Want to know more about how all this works? Here on more details on:

a. the people who order our place cards.
b. how our calligraphy printing is done.
c. how to prepare your guest list for printing.
d. how to send your guest list to PlaceCards.Com.

Are you in a Rush? Some Helpful Tips on:

e. completing your guest list in a timely manner.
f. getting fast turnaround and delivery (Rush Service).
g. shipping your order.

What options are available? You can:

h. receive a proof of your place card layout (at no charge) .
i. have your place cards personalized with your names and event dates.
j. have the table names or numbers printed on your place cards.
k. have food choices printed on your place cards.
l. have us sort and print your place cards in alphabetical order.

Want some peace of mind? You can have:

m. extra place cards printed for last minute additions.
n. a second set of place cards (10 cents a card)

Want to avoid common mistakes? We have suggestions on:

o. long names can result in small size print.
p. using Roman numerals in your list.
q. using foreign characters (tilde, grave, acute, etc.).
r. place cards for guests who haven't RSVP'ed yet.
s. place cards for guest's date or escort.

t. the size, the paper, and thickness of our place cards.

a. the people who order our place cards.

Like many of our customers, you may be a first time buyer, ordering place cards for a one time event like a wedding or bar mitzvah. You will naturally have many questions and concerns about the printing process, preparing your guest list, sending your order through the internet, and more.

You can find answers to most of your questions right here on the website. More importantly, our experienced staff at PlaceCards.com is only a phone call away. We have these goals:

1. Help you with ordering your place cards and preparing your guest list.
2. Print high quality place cards.
3. Deliver every order on time.

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b. how our calligraphy printing is done.

The first step for us is to import your guest list into our place card printing program. We can automatically convert lists from the most common formats (e.g. Word, Excel) and have file conversion utilities to handle many other formats.

Once your list is imported, we begin the font sizing and layout process. Based upon the font you select and the average length of the names on your list, we determine the font size that is most appropriate for your list. We then check to see if any of your guests' names would be too long to print on a place card at the selected size. If there are some long names, their size will be individually modified enough to fit on a place card. If any of the long names are so long that we can not get a decent print size, we may contact you with recommendations on resolving this problem.

After the print size is determined, we layout the cards. We center every name both vertically and horizontally on every card. Depending on the print size, we will adjust the leading (the space between each line) on the place cards to the proper distance. If you select options such as place card personalization (e.g., printing your first names and wedding date on the back of the card), the placement of that text is determined. Once layout is complete, you have the option of receiving a proof faxed or e-mailed to you free of charge. If the proof is emailed to you, you will receive a proof of all the placecards in your order. The proof would be sent to you in a PDF format (readable in Adobe Acrobat). If you request a faxed proof, a sampling of six or more of your place cards will be printed and faxed.

After layout and proof approval, the cards are printed. Our place cards are printed using high resolution (1200 dpi) laser printers, guaranteeing the finest print quality.

After printing the place cards, we score the place cards so you can easily fold them before placement. Then we cut the place cards down to the correct size, which completes the production.

Note: "Our place cards are cut with a professional cutting machine. So there are is no ragged or perforated edges on the place cards we ship you."

Finally, we package your place cards shipment in a very strong "Indestructo" box with foam packaging and ship it to you.

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c. how to prepare your guest list for printing.

We require the list in an electronic file, such as a spreadsheet or word processing file. 90% of the lists we receive are provided to us in either Microsoft Excel or Word. Do not send printed copies of your guest list, which would require retyping or scanning. For more specifics on preparing your list in an acceptable file format, see Acceptable File Formats.

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d. how to send your guest list to PlaceCards.Com?

We recommended you fill out our online Order Form. Step 4 on this order form will ask for the name of the file that contains your guest list. You can click on the "Browse" button next to Step 4 and it will pop-up a Windows "Choose File" dialog box. Your computer's folders will be displayed. You can click on the folder that contains your file (usually it will be located in My Documents). Once your in the correct folder, simply click on your guest list file and close the dialog box. Your files name should then appear on the Placecard order form. When you submit your order, a copy of your guest list file will attach itself to our order form. We will receive both your order form and guest list together.

