FAQs
Why should I buy my birth announcements from you?
All of our birth announcements are as unique and original as your new baby. We take great pride in our designs will work with you to customize them as much as necessary and possible to get the appearance you are looking for. We are willing to work with you and make as many revisions as it takes until you are thrilled with the end product. If you want a different background color or text or photos repositioned in any different way than our sample, just let us know and we will gladly work with you to do whatever we can to customize our cards to suit your taste.
I’m sorry, but we do not have a catalog at this time. However if you would like to fill out our sample request form, we would be more than happy to send you samples of any standard announcements you like. Our birth announcements look great online, but even better up close and personal. We would be more than happy to send you free samples of any announcements you are interested in.
^ TOP
Q. Is there any way I can get samples of some of your baby announcements?
Sure, we would be happy to send you any samples that would help in your selection. Just fill out our sample request form and will get them out to you by USPS first class mail by the next business day.
^ TOP
Q. Is there a minimum number of announcements I must order?
Our Announcements come in multiples of 25.
^ TOP
Q. Do you offer an online proof of my announcement?
Yes, first of all you can create your own virtual proof in which you can experiment and change as many times as you want, before finalizing your order. We also create a digital proof of all orders and place them online for your approval before printing. You can login to check your proof by the next business day (often sooner depending on the time of day that your order is placed). Once you approve your proof, it is printed and shipped the next business day.
^ TOP
Q. Can I get a printed press proof of my birth announcement before you print up the whole order?
Yes you can request that on the order form for an additional $20. Once you approve the proof, your announcements will be printed and shipped the next business day.
^ TOP
Q. Can I order my envelopes early?
You bet. We will gladly send your envelopes early upon request for a $10 deposit which will be credited to your account when you place your announcement order. You can order address labels ahead of time as well. That way all you have to do is stuff the announcements in the envelopes when they arrive and you are good to go.
^ TOP
Q. What if I want to order envelopes early but I don't know which announcement I will be choosing because I don't know if I'm having a boy or girl?
That really isn't a problem. All of our standard announcements are the same size so use the same envelopes. You can order your envelopes ahead of time and just order blank ones - in which case we will only charge you a $10 deposit which will be deducted from your order when you are ready to complete it.
^ TOP
Q. How can I check the status of my order?
You can login at any time to check your proof and to get your shipping information.
^ TOP
Q. How long will it take to receive my order?
We pride ourselves in how quickly we turn around our birth announcement orders. On average, proofs are available for your approval within one business day of receiving your order. Our office hours are M-F 9-5:00 p.m. Eastern time. After you have approved of your proof, it takes another day to print and ship. You get to choose the shipping method that works best for you. We pay for domestic ground shipping for you. If you want faster shipping, those costs are calculated for you at checkout. Shipping time must be calculated separately depending on where you live and which method you choose. Please do not think that if you choose Next Day Air that you will receive your announcements the next day. (Yes we have had customers think that!) You must take into account the time it takes to get your order into the system, do and proof, wait for your reply and print the announcements.
^ TOP
Q. What if I realize I need more after I have ordered? Would you still have all my information?
Yes, we keep your information for several months, so if you need more we can quickly print them out for you. AND…unlike most companies, we will only charge you for the additional quantity and will not start all over with the pricing as if it were a new order. For example if you ordered 75 and later needed 25 more, we would not charge you the price for 25 but the difference between what 100 would have been and 75 which you already received.
^ TOP
Q. I never got an email confirmation of my order. How can I be sure that it is being processed?
It is possible that spam filters may prevent you from receiving our emails. We try to do as much as possible on line in case that may happen. We encourage you to print out your "Thank You/Confirmation page when you have completed your order for your records. If you got that page when you completed your order, it means that we got it. It goes to our server. You and we are also supposed to get an email as well. If you cannot find it, even in your spam folder, feel free to call our toll free number (1-800-214-8990) if you like to check your status.
