Believe it or not, there are a lot of moving parts in advertising, especially when we try to make our information easy to digest so you can make a decision that’s right for you. This revised FAQ is our most recent attempt to help you get your most important questions answered quickly and with less frustration than ever before.
Ad prices vary by size and the quantity of placemats printed. We do give a price break for large quantities but it’s often impractical to print so many at one time. If your ad needs to run over an extended period of time, we offer bundling (same ad on multiple issues) or discounts for ongoing ads, often called auto-renewal. Pricing information.
A. Most of the placemats we print can be used in any restaurant in the targeted service area. They are non-branded for a specific restaurant, aka “generic”.
Deposits are not required. As long as we have your commitment to pay in an email and the terms are accepted, we can get your ad designed and on at least one placemat before mailing you an invoice. When we invoice you, we will also send you a copy of the placemat and a self-addressed payment envelope for your convenience. We appreciate payment in full within 30 days of the invoice date. For anyone who likes to stay on top of their accounts payable, we can email a copy of the invoice as soon as we agree on the terms – pricing, quantity, and service area.
We print tens of thousands of paper placemats at a time and deliver them FOR FREE to local restaurants that meet our minimum qualifications… enough light to read by, enough time to read your ad (their choice), and decent cars in the parking lot.
A. When we print special issues, we order 10,000 (10k) at a time. For geographic service areas, we might print 10k or 15k but we have printed 40k of the same placemat in some rare circumstances. Bulk pricing applies so you get a better price per thousand the more we print. Pricing information here.
A. A bunch of them, sorted by service area! We think it’s easiest if you find your answers on individual web pages so you can find exactly what you are looking for with very little effort and no distraction. Here’s how: Look in the top menu for Restaurant Maps at the far right. In the drop down list is each of our service areas. In each page, you find a list of restaurants, a map showing the location of each restaurant and approximate usage for that area. Some restaurants are seasonal such as the two in the East Brady area which have summer camps nearby along the river. FYI, Outlook Inn is listed as Rimersburg but local residents associate it with East Brady. It’s just up over the hill on Rt 68.
A. Generally 6-8 weeks each order.
A. First, we need your help in figuring IF there is a problem. Some possible reasons for your ad not being on placemats on tables:
- Whoever was setting tables got into the wrong box of placemats.
- Restaurant staff did not tell us they were low and they ran out.
- One of their servers is having a bad day and doesn’t care.
- Good news, you can help!
A small number of locations have placemats from two or three sources and each set of placemats has time on tables and time off. Since we invoice by quantity, you can be sure you are still getting the value you paid for, even if your ad is not on tables all the time.
A. Along the bottom of each placemat, our phone number is printed which means, until every placemat has been used AND the dumpster is emptied, our phone number is somewhere nearby! Make sure restaurant personnel know they can call us and SHOULD call us when they are running low.
A. We offer 14-18% off if someone wants an ongoing ad. Some companies call it auto-renewal. Basically, we put your ad on the placemats you want and you send a check when you receive our invoice. Specials are posted on our website. For the most up to date information, contact one of our sales reps or call our office at 724-548-7249. See below on how to save money as an ‘ad sponsor’.
A. Yes, as long as it meets our technical specifications. Many of our customers’ existing ads are sizes we don’t use and some are in color which have to be redone in grayscale since we print using only one ink color.
Grayscale, 200 dpi minimum resolution, 300 dpi preferred in PDF format with embedded fonts. A single ad space is our basic building block but multiple spaces can be used for oversize ads. A double ad would measure 2″ x 4″, triple = 2″ x 6″, etc. Although it’s a rare occurrence, we have sold quadruple ads which are 4″x4″.
Carl is working on a series of Mini-Placemats that can be printed at home or office, including coloring pages for kids. Call 724-548-7249 to find out more about it.
A. Ad sponsorships are where local businesses pay a relatively small amount for a nonprofit organization’s ad or community announcement to be placed on our placemats. Ad sponsorships are priced to save you money, sometimes as low as $25 per 10,000 placemats. When these community-friendly ads tug at our hearts and pricing goes way way down, our company acts as a silent ad co-sponsor.
Sponsors are often recognized on the backs of T-shirts but only the higher levels of sponsorship have a logo showing. We will print your website URL or phone number along with your name so people who see your sponsorship can find you on the Internet or call you. Click on the link to see an example: Click me?