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e. completing your guest list in a timely manner.

We have found that one of the biggest concerns our customers have is completing their guest list in a timely manner. You may not have all the RSVP's back or you need more time to complete seating arrangements. Even children's names or the name of a guest's date can be difficult to determine. We are well aware of these concerns.

Some comments on this:

1. We have set up a 24 and 48 hour rush service in order to print your place cards in the shortest time possible. So it is possible to order on Tuesday and have the place cards on their way back on Wednesday or Thursday. This give you as much time as possible to assemble your guest list.

2. You run out of time and you have not received all your RSVP's back. We suggest you go ahead and include these guests on your list and we will print a place card for them. If you find out later that they are not going to attend the reception, you can simply throw their place card away. It is easier for you to throw away a few place cards than to reorder some additional ones later.

3. If you're uncertain about the spelling of a guest's name, include the name on your guest list with several different spellings. We will make a place card for each of these spellings. You can throw away the incorrect ones later (when you determine the correct spelling).

4. If you are not certain if a guest is bringing a date/escort/friend, include the guest's name twice. One place card would include the guest ("and Guest") and the other would not.

5. If you are providing us with the table numbers and you're uncertain at which table you want to place a certain guest, include the name several times with the different possible table numbers. Here again, you can throw away the incorrect ones later. Another possibility is to not include a table number for that guest and we can print "Table ___" on the last line of that place card. You can then fill in the table number later.

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f. getting fast turnaround and delivery (Rush Service)

We realize that putting a completed place card list together may take you right up to the week of the event. It can be unsettling to wait that long to place your order. You may be thinking that it is too late to have them printed. We at PlaceCards.Com are well aware of our customer's concerns about receiving their order in time for the event. We hear about this concern from customers almost every day.

We would like to assure you that we can turn your order around in in one day with our 24 hour rush service. If the order is placed in the morning, most of the time we can print and ship it on the same day. We delivered an order for 2100 calligraphy addressed place cards for a Saturday evening banquet. The customer sent us the list at 3:00pm on Friday, the day before the event. We were able to print it that same day (within 2-1/2 hours) and Next Day Air the order with a Saturday delivery.

We currently have 3 production schedules from which you can select. 24 Hour Rush ($18 premium), 48 Hour Rush ($9 premium) and one week for standard production.

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g. shipping your order.

We can ship Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, Three Day Select or Standard Ground service. For more information on the costs of each method, see Pricing.

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h. receive a proof of your place card layout (at no charge).

We can fax or e-mail you a proof of your place cards before we print them. After we receive your list, we layout your place card order. Font sizing and line spacing are determined. At this point, we can email or fax you a proof of your place cards printed from your guest list.

The proofs are layed out on 8.5 x 11" sheets. There are solid lines printed around each place card, which represent the border of the card. There are also dotted lines, which show the location of the scoring (fold) on the card. The proofs are actual size (unless your fax machine is in a reduction mode) so you can cut the proofs out and fold them like the actual place cards. Its a great way to see exactly what your cards will look like.

The printing will be on hold while you review the proof. You can approve the proof with or without any changes. If you request changes, you have the option of receiving a second proof. Otherwise, we will make your requested changes and proceed with printing.

Requesting a proof should not delay the printing of your order. This is even true with our 24 rush service orders. You just need to reply back by 2:00 pm Central time for printing that day.

A picture is worth a thousand words. We feel seeing the proof will reassure you of how your place cards are going to look before they are printed.

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i. have your place cards personalized with your names and event date.

Placecards.com can personalize the place card with an event name and date. It is a really nice touch! We have received so many compliments on it that we strongly recommend it.

