Payment terms are 100% up front. Other terms are at our discretion and will be subject to fees.

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We will package all products with enough materials to help aid in the prevention of damage durning transit. With jewel cases (in particular) it is possible that a number of cases might be broken during transit due to normal package handling. UPS will cover any significant damage, lost or stolen packages up to $100. Any additional insurance is not covered, but can be purchased at an additional cost up until the time we ship. The shipment carrier will be responsible for all damaged, lost, or stolen packages.

Minor errors such as different shades of color are normal and part of the short run digital printing method (see notes above) and especially screen printing. Your product(s) may not be returned without approval from us first. All flaws in your order MUST be brought to our attention within 15 business days after receipt of your order. No exceptions.

It is common for some discs to not be able to play in certain players. We use media that is highly compatible with most players, but we can not guarantee that the discs will work in every device. There are many factors as to why this is so, such as, but not limited to, the way your master was created, optical drive types, reflectivity, age of the drive/player, type of dye on the disc, etc.

If you are looking for us to redo all or part of your project please get in touch and let us know what is wrong. We will ask for the product back to assess the defect. If we were found in error and you need new product the turn time will be 10 business days not including time in transit. We will reimburse you for return UPS ground shipping only. We will not accept returns on custom products for any reason other than serious defects in assembly. In some instances a refund will be given, however, we must be given an opportunity to fix the error first.

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TURN AROUND TIME

Our average turn around time is 10 - 15 business days for all orders with a guarantee of 20 business days. Usually things such as bulk CDs come out faster, but they are not guaranteed. We usually do not ship any later than 15 business days, but it is possible if we are swamped with RUSH orders, that your CDs will come out at our max turn time of 20 business days. Day 0 is considered the day that we receive 1) order form 2) payment in full and 3) approved/print ready artwork by 5pm est. Day 1 of production is the first business day after. Any days off for holidays or otherwise will be posted in the NEWS section on the mainpage of www.sirepress.com. Please take those into consideration when determining turn around time. Turn time also refers to the day we plan to ship the items and DOES NOT include time in transit.

VERY IMPORTANT: If you have an "in hands by" date please work backwards from that date given the time in transit (see UPS ground shipping chart below) and add in the 20 business days. This will determine the day we need the materials in order to start your project. Essentially, to start your project we only need four things:

1) submit the online order form
2) approved artwork
3) payment 4) CD/DVD master

RUSH orders are the only way to guarantee your CDs in hands by a certain date. RUSH fees vary by the amount of CDs ordered, "in hands by" date, package type, and other current RUSH orders. Please inquire about any possible RUSH orders as soon as you can and we'll get you set up with everything you need to supply us. If you aren't sure if the standard turn around time is fast enough for you, you probably need a RUSH.

SHIPPING

We ship all orders UPS ground unless specified. All international orders will ship USPS International Priority.

Here is a chart of UPS Ground Transit Times from our Philadelphia, PA location:

Effective January 1, 2020 shipping cost will vary based on weight and shipping location. Below are estimates for all CD/DVD duplication jobs: (per 100 QTY)

$18 for Eastern Time Zone
$22 for Central Time Zone
$25 for Mountain Time Zone
$30 for Pacific Time Zone

Please inquire if you are terribly worried about shipping rates.

We also recycle a lot of our packaging material when we ship out to you. So your packages might be stuffed with multiple types of packing material and the boxes might have other labels on it. We try to be as eco-friendly as possible!

UPS will cover any significant damage, lost or stolen packages up to $100. Any additional insurance is not covered, but can be purchased at an additional cost up until the time we ship. The shipment carrier will be responsible for all damaged, lost, or stolen packages.

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We now have TWO options to get us your CD master:

1) DDP image file or .WAV files directly from your mastering engineer. Please send it via either wetransfer.com or dropbox.com.
2) Physical copy of your CD master. It is recommended that you use either an "archival" quality CD-R, a gold bottom CD-R, or a specific "MUSIC" CD-R. Lesser quality CD-Rs (that tend to be see through), as well as older CD-Rs that have been sitting around for years (that tend to have deteriorating dyes), can create CD rot. This rot will create read errors which result in tracks that skip, stop, or distort.


Notes:

(FOR SENDING A PHYSICAL COPY)
When you submit your master please make sure you have a backup and/or additional copy. We will retain your master for our records. We will not ship back your master, so please do not send us your only copy.

Your CD master must also be an audio CD that can be played in any stand alone CD player. If you send us digital files, please note that we will send you copies of digital files back in return (i.e. a CD full of your MP3 files).

Please listen to your CD master all the way through to make sure you are happy with it. We copy directly from you master, so what you send us is exactly what you'll receive in return. We will not add or subtract any ISRC codes, CD-text data, nor will we add any gaps between your tracks. We have no obligation to monitor any materials that you submit for either duplication or replication.

