Frequently Asked Questions

What type of materials and projects are suitable for Colorplak?

Use Colorplak framing for:

• Posters - movie and theater posters, art prints, festival posters and more
• Photos - family, class and team, portrait, wedding and more
• Maps - expensive and difficult to read when framed in glass - looks great and costs less when Colorplaked
• Children’s Art - easy to clean and safe to display in kids rooms
• News Articles and Magazine Covers - cut up and layout the headlines, photos and text. Send us the pieces and an easy to follow layout sketch and we will do the rest. (Refer to the section on how-to prepare news articles for Colorplak.)
• Certificates, Diplomas and Awards - choose from Colorplak’s menu of edge colors to enhance your certificate. Forget the old fashioned oak and walnut plaques of the past
• Indoor Signage, Trade Show and Museum Exhibits - finally, businesses have a stylish but affordable way of displaying product shots, mission and vision statements, safety and motivational posters and more

What prints are not suitable for Colorplak?

• Do not Colorplak posters, photos or art prints that are limited editions, signed original art or irreplaceable. Children’s art is acceptable only if you feel it’s replaceable. Otherwise, make a color photocopy. In the rare event of a factory or shipping mishap, Colorplak’s warranty is only up to $50 to replace any poster or print. If your print is worth more than $50, sending it to us means that you accept our maximum $50 replacement warranty
• Do not send prints that are too glossy. Our special laminates and dry-mount tissues do not stick to super-glossy prints. Regular glossy photo prints are fine. Super glossy prints feel like they have a plastic film or coating on top

back to top

How to prepare news articles to be Colorplaked:

A newspaper or magazine article that’s neatly contained in one page is easy to Colorplak. Simply send us the page (or a color photocopy) of the page.

In many cases, when you have a headline, a main photo and captions on one page and the story or text on a separate page, you need to neatly cut the key portions and position them in a balanced, easy-to-read layout. Send us all the components of the layout (the headline, the photos and captions, the body text, etc) along with a rough sketch of how you want these elements positioned as well as your choice of background color (choose from black, white, dark blue, red and green).

back to top

Framing Questions

Can we do mats?

No. However, we can lay down a background color to provide a border around your print. If you have an 8" x 10" print and you want a 1" black border around the print, enter the size as 10" x 12" and indicate on the special notes section of the order form "1" black border". We currently have the following colors available for background borders: black, white, dark blue, red and green.

back to top

Measuring Questions

In most cases, enter the actual size of the poster in the order form. Be accurate up to 1/8 of an inch. In some cases you may wish to trim off the border around the poster. Trim the border yourself with a blade or scissors and re-measure the image size. Please note that the beveled edges of all Colorplaks take 1/8" off the edge of your print. In some cases you may have elements in the print near the edge that you want to save, like a signature or a headline etc. If this is the case, please add 1/8"

back to top

Turnaround Time

Allow 1 week from receipt of prints in our Redmond, WA facility to the time your order is shipped. If you live in Chicago, allow 2-3 days for your print to arrive in a tube (by mail or Fedex Ground), one week for it to be processed in our plant, and 2-3 days to be shipped back to you. That’s about two weeks from the time you mailed your order in. If you live in New York, allow up to three weeks from the time you send your order in.

back to top

Shipping Questions

• When sending posters (16" x 20" and larger) to Colorplak we recommend use of a heavy-duty poster tube. If you can squeeze the tube with your own hands, it’s not strong enough. Put soft paper or tissue on both ends of the tube to cushion the poster. Make sure you tape the caps on each end of the poster tube so they don’t pop off.
• When sending smaller prints (11" x 14" or smaller) you can elect to send them in a flat cardboard box or heavy duty envelop
• For the most inexpensive mailing option, use the US Post Office. But for only a dollar or two more you might prefer UPS or Fedex Ground. These shipments are easier to track online or by phone
• For repeat customers use the complimentary Fedex Ground pick-up label that you receive with each finished order. Simply apply the pre-addressed label to you poster tube and call the Fedex Ground toll-free number. They will ask for your address and available pick-up time. You can leave it by your front door if you live in a safe neighborhood, or drop the tube off at any Kinkos/Fedex store near you

back to top

Warranty & Guaranty Questions

Colorplak framing is an irreversible process. Once your print is dry-mounted and laminated on fiberboard, it cannot be restored to its original print condition. Therefore, do NOT send prints to be Colorplaked if they are irreplaceable originals, expensive limited edition prints, or prints using a very expensive printing process like gicleés or high-end photofinishing. With the Colorplak warranty we will repair or replace any Colorplaked image up to a maximum value of $50.

back to top

Oversized prints and oversized shipping charges

Even though Colorplak represents a tremendous savings over traditional framing specially with large sizes, you still have to make room in your budget for oversized shipping charges from Fedex, UPS or DHL (we use all three). Pay particular attention to this issue if you have prints, photos or maps where any one side exceeds 40, 50 or 60 inches. For example a 56" x 40" map framed as a ColorFloat going to the east coast may cost as much as $95 to ship. Please email us the dimensions of your print and your zip code and we will gladly provide an estimate for the Colorplak process and the shipping to your door.

back to top

Overseas or international shipping

Sorry, we cannot ship to any address outside the U.S. until further notice. We will be test shipping packages to Canada, Europe and Asia via the US post office because they provide the greatest savings. We are not, however, fully assured of how safe our packages will arrive. Please wait for further notice. Better still, email us your address and query and we will send you a notice if shipping to your country is finally available

back to top