FAQ & Help
Find answers below to most commonly asked questions. If you don’t see an answer or your question ins’t listed please get in touch.
General
We accept orders online as well as through our contact and quote request forms. But you are always welcome to place an order by calling us.
Our regular business hours are Monday to Thursday 7:30am to 9pm. Friday 7:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm. Are shop is open for pick up and drop off during these times but our online store is open 24/7 for ordering.
We are located in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC. Our address is Unit B, 1744 West 4th Ave. V6J 1M1
Our online order form accepts all major credits cards (VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover). We also accept debit card payments and cash in-person at our shop.
Ordering
If you can’t find the product you are looking for, fill out a fast quote form or give us a call. Our team will be happy to find a solution for you.
At Vancouver Signs we guarantee top quality print with short turnarounds. The moment you submit your artwork, the files are sent in to preflight and placed on to plating, where the printing process begins. This is why the placed orders cannot be cancelled and the sales are final. If you have not uploaded the files you can cancel the order – be sure you call us and talk to one of our professional print staff as we do not accept e-mails for changing or cancelling orders.
The invoice will be sent to you via email once your order has been submitted.
Yes. In order to track your order log into account page and look up the shipping details.
It is very important for us to make sure that each of our clients is satisfied with our work. We print the best quality products at low prices and with short turnarounds, however if our product doesn’t satisfy you please contact us directly or by filling in the contact form.
Please note that obvious defects must be reported within a period of two weeks from receipt of goods..
Printing
We offer both coated and uncoated paper print. The uncoated stock is best for stationary, postcards or any other surface that will be written on. Coated paper is available in two finish options – glossy or UV (which is shine and smooth) and matte (flat).
Yes, at Vancouver Signs we offer orders in HKS or Pantone spot colours for most of our print products. Please send us an enquiry through the contact form with the name of the colour channel of the spot colour and with the correct number in your artwork.
The sides of the brochure depend on the chosen format. If you decide to print in a portrait format, we will bind your brochure on the long side. In you choose the landscape format the binding will be made on the short side.
At Vancouver Signs we offer UV coating, lamination, gloss and matt finish. We also offer photo paper matt for UV coating matt or for UV coating glossy our photo paper gloss. Choose the perfect finishing for your print!
Uncoated paper
– available in 80gsm, 90gsm, 100gsm and 120gsm
– paper for copier, laser and inkjet printer
– uncoated
– perfect for letterheads, flyers, stationary, postcards.
Gloss paper
– available from 115gsm to 400gsm
– coated on both sides
– shiny surface
– perfect for flyers, brochures, business cards, posters, leaflets
Silk paper
– available from 90gsm to 400gsm
– coated on both sides, matt surface
– perfect for leaflets, business cards, brochures, flyers
Postcard board
– available in 280gsm and 350gsm
– front coated and glossy, back uncoated
– stiff
– perfect for postcards
Fluorescent paper
– available in 80gdm
– colorful front. Available colors – yellow, green or red.
– white back (not printable)
– coated one side, light-resistant
perfect for posters and eye-catching advertising materials
Recycling paper
– available in 80gsm, 170gsm and 250gsm
– uncoated on both sides
– natural look, white
– 100% recycled
File preparation
You can upload your files in the following formats:
JPG, PDF, PNG, AI, EPS, TIFF, PS (PostScript)
Make sure that your PDF file is saved directly from a graphic program in the PDF/X-standard (PDF/X3 or PDF/X1a) format. In order to avoid issues with layers and transparencies in the printing process, it is advised to use the “compatibility 1.3” setting while saving your artwork.
If you are submitting your files in TIFF format, please make sure you reduce the layers to only one layer.
In order to prevent problems with variations in colour or print image, please don’t use the preseparated DCS EPS data.
Yes – all the accepted files must be print-ready. If you are looking of more information about how to prepare your files and for templates check out our templates on each product page.
To make sure that there are no white areas on your printed product, all the submitted files must have a 2 mm bleed on each side. This means that your design (both images and graphics) should be always 2mm larger than the actual print format. Failing to do so may result in small deviations which lead to white margins. To make sure that the fonts and crucial design elements are visible, please place them at least 3mm from the final format (not including the bleed) and don’t use frames as boundaries in the layout.
Additionally:
– If you are submitting your print data in an open format the bleed should be 4mm on each side (eg. A4 size including a bleed should be 301×214 mm)
– If you are submitting files for presentation folders, banners, monthly calendars, packaging or any other advertising technology products please prepare the file with a 3mm bleed on each side
– Envelopes must be submitted with a 1 mm bleed.
– Textile stretcher frames require 15 mm bleed.
Yes, all the artworks are checked and verified to make sure they are fit for print.
It’s best to prepare your files in the CMYK colour mode, otherwise we automatically convert it from the RGB mode which may result in colour shift. To ensure you are fully satisfied with the print it’s recommended to send in the CMYK colour mode files.
To ensure high quality of the print we accept 300 dpi files and higher.
