- Do you take confidentiality seriously?
-
Absolutely: We routinely handle unpublished, copyrighted or sensitive files
so we completely understand your concerns and take confidentiality very seriously.
Information and files will only be shared with our staff and associates, all of
whom have individually signed a confidentiality agreement.
We are happy to exchange our
standard NDA upon request. Should you have your
own NDA, we may be willing to sign that too, but please allow time for us to review
it. To avoid delay, ensure the terms of your NDA are sensible. For example, we cannot
agree to permanently "destroy" all copies of a document upon completion
of work. Modern documents are electronic, not paper based, and any system back-ups
taken whilst your job is active cannot in any way be altered to remove your files.
- How do I send my files?
-
Email: If you’re just sending a few files that total less than 10MB
then emailing these as attachments is fine. Some email clients will allow you to
embed images into the body of your message, this will reduce both the size and quality
of the image so we would not recommend it.
Upload: If you have multiple files to send you can upload these directly
on our
contact
page. All common filetypes are accepted.
WeTransfer: This is another easy and secure way to send us multiple files.
Simply go to our
WeTransfer
page and drag-drop your files to send them to us. You do not require a WeTransfer
account to do this.
Dropbox: If you use Dropbox we are happy to receive a download link for your
files sent to contact@justdocumentz.com. Please note that for security reasons
we are unable to accept shared folder requests.
Other: Other file transfer methods may be considered on a case-by-case basis. However, we will not download files from unknown FTP servers, or from services that require us to sign up for new accounts.
- What files do I send?
-
Text files: Provide your text in editable format, ideally as an MS Word file. If you have used an alternative word processing package to write your text such as OpenOffice or Pages, please make your file MS Word compatible.
Images: Please provide any images at the highest quality possible. This is particularly important if your document is for print.
Charts, graphs, tables: Wherever possible please provide these in source format such as Excel or Illustrator files. This enables us to update styling without rebuilding the items from scratch.
- What instructions do I send?
-
Each of our service pages starts with a what you need to send us section and a list of everything we need to get started. Generally we need to know about:
Files: For each file you send we need to know what it is and why you've sent it. Using clear filenames is always a really good start. We also need to understand the structure within each file so using numbering, fonts, weights, size or color to distinguish between levels is very helpful.
Branding: Most business documents will be styled to work with your logo, website and color scheme so please send these over. If your document is to remain unbranded just let us know.
Preferences: You may also have an opinions on how you want your material to be laid out, in which case please tell us and/or provide any examples of things you particularly like. Alternatively you can leave it up to our designers to use their creative skill to produce something they feel really works for your material.
- What happens after I send my files?
-
Once our team receives your files we will schedule them for review by our designers.
If we have everything we need we will issue an itemized quotation including the
job specification, price and turnaround time.
Alternatively, if we still have questions, we will send a discussion email highlighting
any points for further clarification. We respond to every request within one working
day and typically much sooner. We won't start work until you have accepted our
quotation; this confirms you are entirely happy and we have completely understood
your requirements.
- Can I white label your services?
-
There are a number of consultants that choose to white label our formatting services for their customers.
In this case we understand it is important that our company details are not included on the files.
Properties: We do not add our name to document properties just a general job number
eg. JN1234 to track the document through our workflow. You can simply delete this when you receive the file.
Username: The username on our computers is “wordzworth” so by default Microsoft Word will show the file
as “last edited by wordzworth” but as soon as you open and save the file on another machine you will then be displayed as the last user.
- Why do you need my files to quote?
-
The time and effort required to do a job can vary enormously depending on how the
file has been created, its content, its structure and what is required.
As a result, our designers will
always need to review your files and instructions
before we can provide a quote for the work. It is important to read the quote we
send you carefully. It is customized for your job and includes a breakdown of all
your requirements, our design suggestions, delivery times, pricing explanation and
our terms and conditions.
If your document is not yet complete then send us what you have so far along with
a description of how similar you expect the remaining pages to be and we should
be able to give you an indication of price. We also realize most people will want
a rough idea of costs before contacting us so we’ve included a list of
typical
prices
on each of our service pages.
- How long before I get my quote?
-
We aim to get back to every customer in
one working day.
