received it, loved it, signed the sample as proof, and then we produced the full order. Upon receiving the full order they pointed out that the DATE WAS WRONG on the invites. Obviously shocked and mortified, we looked back at the sample that was approved and pointed out that it is indeed what they had approved. They replied "Oh, well we noticed that it was wrong but we thought you knew" and so they never said anything. THIS IS THE WHOLE POINT OF A SAMPLE. We have many weddings on our books. We cannot be expected to remember everyones specific details and sometimes typos are made- hence the sample for proofing! Samples are not for fun or for decoration, they are to be checked for a reason. The order had to be reproduced, but at a cost to the client as it was their fault for approving the sample. Obviously very disheartening for us and heartbreaking for the client. This is when we brought in this extra step to make sure it never happens again.
REMEMBER- however OTT it may seem to have so many processes in place, remember they are there to protect BOTH of us from any errors or disputes, and potentially save time and money on making corrections...let's avoid this!
WOW, that was a long one! Thank you if you managed to stay with me for this long! I hope it's cleared up a few things and shows we're not just creating paperwork for the sake of it, it's all for the benefit of providing the best service that we can!
