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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I upload a logo or image and apply it to my document?

If you have a complete design that you want us to print, please check that it meets the required file size, image dimensions, resolution, and file format before uploading. Then just follow click "Upload your own design" on the home page.

How do I upload an entire design?

There are two different ways to use your artwork at Exactprint. You can:

  • Upload your graphic elements (like photos or logos) to use within a Exactprint design.
  • Upload your complete artwork for us to print.

To upload your graphic elements (photos or logos) to use within a Exactprint design, begin by choosing a Exactprint product. When you select a Exactprint design from that product's gallery the Exactprint Studio will open for you to customise your document. To add your photo or logo, click on "Add Picture" or click inside an image frame that says "Click to add image" and follow the instructions.

To upload your complete artwork for us to print, follow Exact Upload.

To upload your design and use our online Studio tools to add text, follow Exact Upload. When you reach the Review Your Document page, click on "Edit your document in our online Studio."

For more information including file formats and design specifications, please refer to: www.exactprint.co.uk

How do I register/create an account?

To create an account with ExactPrint you will need to tick the “Create an account” box at the checkout and complete the required filled before leaving the checkout page.

  1. Under the heading "Create an account," Tick” the box.
  2. Enter the information requested in the fields shown.

How do I order a quantity not shown on the website?

You may Save a Copy of the document and add it to your Shopping Cart, you may then select the amounts to arrive at the target figure. For example to get 25 Mugs, you can order 10 of the original and 15 of the “copy” or vice versa, at the checkout.

How do I update my account information?

To update your account information, go to My Account or Log In and click on the My Account link. If you are not logged in to your account, you will be prompted to do so.

I forgot my password. What do I do?

If you know your e-mail address, but have forgotten your password, we will e-mail your password to you. Click Log In, then type in your e-mail address, and click the "Reset My Password" link.

If you are trying to sign in or use the password reminder link above, but you receive an error stating, "The information you provided is not valid," this means that we have no record of a registered user for that e-mail address. You most likely registered using a different e-mail address. If you need to register again, click on Log In.

If you are trying to register and you receive a message stating, "A shopper with that e-mail address is already registered," this means that an account has already been created for that particular e-mail address. Only one account can be created per e-mail address. If this e-mail address is yours, be sure to sign in instead of registering again.

International delivery to other countries (apart from UK) may be subject to local customs (Local Duties and charge at the destination country). Please confirm from your local customs for further information before ordering.

Can I change my shipping address?

You have the ability to edit the shipping address, as long as your order has not been processed. Just go to your Order History, select the order, and click on the "Edit Shipping Address" link to update.

If your order has been processed, you will not be able to change your shipping address. We apologise for any inconvenience and hope you understand our need to keep our costs at a minimum and our turnaround times fast. This helps us provide you with the best value in the printing industry.

Can I cancel or change my order?

In an effort to keep costs down and to pass those savings along to customers in the form of great prices, Exactprint is a fully automated, self-service web site. As we state on our web site and throughout the checkout process, orders may not be changed or cancelled once submitted. We apologize for any inconvenience. We hope you understand our need to keep our costs at a minimum and our turnaround times fast, in order to continue to provide you with the best value in the printing industry.

What if I am not satisfied with my order?

The Exactprint Guarantee of Satisfaction

Exactprint stands behinds the quality of its products and service. If you are not satisfied with your purchase from us, simply contact Customer Care within 3 days from the date you receive it (or the date it was scheduled to arrive) and we will investigate the product(s) in question, if we need to refund you, we will refund you excluding postage and processing costs. If an Item is to be return back to us, it must be return in its original packaging and perfect condition. If we ask you to return back a product, you will be responsible for all the postage cost and evidence of postage.

Indeed, Exactprint takes great pride in its commitment to customer satisfaction. However, certain circumstances are beyond our control. Please note that we cannot be responsible for:

  • Spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors made by the customer.
  • Inferior quality or low-resolution of uploaded images.
  • Design errors introduced by the customer in the document creation process.
  • Errors in user-selected options such as choice of finish, quantity or product type.