In this time our designers will review your files, instructions and production details.
If we have everything we need we will then issue an itemized quote including the
job spec, price and turnaround time. If we still have questions, we may send an
email highlighting any points for further clarification.
For
simple jobs we often get them priced up and quoted within a few hours.
For larger or more
complex jobs we may require longer to properly review
all the files in which case we will send an email to let you know how long we expect
this take.
We will never start work until you have accepted our quotation. All quotations will
be sent by email to the address you give us so if you upload your files do check
you have entered your address correctly.
- Can I have a sample?
-
We cannot produce a free sample without first receiving your agreement to
proceed with the full job. This is because your designer will spend time reviewing
your document and developing the design. You can however see examples of work we
have produced for other customers at the bottom of each service page on our website.
We have also included pages of
testimonials
from a wide range of happy customers.
Large jobs will always include a sample stage. This gives you the opportunity
to see a section of your document and give us feedback on the styling before we
proceed with the rest of it. If we have not included a sample stage for your job,
you may request one for no additional fee. Please note that this may extend the
total turnaround time.
You may request a paid sample. If your job requirements are particularly
unique and you want to see a mock-up of a section to help you decide how to proceed
then we are happy to produce a paid sample first. This will be charged upfront and
is non-refundable.
- Can I have a discount?
-
Our rates are very competitive and openly published on our website. Unless a discount
for repeat work or larger volumes has been agreed, we are not able to reduce our
prices.
A minimum price applies for each service to cover the handling time as well as the
design itself. Before working on a job a designer will need to review your files,
instructions and ask any outstanding questions before getting started. Any files
need to be sorted and properly compiled. The text, images and tables are then processed
and prepared for design. Once the job is completed every file needs to then be independently
quality checked by another member of the team.
- What if my deadline is urgent?
-
When we quote a time, we deliver to it. The only deadlines we have ever missed have
been due to power or server issues beyond our control. Even so, wherever possible
it is advisable to leave contingency between the time we are delivering your files
and your actual deadline. This allows for any issues or requested changes you may
have, and the time to make payment and deliver final files.
If you need your files sooner than quoted please ask for our express service and
where possible we will re-issue your quotation with a shorter turnaround time. Express
jobs are subject to a 30%, 50% or 100% fee depending on the speed required. This
is because we will need to prioritize the work over other customers and/or work
outside normal business hours.
- Can you "fix" my existing file?
-
We occasionally receive requests from customers asking if, rather than designing
their document, we would be able to just fix a few specific problems such as print
compliance issues, table of contents, running headers or numbering schemes.
Unfortunately, in the majority of cases, this is not something we can do. This is
because in most cases problems are usually caused by a core issue like incorrect
page setup, poor resolution images or inconsistent use of underlying styles. We
could therefore potentially spend a long time just to understand the problem well
enough to just apply a 'fix'. Even then we would be concerned not to have done the
job properly as other errors may remain in the file which would cause problems at
a later date.
We will therefore almost always quote for the full service described on our site.
As part of this service we will set the layout up properly, completely clean up
your text, fix and place images and apply only carefully designed character, paragraph
and object styles. This will ensure your document is stable and easy to update in
the future.
- What happens once I accept?
-
By clicking accept you are telling us that the files we have received from you are
ready to be worked on, you agree with our quotation and are happy for everything
to be sent to our design team.
We will then request initial payment (or submission of invoice details where applicable)
in order to get started on your job. See
payment section
for details. If, after accepting you need to replace the file you sent us, a charge
may apply for repeating work completed on a new version.
- How do I know if I will like the design?
-
Our team are extremely experienced in designing documents for a very wide range
of requirements. Any instructions, preferences and examples you provide us with
are passed to our team for careful review and we will always design your document
with best practice in mind.
Larger jobs will also include a sample stage to give you the opportunity to review
the proposed styling before we proceed with the main job, see
can I have a sample. For jobs requiring us to follow very specific instructions,
we will execute these accurately and carefully. Any mistake on our part will then
be corrected without charge.
- Can I choose my font?
-
Absolutely, this is your document and if you have a strong preference on the font then certainly share it with us.
