Frequently Asked Questions

Did You Know ...
There are no taxes if you are located in the United States? Really. No Federal, State or Municipal taxes!

1. How Long has GFX been in Business?
2. How Long Does it Take?
3. Where do you Ship?
4. What is your Production Schedule?
5. What is the Mininum Order?
6. Do You Offer Direct Mail Services for Postcards?
7. Can I Get My Order Faster?
8. What's Your Guarantee?
9. I've Seen one of GFX postcards and there's "Printing by GFXINC.com" on the back. Will my postcards have your name on them?
10. How Do You Print?
11. What Kind of Files do You Accept?
12. All I have is a Microsoft Word (Publisher, etc.) file. Do you accept these?
13. Do The Prices on Your Web Site Include Color?
14. Do The Prices Include Full Bleed (Where ink goes to the edges)?
15. Are There Any Setup Fees?
16. Can You Print Black & White?
17. Can You Add a Pantone/Spot Ink Color?
18. What Kind of Paper Do You Use?
19. I've Heard Printing Companies will change the Paper without Notifying the Customer. Do you do that?
20. Will My Postcard/Business Card/Bookmark be Shiny?
21. I'm Sending Digital Files, Does Someone Check Them?
22. Why Doesn't GFX provide Proofs like other Printing Companies?
23. What Kind of Files do you Accept?
24. Where Do I Send My Files?
25. Can You Scan My Photograph, Transparency or Negative?
26. Where do I Mail My Materials?
27. Do You Return My Materials?
28. I have a Painting I'd Like Reproduced, can I send it?
29. Do I Get a Proof?
30. How Do You Ship/Can I Pick Up My Order?
31. Do You Accept Checks/Money Orders/Purchase Orders?
32. We are a Business and would like to Setup an Account with GFX.
33. We are Resellers. Do you Offer Discounts?
34. Can You Drop-Ship?
35. Are There Taxes or Customs fees from Canada?
36. Do I Receive an E-mail Copy of My Order?
37. Do I Get a Receipt or Invoice?
38. What If I Want to Cancel My Order?
39. I Have More Questions, Who Do I Contact?

How Long has GFX been in Business?

As a printing company, we are celebrating our 14th year in 2008. We started out as a design firm in the late 1980's, and in the early 90's, incorporated a wholesale fine art greeting card company (My Sentiments® Greeting Cards). From the greeting card business, we found that there was actually more of a need to help small businesses promote themselves affordably and GFX Printing was officially born in 1998.

How Long Does it Take?

On average, production schedules are 3 business days based on Monday-to-Thursday for artwork supplied for overnight delivery within the GTA. Exceptions include additional time for bindery services such as perforating or scoring. Any artwork preparation by GFX requires an additional 24-48 hours. Examples of artwork preparation by GFX include Design-it-Yourself postcards, custom design/layout, or typesetting on the back of postcards and business cards. Allow an additional 1-5 business days for shipping. See below for more information on our production schedule. Also see "Can I Get My Order Faster".

National Holidays

For most holidays, there is rarely a delay in our schedule. For weeks where there is a national holiday in both Canada and the United States (Labor Day, July 1, July 4, December 25 and January 1), our printing & shipping schedule may be delayed. For example, if July 4th falls on a Monday, orders will be delayed at least one business day.

Where do you Ship?

We accept orders, including sample and quote requests, from anywhere in the Continental United States and all Provinces in Canada. We can also ship to Hawaii and Alaska using Expedited UPS. Shipping to the Northwest Territories by UPS Express only. Sorry, but we cannot ship to Puerto Rico, Guam, the Caribbean, Europe or Asia. We are located and ship from Toronto, Canada.

What is the Minimum Order?

Please refer to our price list.

What Does Monday-to-Thursday Mean (more information on our Production Schedule)?

Our production schedule is always Monday-to-Thursday. The deadline to submit orders and files is 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time on any Monday afternoon. Because we gang print (numerous files on the same sheet), we encourage you to place your order earlier to avoid disappointment because sheets fill up quickly. Exceptions include Design-it-Yourself postcards and MS Publisher files where we require at least 24-48 hours to prepare your artwork.

Monday-to-Thursday does not mean Monday-to-Monday, Tuesday-to-Tuesday, etc. We presently only run gang orders once a week:

• Monday at 3:01 pm: prepare files for film.
• Tuesday: internal proofing and corrections
• Wednesday: printing
• Thursday: ship from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Additional bindery such as scoring, folding or perforating.