Please preview your designs carefully and correct any mistakes prior to placing your order. In an effort to keep costs down and pass substantial savings along to our customers, Exactprint does not proof documents created by its customers prior to processing.

What is your return policy?

Exactprint is committed to customer satisfaction. We will reprint or refund the cost of any product that fails to meet our customer's quality expectations. However, we cannot take responsibility for typing, image, or design errors introduced by customers in the document creation process. In an effort to keep costs down and pass those savings along to our customers, Exactprint does not review design / documents for content or spelling.

Exactprint guarantees that you will be satisfied with the quality of our products. If you are not satisfied with any product, please contact Customer Care within 30 days of receiving your order. Please include your order number, e-mail address you used to order, and reason for dissatisfaction. If you have not received your order by the time it was promised, please contact Customer Care within thirty days from the date it was promised to arrive.

The order I received is not complete. What do I do?

If you have received your order and believe that it is not complete, please review the details of your order to verify that all items have shipped together. Use the link below to contact us with the details of what is missing.

To view the details and status of your order, please visit: www.exactprint.co.uk/contact

Be sure to include your name, e-mail address and order number to help expedite our processing of your request.

How do I re-order? (This option is not available at the moment)

Re-ordering previous product is presently not available, all orders will always have to be placed again.

Can I pay by Switch, Solo, check, money order or C.O.D.?

In the event that a credit card payment is not possible, we do payment by Switch. This option is available from our billing options page. We do not make arrangements for C.O.D.

What methods of payment do you accept?

Exactprint accepts the following payment methods on our secure site: Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and Switch

Can you send me a bill?

Exactprint does not provide billing at this time.

In the event that a credit card payment is not possible, we do accept payment by Switch. We do not make arrangements for C.O.D. This option is available from our billing options page at checkout.

What is CMYK printing?

CMYK printing, also known as 'Process Printing,' is an industry standard method of printing in full color. CMYK actually stands for the four colors used as part of this printing standard. C is Cyan, M is Magenta, Y is Yellow, and K is for 'Key,' which is the description that printers use for Black ink.

CMYK printing can reproduce most color photographs very well. In traditional printing, a full color photograph is scanned and then run through software to create 'color separations.' Once the separations are processed, and 'plates' are made for each of the CMYK colors, the printer runs the ink through the plates on press, and the result is your full color image printed on paper.

Cyan Plate | Magenta Plate | Yellow Plate | Black Plate
CMYK Seperated Color Plates

CMYK is the most economical method of reproducing full colour images in the highest quality, and most magazines and glossy collateral is printed using CMYK. CMYK is the standard method that Exactprint currently uses to process all print jobs for customers.

What should I know about color printing and proofs?

Viewing color on your monitor

Computer monitors use RGB to display color. RBG stands for Red, Green and Blue. When you print something to the CMYK process, for best results, you need to convert any RBG images, to CMYK images first. Sometimes you'll see some changes to the image when you make this conversion, so it's better that you see the changes first before uploading your file.

Also some colors that you see on your screen are very difficult to reproduce exactly using CMYK (or any other printing method). Therefore if you have the software that enables you to process your image into CMYK before you upload the image to Exactprint, you'll have a close idea of what you'll get once the printed products are shipped to you.

Some of the hardest colors to match going from RGB to CMYK are blues.

The differences between monitors

You also have to take into consideration that different monitor types display colors differently. For instance, many LCD or laptop monitors cannot display as much of a range of colors as other monitors. On these monitors, colors can lose contrast and many colors sometimes look similar to others (for instance, dark greens and browns).

Professional designers and prepress companies use color-calibrated monitors to ensure that the color they see on their screens is as close as possible to the actual color of the file. Most home users cannot afford to purchase these very high-end monitors, and therefore have to understand that there will ALWAYS be variance from what they see on the screen to what they see on their printer, or any other output device.

Why do certain colours look different after they print?

