PRINTING FAQs
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING
Excellent work as usual
Stan H. Assisted Home Care LLC
Always a pleasurable experience!
Jim L. Roadrunner Paving
Appreciate the support we receive from Alphagraphics.
Sally H. Mesa Chamber of Commerce
Very quick response to a "panic" order.
Don J. Mesa United Way
Eric Adams and Ginger went absolutely above and beyond any level of customer satisfaction possible. They both went out of their way to make sure jobs were done on time. I cant say enough good things about them and the team their. We are so grateful for their friendliness, incredible customer service and incredibly speedy turn around time on jobs. Absolute 5 star service. You guys rock!!
Patricia M. Equality Arizona
Alphagraphics has always gone out of there way to make sure we get what we need on time.
Nancy K. Professional Direction - Non-Taxable
Efficient
Bonnie B. Pilgrim's
Eric at your location provided the best service I've had in years! he produced a door decal in 2 days that my local (mt) store couldn't manage in a close to 2 weeks. and if that wasn't enough, he delivered it to my hotel so I would have it before I left town. I can't praise his efforts enough, if I lived in your area, I'd hand out his card to everyone I know.
Vincent P. Westend Air Systems LLC
Love working with Danny & Eric
Debra L. Crandall & Associates
Danny Adams Rocks!
Stephanie S. MKS Realty Group (US436)
Always happy with the quality of product; customer service is great. Occasionally we need something turned around quickly and Alphagraphics never disappoints!
Barbara C. Visit Mesa
The cards turned out great. The staff enjoy their own personal contact cards and the service was Alpha-Fast. lol
Bobbi J. Partitions & Accessories
Completed the order properly the first time so I didn't have to make a second trip to the store for pickup.
John G. ViaSat
Another great job, thank you Ginger!
John S. 19th Hole Cart LLC
Great turnaround time and friendly service!
Brian E. CN Resource
Alpha Graphics was so great to work with! They did an amazing job on large banner and programs for us. They were able to complete our job very quickly and everything looked incredible!
Alyson B. Higley Spiritline Boosters
very quick turn around and very good price. great people to work with.
Eric B. Higley High School-Parents UKnight
Always very quick with responses and delivery of products.
Sandy D. SPG Hospice
Eric and Danny took terrific care of us through the design process, from beginning to final proofs on our postcard save the date and the multi-part invitation, edits were perfect, print and mailing on point. We Give the Alpha Graphics Team a 5 Star Rating - many thanks to all on the AG team working on our project. Mary Lou BoBo, Executive Assistant and lead on the request for our event printing.
Megan K. Grand Canyon Council, BSA
Always great service. Wish you were open on Saturday but appreciate your professional quality and prompt delivery.
Suzanne W. Dobson Montessori
We received our order, but it was our mistake. The mistake was corrected immediately and the finished product is great. We love Tammy.
Nancy K. Professional Direction - Non-Taxable
Ginger & Kate were great!
Farrah G. Compliance Testing LLC
Alphagraphics does professional work in a timely manner with results that represents our organization in the most professional manner possible.
Sally H. Mesa Chamber of Commerce
Service is always outstanding, as is the finished product.
Wayne B. MCC
Very efficient and prompt service.
Adam G. POP HealthCare
Very fast turnaround. great quality.
Eric B. Arizona Restaurant Exhaust Cleaners LLC
I am very pleased with the product and turn around time. I appreciate the discount offered to my non-profit organization.
Jeri M. AZ Site Steward Program Foundation (ASSPF)
I had wedding invitations made, gave a rough estimate of what I'd like to have and it came out exactly how I wanted, Thank you so much.
Customer C. Gina Torres
Danny worked wonders in meeting a deadline he faced and it worked very well.
Roc A. Metro Phoenix Public Affairs Council
Very Professional, onetime delivery, great follow-up, and courtesy
Lupita O. Hillman Group - Non Taxable
Order was completed in a timely manner and it was done perfectly. Very professional customer service!
Patricia G. Eli The Handyman LLC
Every time I have placed an order, it is a pleasure to work with your team.
Melissa F. United Food Bank
Love working with the team at Alphagraphics.
Debra L. Crandall & Associates
Fast, on time accommodating
Gene B. American Vision Windows
YOUR STAFF IS ALWAYS VERY HELPFUL.. GREAT SERVICE AND PRODUCTS
Kelly P. A New Leaf
I appreciate how quickly Drew responds to our printing needs.
Rich C. CN Resource
Completed in a timely manner.
Greg P. Greg Patt Realty
The Best Costumer service!
Jim L. Roadrunner Paving
Great locally owned business with great service and top notch products.
Brent M. Bare Bones Disk Golf
Great job! We like the quick turn-a-round.
Bobbi J. Partitions & Accessories
As always, AlphaGraphics provides prompt service and meets aggressive deadlines with ease.
Bob N. Mesa Chamber of Commerce
Great service, fast turn around, and awesome price! Thanks.
Kris F. Kris Forbes
Excellent!!
Becca K. Summit Global Investments, LLC
Very available to help with any questions we had
Jessica N. DentiMax
Great experience, very competent and helpful staff, wonderful product.
Liz K. Avenir Consulting Partners
Alphagraphics always works with my request considering they are short notice most times and does there best to accommodate timely production.
Crystal B. OEM Group
I love working with Drew & the rest of the staff. I always know I can get my job done in a timely manner.
Debra L. Crandall & Associates
The entire team at AlphaGraphics is helpful and patient. We appreciate the quality of service, as well as the product, that you provide.
Maria S. MCC
You guys were super fast and responsive. I ordered with short notice to produce and you guys NAILED my order. THANK YOU for your help!
Stephanie H. Elite Entrepreneurs
LOVE working with Ginger!!! She is always smiling and so helpful!! Thank you!
Linda K. Metro Property Services
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.