Please check your master for scratches and other marks. If we receive a master with scratches or other marks we will send you an e-mail noting the marks. You can either ship us a new master or have us use the current master. Sometimes there is no way of telling if a scratch will effect your final copy since we don't know how deep it might be, so all we can do is inform you of the scratch or mark. Please make sure you put your master in a hard case such as a jewel case, slim case, or clam shell.

CD-Text, Gracenote, and ID3 Tags

We get quite a lot of questions related to how albums and songs are labeled/identified by iTunes, car stereos, and other players and formats. There are 3 different ways that this data is handled, and each will be outlined below.

CD-Text

CD-Text is artist, album, and track title information that is stored directly on a CD itself. It must be embedded when the CD is burned, and it is most commonly utilized by car stereos and stand-alone CD and stereo units. CD-Text is NOT read by iTunes, which leads into our next topic...

Gracenote

When you insert a CD into iTunes, the artist, album, and track names (as well as genre, year, and other information) are often pulled up for you automatically. This data is not read from CD-Text, but from a database called Gracenote. Gracenote is an online repository of CD profiles used by many popular kinds of audio software. It is maintained entirely by user submissions (much like Wikipedia) and once an album is catalogued in the Gracenote database, its track information will show up automatically for all users who insert a copy of that CD into their computer and open it in iTunes.

Submitting your CD information to iTunes is quite simple.

1. After receiving your master CD, insert it into your CD drive and open iTunes.
2. Click on the CD from the left-side menu.
3. Enter your artist, album, song titles, and genre for each of your tracks.
4. When you're done, just open the Advanced menu and choose Submit CD track names.
5. That's it! Your disc profile has now been submitted to the Gracenote database.

Note: If another CD already exists in the Gracenote database that has the same number of tracks as your CD with similar track lengths, iTunes may automatically label your songs with the Gracenote information for another artist's CD. But don't worry, you can just change the titles to fit your CD and submit them. Gracenote will store both sets of information and will prompt users to choose which CD is the correct match when they put your album into their iTunes.

ID3 Tags

The first two topics in this section deal with reading track information from CDs, but ID3 tags are how song information is stored in individual digital tracks, such as MP3 or M4A files. If you want to upload your tracks to a website for distribution or just want to send copies of your MP3s to friends and you want the track information to be stored in them, just set the ID3 tags. All you need to do is open your songs in iTunes (on your drive, not on the CD), right-click on a track (or multiple tracks) and choose Get Info. Choose the Info tab on the window that pops up, and you can set whatever info you'd like about your songs.

When overnighting us packages with your master, RRF, etc., you MUST make sure you WAIVE the signature needed for delivery. We aren't always available to sign for packages.

It is common for some discs to not be able to play in certain players. We use media that is highly compatible with most players, but we can not guarantee that the discs will work in every device. There are many factors as to why this is so, such as, but not limited to, the way your master was created, optical drive types, reflectivity, age of the drive/player, type of dye on the disc, etc.

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We consider our screen printing to be more of an art form rather than a mechanical process. We are given artistic license when it comes to printing. This means that during the print process certain variables arise that we must circumnavigate. The variables include, but are not limited to, paper texture (such as the craters in chipboard), ink fluidity, mesh count, your design, film, emulsion, dust, water, durometer squeegee, print/cure temperature, paper color, ink type, etc. We will do everything in our power to create a great print for you, however, there are some things beyond our control that create varied results. If you are expecting your final prints to look exactly like they do on your computer screen, please consider a different print process (such as digital or offset). Likewise, we will match colors as best as possible. We do not offer color matching. If you are strict about color we recommend sending us a physical swatch through the mail or referencing a specific Pantone Uncoated number. Ink samples may also be available at an additional cost, but are HIGHLY recommended if color is VERY important to you. Please note, that your computer screen DOES NOT show you accurate pantone colors. Please reference a Pantone Uncoated Book. If you do not tell us a specific pantone, we will use our best judgment.

- We HIGHLY recommend that your designer be accustom to designing SPECIFICALLY for screen printing. Errors in design can lead to delays in production, additional costs, scrapping of designs, etc. We're here to help you out with any questions you or the designer might have. We're super friendly so just shoot us over an e-mail or call!

- Our registration is within 1/16" on most prints. Similarly, our front to back printing has the same amount of error. Likewise, our cutting error is also typically 1/16". Please take into account when designing.

- IMPORTANT INFO ON TEXT/DESIGN "8PT ARIAL RULE": We do the following on our end to check to see the printability of text and thin parts of your design: we type the word "TEST" in Arial 8pt. in all CAPS. The lines that make up that word are all uniform and your text/design should be NO less than

the thickness of those lines.