^ TOP
All About Photos
Q. I would like to do a photo announcement. How should I get my photo to you?
There is a place in the ordering process where you can upload digital pictures with your order. Another option, if you don’t have it/them handy when you place your order is that you could email it to
babyphotos@designcrafters.com
or you can (snail) mail the photo and we could scan it at a high resolution to make sure it would print nice and sharp for you. That is the slower method of course unless you want to incur the expense of overnight shipping. If you do decide to mail it, send it to:
Design Crafters
3198 Bennett Oaks Place
Oak Hill, VA 20171
It would be best to print out and include a copy of your order so we can match it up.
If you have a digital photo that is high resolution (at least 300 dpi) we can use that and it is much quicker. Unfortunately a number of customers have sent us photos that were only 72 or 150 dpi and those just will not print sharp. They look great on the computer screen, but when printed out, they are grainy. If you aren’t sure what resolution yours is, send us the largest file you have and we will let you know if we can use it. Be sure to label your file with your last name or your purchase order number, not just the number which is usually attached to photo images. That way we can be sure to match the photo with the order. If you email the photo, send it to babyphotos@designcrafters.com. We will send you an email proof so you will see how it will look before being printed.
^ TOP
Q. What file formats will you accept for my photo?
Most photos we receive are .jpg, but we can also accept .eps, .gif, .tif or .png as long as they are at least 300 dpi. Please send us your original in the largest format you have and let us do the editing of the size if it's too big.
^ TOP
Q. There are some things in my photo that I would rather not be visible in the picture used for my photo announcement. Can I crop the picture before I send it to you?
We would rather you not crop your photo because often it is done in a way that keeps us from being able to keep the proportions the way need need to be to fit the space provided for the photo. We would rather that you let us know in special instructions how you would like for the photo to be cropped and we will do our best to accommodate your request. It is best if we do it.
^ TOP
Q. How do I get my photos to you?
If you have your digital photos handy when you place your order, you will see how to upload them at that time and you can even see how they will look virtually. You still will get a digital proof after our designer has put your order together. The virtual proof is just a sample to give you a general idea of how your announcements will look. We still have to put it all together manually to be sure everything is as it should be. If you need to send your photos later, you can complete your order without them, then you can reply to your order confirmation and attach them to that email. That way we can be sure to match the right photo with the right order. Another option would be for you to send the original printed hard copy for us to scan.
^ TOP
Q. I'm not happy with the placement of my photos - they didn't crop right.
Please indicate in special instructions if something isn't showing up as you expected. Virtual proofs sometimes don't turn out perfect. Our designer works with every order to get the placement just right and you will see a digital proof before anything is printed.
^ TOP
Q. Can you edit my photo and fix imperfections? If my photo is kind of dark, can you fix that?
We can do amazing things with Photoshop and have even performed "miracles" with photos we have been sent. However there is a limit to what we can do. We usually can adjust the brightness, contrast, etc., get rid of red eye, and do various "touch-ups" to enhance and improve photos we have received. We will do our best and always send you a proof before printing. One thing we cannot do is correct a blurry or grainy image. If we believe that we cannot improve a photo you send sufficiently to produce a quality card, we will let you know. All of this is done as a free service to you. We want you to be happy with your finished product!
^ TOP
Q. What kind of photo works best with your photo cards?
We need a high res image of at least 300 dpi for it to print sharp and clearly. Here are some photo tips to help you take a good photo.
^ TOP
Q. My photos are in color, but what if I want them to be black and white or sepia tone, can that be done and does it cost extra?
We will gladly convert your color photos to black and white (grayscale) or sepia. Just let us know in special instructions and we will convert it before we provide your digital proof.
^ TOP
Q. Can I send you a professional photo?
We will print anything you send us, but would need signed approval from your photographer in that case.
^ TOP
Q. If I mail you a photo will I get it back?
Sure, we will return it with your order.
