how we work

OUR ORDERING PROCESS

1. First, browse through our letterpress galleries. Find the designs that make you happiest! Remember, all of our designs offer options for customizing the set to your needs.

2. Order the samples of the designs that you're interested in--that way, you can feel the paper and see the actual ink color we'll be using. Please place sample orders either by phone (315.473.0933) or online by going to an individual design's page. We accept Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. Up to $25 of your sample costs (not including shipping) will be refunded if you order from us. Samples are sent via UPS Ground.

3. Once you've found the design of your dreams, check out the pricing for your set. Go to the individual design's web page to find that design's pricing chart. You can adjust paper or envelopes, or change a 2 color design to 1 color, to find a set that's within your budget.

4. When you're ready to order, go to the order form page. There you can download our PDF order form and fax or mail that in, telling us about your quantities, what pieces you need, and any special design or ordering instructions. You can also call us at 315.473.0933 and we'll take your order details over the phone.

5. Once we have the ordering details, we'll create a contract, which we'll e-mail to you as a PDF. We donate 1% of our sales to charity; on the contract, you'll have a chance to choose which of three charities you'd like your sale's 1% to go toward. We'll also send you instructions on how to e-mail us the text for your pieces and how to send us any design notes. We'll need the signed contract faxed or mailed back to us, and a 50% non-refundable deposit, before we can begin work on your set.

6. You'll receive a digital proof of your set. Included in the cost of our invitations is three rounds of changes to your initial proof. There is a $50 charge for each additional round of proof revisions.

7. Once you approve the proof, we'll charge the balance of your invoice.

8. We'll get busy turning your design into a beautiful letterpressed work of art!

9. 2-day Fed-Ex shipping is free. We offer expedited shipping options as well. We've found FedEx to be the best handler of precious cargo.

TURNAROUND

PROOFS

Once we've completed the design, we'll e-mail you a PDF proof that contains every piece in your set. Be aware that colors may look different on screen than on paper, depending on your monitor settings. The proof is a good opportunity for you to proofread one last time and check over the design's details. When you approve the proof, you are saying that you accept the design, text, paper, color and illustrations of the invitation. Included in the cost of your set are three rounds of changes to your initial proof. There is a $50 charge for each additional round of proof revisions. We will correct, at no cost, any mistakes caused by our own error. Once proofing begins, substantial changes to the design may delay the ship date and/or create additional expenses.

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Rush options
2 weeks from design approval	+20% of order
1 week from design approval	+40% of order

Please contact us as soon as possible if you are experiencing an invitation or announcement emergency and you need a quick turnaround!

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We charge sales tax only on orders shipped to a New York state address. The sales tax rate would be the rate of the NY county to where the shipment is sent. Shipments to addresses outside of New York state are not charged sales tax.

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Shipping options
Fed-Ex 2 day	free
Fed-Ex 1 day upgrade	$35
Saturday overnight delivery	$50
A second shipment (to calligrapher, etc.)	$20 for 2-day; $55 for 1-day
International shipping	Contact us

After years of shipping our valuable letterpress printing across the country, we've found FedEx handles previous cargo best with a gentle, expert hand. We will package your invitation set expertly, and we insure your package for its full value. Because of the value of our letterpress printing, we'll need to ship to an address where someone will be present, during the day, to sign for the package.

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When you place your order, we ask for a 50% non-refundable deposit. When you approve the proof, we’ll need the balance paid before we can begin printing. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, money orders and personal checks.

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Remember to proofread your invitation text. Have one (or several!) other people read over the text as well, looking for typos, misspellings, etc. Bella Figura is not responsible for these sort of errors. Unfortunately, if you find such errors in your printed pieces, we can not offer a refund--and we do have to charge for reprinting. We obviously don’t want this to happen, so we encourage you to proofread and proofread again! We will print the text exactly as you send it to us. When you approve your digital PDF proof, Bella Figura will produce an invitation set that looks exactly like that proof (keeping in mind that color varies from screen to screen). For accurate color, you should refer to our ink chart or invitation samples that you can purchase from our web site. Keep in mind that one of the beautiful aspects of letterpress printing is that the printing and inking is done by hand, not by computer. A slight but beautiful variation in color might be expected.

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We think letterpress is the most beautiful way of printing ever created. It's also is a historic printing method. Because our printing is done on antique printing presses, each piece that we print will be subtly unique. No two pieces are entirely identical, and letterpress printing is not an exact science. These small variations are part of what makes letterpress beautiful! Subtle variations in inking, color, impression and position are to be expected.

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