However, do keep in mind if you are receiving an editable file that you want to be able to update then you will
need to have the font installed. In most cases this means using Microsoft fonts available in Windows 7 and
Office 2010 upwards, see the following link to
Microsoft typography
for more information.
- Do you design from templates?
-
No: We believe our job as designers is to carefully consider your design
needs and opinions as well as the content and subject matter. So while there may
be design tools and techniques that we use for multiple jobs, the design we propose
is completely customized for you.
We do not have a catalog of design templates to show you, simply because we don't
use them. Instead, across our site we have a number of example documents for you
to see the quality of our designs. Just keep in mind these examples are all for
different customers with different requirements, they do not necessarily represent
what we would suggest for you.
- Will you change my text?
-
We provide design services. We do not proofread text, edit references or index entries,
and we do not run spellchecks, or grammar checks. Ensuring your text is correct is certainly
important but it is very different work. If you would like recommendations for good proofreaders
or editors then we can provide these.
We do however run typographic checks to make the styling of the text consistent. This means we
ensure headings have consistent casing, check that “quotation” marks come in pairs, that all
sentences end with punctuation. And all punctuation is followed by a single space. There are
also a few more fussy things specific for books, such as converting double hyphens -- to en
dashes —, converting dots ... to proper ellipses … and using italics rather than spot underline or bold for emphasis.
- What software do you use?
-
Our team is extremely experienced with a wide range of design software packages and will select the best software for each job.
The commercials section of each service page lists the software used for that service, MS Word or PowerPoint for all editable files, with brochures created in InDesign and graphics work in Photoshop or Illustrator.
A range of other specialist software and tools are then used for tasks like PDF conversions. If you need your document returned in multiple file formats such as MS Word and PDF, please let us know prior to issuing your quotation.
- Will you contact me during job?
-
Before starting a job we will always take the time to make sure we have understood
the files and are clear on any instructions. We clearly explain our understanding
of the task in the quotation. As a result we do not usually need to contact customers
during the course of the design work.
If, having started work, our designer finds something still doesn't make sense
we will try to interpret as best we can. Where this is not possible and the decision
may have a significant impact on the rest of the job, we will get in touch with
you quickly and in the meantime continue with another part of the job.
- What will you send for review?
-
If your job includes a sample stage you will receive this first to review the proposed
styling and provide your feedback. See
can I have a sample
for me for further details.
Once your job is complete we will convert it to a PDF and send this file for review.
Small files will be sent as email attachments. Larger files will be sent for you
to download via secure WeTransfer link.
The PDF will be prepared for easy review on-screen and may include
comments
from our designers to explain the thought behind some of the styling
choices. Before payment, the review files we return may also include our watermark
on the first few pages.
- How do I open my review files?
-
We recommend using
Adobe
Reader
to review your PDF. This is free software and is the most reliable
way to ensure you view your file correctly. It will also allow you to see any comments
added by our designers. If you’re not sure how to review comments or add comments
to your file please see our how-to page on
reviewing PDF comments
for details.
It is very important to view your files on a proper screen, not a small mobile device,
in order to appreciate them properly. Fonts will also appear quite differently on
paper so you may want to test print a few pages.
- What if my PDF file won't open?
-
Firstly, it is important to confirm the file we sent you has not become corrupted
in the process of opening it. If your file was sent as an email attachment, save
it to your computer before attempting to open it; do not click on it directly from
the email. If your file was sent as a WeTransfer link you should ensure it has fully
downloaded to your computer before clicking to open it.
Secondly, please confirm you have the correct software installed to open
the file. For PDF files this should be
Adobe Reader. If you have saved the file to your computer
and have the correct software installed but it still will not open, please contact
us for further help.
- What if I am not happy with the design job?
-
We do everything we can to try and ensure this does not happen. We clearly outline our understanding of your requirements in the quotation, provide design suggestions for your feedback and in many cases produce a styling sample before proceeding with the main job.
However, design is subjective. Customers will often want to change a few aspects of document
styling and that is absolutely fine. This is not the same as being unhappy with the job it's
simply part of the design process. We are extremely careful with the work we do and every
document is independently quality checked for errors. But it is always important to check
we have interpreted your material correctly. And if we have made a mistake, we will always fix it. See the next section on
making changes
for further details.
- How should I provide my changes?