Special Pricing: No Charge! (normally $5)

Jane and Matthew
May 18, 2006

John Smith's Bar Mitzvah
June 22, 2006

Woman's Sports Council Dinner
June 29, 2006

Acme Printing's Holiday Party
December 15, 2006

The printing is centered in the lower section on the outside back of the card. It would be printed in lettering SAR (Solid Antique Roman) using a point size of 10. (See sample above). You can have one or two lines of print (Maximum of 50 characters and spaces per line).

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j. have the table names or numbers printed on your place cards.

We can print your place cards with or without a table number line. How do you decide? It depends on how you are using your place cards. If you plan on having an entrance table where all the place cards are displayed, you would then want a table number line. The guests would find their place card and proceed to the table indicated. You could include more than one person on these cards.

For example:

"Mr. and Mrs. John Smith"
"Table 12"

"or"

"Mr. and Mrs. John Smith"
"David, John and Susan"
"Table 12"

If you plan on having place cards right at the table setting, you will not need the table number line printed (since your guest will already be at their table when they find their place card). We would recommend one place card for each person.

If you choose to have the table number line, it can be printed with an underscore ("Table ___"). You can then write in the table numbers at the last minute. If you are really organized, we can also print the actual table number on the place card (Ex: "Table 16"). Just add the table numbers next to the guests' names in your guest list file. If you would prefer to name your tables rather than number them, we can print your table names (Ex: West Palm Beach or West Palm Beach Table).

Even if you decide on table entrance cards with table numbers, you could also have us print cards for the Head Table. These cards could be placed in front of each person's place setting at the Head Table. This option works particularly well if the Head Table is a straight table. Guest's coming up to the Head Table can see the names of all the people in the wedding party. It is a nice touch! You would need to indicate which cards are for the Head Table by placing "HT" or "Head Table" by them.

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k. have food choices printed on your place cards.

We can print a food choice on your place cards. It is usually designated by name, a single letter or symbol. An example of the use of a single letter might be "B" for beef, "C" for chicken and "V" for vegetarian. Or the symbols might be symbols from a deck of cards. For example, a "Diamond" for beef, a "Club" for chicken, a "Heart" for vegetarian, and a "Spade" for a child's meal. These letters or symbols would be positioned in the lower right corner of the place card, where they can be easily seen by the food servers.

Some customers prefer to have a full description of the food choice printed on the second line of the place card. For example, "Blackened Chicken" or "Filet Mignon".

Contact Placecards.Com at 1-800-279-1989 for further details on printing food choices and price quotes.

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l. have us sort and print your place cards in alphabetical order.

If you are going to place your cards on an entrance table, you will probably want to display them in alphabetical order. The guests will have an easier time finding their place card if they are in alphabetical order. We can alphabetize your list for you (at no extra charge) This will save you the effort of shuffling the place cards around to get them in order.

If you plan on locating the place cards at the place settings, you might consider having the list sorted by table number. All the guests at the same table would be together in the stack. It seems that most lists are sent to us in this order and we are happy to keep it in that same order.

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m. extra place cards printed for last minute additions.

If we have already shipped your place cards to you and you find you need some additional cards printed, we would be happy to do this for you. We would not charge you for these cards and would only charge you shipping charges if we have to air ship them.

Please note that we normally provide 10 extra blank place cards with your original shipment. If you have any last minute additions, you could also use these cards to hand write in the guest's name. We can also provide more blank cards with the original shipment, if you request them.

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n. A second set of place cards (priced at 10 cents a card)

You may want to consider having us print a second set of place cards identical to the first set. You then have a backup card for each guest. This can save the day if you make a mistake in writing in the table number or have to change some table numbers at the last minute. We charge $.10 per card for the second set.

Some customers decide to have us print two sets of place cards. One set for the entrance table (with "Table __" line) and another set for the place settings (without "Table ___ line). This is not considered two orders. You again would pay $.10 a card for these additional cards.