Brochures, flyers, sell sheets are not gang printed and are completed within 48-72 hours after proof approval.

Can I Get My Order Faster?

Effective June 30th, 2006, there will be no rush printing services as we move to a faster production schedule.

Do You Offer Direct Mail Services for Postcards?

Yes. We now offer direct mail for our customers. We can print, address, sort and mail within Canada (American and Canadian businesses) and the United States (Canadian businesses only).

What's Your Guarantee?

If the files we print don't match the files you sent us, we will reprint it at no charge. Exceptions include RGB, or Pantones to CMYK conversions, PDFs (not accepted as final artwork), incorrect embedded profiles (Eg: use Sheetfed Coated v.2), or slight trimming imperfections. We do not guarantee an exact match. If the files we print match the files you sent us, the cost of reprinting them is borne by you. Please follow the guidelines and instructions carefully. Pay particular attention to solid blacks (not text) that are not 100%K on the front. Also refer to our Terms & Conditions for complete information.

I've Seen one of GFX postcards and there's "Printing by GFXINC.com" on the back. Will my postcards have your name on them?

We do NOT automatically add "Printing by GFXINC.com" on the back. If you've seen this, there are 2 possibilities, 1) we provide a 5% discount on quantities of 1,000+ if you let us add our tag line, and 2) "Sponsorsed by GFX Printing" means that we have donated the printing to a charity or charitable event (the Toronto area only). We have supported many charities and charitable events over the years. If you are planning an event in the GTA and are considering postcards as a hand-out or VIP ticket, feel free to contact us at 905-828-7399.

How Do You Print?

We print on offset presses. We also gang print which means that there are numerous files on the same sheet. We then either varnish or aqueous coat one side. Your cards will have a satin finish to them. Click here to learn more on how we print.

What Kind of Files do You Accept?

Please refer to our specifications page.

All I have is a Microsoft Word (Publisher, etc.) file. Do you accept these?

We accept Publisher files if you follow the instructions on our site. We do not accept any other Microsoft file such as Word, Powerpoint or Excel.

Do The Prices on Your Web Site Include Color?

Yes. All the prices on our web site means that full photographic color printing is on one side and black/greyscale printing is on the 2nd side. We also offer color printing on both sides. Please see our pricing page for details on minimum quantities for 4/1 (full color one side) and 4/4 (full color on both sides).

Can You Add a Pantone/Spot Ink Color?

Yes, for an additional charge, we can add a spot color to the back only of your cards. See Add-Ons for optional services and prices. Unless you mean that your file(s) only use Pantones, we recommend converting them to CMYK. We can also convert them for no extra charge.

Do The Prices Include Full Bleed (Where ink goes to the edges)?

Yes. There is no additional charge if the ink goes to the edges.

Are There Any Setup Fees?

No. The prices on our web site are complete, and there are no hidden charges based on print-ready artwork supplied.

Can You Print Black & White?

Yes. There are however no price breaks for black and white on both sides. Our prices are based on reserving a spot on the sheet, whether your artwork is 1-color or less than 4-color.

What Kind of Paper Do You Use?

All GFX products are printed on minimum 130 lb. (US Cover), coated both sides (C2S). We do not provide any paper choices.

I've Heard Printing Companies will change the Paper without Notifying the Customer. Do you do that?

Some paper companies raise their prices frequently; as often as four times a year! This can cause rapid price changes. In order to remain competitive, we will switch to another similar quality stock, but we won't switch to a lower grade paper to save a few pennies.

Will My Postcard/Business Card/Bookmark be Shiny?

Sort of. The paper we use is factory-coated, and we aqueous coat one side to give the finished printing a satin look. Because we also offer scoring and folding, UV coating (that really shiny, plastic look) can crack and be unsightly, so we have chosen Aqueous which is water-based satin coating and is environmentally friendly. Note that our heavy coated stock can sometimes crack when scored so we only recommend folded cards be used for promotional purposes and not sold as a retail product, eg: greeting cards.

I'm Sending Digital Files, Does Someone Check Them?

Yes, we check all incoming files. If there needs to be any corrections, we will notify you. We will not charge you until we have received proper files. We can also proofread for an additional fee.

