John and Anhoki have decided it is time to bring our custom soap stamp making to an end. It has been an awesome ride but one we need to end. Thank you to ALL of the (hundreds, if not thousands) of people who have chosen us for their custom projects. We appreciate you and hope you have many many years of happy stamping with your Custom Anhoki & John Soap Stamp.
XOXOXO
Happy New Year to all you soap junkies out there. I know there is a search box directly to the right of this text but I thought I would bring this post back to the front for all the newbies and those who may have forgotten the process. :~)
Here are a couple of posts you may find helpful.....
WILL MY IMAGE WORK?
HOW DO YOU USE THESE?
Past Custom Works.
>>>>>>>>I know the first thing you are going to want to do is print out your image and place it on your bar of soap to see if it will fit. PLEASE do not do this and then send us an email saying you know the image will work because you've printed it out and saw that it did. The printed image does not take into account the displacement of soap when the stamp is impressed. The lines in the image must meet minimum width size to allow our CNC machine to actually mill the image. Most images in Photoshop or any similar program do not even come close to minimum size. If you have questions AFTER reading our blog post
in full please feel free to contact us and we can converse further.<<<<<<<<
1. What's your name? We'd like to know with whom we are conversing. :~)
2. Do you have an image for us to review? This is important. We can not move forward without an image. And text is an image. John prefers to have a LARGER sized image. An image in the area of 3X5 inches or LARGER is preferred. Please do not blow up a teeny tiny image to meet minimums as this causes pixelation. Please send it in JPEG format as this is what works best for us (ie...ME). :~) I must insist on the viewable image part. Due to a recent virus I received that partially corrupted my operating system I will not download an image in order to view it. The image must be viewable without being downloaded. I will contact you with this request if it is not received in the first email.
3. Do you have text in the image? For our purposes text is considered an image:~)
4. Please provide us a link to where the font can be downloaded for free should we need it? This is extremely important.
5.Do you know the size of the bar you wish you stamp? Many people have various sizes they wish to stamp. If this is you then please give us the bar size you use the most.
6. Do you know the approximate size of the stamp you would like us to create? We say approximate because the image will be limited based on constraints of the image, bar size, detail of design, etc etc.
7. Do you have a Paypal email address or Etsy shop name for billing purposes? This is also important. We do not accept checks, money orders or cash.
8. If you are having a stamp made for a custom account or third party please keep the communication between us and the person who will be using the stamp. It becomes very complicated when more people are involved. If this third party has the information we require to move forward please obtain it before contacting us so the process is as simple as possible for everyone. This can become overwhelming for some and we try to avoid that as much as possible. Communication is via email only. We can not contact you or another party via telephone. Please keep this in mind.
Before you send us an email please be sure to read ALL of the technical stuff below. We do not custom design artwork before creating the soap stamp. We create a stamp based on images and information provided by you. Be sure you understand the additional fees you may be required to pay should changes need to be made AFTER we have milled your stamp.
"Technical” stuff.
The more boring and complicated side of it all. Please be sure to read all of the information.
Custom stamps BEGIN at $35.95.
This price point is for those stamps which do not require any modification at all or modifications which will take no longer than a few minutes and no communication being exchanged.
Pricing can not be provided before an image is reviewed by myself and John.
The price of your stamp will increase if, after you have approved your artwork and it is milled, you decide changes need to be made.
The first re-mill is an additional $25 and each additional milling will be in increments of $50. This MUST be paid before we will refill.
If you have paid for your stamp, require a remill and refuse to pay and also desire a refund of payments already made we WILL charge a 20% restock fee for our time and materials. Invoices, purchase orders and the like are not and will not be provided by us. If you need records for your accountant they are easily obtained through Paypal which is how you paid for your purchase with us. Please understand this
before agreeing to purchase your custom soap stamp.
How big is too big for our methods of creating?
We try very hard to go no more than 11 letters across the face of your bar. Based on our methods of creating soap stamps it is almost impossible for us to do so. If we receive an image with more than 11 letters across the face of the bar and the font is one which requires a lot of work and extra space for thickening, font modification in order to be millible, etc... we will communicate this to you. We may request that you either
a) stack the text or
b) change the font OR text.
Changing the image is the responsibility of you, the customer. We make it this way so you can spend as much time as you need to create an image you are happy with. People change their minds all the time. It happens. Figure out what you would like to have, live with it for a little while and then contact us. If you have questions we are more than happy to try and help. I can't tell you all how many times I changed my font before I found the one I was happy with. This is why we are not in the business of custom design. The best part (to me anyway) is designing my soap stamp and then sending it to my stamp maker hubby and talking technical with him to make it work. Leave the creative aspect to the buyer and the technical to the stamp maker. Does that make sense? We want you to be happy with your stamp. THAT is the most important thing. Spend the time you need to get the design the way you like it. If you have questions, along the way, don't be afraid ask me...but please be open minded and understand we may need to change things up a bit in order to make things happen.
