PRINTING FAQs
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING
Alphagraphics continue to meet our business needs in a timely manner, as well as supporting our last minute emergencies! great team support.
Blanca T. AMSAFE Phoenix
The team at AlphaGraphics is always willing to help and go the extra mile. Eric was a pleasure to work with this year for our annual insurance card renewal.
Margret D. Centuri Construction Group
Excellent quality
Robert S. Traffic Ticket Attorneys
We had a rush order and needed it within a few days. Alphagraphics was able to print and turn this around so we could get our flyers out to our tradeshow.
Tiffany L. OpenTech Alliance Inc
David was extremely helpful and even put up with our tight deadline. He made the experience!
Jared S. HEI Health
Quick service. Very satisfied with results of order
Donna M. Yilo Squared
Jim Bentley was very kind and great to work with!
Rose M. Church of St. Gregory
Always excellent customer service especially from Ariel Boyce.
Claudia H. Dalmatian Fire & Safety
We are 100% happy with the work you have done for us and especially how quickly you do it! Thank you very much!
Kelly E. Camping World / AZ RV Centers LLC
Timely and professional, thank you!
Jaime M. Tanger Outlets Westgate
I always enjoy doing business with alphagraphics. Whether it's a personal project or something for our school, the work is always on time and priced fairly!
Rose D. St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
Whenever I order anything, they always call to ensure there are no misconceptions and I appreciate that greatly.
Caroline W. Tanger Outlets Westgate
Very professional. Staff very friendly. Product was ready on the date that I asked for.
Rita J. Westbrook Village
Great employees
Marcos P. Frio Heating & Cooling
You are just an email away, making it very easy and convenient.
Karina F. Valley Endodontics & Oral Surgery
They where very customer service oriented. Great at communicating.
Maureen M. Climatec LLC
Always a great experience working with Alphagraphics! They're very friendly and helpful through the ordering process and our orders always turn out perfectly!
Breanna P. Glendale Chamber of Commerce
Being new to using printers in this area, I found in need of a rush book printing job, for which, if it did not come out well, I would have not had any leeway to correct. Your team came through with flying colors, and, in fact, I had confidence that it would from talking to them when I brought the files in.
Les S. Les Siemens
Excellent customer attention
Claudia H. Dalmatian Fire & Safety
David is the best. Love working with him.
Bradley D. Dwelo
I have placed 2 orders with your location and both times, I was very pleased with the excellent customer service your staff provided (David, et al) and the level of professionalism. I have shared other counterparts in my industry regarding my experience. Both orders were, of course, time-sensitive, and your staff helped meet our deadlines. The quality of the work was good, although there could be better options for certain types of media offered.
Jackie G. Consultant Engineering Inc.
Excellent customer service !!!!!! Top quality product and received within the promised date!! thank you very much for taking care of our printing needs...
Rosa La Tolteca Tortilla Factory
The staff is always friendly and helpful
Catherine G. Sunburst Landscaping
Everyone were very helpful,nice. They gave us information on leads for other projects.
Pat B. Pat Beeby
Jim Bently is awsome
Sherry S. Partners in Recovery
Everyone is always so helpful and kind. The work is always top-notch.
Rose D. St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
The staff is always very attentive; when I came in the door I was immediately greeted and the process was very smooth. I have used this Alpha Graphics before and will come to them again.
Dawn S. Detour Company Theatre
David was knowledgeable and helpful throughout the entire process. He provided exemplary customer service and answered each question and concern readily. Our labels were precisely what we needed to showcase our product and inform our customers. We can't thank you enough.
Tim W. Imperium Munitions
Great customer service and great prices!!
Debbie C. Arrow Electronics-Production/Inventory
It was done just as expected!
Mary J. DW Dental Lab
Excellent customer service from staff. Courteous, friendly and expedited jobs.
Claudia H. Dalmatian Fire & Safety
We have always received great quality in the products we ordered from Alphagraphics.
Colleen D. NPL Construction Co.
Personnel are very professional and helpful. We have used AlphaGraphics for over 12 years and have always been happy.
Laurie G. Goettl Mortgage Corp
We have always been pleased the prompt and friendly service we receive.
Gloria R. Valley Endodontics & Oral Surgery
Everyone is always very friendly and knowledgeable. I like that the turn around when I order is quick and correct.
Ashley D. True Performance Builders
I was so pleased with my last order, Tamara did an excellent job, I'm so pleased.
Silva A. AZ Vapes
Fast, quality, friendly.
Lorna A. ServRx
Everyone was so helpful with my family tree project at AlphaGraphics.I have used AG for my projects at work (a school) but also for my personal projects. They called me to confirm some questions about the type of paper as they were reproducing some very old family photos. The copies came out wonderfully!
Rose D. St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
Great customer service. Friendly and fast.
Paitron T. CRS Temporary Housing
Jim Bentley and his staff always provides excellent service no matter how small the project
Sheila V. Sheila Vossler
Always ready to help and give the customer a quick response on questions. Always do their best to satisfy the customers needs. Keep up the good work!
Blanca T. AMSAFE Phoenix
Always very helpful, pleasant and timely.
Monte H. Dr Monte Hessler
I am not a designer so when I saw the proof, I was very impressed with what you came up with. You took the time to research our organization and designed a great banner.
Yvonne K. Yvonne Knaack
We were not happy with the cover in the beginning but the manager helped us with replacing it with a new image at no cost.
Vianca P. Gateway Mortgage
First class service. First class product.
Richard W. Richard Waldron
We had to rush an order since we were given our deadline at an unprecedented time. Alphagraphics worked with us to not only provide us with the perfect end result, but had it delivered to us the next day.
Caroline W. Tanger Outlets Westgate
AlphaGraphics is the Best in the Field. When I have a project, I go straight to AlphaGraphics. They take my ideas and transform them into a beautiful work of art. Thank you for being there when I need you the most. Luisa
Luisa P. Luisa Plancher
Fast service, and great customer service!
Karla V. A1 Mobile
THIS LOCATION IS GREAT, PEOPLE ARE NICE AND VERY HELPFUL
Sharon M. Cactus Jacks
I was in need of a wedding sign within 1 day and Alfa Graphics PHX North saved me and took the time to accommodate my request. Thank you so much! I will be using them for future necessities & recommendations.
Bryttnii S. Bryttnii Sam
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.