Frequently Asked Questions About Our Printing & Design Services

Yes, but because our postcard orders of 1000 or more are gang produced with other postcard orders, it's not as simple as just not coating your postcards. There will be an additional handling charge added, depending on the size and quantity of your order.

If you want only a portion of your postcard order to have printing on the back and the balance left blank we can certainly do that for an extra $25 per color. This is because your postcard will be run with other postcard orders, so it still requires a plate change to take the printing off of the print run.

Yes, we request that you send us your RGB files and our Art Department will convert them to CMYK color space.

Sure! We now offer digitally printed materials in quantities of 50-999 pieces for any item on our website. Don't see what you're looking for? Call us for a custom quote!

Of course! You can certainly have photos, either screened or full opacity, on the back of your postcards.

Jpg files are fine if we are doing the artwork, but if you are supplying finished files, we request a layered tiff or psd file with full 1/8" bleed on all sides. We have templates available in the Resources section, or feel free to call your customer service representative for more details.

No, all of our postcard prices include black imprinting on the back.

No, we will set up an account when you place your order.

All orders with the exception of Press Printed Products will receive a proof prior to printing. If you submit finished files we will email a pdf proof, with a hard copy proof available for an additional cost. If Blossom is creating the design you will receive a hard copy proof by FedEx at no additional charge.

We do not require payment until you approve your proof. At that time, you can either pay by credit card or company check. We cannot ship any order until it has been paid for in full.

When you place a combination order, each card can be completely different from the other card(s) ordered. They do, however, need to be all sent in at the same time.

Yes, we offer full color printing on the backs of our postcards for an additional $50 per order.

Yes, all of our items now are available at a discounted price if you supply finished files to Blossom Publishing. Make sure you supply us layered Photoshop files with 1/8" bleed on all sides. If you have any questions, you can download templates from our website or call your customer service representative for more information.

No, we don't limit the number of images you use on your piece.

Our web providers recommend that no single upload is larger than 100 mb. If your files are larger than 100 mb, you can either break them up into smaller uploads or put them on a CD or DVD and overnight them to us.

No, you don't need to scan your images before you send them to us. We recommend if you do send prints that they be 4x5 or larger for optimum quality.

Once you approve your proof,all orders generally ship within 5 business days.

No, typically website images are too low resolution to use for print. We recommend files be at least 300 dpi, while website images are generally 72 dpi.

All Press Ready products include pleasing color from your files (no color adjustment); standard paper grade - quality gloss or matte stock; UV high-gloss coating FREE on all 12 pt C2S card fronts; a PDF proof for your review; downloadable layout templates to assist you in your layout; FREE ground shipping in the continental USA.

In addition to the above, all Blossom Design prices also include professional custom design using your images; unlimited color scanning and typesetting; high-resolution Epson proof for your approval; reasonable customer alterations; great color offset printing for Guaranteed Satisfaction!

If you're sending us images to create a piece for you, we can take psd, tif, or jpg files at 400 dpi. If you're utilizing our "Print Ready" or "Print Ready Plus" services and sending us finished files, we would like layered tif or psd files, with a 300 dpi resolution at actual size plus 1/8" bleed on all sides. We have templates available in the Resources section, or feel free to call your customer service representative for more details.

UV coating is a very shiny petroleum-based coating that is applied to all of our postcards. It is great for protecting your postcard through the mail service and helps protect your piece from any water damage and fading from the sun. Water-based aqueous coating is less shiny than UV coating, but still adds a nice glossy look to all of our text weight projects (digests, magazines, tri/bi/quadfolds, squares) to give your photos a little extra punch.

For most Blossom orders, we'd like 300 dpi files.

Most proofs leave within 5 business days from the time we receive your project (except during March-May when it may take up to 2 extra days). That means if we receive your order on Monday, it will leave here by the following Monday. If you're placing a Press Ready order, we will send a pdf proof; for Blossom Design orders we will FedEx a full-color, calibrated Epson proof for your review.

Our prices shown are just examples of what you can expect for a price. We can print any product in quantities of 100 and we'll pro-rate the price for you. For example, 500 8.5x5.5 postcards are $191, 600 would cost $208.40, and 1000 would cost $278.

Our standard ground shipping will take 1-7 business days to deliver your project, depending on where you live; ask your customer service representative how many days your project will take to reach you. If you'd like to expedite your order to 2 day or next day shipping, please select this option as you check out -- we'll be glad to accommodate your needs. (Keep in mind paper products are not light; our standard boxes weigh around 45 pounds a piece! The number of boxes your order requires depends on your project ordered and the quantity ordered.)

Yes. Our prices are structured to provide the best value when ordering full-color printing, but please contact us for special requests for 2-color printing.

Of course! Please contact our Customer Service if you need assistance.

Yes! Please contact us with your previous order number of the project you wish to reorder. Exact reprints are priced as a Press Ready order.

Yes, you can! We don't add-on prices like many printers do. Perhaps this has happened to you: you see a low price shown for a product... and then you find out that extra photos, extra typesetting, extra copies you didn’t order, extra coatings... even printing on the back side of some materials all require “extra” charges that often cost much more than you expected.

