How Personalization Works

You order first and we design after, which sounds backwards until you know that nothing is printed until you have seen a proof and approved it. This page walks through every step, including the fields on the product page and what happens when something is not right.

Step 1: Choose your size and quantity

These are the two choices that set the price, and they are at the top of every product page. Pick the size first, then the quantity: the price updates as you go, so you can see exactly what each step up costs before committing.

Not sure what to pick? The sizing guide has every size we print and how many to order per guest.

Step 2: Choose your colors

On napkins the color choices change with what you picked above, because foil and full color printing work differently. Choose foil and you get the full range of napkin colors plus a foil finish. Choose full color and the napkin is white or ecru, with your design printed on it in any ink color.

Plates work the same way with plate color and text color. Labels have a background and a text color. Can coolers and bar signs give you a free color picker, so you can match a shade exactly.

The full lists are in the color guide. If your color is not there, ask for it in the notes. The list is what fits on a page, not the limit of what we can do.

Step 3: Tell us your text

Type the wording exactly as it should appear, including capitals, punctuation and how you want names ordered. We copy what you write, so a typo in the box becomes a typo on the proof. That is precisely what the proof is for, but getting it right first saves a round trip.

Leave the box blank and we keep the design exactly as pictured. Change one line and the rest stays. You are editing the design, not rebuilding it.

Step 4: Pick a font

The font chart is in the product photos, so you can see them before choosing. There is also a same as the design shown option, which is the right pick if you like the look on screen and only want the words changed.

Want something that is not on the chart? Name it in special requests and we will find it or draw something close.

Step 5: The two finishing choices on napkins

Small options, easy to miss, and they change the look more than people expect.

Print placement

Square prints the design straight, reading normally on a folded napkin. Diamond turns it 45 degrees so it sits on the diagonal. Diamond suits monograms and short lines; square suits anything with several lines of text.

Border finish

Coined has an embossed pattern pressed around the edge, which is the traditional cocktail napkin look. Uncoined is a plain, clean edge and reads more modern.

Step 6: Upload a file, if you have one

A logo, a monogram, a photo of your dog, a finished design or just a sketch on a napkin. Everything about file types, sizes and what makes a photo print well is on the logo and photo page.

No file? Describe your idea in special requests instead. Half our custom work starts as a sentence.

Step 7: Special requests

The most useful box on the page, and the most skipped. Use it for anything the fields above cannot express: a color that is not listed, a placement, a reference to something you saw, the story behind an inside joke, the fact that the date is your grandmother's birthday and should be written out rather than in numbers.

Also a good place to tell us your event date. It changes how we schedule your proof.

What happens after you order

Your proof arrives within 24 hours

By email, showing your design with your text, your colors and your artwork in place. It is free and it is included in every order, however small.

You approve it, or you don't

Read it slowly and out loud, because that catches more than reading it silently. Check the spelling of every name, the date, and anything with a number in it. If something is off, reply and tell us. Revisions are free and there is no limit on them. We would much rather send a fourth proof than print the wrong thing.

Then we print

Once you approve, your order is printed and ready to ship within 2 to 5 business days, depending on the product. Shipping comes on top of that, and U.S. orders over $75 ship free. Full rates are on the shipping page.

Two things people ask

I approved the proof and then spotted a mistake

Tell us immediately. If it has not gone to print yet we will fix it, no argument. Once printing has started we cannot, because it is your design on your paper and there is nothing to resell it as. This is the reason we make the proof step deliberately slow.

Can I see a proof before I order?

Not as a rule, because designing takes real time and we would be doing it for people who never order. But if you are planning something large or unusual, or you are stuck between two directions, email us and we will talk it through with you before you spend anything.

Ready? Start from any design in the shop, or from a blank one on the custom design page.