- When designing using metallic inks, please keep in mind that super fine detail is sometimes not attainable with high metallic content inks. We will either have to use a lower metallic content ink or we recommend designing larger in order for us to use a lower mesh count screen. Even then it's possible for metallic inks to feather. For this type of text we'd like you to use an "12pt. arial" rule if possible.

- The brown kraft chipboard color is approximately the color of a brown paper bag from the grocery store. We have numerous examples on our site. Please take this into account when selecting your ink color(s).

- Extend any bleed past the cut line.

- Please read this blog post about paper color vs. ink color if you plan on printing on top of dark colored papers.

- Please make sure that the image we will be printing is 100% black, meaning, if you want us to print BLUE, submit your design so the design layer is BLACK. Likewise, make sure there is NO greyscale or shading of any kind (i.e. 100% black). If you choose to do a halftone, please note that results might vary from print to print. Also certain dots might be lost during the burning and print process due to numerous factors. We prefer to do the halftone separation on our end.

- At any point if you are unsure of what you need to do, just send over what you are working on and we'll let you know what's up. If it's something super easy for us to fix we'll go ahead and do it. If any graphic design is involved we will tell you what needs to be done or let you know how much it will cost for us to fix it for you.

Screen printing is one of the best ways to print white ink on black or dark papers. Our white ink looks pretty opaque but on occasion we might need to do a double pass to get the brightest color possible. If you require a super bright white ink, please let us know before hand, as this might cost more depending on the substrate.

Unfortunately we do not offer barcodes directly from us. If you'd like a barcode please visit this site: http://www.mozian.com/upc.html

It might take up to 48 hours for you to receive the barcode with mozian. Once you receive the barcode simply drop it in your layout, or we can drop it in the layout for free.

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The common term people use for generic plastic CD covering is "shrinkwrap". If you are looking for the exact same type of wrap that is commonly found in retail stores, you are looking for "overwrap" or "cellophane wrap" which is applied just like wrapping a holiday gift. "Shrinkwrap" is heat sealed on all 4 ends using a heat gun and heat bar. We use "shrinkbags" which is similar to "shrinkwrap", except no heat bar is used and only 3 sides are fully sealed. Please note that this DOES NOT mean that your CD will come flying out of the wrap. The 4th side is still wrapped fairly tight around the case. (click here to see example)

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The minimum order QTY is 100 for most packages. If need be you can request smaller quantities, however, the price will jump significantly higher. Larger price breaks start at 200 QTY and also generally tend to occur at 300 QTY as well. Please contact us for pricing of 50 QTY of any product.

For pricing on x50 QTY of any product, take the per piece price of the hundred QTY below and multiply it by your amount. For example: if you want 250 QTY of Package #JC1, take the per piece price of 200 QTY and multiply it by 250.

All replication orders are subject to a +/- 10% QTY. You will be billed actual QTY received.

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DESIGN STUDIO ARTWORK POLICIES

Payment for all artwork done by Sire Press must be paid in full before we begin. Also for us to begin, we will ask you a series of specific questions that pertain to your design. Soon after, you will receive a comp of either all or part of your design at which time you must let us know your thoughts in detail. We will work with your ideas and corrections to obtain a final comp. We will not come up with multiple variations of your design. We will work with your ideas on one theme and then expand on that in the direction you desire. You must also spell check to make sure we didn't miss anything. The speed in which we go from concept to final product is determined by the quickness of communication between the client (you) and Sire Press and the current work load of the designer. We typically tend to send the first comp within 5 business days or less and then wrap up the project 5 business days or less thereafter. Day 0 of Production is the day you approve of the artwork. It will still be 10 - 15 business days for Production.

All of our design pricing is based on the fact that you will be getting your products printed with Sire Press. If you are getting any designs we create for you printed elsewhere, please let us know, as you will be subject to a different pricing structure.

Our pricing is MORE than competitive compared to other design studios. You will be paying a fraction of the cost for the same (if not better) quality of design. The only time you will get better pricing is if you do it yourself, have a friend that will do it for you, or work with an amateur studio. Please do not haggle the price.

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FORMS

ALL orders MUST be submitted using our Online Order Form. ALL CD/DVD orders (except blanks) must have a Replication Rights Form (RRF) filled out. These items can be found in the "FORMS and TEMPLATES" section.

You can submit the RRF digitally via e-mail or physically via snail mail. Production will not begin until we receive: 1) Order Form 2) Approved Artwork and 3) Payment. 4) CD Master.

Please fill out the replication rights form to the best of your ability. If any areas are uncertain please leave them blank and if we need them we'll get back to you. The most important parts that you'll need to fill out is the artist name, content, album title, track listing, and signature. PLEASE LEAVE THE CUSTOMER NUMBER AND SELECTION NUMBER BLANK.

STUDIO VISITS/CONSULTATIONS

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