Most home and small business printers are either inexpensive ink-jet printers, or color laser printers. It is impossible to calibrate any of these systems as they have a wide and varied range of methods of printing. Even though some printers use CMYK inks, many other factors have to be considered, and it is impossible to expect to consistently print perfect color.

Exactprint owns an extremely high-end, multi-million dollar printing facility, with consistent quality control and colour correction standards. While Exactprint maintains as high standards as possible, it is still almost impossible to print and expect to see exactly the same colour every day.

There are so many possible factors that can affect the colour on your printed materials. The weather outside can play a part in affecting how the ink dries on the paper, and can change the colour slightly. The paper delivered from the paper mill may be slightly brighter. The ink density and constant on-press fluctuations in colour, printing press running temperature or blanket wear, could also affect colour slightly. It is impossible to expect that any professional printer can produce exactly the same printed blue on two separate days. However, Exactprint does have high quality controls to ensure as little variation as possible, especially within a single product order.

What should I know about image resolution measurements?

One of the most confusing aspects of desktop publishing and printing is resolution and the measurement of resolution. On our Web site, to minimize confusion for those new at this, we have consistently used PPI to refer to resolution, regardless of the image location or source. You may see other measurement acronyms (DPI, LPI and SPI) and wonder how they correlate. To clarify the terminology, here are definitions and explanations for each term.

PPI

PPI (pixels per inch) is how a monitor displays an image. How the image looks on the screen is determined by the resolution of the monitor (the number of pixels the monitor can display in a given area). Therefore the PPI is the display resolution, not the image resolution.

DPI

DPI (dots per inch) is probably the most familiar and most misused measure of resolution. It is not the resolution of scanned images, and it is not the measure of images on your monitor. DPI is the measure of how many dots of ink or toner a printer can place within an inch.

Most printers print the same number of dots horizontally and vertically. Basically a 600 dpi printer prints 600 tiny dots horizontally across one inch, and 600 tiny dots vertically up one inch.

SPI

SPI (samples per inch) is a measurement of image resolution when doing a scan, or using an image from a CD or digital camera.

Some scanning manufacturers use DPI in place of SPI in listing their scanners resolution capabilities. This is misleading because there are no dots in the image until it is actually printed.

When you're scanning photographic images, you need to keep in mind your final printing or output method. If you scan at too low a resolution and you find need to blow up your image in the software program you are using, you will end up with a lower quality image. On the other hand, using too much resolution results in wasted information and unnecessarily large file sizes.

LPI

LPI (lines per inch) is an important measurement related to the way Exactprint produces printed products. LPI is a standard offset printing term, and is dependent on the output device and the type of paper used for printing.

To simulate shades of gray using only black ink, a printer prints varying sizes and patterns of halftone spots (spots are made up of many dots of ink). Small halftone spots (fewer dots) create the visual illusion of a lighter gray while larger halftone spots (more dots) appear darker, and blacker.

Halftone Dots Representing Different Levels of Gray

The printer uses a halftone screen divided into cells. The cells contain the halftone spots. How close together the cells are in the grid is called lines per inch. This is the LPI, or line screen.

When printing in CMYK, the printer uses a different screen angle for each of the four colors. These separated colours are often called plates. Each plate prints at a different screen angle, and once all the plates are printed at different angles, the ink mixes together to create a seamless, smooth full-colour image.

Cells of Dots Used to Print in CMYK

The lower the LPI, the more obvious the halftone dots appear in the printed piece. Most laser printers (300 to 600 dpi) can only manage to print an LPI of 50 to 65 LPI, resulting in coarser image reproduction. High-resolution image-setters (like those at Exactprint) print at an LPI of 150 resulting in much smoother images comparable to photographs. As a reference, these image-setters print with a DPI of 3600!

Site Issues / Site Navigation

Which browsers do you support?

If you would like to simply take advantage of Exactprint's free business card offer, you may use any of the following browsers:

  • MSIE 4.x and higher
  • Netscape 4.x and higher
  • WebTV 2.6 w MSIE 4.0

Our online design tool, is a state-of the-art, dynamic application that allows you to:

  • Upload your own logo or photo.
  • Design in real time!

