Put Your Art & Cliché Order On the Fast Track:
The Art of Filling In the Blanks
LACK of information can paralyze even the best customer service.
Without the picture on the top of the puzzle box, the individual pieces can’t be assembled properly. It is much the same with your artwork and cliché order. If key elements are omitted from the form, the process stalls, wasting valuable production time. So here is a quick reference guide for filling out your order form to guarantee speedy service.
- ‘Bill To’ & ‘Ship To’ Not Always The Same?
BILL TO / SHIP TO: Let’s begin with the obvious– that may not be obvious to some. Where does it go to and who pays for it? For some of our customers, this is never an issue because the two addresses are always the same. But for others there are multiple locations. Specific bill/ship addresses will save you an extra phone call and avoid duplicate invoicing.
Shown above: reduced view of the Art / Cliché Order Form.
To download a PDF file of this form, click here.
- Nothing Happens Without Your P.O. Number
PURCHASE ORDER NUMBER: Of all the data on this sheet, this one little number has the power to freeze the order in its tracks– or fast-track it to a timely completion. We cannot proceed without you issuing a Purchase Order Number (PO) for us to reference on our records and invoices. We use your PO to cross reference the job as well as to indicate, with multiple projects, which job got which charge. It keeps our records straight and helps your receiving and accounting departments keep track of who ordered what and from whom. Also, if this amount was based on an ITW Trans Tech quote, please reference that here.
What Machine, What Material & How Many?
PRODUCT INFORMATION: This section asks for you to spell out your needs in detail. Many of these are machine-specific. If you are replacing an existing cliché plate or artwork film with a similar one, those details must be noted here. Most of our orders are repeat customers who need new plates for a different application on the same pad printing machine. So some of the specs from the old plate may be similar or even the same. However, if something has changed, please let us know. (See “Additional Comments” section.)
- How We Receive The Art & How We Change It
ARTWORK INFORMATION: The nuts-and-bolts of sending artwork and producing the final product gets a little tricky but that’s what our art experts do best. When in doubt, ask us first. Usually someone else has had a similar application. Of course, any new project that requires distortion and test printing will also require sample parts. slight modifications of the basic design concept are answers to critical customer specifications.
Don’t Forget The Sketch!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST is the all-important sketch. In this case, your picture is worth a thousand words over the phone or in an e-mail. In the sketch you should indicate the orientation of the artwork image in relation to the cliché border. Dimensions are also critical to show the cliché position, any offsets, what angle to set the final art, and whether a screen should be used, and if so, on which portion of the image.