FAQ

 

If the customization options (personalization, ink color, etc.) are not loading well for you, please try a different browser. We find Safari or Firefox work best. 

 

ORDERING

Please begin by placing your order through our online shop. We have helpful links on our homepage where you can shop by product type or learn more about ways to work with us.

We have an estimated ship window at the top of every product page. We suggest planning for your items to arrive in plenty of time (no less than one week) in case of any delays in production or transit that may be out of your control.

We do ask that you place an order before our team begins designing your products. Our design team works on every order, so it is helpful with scheduling and meeting deadlines for us to have an order in the system before we begin.

Our Personalized Collection products have sample designs for you to shop, if you aren't sure what exactly you may want. 

A digital proof is available (and sometimes required), so you can be sure your order looks perfect before entering production.

For more inspo and product images, see our gallery here.

This is the window we feel comfortable promising, so we cannot guarantee early deliveries. However, please be sure to always include your "need by date" in your order notes so we can flag the order as urgent. We do our best to meet every event date, regardless of the promised ship window.

Some items will have a Rush option available. Please ready more about our rush options here.

 

Please email us, and we'll have your link re-sent.

We may have had questions on your order, or your proof is pending your approval. Please be sure to check your spam if your filters are strong. 

Orders with proofs will be held until approval to begin production is received.

Our price structure has bulk discount pricing already built in. The cost per item will decrease as the total quantity increases on almost all items. All pricing is per design. Please reach out for pricing of quantities over 1,000.

We would love to help create design concepts to carry throughout all aspects of your wedding, corporate or special event. Please click here to view more about our processes for ordering.

 

Yes, we do! There are many products we do not have online (for example, corporate gifts). Please reach out by sending us an email to hello@theessentialmkt.com for a custom quote. 

 

We are online only, and therefore do not have storefront for you to shop. 
We are happy to answer any questions by phone (please email us to set up a quick meeting), but we must take all new orders and proof revision requests through the site. This ensures our design team captures every detail and no mistakes are made.

PARTY

There is no charge to print double sided, or have your design wrap around on party items.

Unless specified, we will print as shown in the sample online. By default, we typically print as follows:

  • Styrofoam cups: double-sided, or wrapped 
  • Shatterproof cups: single-sided
  • Stadium cups: double-sided, or wrapped
  • Koozies: double-sided
  • Napkins: single-sided; diagonal or straight orientation dictated by the design

Our design team will always design in accordance with how the artwork will best fit and print unless the Client requests something specific.

If you are designing yourself and would like any templates or imprint areas, just reach out! 

There are two different print methods for party items: screen printing, and full color digital printing: 

  • Screen Printing
    • maximum of one to two ink colors
    • most cost effective for party items (cups, koozies, napkins) 
    • a plate is made of the design, and then the ink is transferred onto the item.
    • an additional run through the printer is required for additional colors
      • this is why it is an additional cost to print a second ink color
      • we take this into consideration when designing, as we do not want ink colors too close, to allow for shift among color runs, or overlapping as this will result in an undesirable color. 
  • Full Color, Digital Printing
    • required for multi-colored art (for example, watercolor artwork)
    • only available on some items 
    • requires a slightly increased cost and longer lead time

Absolutely! We can print in a custom Pantone color for + $25. Just include the exact PMS # in your order notes and add this item here for each custom PMS color.

If time allows, we suggest ordering a physical sample if you are unsure of color(s) or print quality of your artwork. Please click here to order a blank or custom printed sample. Please allow up to 3 weeks to receive custom printed samples.

We are able to offer a corresponding PMS color to almost every item in the shop, just reach out! For ink colors, click here to view our PMS color chart.

Please be sure to read about color and ink variations in our shop policies, as colors can vary slightly between print runs.

PAPER

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

A digital mockup of your design -- card front (and back, if applicable) and envelopes; No physical samples or hard copies are included in the proofing process.

One (1) proof is included with all invitation and birth announcement orders. Additional proofs requested are provided at $5 each.

Read about our print methods here.

If you are ordering digital printing, we can also print your photo directly on the card at the same time. This does not require any additional cost.

If you are ordering specialty printing (foil stamping, letterpress or thermography) you will need to print photos separately and adhere them to the cards.

We are able to mix print methods for an additional cost. For example, if you would like your photo digitally printed on the card paired with letterpress text. 

Print quality is always best when printed photos separately as they are printed in a photo lab on high quality photo paper

Assembly and adhering is available as an add-on. Please understand during our peak busy seasons, we may pause on accepting new assembly orders. If you opt not to add this, your photos will ship separately to you prior to your cards arriving.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Click here to view our Add-Ons & Embellishments including photo printing, second side customization, assembly, recipient address printing, envelope liners & more.

Absolutely! Our sample designs are shown in colors to give you ideas, but you'll be prompted to select your ink and paper color(s) before adding to your cart.

Please do! We include sample text for ideas but we welcome and encourage you to personalize your card in a unique way.

We have a Design your Own option for personal stationery that allows you to select your fonts, layout, colors, etc. 

Our semi-custom designs are available in the fonts shown. We do offer custom card designs for invitations and announcements which allows you to complete customize and work with a designer and create a completely custom project.

Of course! However, it is most cost effective to order all at once as each print run incurs certain set up costs + file preparation. We suggest ordering at least 10 extras, just in case! 

Any other questions? We're always here to help! Please be sure to read our Shop Policies page before ordering for more information such as color variation, proofing and our cancellation policy.