The advanced technology of our online design studio is currently supported by the following browsers:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.5 or greater
  • AOL versions based on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or greater

ExactStudio brings you the power of Desktop Publishing right through your browser!

Please note that it is not Exactprint's intent to purposely ignore any segment of the browser/platform market. Unfortunately, some technologies do not currently provide the sophisticated programming necessary to render documents at high speeds via the Internet.

For complete details on browser/platform requirements, please visit:

Is your site secure?

Exactprint protects our customers and their information using the most advanced standards for security.

We use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology, which is supported by the vast majority of modern Internet browsers. SSL technology represents the highest level of security available on the Internet. It automatically encrypts information traveling over the Internet, verifies the identity of the transacting servers through certificates and digital signatures, and confirms that the integrity of message content is maintained throughout transmission.

Exactprint's minimum requirement for transactions is the standard 40-bit or 56-bit encryption supported by the Internet Explorer 5.0 browser. If you are not using this browser, please refer to your browser's documentation for information on its security features.

What is your Privacy Policy?

Please click here to view our Privacy and Security Page

What are your Terms of Use?

Please click here to view our policy regarding Terms of Use

Which file formats can I save my artwork in?

  • Adobe Acrobat Document (*.pdf) (recommended)
  • Microsoft Office 2003 Document (*.doc,*.docx)
  • Adobe Illustrator Artwork (*.ai) (recommended)
  • PCX Image Document (*.pcx)
  • Adobe Photoshop Image (*.psd) (recommended)
  • PICT Image (*.pic,*.pict,*.pct)
  • Bitmap Image (*.bmp)
  • PNG Image (*.png)
  • CorelDRAW Image (*.cdr,*.clk)
  • PostScript File (*.ps)
  • GIF Image (*.gif)
  • Windows Enhanced Metafile (*.emf)
  • JPEG Image (*.jpg,*.jpeg)
  • Windows Metafile (*.wmf)
  • Microsoft Publisher 2003 Document (*.pub)

What resolution does my artwork need to be for uploading?

For display on the Web, monitors typically display images at 72 DPI. If you need your final image to appear as 3 inch by 5 inch on your monitor, your scan should be 3 inch by 5 inch at 72 SPI.

In printing, for optimum results, the general rule of thumb is that your scanned image (or image from digital camera or CD) should be scanned at final display size with an SPI roughly double that of the line screen that the printer will be using for LPI.

Because Exactprint uses an LPI of 150, this means that uploaded images or scans need to be at approximately 300 PPI at 100% size for the very best printing results.

If the scanned image is smaller than the recommended size or has less SPI than you need, you should either rescan your original at the larger size, or reload the image from your digital camera or CD.

You will get adequate results if your image uses approximately 1.5 times the SPI of your final LPI. Therefore, if your original image is only 225 SPI or above at full size, the results will probably be good enough. However Exactprint recommends 300 SPI.

How can I reduce the file size of the artwork I want to upload?

Image editing software applications enable you to save your artwork in a format of your choice. In general, saving your file as a high resolution JPEG will help to reduce the size of your file while maintaining relatively high quality of your image when it is printed.

The following are tips for reducing file size using specific application software.

Tips on Image Size Reduction using Adobe Illustrator™

If you are using Illustrator:

  1. Flatten the Illustrator file.
  2. Open the .ai file in Photoshop and make sure when Photoshop opens the file it is 1063 x 614 pixels.*
  3. Save the file as a .psd to upload.

*If your Illustrator file is too large when you open it in Photoshop, this means that you have an object extending beyond the art board. Open the file in Illustrator and make sure NO text or objects go past the black box. Resave the file and go through steps 1-3 again.

Tips on Image Size Reduction using Photoshop

To decrease size of a Photoshop file, flatten the file. If it is still too large, save it as a .pdf. Select encoding: jpeg. First select #12 quality. Save the .pdf and check the file size. If the file is still too large, try saving it at lesser and lesser quality until it is small enough to upload.

