What Happens Next
You have your quote. Now what?
Every step from your files to your first shipped order, in the order it happens, with what each one costs. Start at the top. The first two steps save people the most time and money, and they both happen before you upload anything.
1
Send your print specifications to whoever is designing your product
If someone else is building your files, send them our specifications before they start. Nearly every correction we find is a setup decision that is free to make at the beginning and expensive at the end. Files already finished? Start at step 2.
2
Check your files against the print ready PDF checklist
Bleed, crop marks, margins, and page setup, product by product. Cover requirements differ, so read the section for what you are making rather than the whole thing.
Checklist for print ready PDFs Creating products using Canva Creating products using InDesign
3
Open your account and add a card
Your free author account holds your files, products, orders, and invoices. Adding a card lets us produce and ship without stopping to collect payment each time.
4
Upload your files
Log in and use the send files link. The fee is $35.00 per upload, and it covers every file for one product, so zip them and send one folder.
Your files go through two separate reviews before anything is printed, first in prepress and again in production. We check bleed, crop marks, page count, and page size against your specifications, and we measure every PDF, including tab widths and binding edge margins. Then we add the product to your account.
Revised or updated files go through that same review, so the $35.00 fee applies again. That is why the checklist in step 2 is worth the time.
5
Order a proof
A printed proof is a physical copy of your own product, so you see the paper weight, the binding, the foil, and the feel of the cover before you commit to a full quantity. Printed proofs are priced by cover type.
Producing a hardcover? We can add your product with a softcover first, so you can order one cheap copy to read and mark up, then switch it to hardcover when you are ready.
Proofs are charged separately and are not credited toward a later bulk order.
6
Approve your proof and we print
Production time depends on the cover, not the binding.
| Product | Production time |
|---|---|
| Products printed on demand, including wire-o, plastic spiral, and metal spiral | 3 to 5 business days |
| Card decks, fewer than 100 decks | 3 to 5 business days |
| Card decks, 100 decks or more | 5 to 7 business days |
| Board covers and 10 mil laminated covers | 2 weeks |
| Any hardcover product | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Custom printed boxes for card decks, printed corrugated mailer boxes | 4 weeks |
October through December are our busiest months and production may run one to two weeks longer. Working toward a launch or an event? Tell us early and we will plan around it.
7
Your product goes into inventory
We print it and shelve it, in the same building. From there we ship individual orders to your customers as they come in. Storage is calculated daily and invoiced every two weeks, at a rate that depends on the product.
Have product we did not print? Ship it to us and we will store and fulfill it too. Just tell us the product name so we can list it in your account.
8
Send us your orders
Sell from your own site using whatever shopping cart you prefer. Orders that reach us in our supported format are processed free, and that format works with any cart. Orders we enter by hand are $1.25 each, so this is worth setting up once.
You are invoiced on the 1st and the 15th for everything shipped in the previous two weeks, and the card on file is charged the next business day.
Stuck on any step? Email us or schedule a call and we will walk you through it.
Ready for the Next Step?
Wherever you are in the process, here is where to go.
Still deciding? See how Vervante works →