REQUIRED information
---Length and Width of your soap bar. We can not move forward without a bar size. If you have several soap bar sizes and want a stamp to work with all of them it might be best to go with more than one to get the best look on all bars.
---
H-U-G-E JPEG, PDF, BMP file
Postage stamp sized will NOT work for us. Blowing an image up to meet size requirements is also not helpful and translates to a pixelated mess. s. We would prefer an image at least 4X6 inches and not 1X2 inches. We NEED BIG.
If you had someone design the image for you ask them to make the image meet our requirements before contacting us. This will save all of us a lot of time and the stamp user will have fewer gray hairs by the time this is all over.
We can not accept Google or Word documents for "images" we do not use Word. The way the "image" looks to you in these programs is not the way it looks when it comes through to us. Most of the images using Word look like Arial font when we receive them. We must have one of the above formats (an IMAGE which can be viewed and not downloaded) or we will not review it.
Along with the above please do NOT send us an image the size you PREFER your END PRODUCT to be. This sounds silly but it won't work. It will be kicked right back to you.
---Even if you have provided us with an image IF text is used we STILL need the font name AND a link to where it may be found for FREE. Should this be an issue we can not resolve we will have no choice but to decline the stamp project.
Communication is key.
Give us an image we can work with and then talk to us through email. This is the best way for us to communicate and have all information in hand in order to provide you with the best stamp we can offer. If we have questions we will ask that you provide us with an answer. If communication via email is going to be a problem for you we may refer you elsewhere.
Once more...if this is a stamp for a wholesale account or third party person please keep communication between us and the person using the stamp. If you ask us to communicate with the person not using the stamp things may become misunderstood, misinterpreted, and completely confusing. This is why we request that communication be between us and one person. If your “client” has questions please have them right them down and we would be happy to answer them via an email to YOU.
This section is about font types
Tell us the EXACT name of the font and where we can find it for FREE. A link to it would be awesome. This is extremely important. Due to the large amount of requests for custom stamps with text of all shapes and sizes it is impossible for us to have them all. I would bet that we have less than 1/10th of 1% of the fonts out there. Please go find the font and send us the link. This will make the process go much much faster. If you had someone create the font or logo please obtain this information from that person and provide it to us. We might need it to rework your image for any reason. We can NOT express strongly enough just how important this is.
We use Open Office on ALL of our computers. We do not have Microsoft Word or anything Microsoft. More often than not the font does not come through true to the original. Should any of the previous lines of text not work feel free to go to www.dafont.com or any site of a similar nature and find a font that suits you. If you do not wish to download said font you CAN do a screen shot of the text and save the file to your computer and send that image to us.:~)
SCRIPT FONTS DO REQUIRE A LOT MORE SPACE THAN OTHERS. THERE IS A LOT OF TWEAKING THAT MUST TAKE PLACE IN ORDER FOR SCRIPT FONTS TO WORK. THIS WILL ALTER THE WAY THEY LOOK. KEEP THIS IN MIND AND UNDERSTAND BEFORE SENDING ONE TO US.
This is about how big you wish your stamp to be.
Give us an idea of how much space you wish your stamp to cover. Please do not tell us your stamp needs to be exactly 2X3 or whatever as this may not be possible. Size will be completely based on the image constraints and how it looks in simulation. If it is a garbled mess at 1.75 we will communicate this with you.
Size DOES matter
Size does matter. Detail does matter. A simple explanation of this is.....Just because it looks good in rubber stamp form does not in any way mean it will look good in soap stamp form. And...It may look awesome on paper (ie...printed out), in Photoshop or whatever program you are using. That doesn't mean it will look right transformed into a soap stamp. I know it seems perfect when looking at it in different programs or in an actual drawing. Contact me and ask questions. Let's work on what will and won't work before you have your heart and head set on something which might be impossible.
Design with too much detail
Too much detail in an image will not work. We tried that. I wanted a daisy stamp with quite a bit of detail. A zillion petals 2 inches in size...the whole bit. John made it....a zillion petals...it was beautiful. Not only would it not make a full impression the sheer amount of soap that it pulled with it when removed from the bar was amazing. Amazing and awful. It's a useless piece of material not even heavy enough for a paper weight. An image with too much detail will be sent back with suggested modification requests made. If the stamp size is too small we will explain WHY it can not be done. If the stamp is too large for the bar we will explain this as well.
Smaller does NOT mean cheaper
If the design is too small our CNC machine won't be able to fully process the request. Those areas which don't meet minimum spacing or line thickness will just be skipped over. The result will be a blob mess. This is why we say the smaller the stamp size the more money you will pay. In the same breathe.... small stamps with a lot of detail don't work. This is why we ask for a complete request before offering a price quote.
