Frequently Asked Questions
DesignPrices
Design FAQ's
Can I send you my art? Of course!
You can email it to us or upload it when you fill out the customization form.
You can email it to us or upload it when you fill out the customization form.
Can you use my art? Maaaaaayyybeeee ...
There are two ways to go here.
We can use your art if it is "photo ready". This means we can download your file, slap in into our art program and get to engraving without having to fiddle about with bitmaps and fills. A usable file is :
If you don't have "photo ready" art, let us know. We have a design fee that starts at $30. This fee is usually for a design we can re-format in a shorter amount of time with minimal cussing. Depending on difficulty and time, the fee may go up. We will be very clear about your charges before actually , you know, charging you. On the plus side, you will then own the art so you can use it for your own projects AND the art will definitely be "photo ready" for any future design you create with us.
There are two ways to go here.
We can use your art if it is "photo ready". This means we can download your file, slap in into our art program and get to engraving without having to fiddle about with bitmaps and fills. A usable file is :
- a vector file
- at least 300 dpi and at least 3"x 3". Ish. More of both is better
- preferably in two color (black and white being the preference)
- in one of these formats: .jpg, .eps, .svg, .pdf, .tiff, .gif
- is not a copyrighted image
- absolutely not a picture of a drawing on a napkin
If you don't have "photo ready" art, let us know. We have a design fee that starts at $30. This fee is usually for a design we can re-format in a shorter amount of time with minimal cussing. Depending on difficulty and time, the fee may go up. We will be very clear about your charges before actually , you know, charging you. On the plus side, you will then own the art so you can use it for your own projects AND the art will definitely be "photo ready" for any future design you create with us.
Prices
Do you offer quantity discounts? Yes.
There are some discounts pre-set on the various product pages. If you want to purchase a number that isn't pre-programed in (like you want 5 glasses but the discount is programed for 4 glasses), send an email or give a call. We'll give you a coupon code to make sure you get the proper discount.
If you are wanting lots of one kind of product, let us know and we'll see what can be done. ("Lots" varies depending on the item. "Lots" of glasses is different than "lots" of stainless steel tumblers.
There are some discounts pre-set on the various product pages. If you want to purchase a number that isn't pre-programed in (like you want 5 glasses but the discount is programed for 4 glasses), send an email or give a call. We'll give you a coupon code to make sure you get the proper discount.
If you are wanting lots of one kind of product, let us know and we'll see what can be done. ("Lots" varies depending on the item. "Lots" of glasses is different than "lots" of stainless steel tumblers.
Do you do donations? Not at this time.
We started Charlie Mike Engraving in August of 2016 . We're giving it a year before we start donating. Now, under some limited circumstances, we may be able to offer a deal that covers our costs. You can always ask. We won't be mean about it.
We started Charlie Mike Engraving in August of 2016 . We're giving it a year before we start donating. Now, under some limited circumstances, we may be able to offer a deal that covers our costs. You can always ask. We won't be mean about it.
How do you calculate engraving charges?
Short answer: We factor how long the design will take to print and how many square inches the design covers.
Short answer: We factor how long the design will take to print and how many square inches the design covers.
How do you calculate the Set-Up/Layout fees? There are three different set-up/layout fees.
- Stock Art Set-Up/Layout. We know our stock art pretty well. We know how long it will take to enter the layout in to the program, pre-treat the product, align the engraver, engrave the product and to clean the product.
When you order 4 of the exact same layout on the exact same product (4 glasses with the same monogram, for instance) there is no reason you should be charged for 4 layouts. We do have to charge for the amount of time and materials it takes to engrave each glass. - Set-Up/Layout for Slightly Varying Designs. If you, for example, are wanting to get 4 glasses with the same Stryker image engraved on each BUT with a different name on each, that is going to take significantly more time. So this fee is higher.
- Fully custom layout. This is where so many variables come into play. Decisions depend on what product you want engraved, how complicated the design is, how original the design is, whether the design art is "print ready", how much surface the design will cover, and several other factors. This is where you and I will spend some time discussing options. However, we will be able to itemize each variable so there will be no confusion .