Tips on Image Size Reduction using other programs

If your file is larger than 4MB, you can try saving it as a PDF, JPEG or TIF format. These file formats compress images in different ways to achieve a smaller file size.

  • PDF is a good choice for simple line art.
  • JPEG reduces the number of pixels and will work well for photographs that are too large to upload. Experiment with different levels of quality when saving to JPEG to get the best quality possible at an acceptable file size (less than 4 MB).
  • GIF compresses files by reducing the number of colors displayed in the image. Therefore, it does not work very well for color photos. It is best for online display.
  • TIF is another recommended file format for good quality printing results.

How do I upload a logo or image and apply it to my document?

If you have a complete design that you want us to print, please check that it meets the required file size, image dimensions, resolution, and file format before uploading. See our Art Specs for details. Then just follow click "Upload your own design" on the home page.

How do I upload an entire design?

There are three different ways to use your artwork at Exactprint. You can

  • Upload your graphic elements (like photos or logos) to use within a Exactprint design.
  • Upload your complete artwork for us to print.
  • Upload your design and use our online Studio tools to add text.

To upload your graphic elements (photos or logos) to use within a Exactprint design, begin by choosing a Exactprint product. When you select a Exactprint design from that product's gallery the Exactprint Studio will open for you to customise your document. To add your photo or logo, click on "Add Picture" in the toolbar or double-click inside an image frame that says "Click to add image" and follow the instructions.

To upload your complete artwork for us to print, follow Easy Upload. Prior to uploading, please check our Art Specifications page to ensure compatibility and best quality.

To upload your design and use our online Studio tools to add text, follow Easy Upload. . When you reach the Review Your Document page, click on "Edit your document in our online Studio." Prior to uploading your design, please check our Art Specifications page to ensure compatibility and best quality. Please note that you must be running Internet Explorer 5.5 or above to use our Studio editing tools.

How do I upload a file that I have created in Microsoft® Publisher?

To upload a Publisher file, you must first set up your file to be "printed by a commercial printer" and then save your Publisher file as a PostScript file. We strongly recommend that you complete the following steps, which will help to achieve optimal results in your final printed document.

(Note: These instructions are for Publisher 2002)

From the Tools menu in Publisher:

  1. Point to Commercial Printing Tools.
  2. Click Fonts.
  3. Select the Embed True Type Fonts When Saving Publication checkbox.
  4. Select the Subset Fonts When Embedding checkbox.
  5. Click to clear the Do Not Embed Common System Fonts checkbox.
  6. Click OK.

From the Tools menu in Publisher:

  1. Point to Commercial Printing Tools.
  2. Click Color Printing.
  3. Click Process Colors (CMYK) option button (radio button).
  4. Click OK.

From the File menu in Publisher:

  1. Click Save As.
  2. In the Save as type drop-down box, click PostScript.
  3. In the File name box, type a name for the file.
  4. Click Save. Publisher now displays the Save as PostScript File dialog box.
  5. In the Name drop-down box, click the PostScript printer or the appropriate output device. Note: You will need a PostScript printer driver. Publisher comes with a generic PostScript driver called "MS Publisher Color Printer." You can also download a PostScript printer driver from Adobe.com.
  6. Click Advanced Print Settings.
  7. Click the Use only publication fonts option button and then click OK.
  8. Click printer Properties.
  9. Click Advanced.
  10. Double-click PostScript Options.
  11. Click PostScript Output.
  12. In the drop-down box, click Optimize for Portability.
  13. Click TrueType Font Download.
  14. In the drop-down box, click Outline.
  15. Click OK to save changes and to close the dialog box.
  16. Click OK on the Advanced Printer Properties dialog box to save changes and to close the box.
  17. Click OK on the Print dialog box to save changes and to close the box.
  18. Click Save on the Save As dialog box to save the document as a PostScript file.

Your Publisher file is now ready to upload to our studio. Please click "Upload Your Own Design" on our main menu and follow the instructions to upload your file.

