PRINTING FAQs
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING
The end product was better than I ever imagined! The AG team was incredibly helpful throughout the process.
Issac R.
Emmie has been awesome to work with! Very attentive to detail and responsive to my questions.
Sally T. Aurora IL
Excellent customer service and amazing product! Would highly recommend this location :)
Jenny E. Oswego IL
Bill and his team at Alphagraphics has helped me out on a few commercial projects my millwork company has done now. The service and product has always been great! I wouldn’t think to use anyone else when I need graphics
Paul T. Montgomery IL
Emmie is awesome and helped me so much! It was just a pleasure.
Patricia L. Sycamore IL
I was the new chairperson for a high school event this fall. Alphagraphics was so great to work with since I was new and unsure. The turn around time was amazing and any suggestions on changes was heard and responded to quickly. I can see why Batavia High School organizations keep going back for more projects as Alphagraphics works hard to have a quality working relationship with their customers. They are a business that always strives to do what is right and that is a classic trait to strive for. Thank you for making our event better each year!!
Mandi M. Batavia IL
Always very professional and fast!
Laura M. Oswego IL
Easy to order, helpful staff.
Kristina G. Aurora IL
Emmie was great to work with. Quick response and fulfillment with my last minute order.
Christina E.
Alphagraphics is always there for the needs of Batavia Park District. They provide quality and consistence I can rely on.
Karl F. Batavia IL
you should contact all Funeral Homes and let them know you offer this service!
Paul K.
I am always pleased with the professional-looking end result. I also appreciated the order being delivered in person.
Kimberly A. Oswego IL
Great service with great designs.
Tom D. Aurora IL
Emmie and your printing team continue to be exceptional to work with! During our current busy season, we run on very tight deadlines with our marketing pieces and AlphaGraphics has continually delivered quality service time and time again, at an affordable price, too!
Ben M. Aurora IL
Great communication, fast process, and excellent quality.
Steven L. Batavia IL
I am always sending Lisa Harmon last minute items for quotes and she gets back to me on such a timely matter. Even on items that I have urgent she knows how to work with a deadline that I receive. She is a great help and makes my ordering so easy.
Lorena A. Aurora IL
The experience was made easy by Bill & his staff. The pricing was fair.
Jeff B. Aurora IL
Lisa Harmon has been great with our big amounts of forms, documents that we need. She is very helpful and pleasant to work with.
Lorena A. Aurora IL
Great customer service. Orders arrive in a very timely manner. Quick response when ordering.
Renata Y. DeKalb IL
Appreciate the prompt, friendly, and professional attention to our order. The Cheers!
John S. DeKalb IL
Creative, professional products that are always done in a timely manner.
Laura M. Oswego IL
We, at Not Just Grass Inc, had such a great experience with the Aurora Alphagraphics location. They dealt with our continuous changes with ease and patience. They were always quick to respond as well.
Greg V. Batavia IL
AlphaGraphics provides superior service and quality products. They've been my go-to for promotional products for years!
Amy H. Oswego IL
Friendly quick service
Mary DeKalb IL
Sales and customer service are always enjoyable to work with.
Sue D. Batavia IL
Product and Service were Exceptional!
Megan L. St. Joseph IL
Great job, easy to work with Thanks
Bob N. Maple Park IL
Lisa was great. She was easy to work with, prompt, attentive and friendly. We will definitely come back to her for marketing/printing needs in the future!
Noelle Arvada CO
John and his team were very accommodating to get my order pushed through on short notice. Their efforts are greatly appreciated.
Vince C.
The work is always professional and creative!
Laura M. Oswego IL
Great customer service.
Bruce W. Glen Ellyn IL
Every project we do with AlphaGraphics, from the large display backdrop to ordering small replacements, parts is done efficiently, quickly and we have no problems! Customer service is always top notch!
Kathy B. Plano IL
Great experience, quick, professional, and great product quality.
James B.
I love working with your company. You are always willing to help and are there when we need you on short notice. Thank you!
Michelle N.
Every experience I've had with Alphagraphics has been excellent. They respond quickly and are extremely professional.
Deanne D. West Chicago IL
Ordering is easy and delivery is fast!!
Jennifer D. Aurora IL
Very helpful and quick to respond to our requests.
Audra S. Oswego IL
Larry made this whole process easy. We needed new banners, promo items and information cards produced for our recent Chamber Business Expo event. All was done on time and looks great.
Ken H.
I'm extremely happy with the professionalism of AlphaGraphics. I love my brochure and business cards. I will use them in the future.
Geri K. Sandwich IL
Our experience has been excellent! We work with John Kirchner and he is extremely responsive and helpful.
Carol F. Glen Ellyn IL
You've always been so patient and timely with us as we make our decisions and work with you. The product has always met our expectations and looks great!
Christine I. Batavia IL
The AlphaGraphics team goes beyond my expectations ALWAYS! My projects are uploaded and within a very short period of time, they are delivered to my customers. Very consistent and dependable. I refer others to AlphaGraphics as their service and product is #1.
Jan F. Aurora IL
We had a very short lead time to have our project completed and Alphagraphics exceeded our expectations. Completed the project on time and on budget.
Becky E. Oswego IL
You all are great. Everything is just as we expected. And your response time is quick. We are very pleased with the results.
Nancy L.
John is the best and my go-to guy. The recent order was perfect!
Omar T.
Very good customer service. They give you advice on your ideas plus a good price.
Sergio D.
Easy to work with. Came out exactly like I wanted.
Michaella F.
Larry, your staff is awesome. Keep up the great work.
