
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We get asked that a lot...find answers to your questions here.
We try to keep a standard pocket size of 3.5" x 3.5" If your front pocket design is more rectangular than square (i.e. tall and skinny or short and wide) then we may print as large as 4" wide or tall whichever dimension is larger. However, if the design is actually being printed on a pocket we may have to make the design smaller in order to fit the pocket.
All Files must be 300 DPI or a Vector File. Preferred file types are .PSD, .TIF, .EPS, or .AI Other files that are acceptable are .PDF, and .JPG. Design should be sized to print. See File Prep for more info on how to prepare your order. Orders, where artwork is being provided, cannot be started until we have usable artwork.
For a slightly more detailed look at preparing your artwork for print, or check out our Artwork Templates.
If you don't speak computer...higher quality (not fuzzy) images work best. Call us or email us if you have mroe questions.
Typical turnaround time is 7-10 business days + shipping time.
Turnaround time is only an estimate, is not guaranteed and starts when your deposit is paid for AND we have all information to complete your job. Complex designs or orders with extra add-ons may increase turnaround time. If you have a deadline for your order, you must let us know when placing your order and a rush fee may be applied. Taking longer than 24 hours to approve your digital proofs may delay your order. Any circumstances out of Alley Ink's control (ie: weather delays, shipping errors by the supplier, etc.) may also require more time and are not factored into the initial turn around time estimate. We do our best to keep you informed of delays in your order.
For embroidery, bling/rhinestones, and vinyl there is no minimum, though you will get better pricing if you order more.
For screenprinting, we will do an order as small as 12 items per design. You can have multiple types of garments (i.e. short sleeve, long sleeve, hoodies, etc) as long as they have the same design and colors, they will count towards your total. We recommend printing at least 50 for best pricing.
You can order as many different shirt sizes as you want and you DON'T have to order in dozens, unless otherwise stated. Please keep in mind that some brands may only go up to 2X, while others can be ordered as large as 6X. For more info on sizes available, email or call us so we can check with our distributors.
Yes. Kind of. We have a limited supply of blank apparel. When you place an order with us for multiple items or an item we don't happen to have in stock at the moment, we have to order it from our warehouses. It may take a few days to get in, so please keep this in mind when placing your order. Also, just because a brand makes a specific color doesn't guarantee we can get that color in every style or that it is even in stock at our warehouses. We recommend you have a back up color or if you are ordering multiple colors allow us to help you pick them out so we can see what's in stock.
Most screenprint and embroidery orders will require a $50 non-refundable deposit that will go towards the cost of your order. This ensures that our artists' time is paid for.
On small orders like vinyl or bling, a deposit may not be required, but you will most likely be asked to pay for your order up front. It is left up to the discretion of Alley Ink on whether or not a deposit is required for your order.
If you have a specific question on payment, give us a call or email us.
We are so sorry to hear that you aren't happy with your design. We recommend customers inspect their items before leaving our store, so we can be notified of any problems right away.
If you are missing items or sizes are wrong, please see "My order is wrong...what do I do?"
If your design is smaller/larger than you thought, misspelled, or something is wrong with the design, please give us a call or email us. Orders are never produced without a proof being approved by our customer, unless the customer has waived the proof. We recommend you check your proof very throughly for spelling, size, color, and placement. Though we cannot guarantee they will be an exact match, there are within a very thin margin of error. After approving your proof, you are telling us that everything is good to go!
Of course! You can definitely bring us items to customize, but we would prefer to print on our own items, as we are not perfect and can make mistakes from time to time. If we make a mistake on our end we can replace the item much quicker and easier than a one-of-a-kind custom item.
We also can get items from almost every major apparel brand at wholesale cost, so why not let us handle it.
Awesome! We can definitely do that with screenprint, there may be an additional charge for custom colors.
With vinyl, rhinestones, and thread, we can get pretty darn close, but can't guarantee exact pantone matches unless we order directly from our warehouse and that will cost both you and us a ton of money, so unless it is a larger order we might not be able to make an exact match in these categories.