-
PDF comments: Adding comments to your PDF pages in Acrobat Reader is always
the best way to provide your feedback. Simply add one of these little virtual post-its
to your page at the exact point you want a change made. It's easy and quick
for you and very clear for our designers to follow. See our guide on
how to add PDF comments.
By email: If you’re not sure about using PDF comments and prefer to
list your changes in an email, that's fine. However, please make sure you include
specific page and paragraph references to ensure our designers can easily find the
exact point in the document.
Not over the phone: Unfortunately we are unable to accept changes over the
phone. Having our customer services team try to record spoken changes is time consuming
and error prone as they do not have detailed knowledge of your job. Instead, we
need all changes to be written so they can be passed on to the designer working
on your document. This way they can ensure the changes have been properly understood.
Sometimes they may need further clarification or they might advise against something
for production reasons.
Mark once: It is possible that something you don't like about the styling
will appear over and over again across lots of pages. If this happens, please do
not mark out every instance of the same change. Just mark the issue once and we
will update every instance with a single change to the style. For example: If you
want your headings to be larger, mark one heading with the note ‘make headings
larger’ and we will update all headings at the same level throughout the document.
- What changes are free?
-
Updates to the sample: If your job includes a styling sample we are happy
to revise the sample until you are entirely happy with it before we continue with
the main job. So if there is anything about the design you’re not sure about,
wish to question or want changed then tell us. Maybe you don't like the font,
the weight of the letters, the image placement, the color
scheme, the spacing. Whatever it is, we want to know before we continue with the
rest of your job.
Single set of styling changes: Once the whole job is completed, a single set of styling changes to the
file we have produced is included free of charge. This can be changes to the layout,
the design choices, the font, the sizing, the placement of images etc. The specific
changes policy for every job is included in your quotation. If you have just a few
edits and you request them at the same time as your styling changes then we will
usually make these without charge.
- What changes are chargeable?
-
Changes to approved sample: The following changes require extra time from
our designers to complete work that was not covered by your quotation. They are
therefore subject to a changes fee: edits to text, inclusion of new material, providing
new instructions, changes to previously approved sample styling.
Edits and new instructions: If you would like us to make edits for you these are charged at $0.96 USD
when marked as PDF comments.
Where we are providing you with an editable file we would encourage you to make any text edits
directly once you receive your final file. Any other type of change is charged based on the time
required to update the files. All changes are subject to a
minimum charge.
Replacement file: If, after your job is completed, you notice some more substantial
changes and/or sections you want to rewrite then please contact us so we can advise
on the most cost effective route forward. Should you decide you wish to completely
re-write your text please first complete payment for the work done to date. Once
you have updated your manuscript, re-submit this to us and we can typically complete
the job a second time for 70% of the original fee.
- How long will my changes take?
-
We appreciate you will be keen to your receive your final file and we will always
look to make changes as quickly as possible. However, we will need to schedule your
changes around other work and projects so it is important to always allow a minimum
of one working day for minor changes and longer for anything more complex involving
additional design work or moving things around. The exact amount of time required
depends on the size of the job and the number of changes. We will let you know how
long we need as soon as we have reviewed them.
- I am entirely happy with my job,
what next?
-
To make final payment simply click the payment link in the email sent along with
your review file. Once payment is received we will then return your final file.
See
payments section for further details.
- When do I pay?
-
For most customers we split payment 50:50 with the initial 50% payable before we
start work and the final 50% on completion. This is very standard practice for design
work. By making initial payment you are accepting your quote and asking our designers
to start work. By making the final payment you are confirming you are happy to receive
your files to complete the job.
For customers who already have an account, we will issue an invoice following
completion of each job and request payment under the agreed terms.
- How do I pay?
-
All instant payments are handled by PayPal. PayPal are one of the largest and most
trusted online payment system in the world and accept secure payments in a wide
range of currencies. You do not require a PayPal account to make payment, follow
these steps to find out
how to pay with your debit or credit card.
Please note that paying by e-cheque may delay your job as clearance can take several
days. For your security all transactions are processed via PayPal. We cannot accept
checks or cash or take payments over the phone. Once you have completed payment
PayPal will send us automatic notification of your payment and will send you an
email receipt.