At Blossom-Direct.com, the prices you see are the prices you pay, plus any applicable tax. And, we include FREE GROUND SHIPPING in the USA on all products. To serve you best, we also offer upgrades in shipping.

Blossom-Direct.com uses the best color management system and software available in the print industry so you can be confident your printed materials will have pleasing color. Please note that there may be a difference in the color calibration of computer monitors, so what you see on your monitor may not be an exact match to the printed piece you receive from us. If you have specific color concerns, just contact us!

It is easy to order! Simply choose your product category. Click on the quantity you need based on Print Ready or Print Ready Plus, depending on whether you will supply print-ready files or if you would like us to design your product for you.

You may also enter a custom quantity for an instant quote in the Print Ready or Print Ready Plus price line.

Proceed to the checkout where you create an account. Next, follow the instructions for sending your graphic files.

To request Mailing Services, just call us toll-free at 866-452-2658 or use our Live Online Chat service icon, at right.

Because of our quick turnaround schedule, we require prepayment at the time you place your order. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express and you may provide your card information online or call it in to us if you prefer. Please contact us to request other arrangements.

If you have received a promo code for a special offer, you will be prompted at checkout to enter your code to receive your discount.

Uploading times will vary depending on your connection speed and the size of your files. Please allow several minutes. You will receive a message when your upload is completed.

Your Print Ready order starts when you upload your press-ready files. You will receive via email instructions for viewing an online proof within 1 business day. On acceptance of your proof, your project moves into our production schedule which is typically 5-7 working days. For publications with numerous pages, we may require a bit more time. When in doubt, just ask!

We use FedEx or UPS Ground to ship your order unless you request expedited shipping. FREE Ground Shipping takes 1 to 7 business days for delivery depending on your 5 digit zipcode location.

Your Print Ready Plus order starts when you upload your files and/or provide the design details. SmartDesign requires approximately 3 business days to create your materials, depending on the number of pages and the complexity of your content. We will email you instructions for viewing an online proof. On acceptance of your proof, your project moves into our production schedule which is typically 5-7 working days. For publications with numerous pages, we may require a bit more time. When in doubt, just ask!

We use FedEx or UPS Ground to ship your order unless you request expedited shipping. FREE Ground Shipping takes 1 to 7 business days for delivery depending on your 5 digit zipcode location.

Except for envelopes and tearpads where bleed is not available, all product prices include full bleed, free of charge. If you are preparing Print Ready materials, bleeds should extend 1/8" beyond the final trim size.

When taking your pictures, aim for the lowest number of images that will fit on your card or memory stick – this will result in the highest quality images possible.

Yes, we can! Simply complete the relevant form and send it to us.

Minnesota - Click here to download the form

Wisconsin - Click here to download the form

Aqueous coating is a clear, gloss protective coating printed over the entire surface of the printed sheet to provide shine and protection to the page.

UV coating is available for postcards and provides a high gloss, more-durable protective coating, especially for pieces that travel through the mail.

Please see our Terms & Conditions, User Agreement and Privacy Policy below for complete details.

Our regular business hours are 8 am to 5 pm, CST, however, our pressroom and production facility operate 24 hours a day, six days a week to serve you best!

For Print Ready projects, we accept high-resolution PDF, EPS, JPG, TIFF, PSD, QuarkXPress and InDesign files in both MAC and PC formats. Make sure fonts are included or are rasterized or converted to outlines. Upload your single StuffIt or ZIP file or choose our multiple file upload procedure and follow the simple steps during checkout. You may also submit files on CD or DVD. If you don't see your file format listed here, just call.

For Print Ready Plus, you may supply images as high-resolution PDF, EPS, JPG, TIFF or PSD graphic files, or text files in most program formats. You may also mail us photographs or slides to scan if you do not have them in digital file form.

For Mailing Services, please provide your data as CSV or XLS files.

You may upload one or more files online, or mail us your files on CD or DVD. Send to: Blossom-Direct.com, 163 E. Second Street, Winona, MN 55987.

Simply go to the Login at the top of the page and follow the simple instructions to retrieve your password.

We can produce a wide range of sizes for most products. Simply call toll-free 866-452-2658 for an estimate.

To order a quantity other than listed for a particular product, enter a custom quantity for an instant quote in the Print Ready or Print Ready Plus price line.

Please contact us right away, and we will determine the production status of your order. We will make every effort to accommodate your changes, however changes made after work has been completed may result in additional charges. We generally place orders in production the day after they are approved. Contact us if you require a change and we will do our best!

Just let us know what image or concept you wish to illustrate and we can supply high-quality, royalty-free stock photography AT NO EXTRA CHARGE!

You own the layout we create using Print Ready Plus, except for any stock photos we may use in the materials we produce for you. We subscribe to a stock photography provider with more than 100,000 professional model-released stock photos, however, our license does not allow us to distribute those images to our customers. Just let us know which images you wish to purchase the rights to use, and we will provide the image details.