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o. long names can result in small size print.

Based upon the font you select and the average length of the names on your list, we determine the font size that is most appropriate for your list. We then check to see if any of your guests' names would be too long to print on a place card at the selected size. If there are some long names, their size will be individually modified enough to fit on a place card. If any of the long names are so long that we can not get a decent print size, we may contact you with recommendation on resolving this problem.

We can print up to 39 characters (including spaces) on one line of a place card. However, we recommend that you try to keep the name at or below 32 characters (including spaces). At 32 characters or below, we can normally make the print size large enough for easy reading and still be able to fit everyone's name on the place cards.

We have some suggestions on how to avoid long lines:

2. Use abbreviations for titles rather than full spelling.

Use "Rev." rather than "Reverend"
Use "Dr." rather than "Doctor"
Use "Lt. Col." rather than "Lieutenant Colonel"

It is perfectly acceptable to use abbreviations for titles.

3. Rather than on one line:
"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Williams and Family"

make it:
"The Thomas Williams Family"

or on two lines"
"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Williams"
"and Family"

or on two lines using chidren's names:
"Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Williams"
"James, Susan and Christy"

4. Another possibility is to use an "&" rather than "and"
"Mr. and Mrs. John Smith and Family"
"Mr. & Mrs. John Smith & Family"

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p. using Roman numerals in your list.

Not all the fonts available have Roman Numerals in their character set. If you select such a font and have roman numerals in your guest list, we will use the font "CHA" to print the roman numerals. All other printing on your card would be in the font you selected.

We are often asked why we can't use the capital letter "I". We can, but the capital "I" may be very cursive. In this case the capital "I" does not look like a Roman numeral at all. You can choose to not use Roman numerals, pick a font with Roman numerals or let us substitute the font CHA when printing them.

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q. using foreign characters (tilde, grave, acute, etc.).

We do print letters with accents. We do not remove the accents.

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r. place cards for guests who haven't RSVP'ed yet.

You may have some RSVP's that haven't been returned. So you are unsure about whether some guests are coming or not. When in doubt, assume they are coming. Include them on your place card list and we will print a place card for them. If you find out later that they are not, you can remove their place card from the stack. This is a lot easier and less costly than having to come back and have us print a second batch.

Note: if you do need a second batch run, we have a $10 charge for setup and printing of a second batch of additional cards. (25 cards or less). This price includes the cost of mailing these additional cards via First Class Mail. (Additional charges would apply for air shipments.)

Rule of thumb: Make a card for every possibility. They will only cost you a maximum of 10 cents apiece.

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s. Place cards for guest's date or escort.

What if you are unsure about whether a guest is bringing an escort? You can have us print two or more cards that handle all possibilities. For example, the first card might only have your guest's name (Mr. John Smith). The second card could your guest's name with "and Guest" (Mr. John Smith and Guest).. You could even make a separate card for your guest's escort ("Mr. John Smith's Guest" or "Guest of Mr. John Smith").

Card 1 "Mr. John Smith"
Card 2 "Mr. John Smith and Guest"
Card 3 "Mr. John Smith's Guest" or "Guest of Mr. John Smith"

Rule of thumb: Make a card for every possibility. They will only cost you a maximum of 10 cents apiece.

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t. the size, the paper, and thickness of our place cards.

Size:
Front Panel; 4-1/4" wide by 1-13/16" high.
Back Panel: 4-1/4" wide by 1-13/16" high.

Our standard place cards are scored between the front and back panel. This will make the place card fold easily.

Paper Description:
Weyerhaeuser, Cougar Opaque, 65# Cover, Natural Smooth Finish, Grain Long

Item Number 7738 (ecru paper)
Item Number 7985 (white paper)
Other colors, contact customer service.

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PlaceCards.com
35 Glenhaven Drive
St. Louis, MO 63122
Phone: 800-279-1989
Fax: 800-854-2478
Email: tom@placecards.com