What Kind of Files do you Accept?

See our specifications page for full details.

Where Do I Send My Files?

After you place your order, you will be given instructions as to where/who to send your files by both a web page and an email. Please review our guidelines on how to prepare digital files we accept.

Can You Scan My Photograph, Transparency or Negative?

Yes, we can scan your photograph, 35mm slide or transparency (up to 8x10). There is no charge for the first scan. You can mail your materials to GFX, 3163 Winston Churchill Blvd., Churchill Postal Outlet, PO Box 26042, Mississauga, ON L5L 5W7 Canada. A completed order form should accompany all materials. Do not send originals or negatives: you need to have your negative processed into a positive (transparencey or reflective/photograph).

Do You Return My Materials?

Yes, we will place all your materials in your shipment, or return them separately unless you request that we archive your materials.

I have a Painting I'd Like Reproduced, can I send it?

If you are the artist, we recommend that you have a photograph taken and send us the photograph or transparency instead.

Do I Get a Proof?

If you are sending digital files, we do not provide proofs (Don't worry, we check them!). We ask that you follow our guidelines for artwork setup and we will check your files prior to printing. If we are scanning your photograph or preparing artwork on your behalf, including typesetting on the back, you will receive a digital proof.

Why doesn't GFX supply proofs like other printing companies?

A digital proof will only show layout, not colors, which is one of the main reasons a proof is supplied. If you supply us low resolution JPEGs, we can check your files prior to printing and if there is a difference or a problem, we will contact you. We don't spellcheck for you, but we do check all incoming files for a number of things such as resolution. The elimination of proofs back and forth means your printing will get to press faster.

We presume that the files you send are the files you want printed and if you request a digital proof, we do not guarantee that we can provide them, especially if you place the order or send us files after 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays.

How Do You Ship/Can I Pick Up My Order?

We ship by UPS Ground on Thursday afternoon. Shipping within Toronto and the GTA is overnight and approximately 2-5 business days for the rest of Canada and the Continental United States. We do not provide a pick-up service.

Do You Accept Checks/Money Orders/Purchase Orders?

We do not accept purchase orders, business checks, personal checks or money orders. All orders need to be prepaid.

We are a Business and would like to Setup an Account with GFX.

Sorry, but all orders are prepaid only.

We are Resellers. Do you Offer Discounts?

Yes, when certain criteria is met. You need to have a valid PST Exemption Certificate (Ontario) or other proof of business existence in your jurisdiction, and your order must be paid by you directly and the artwork must be for your customer, i.e. no discount for self-promotion. You'll be asked to provide us all relevant documentation. We do not publish discounts. Typically, we provide volume discounts to customers who spend between $500-$1000 per month for at least 6 months.

Can You Drop-Ship?

Yes. The order must be delivered within our existing delivery areas in North America. We can ship within Canada without the package being identifiable, i.e. your customer will not know where the order came from, but unfortunately we cannot ship label-free to the United States. No invoice or other pricing information will be in the package and we'll provide a PDF invoice to you directly.

Are There Taxes?

If you are located in the United States, there are no taxes or customs fees. For Canadian residents and businesses, we will add G.S.T. and P.S.T., where applicable.

A note about shipping to the United States: orders that exceed US$200 may be subject to a brokerage/importing fee (average fee is US$30) charged directly by UPS, not GFX. This is not a tax, and all orders are tax exempt under NAFTA. You are responsible for paying this importing fee.

Do I Receive an E-mail Copy of My Order?

Yes. You will receive a copy of your order by e-mail to review it's accuracy. If you do not receive a copy within a few hours, please notify us. We also manually check your order for accuracy and completeness. The copy of the order you receive is not a confirmation until a GFX representative reviews it.

Do I Get a Receipt or Invoice?

Yes. A paper invoice will accompany your order.

The American Prices listed on our web site are only an estimate. We bill in Canadian Dollars which is at least 12% lower than the American Dollar.

What If I Want to Cancel My Order?

If we receive your cancellation request by Monday before 2:59 p.m. Eastern Time, we will honor your request, and there is no charge at this stage of pre-production. Once your order is in production, it cannot be cancelled, i.e. by 3:01 p.m. EST Monday, all orders are final.

I Have More Questions, Who Do I Contact?

Feel free to telephone us at 905-828-7399.