Ballyhoo Balloons 248 Huddersfield Road,
Holmfirth HD9 3JL
designed by PrintPod
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FAQs Q I only want a few
balloons printing for my wedding/party/charity event/open day/etc, but
this all looks so complicated! Help!
A
Please dont be put off by the number of FAQs. These FAQs are designed to
answer every possible question, and many will not be relevant to you. Just
look at those answers that you want to know about. Or phone us on
01484 689898 and ask us direct. Q Why is your minimum
order 100?
A If
you are wanting printed balloons as part of balloon dcor that we are
providing, don't worry about the minimum order. We will print however many
are necessary for just 30 (which includes VAT) as a service to our dcor
customers. If you are not having balloon dcor from us, you are welcome to order less than 100 balloons, but it will cost the same as 100 as that is our minimum. We can make up the 100 with unprinted balloons. For example, so if you want only 50 printed balloons we can give you 50 unprinted as well. Whatever the size of the print run itself, each job takes the same amount of time in screen preparation, setting up the printing machine and cleaning it down afterwards. These processes form the bulk of the cost of the minimum order. The machine time and the cost of the balloons on small orders are insignificant. Q Why
cant I open an account with you?
A We
prefer to keep our costs low so that we can offer good prices to our
customers. We avoid credit control costs by having payment with order. We
are happy to accept payment by credit card which enables you to manage
your own cashflow. Q Why
dont you print a colour swatch for the balloons?
A We
cannot guarantee that balloons will match a swatch as the manufacturers
change their colour ranges from time to time. Q Can
you explain what you mean by neck up and neck down?
A We
can print the design on the balloons either way up, depending on how you
are going to use them. The balloon needs to be printed so that the design
is not upsidedown especially if it incorporates words. Neck down is
standard as most people fill them with helium or use them with balloon
sticks. If you want them the other way up, you must let us know as we
print neck down unless were told otherwise. Q Can I collect the
balloons from you?
A Yes -
and you will save on the delivery charge! Q Can
you guarantee delivery by a certain date?
A We will
do all in our power to get balloons to you by a certain date but we do not
give an unconditional guarantee because of factors beyond our control.
Goods are sent by Royal Mail or courier and they schedule delivery for the
next weekday. It is very rare that they do not fulfil this obligation but
very occasionally a problem occurs. It is always best to have as much
notice as possible so that we are not having to send our the balloons at
the last minute, giving time to sort out any hitches. There is also an
option of paying extra for delivery by 9.00 am or on a Saturday.
Q I would like my
balloons in bags of a hundred. Can you do that?
A We can
bag in whatever quantities you want (see price section). They will be
simple clear anonymous plastic bags with no headers. We always pop a slip
in each bag with the statutory Safety Warning on. Q What are the pros and
cons of using balloons sticks?
A
Pros: The balloons dont need to be knotted. Knotting balloons takes time and some people find it difficult. You dont use helium, so you dont have the bother and expense of hiring cylinders. The balloon lasts for days, even weeks, because it is air filled. The balloon will not float away if people let go of the ribbon. Cons: The cost but you are saving on helium. The effect is not the same as having floating balloons. Q What are the pros and
cons of using balloon valves?
A
Pros: The balloons dont need to be knotted. Knotting balloons takes time and some people find it difficult. The ribbon is already attached. You can top-up the balloons. Its quick and easy for inexperienced people to blow up the balloons. Note that all our valves come with white ribbons. Cons: The cost (see price section) If you decide to fit the valves yourselves, it is a very fiddly job. The weight of the valve means shorter float time. PRICE QUESTIONS Q Why do you quote
prices without VAT?
A Most of
our customers are VAT registered businesses who are interested in the net
cost. We have to charge VAT, even for charities, so please add 20% to the
prices. Q Do your prices include
helium?
A No. If you are wanting your
printed balloons filled with helium, this is extra. Details of the various
options are in our Balloon Dcor brochure price list. Q Why
is there an additional charge if you want printed balloons in less
than 7 working days?
A We tend
to think of it the other way round. The real charge is 143.20 +
vat for 1,000 printed balloons but you get a discount for giving us
notice. When we didnt have the surcharge, everyone ordered at the very
last minute. Now that some people give us more notice, its easier to
schedule the bulk of the printing, and to fit the short orders in and
amongst the other jobs. Q Is possible to have a
quantity not mentioned in your price chart, such as 750?