For business customers on account, payment can be made by direct bank transfer and
the details will be included on your invoice.
- Can I pay by invoice?
-
We ask that the first job for any new customer is paid 50:50. This gives us both
the opportunity to see how we work together. Subsequently we can proceed in the
confidence that we are able to follow your instructions and complete work to your
satisfaction.
For companies with a high volume of work we may then recommend setting up a business
account. We will issue a link to setup your account where you can enter the name
and contact details of the person responsible for payment. For each job we will
then request the invoice reference details you wish to include to help your accounts
department identify and process payment. Completed work is invoiced on a regular
basis and a standard 30 day credit period applies. Payment can be made by PayPal
or direct bank transfer.
- Can I have a receipt?
-
If you make an instant payment, PayPal will send an automatic receipt to your email
address, which you can easily print, save and submit for expenses.
- Can you help with my PayPal problem?
-
Very occasionally customers may have an issue making payment and we appreciate this
can be frustrating. According to PayPal the most common causes are the billing address
not matching the card being used or card details with an old expiry date.
If you have a tight timeline and need to sort payment urgently then you might want
to try an alternative card or ask a friend to make payment for you. You may also
want to contact PayPal directly or visit the
PayPal FAQs. We do not have access to your financial information
and cannot contact PayPal on your behalf.
We can provide bank details if you wish to make a BACS transfer instead, however
please note this is not a method of instant payment and may delay the job by a day
or so.
- When will I receive my final files?
-
Once final payment is received we will return your final output files as quickly
as we can within the course of our working day. This gives us time to process your
payment, update the job and prepare your files for sending. If you specifically
requested having your files back quickly, we will prioritize returning these to
you as previously agreed.
- Do I have full rights to my final files?
-
Absolutely. The documents we return to you are entirely your property. We
carried out the design, under your instruction and on your behalf, but make no claim
to the ownership or copyright of the final work.
- Can I have the InDesign source files for my job?
-
For high design documents like brochures or posters we will not use Word but a proper page
layout design package called Adobe InDesign. The file we return to you will be a PDF.
If you want changes made in future you will need us to update the source files and
re-create your PDF. In some cases customers wish to receive the Adobe InDesign file so
they can make changes themselves. We are happy to provide these but there are a few considerations
to keep in mind:
Fonts: In order for your source file to appear correctly, you must have the right fonts installed.
The license for a professional typesetting font means we can only embed it into your final-form PDF, we
cannot include the font in your source files. We are happy to provide details on how to purchase these
licenses for yourself but please keep in mind that a full professional font family can be expensive.
Imagery: In addition to licensed fonts, if your brochure includes licensed imagery, we cannot include the
images in your source files. Under the terms of the license, these may only be embedded into final-form material.
Software: In order for you to open and edit your source files you will need to have, and be familiar
with using, the latest version of Adobe InDesign. Unfortunately we are unable
to provide ongoing assistance on how to update your source files.
Admin charge: A $48 USD
admin fee applies for us to prepare, package and upload your source files to you.
Text only: Customers will sometimes just need the text from their brochure for editing to create a
new edition or for translation into other languages. In this case we can export your InDesign file to Word.
A charge will apply as, for complex files, this is not automatic. The output is a totally clean version of
your most current manuscript in MS Word for future use.
- Can you send my files to someone else?
-
Each job we work on has one customer. This is the person who accepted our quote.
Clarity: A single point of contact avoids the risk of us receiving conflicting
instructions from different sources. If you would like to change the ownership of
a job please let us know and we can update it for you.
Approval: It is very important that you, as the customer, approve the files
you are paying for to ensure you are entirely happy before they are printed, uploaded
or distributed. We will therefore only send files to you, we cannot send them to
a printer or customer on your behalf.
Confidentiality: We will not send your files to another party without your
permission. If you have asked us to copy other people onto your emails please keep
in mind these will contain prices and links to make payment.
- Can you provide tips for updating
Word files?
-
Your Word document will have been produced using cleanly produced paragraph styles,
so with a reasonable knowledge of Word, this will be easy to update. We have also
put together some tips and guidance for
updating your Word file.
If you wish to make more extensive changes to your document we can update the file for you, our standard
changes fee
applies.