Sylvia
Love working with the staff of AG due to the promptness of response to phone calls and emails.
Beverly P.
Alphagraphics always delivers for us and we appreciate it!
Heather B. Aurora IL
ALL ABOUT PRINTING
ARE THERE PRINT SIZE LIMITATIONS?
Yes, and no. Our digital copiers will take sheet sizes as small as 4.25” x 5.5” up to 13” x 19”. Traditional offset can accept sheet sizes up to 12” x 18”. Our in-house large format printers can produce graphics up to 41.5” wide. If you have specific questions about our sizing options, please do not hesitate to give us a call.
WHAT IS A PROOF AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
In printing terms, a proof is a one-off copy of your document after all modifications and printing setup processes have been completed. It is your last, and best, opportunity to make sure that your print job comes out the way you envisioned. By carefully inspecting the proof, you can help ensure an accurate, flawless delivery of your print job the first time.
DO YOU REQUIRE MINIMUM QUANTITIES ON ANY OF YOUR PRODUCTS?
Nope! Some printing methods may be more cost-effective than others, but our professional staff are happy to work with you to determine which printing method is best for your project.
DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COLOR SEPARATIONS OR HALF-TONE PRINTING TO GET MY JOB COMPLETED?
Absolutely not! We handle all the "back-end" production for you.
The terms are pretty easy to understand, though. Color separation refers to our offset printing process, where we use cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in four separate plates that go directly to the press. These four colors can create almost any color you can imagine!
Half-tone printing refers to converting a solid tone of black ink or one color into tiny dots that are invisible to the eye to create your image. You see a solid image, but it’s really created from the spacing of these tiny dots.
IS WHITE CONSIDERED A PRINTING COLOR?
Not typically. Because white is the default color of paper, it is simply recognized as the absence of ink.
WHAT PAPER TYPES DO YOU OFFER?
We have a large collection of “house” stocks in our production area. If you have a specific style in mind, we can check our in-house inventory to see if our selection is able to match your tastes. Or, we’ll check with our paper vendors to see what they have on hand. Keep in mind that special stocks or materials may require bulk purchasing from suppliers.
WHAT IS THE PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM?
The Pantone Matching System (PMS) is a color reproduction standard in which colors all across the spectrum are each identified by a unique, independent number. The use of PMS allows us to precisely match colors and maintain color consistency throughout the printing process.
WHY DO THE PRINTED COLORS LOOK DIFFERENT THAN THE COLORS ON MY SCREEN?
In short, printers and monitors produce color in different ways. Monitors use the RGB (red, green, blue) color model, which usually supports a wider spectrum of colors. Printers use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color model, which can reproduce most—but not all—of the colors in the RGB color model.
Depending on the equipment used, CMYK generally matches 85–90% of the colors in the RGB model. When a color is selected from the RGB model that is out of the range of the CMYK model, the application chooses the closest matching color. Programs like Adobe Photoshop will allow you to choose which color will be replaced; others may not. We’ll provide you with a sample print right before we print your job to ensure a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" final product.
COMMON PRINTING TERMS
BIND: To fasten sheets with wire, thread, glue, or by any other means.
BINDING: A name given for any of many procedures used to put pages together.
BLEED: Printing that goes to the edge of the sheet. Trimming is required to make the printing run to the edge of a sheet.
CAST-COATED: Coated paper with a high- gloss reflective finish.
COATED PAPER: Paper with a clay or other coating applied to one, or both, sides. The coating can be dull, gloss, matte, or a number of other finishes. Coated paper generally produces sharper, brighter images and has a more refelctive quality than uncoated paper.
COLLATE: To put pages in a certain order for binding.
COLOR CORRECTION: Methods of improving color separations and definition.
COVER PAPER: A heavy printing paper primarily used to cover books or make presentation folders.
SIDE-STITCHING: Stapling through the spine from front to back. The publication will not lay flat when opened.
CROP: To trim a picture, image, or printed sheet.
CROP MARKS: Printed lines showing where to trim a printed sheet.
GLOSS: A shiny paper coating that reflects light.
LAMINATE: To cover with protective film. Also used to bond or glue one surface to another.
MATTE FINISH: Dull paper or ink finish.
OFFSET PRINTING: Printing which involves a plate that makes an inked impression on a rubber-blanketed cylinder, which, in turn, transfers it to the paper.
PERFECT BINDING: An unsewn, flat-spined book binding made with glue.
RESOLUTION: The degree of sharpness of a computer-generated image as measured by the number of dots per linear inch in a hard-copy printout or, the number of pixels across and down on a display screen.
SADDLE-STITCHING: A type of binding that uses wire stapling at the center of a magazine or pamphlet.
SCORE: Creasing paper to help it fold more neatly.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE?
AlphaGraphics is a full service marketing communications provider, and offer a wide range of products and services. To see a full listing of our services, check out the Products & Services area of our website.
WHAT TYPES OF MARKETING TECHNIQUES CAN YOU ADD TO MY PRINTED MATERIALS?
OUR MULTI-CHANNEL MARKETING OPTIONS INCLUDE:
- QR Codes
- PURLs
- SMS and MMS marketing
- Video production and editing
- Variable mapping
- Social media marketing
- Mobile optimized websites, and so much more!
Call our team today to learn more about the tools we can use in concert with your printed communications to improve your ROI.
PRINTING IN AURORA, IL
Alphagraphics Aurora, Illinois is proud to serve the Fox River Valley including Aurora, North Aurora, Batavia, West Chicago, Montgomery, Oswego, Yorkville, Sugar Grove, Western Naperville, Plainfield, and Joliet.