Required modifications
More often than not some modifications are required. It is a fact. If changes are needed in order to meet minimum milling requirements WE will do them as we know what our machine is and is not capable of doing. Often these changes are not even noticed by you the buyer or the masses. If changes to the over all design are required because it is too detailed and complex or the required changes will change the design itself we will tell you what needs changing and ll ask that YOU do them before we move forward. This is supposed to be your baby. We don't want to change it to make it work for us. It must work for you because you are the one using it. We can walk you through the changes we would make and advise you on how it might look best but it is your design and we prefer you have the control in the design +aspect of it.
Shipping charges
Custom soap stamps are shipped via USPS ONLY. US orders are required to ship via priority mail with delivery confirmation and insurance. This is the only way we will replace non-delivered or damaged in transit stamps. Should your stamp be damaged in the mail you will need to file a claim with the USPS to receive the insurance funds and then contact us. We also request the damaged item back.
Shipments going to addresses outside of the US do not carry delivery confirmation or insurance. USPS is the least expensive way to ship which is why we use it. Also you must realize the amount of time it takes for your stamp to be delivered once it leaves our possession. Some countries hold incoming packages in customs for weeks. This is beyond our control. If you feel enough time has passed since your stamp was mailed contact your mail provider and ask if it is held up.
How long will it take for me to receive my stamp
These stamps DO take time to create. It
DOES take hours to
-work through the image you provide,
-make needed changes in Photoshop and communicate said changes with you,
-provide a proof
ONLY IF significant changes have been made to the image you provide us.
-wait for response from you if needed,
-generate code for our CNC machine,
-set aside the hour(s) time slot to mill the stamp
-mill said stamp
-have Anhoki test the plate if it is required....
If significant changes have been made to your stamp image a proof will be provided for you BEFORE we go to mill. You MUST approve this image before we go to mill. A stamped proof will be provided once the stamp has been milled. If we do not hear from you about either image we will not move forward. Should you decide changes are needed AFTER the stamp has been milled you will be required to pay a remill fee. The first remill will be $25. The second remill will cost you $50. All additional fees must be paid in full before we will move forward.
-block and finish the stamp
As always...communication is key.
>>When we have all of the information we need we will provide you with a quote.
>>You approve the quote and pay for your stamp and THEN we will work on your project.
>>Your stamp proof (should your image require one) will almost always come to you in backward format. Stamps are milled backwards so they will read correctly on the bar. When you ask yourself "why is my stamp backward".... simply answer the question by stamping a bar of soap or placing your stamp on a piece of paper. Even easier would be to view it in a mirror or look at a rubber stamp if you have one. It too is backwards.
>>You MUST approve the proof which means you do need to reply to the messages we send you regarding the images. We've had tons of people who do not reply to our messages and then are angered when the stamp is not as they expected or desired it to be. We will communicate everything with you before actually making the stamp. This way we are always on the same page.
>>Once you have approved the proof it goes to mill. As stated above....this can and usually does take hours.....YES...even for the smallest of stamps. It is milled with a CNC machine and NOT magnesium cast. :~)
>>Once we have milled the stamp we will send you a test stamp picture to approve. Your stamp will be blocked and finished only after you have approved the stamped imaged.
****** We do request a two week turn around for our soap stamps and we require all of it. Life happens and sometimes things come up. If we are waiting for a return email or payment from you and have not heard from you in a timely manner we will put your project on hold and move to another one. Likewise...if something happens in our lives that might prevent us from meeting a deadline we will let you know.
Contact Us:
PLEASE EMAIL ANHOKI at
info@soaptattoos.com for more information. All communications are between the buyer and Anhoki. Please
do not request to speak with John. Do not add a comment to blog posts. It will get lost. Please do not ask us to call you for information about your custom request. It is much easier for us to document the information and refer back to it should any questions or disputes arise.
Custom stamps are custom stamps and we can not offer a discount on multiples. Each stamp is milled one at a time and there is no casting of the stamp. Once the original has been mailed to you we have no way of quickly reproducing it and must generate all secondary pieces the exact same way we created the first.
We feel it necessary to make this public knowledge. BEFORE you send us an image you must, at all costs, be sure you are allowed to use it and make it "yours". Don't shake your head... Be mindful of where your image came from. If it is not yours and you have not obtained permission to use it you might get sued. HOW do we know, you ask? Because it happened to us. We KNEW where our image "came" from. It came from a "FREE" image site that claimed to be free of everything which might bite you in the behind. Well....Having had the image for longer than we can remember we DON'T remember where it came from and had no choice but to pay the fine. Should you provide us with an image that has not been cleared for your use both personal and professional it will be you and YOU ALONE who will be stuck with the fine. We will not be held responsible for any damages your custom stamp may cause.
Thanks for your interest,
Anhoki & John