Note: You may notice slight color variations between what you view on your computer screen in your Publisher document and what you view on your computer screen in our studio. While we cannot make any color guarantees, in most cases, if you have followed the steps outlined above, these differences will be minimized in your final printed document.

How do I change fonts, colours, spacing, etc.?

To make changes to fonts, font size, text colors or text placement in a document you are currently designing:

  1. Click on the "Preview" button after entering your text.
  2. Click on the "Customize Now" button.
  3. Click on the text you wish to edit.

As a reminder, please be sure to proof your work before placing an order. In an effort to keep costs down and pass those savings along to our customers, Exactprint does not review card documents for content or spelling. Any content or spelling error is the sole responsibility of the customer.

How do I edit the backside of a document?

To make changes to fonts, font size, or text placement to the backside of a document that you are currently designing, please see the instructions below:

  1. Click on the "Preview" button after entering your text.
  2. Click on the "Customize Now" button.
  3. Click on the "Side 2" button to display the backside of the card design.
  4. Make the desired changes and be sure to carefully review your document for spelling and text placement. The card will print exactly as you see it in preview mode.
  5. Enter your initials to indicate that the spelling/content is correct and click on the "Next" button to proceed to checkout.

As a reminder, please be sure to proof your work before placing an order. In an effort to keep costs down and pass those savings along to our customers, Exactprint does not review card documents for content or spelling. Any content or spelling error is the sole responsibility of the customer.

To edit the backside of a document that you have already designed or ordered, please visit us at the following link and follow the instructions below:

Which products do you offer?

We offer standard pricing on all our products, including customized products with add-ons or upgrades.

For full pricing details, please click here

What printing process do you use?

All of our products are printed using a four-colour (CMYK) process. We use state-of-the-art, ink-based presses, resulting in unlimited colour combinations and optimum print quality.

What are your shipping costs?

Shipping and processing costs vary by the weight of your order and by the turnaround time you select during checkout.

Which shipping methods do you use?

For deliveries within the UK we generally deliver via Royal Mail or DHL (If selected during check out)

Do you offer rush delivery service?

Our fastest turnaround time is same business day (for Orders within M25) or Next day (this must be selected with your order on check out Via DHL. This timeframe is based on the day you first place your order and includes the time it takes to process, print, dry, package, ship and deliver your order.

What countries do you ship to?

We presently ship within UK and are adding new destinations regularly. For orders requiring overseas delivery please contact our Customer Care before placing order.

Can I arrange for my own shipping provider/courier to deliver my order?

At this time we are not able to accommodate such an arrangement.

Do you ship to APOs and MPOs?

Yes, we do ship to military addresses.

Why do I have to pay for free shipping?

Free shipping offers are valid for the minimum value per order as stated in our promotion. Additional charges will apply for product upgrades and photo/logo uploads unless otherwise specified.

What is Value Added Tax (VAT)?

Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax that is required by the European Union on certain goods and services shipped to customers within the European Union, and can be reclaimed in some instances.

How do I get my VAT invoice?

Exactprint will issue VAT invoices via email to all customers in the European Union who have purchased a product from us and have been charged applicable VAT. This invoice may be used to reclaim VAT when filing a regular VAT return.

This email will be sent to you after your order has been shipped. (Please note that the attached file is only a digital signature and not the actual invoice). Please print and save this invoice for your files. In the event that you do not receive this invoice or you misplace it on your computer, you can request a duplicate invoice from your Exactprint account.

Please double check your spam box.

How long is my stamp good for?

The rubber stamp will last for quite some time depending on how often you use it. Keep in mind that the ink pad in the stamp may run dry before the stamp wears out, so it's always good to order additional ink pads! For date stamps, the moveable date wheel is good for 12 years.

How do I create a signature stamp?

Creating a signature stamp will require you to scan a copy of your signature into one of our accepted file formats.

Can I upload my logo to a stamp?

Yes. Keep in mind that stamps are designed in black and white. For the best results, we recommend using an outline of your logo. You can always order a PDF Proof of your document to see what it will look like when it is printed.

Please note that photos and complex images are not meant to be placed on stamps.