^ TOP
All About Customizing
Q. I found an announcement I like but I want to change the wording. Can I do that?
Absolutely, these examples on our website are just that - simply examples. They are to help your creative juices flow. Anyone can feel free to use our samples or create their own wording. Just make sure you include all the critical information.
^ TOP
Q. Can I have a proof sent to me?
We provide an online .pdf proof of your created design as well as send you an email proof within 1-2 business days of receiving your order. We will tweak it as it takes until you LOVE it!
^ TOP
Q. Do you have specialty announcements like for adoption or twins, etc.?
Any of our announcements can be used for adoption. For help with specific wording, see our "Verses" page and look under "Adoption." As for twins or other multiples, look under our "Multiples" category.
^ TOP
Q. Can I have my announcements printed in a different language?
Sure, just fill out your order in the language you want and we will print it. If there is a problem with accents showing up properly, you can retype what you want in "Special Instructions" and will create your announcement from there. We will of course provide a digital proof like all others to be sure that you are happy with how we present your information.
^ TOP
All About Pricing
Q. How much are your birth announcements?
The prices are shown on the "Product" pages which is where you find the large image. All of the announcements in all the categories are the same price except for three exceptions. The Flat Photo cards are a tad more than the non-photo cards and the folded photo cards are a bit more. All cards within a category cost the same. The "Thank You" cards are a bit cheaper than the announcements and are reduced by an additional 10% if purchased with (the same time as) the announcements. The matching address labels are $6 per sheet of 25.
^ TOP
Q. So…what all does the pricing include?
The pricing includes the cost of the card stock, the layout and design with your customization and font choice by our professional designer and editing and cropping of you photo if applicable and needed. It includes the printing in full color and plain white envelopes. If you have selected a matching address label, and/or thank you cards, the price of course would include that. Domestic ground shipping is also included. As a bonus, we also provide by download, a 250 Baby Development Guide of Baby's First Year put together by the Department of Health and Human Services.
^ TOP
All About Purchasing
Q. What payment methods do your accept?
VISA, MasterCard, AMEX and Discover - we also can accept money orders or check by phone.
^ TOP
Q. Do you ship internationally?
No, I'm sorry, we only ship within the domestic US.
^ TOP
Q. Do you charge sales tax?
Only if your announcements are shipped to an address in VA
^ TOP
Shipping and Handling
Q. How do you ship and what are the costs?
Most of the time we ship by UPS - sometimes by regular parcel post or Priority mail. We pay for your Ground or Parcel Post shipping. All orders can be upgraded however to a faster way, either, by UPS 3 Day Select, 2nd Day Air or Next Day Air. You have those options at checkout. The price for each will show based on the weight (quantity ) of announcements ordered and your zip code. All announcements are shipped from VA.
^ TOP
Q. Do you ship to APO Addresses?
Yes we do. We ship by parcel post or you can upgrade to Priority. Cost will be determined up front and you will be advised of that cost ahead of time.
^ TOP
Q. How do I track my order?
You can log in to your account to check your status at an time. If your order has shipped, there will be a tracking number provided if you order was shipped by UPS. If it was shipped by parcel post or priority mail, there will not be a tracking number as USPS does not provide that information however the shipping date will be posted there for you.
^ TOP
Our Guarantee
Q. What is your return policy?
As mentioned in our guarantee. Your satisfaction is of paramount importance to us. If you have received a sample announcement, have approved of your proof, and for some reason are not pleased with the printing quality of your announcement, then please give us a call, and we will issue a call tag to have them picked up. Please let us know at that time what the problem is so that we can make it right for you whether that means reprinting for you, making a substitution or issue a refund, or partial refund.
^ TOP
Q. What if there is an error on my announcements?
If we made the error, we will gladly reprint at our expense and get them shipped out by the next business day if not sooner. If you made the mistake, we will gladly reprint at ½ off which is basically our cost.
^ TOP
All About Security
Q. Is it safe for me to order online?
Absolutely! The server used to process our orders is a secure server. Please see our
Privacy Page for all the detail concerning that.
^ TOP