A Yes.
The price calculation is not as straightforward as halfway between the
adjacent prices, so just call us for the price. Q I would like pearlised
balloons but they seem really expensive!
A We
quote for Qualatex balloons as pearlised balloons are most often required
for balloon dcor. Professional balloon decorators often insist on Qualatex
because they come in a wide range of colours, there are matching items
available and the balloons are of high quality and consistency. But that
quality comes at a price. We do have another range of pearlised balloons available if you are not requiring them for balloon dcor. The range of colours is limited. Obviously, they are more expensive than the standard finish balloons but they work out cheaper than Qualatex. Q I cant see a screen
charge on your price list?
A The
cost of the screen is included in the list price. Please remember that if
you are comparing prices as some companies dont it make clear that they
charge extra. Q What would you charge
for fitting the balloons with valves?
A Valves
cost 60 for 1,000 if you fit them yourselves, 100 for 1,000 if we fit them
for you. Our charge is 15p each up to 249, 10p each for 250 or
more. Q What would you charge
for bagging balloons in smaller quantities?
A We bag
in 500s at no extra cost. We can bag in whatever quantities you want at
only 15p per bag. For example, it will cost 1.50 to have 1,000 balloons
bagged in 100s or 3 to have them bagged in 50s. They will be simple clear anonymous plastic bags with no headers. We always pop a slip in each bag with the statutory Safety Warning on. TECHNICAL QUESTIONS Q You say that the print
area is a 5" circle, so why does the print look bigger than 5"
across?
A Imagine
a partly blown up balloon pushed against a flat screen. The area touching
a screen will be circular in shape, giving us the 5 diameter printing
area. The print will look bigger when the balloon is fully blown
up. Q A balloon is round.
How can it have 2 sides?
A By 2
sides, we mean that we print the design twice on the balloon as if it had
a front and back. Q Can you print a photo
on a balloon?
A If you
have a clear sharp photo we can convert it to half tone and print it in
one colour. There is a 10 origination charge for this. Q Can you explain when
you would charge for artwork?
A
Nowadays we don't often have to charge for artwork as most people can
provide decent artwork by e-mail or on disk. To avoid an artwork charge: Supply artwork as black on white 300 dpi TIF or PDF (please attach fonts) Ensure design will fit in a 5 circle Ensure design is in solid colours (not shaded) Check that the design is in only one or two colours (note that a black outline is actually another colour!) Remember that registration can be +/- 3mm so the design must still work if abutting colours move a little Charges sometimes have to be made: For converting artwork to half-tones (shading) When artwork is not supplied in PC format When artwork is supplied as a WORD document For simplifying complex designs The charges are usually minimal, depending on the amount of work involved. We can work with most PC formats, but please avoid sending artwork as a WORD doc as it is completely unsuitable. Q Is it possible to have
balloons printed in 3, 4 or 5 colours?
A We only
print in one or two colours on site but we can arrange for more complex
printing to be done if you are wanting large quantities. Q Is it possible to have
balloons printed all over?
A We can
only print on one or two sides on site but we can arrange for more complex
printing to be done if you are wanting large quantities. Q Can you pantone match
the ink colour?
A If you
give us the pantone for an uncoated swatch we will match it as far as
possible but please remember the same ink colour will look different on
different colours of balloons. The colour will also appear to change as
the balloon is blown up. Q Can you pantone match
the balloon colour?
A Special
balloon colours are only viable for very large numbers of balloons as it
is part of the manufacturing process. Most customers are satisfied with
one of the standard balloon colours. Q Can I have a proof of
the artwork?
A Just
ask, and we will e-mail a proof as a PDF. Note that the proof will be
black whatever colour of ink is going to be used in the printing. If time
is short, you will need to respond quickly to give us time to make up the
screen. BALLOONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 2. Latex from balloons that fall to the ground will rot away (photo-degrade) naturally. 3. From time to time there are articles in the papers about animals that appear to have eaten pieces of balloons. There is no evidence that this has harmed any animal. 4. Helium is a harmless inert gas and does not affect the ozone layer. 5. If the balloons are to be used for a balloon race, we recommend that
uncoated cardboard is used for the tags so that
they will bio-degrade. FINALLY |
