Frequently Asked Questions
Updated January 29, 2010
General
* What is Ka-Blam Digital Printing and what can it do for me?
* Can I print a book with some color pages and some black and white
pages?
* Is there a minimum number of copies I have to print?
* Is there a maximum number of pages I can print per comic book?
* My friend recommended me to you. Is there a little something nice you can do for him?
* Is there a setup fee?
* What if I want to make changes to an order I've printed once before?
* Will you help me sell my comic after it has been printed?
* Will you distribute my comic to comic book stores for me?
* If I provide you with the purchase order info, will you ship my
comics directly to the warehouse of a distributor?
Content
* Is there anything you will not print?
Technical
* Can I just send you my pages and have you scan them and put the
book together for me?
* In what file formats can I send my pages?
* RGB?? Really? But that's a screen format. Don't you mean CMYK?
* At what size and resolution should my files be?
* Can't I just send you a PDF or a Quark Xpress file?
* How do I send my files to you? Can I ftp them to your site?
* I would prefer to send my files on a CD/DVD via snail mail.
Do you have a physical address to which I can send them?
Shipping
* How will my order be shipped?
* How much will it cost to ship my order?
* Do you ship internationally?
Ordering
* How do I place an order?
* How do I know if you have received my order?
* What is the User Control Panel and how do I use it?
* What methods of payment do you accept?
* When will I be billed?
* How long will it take for me to get my order?
* Do you accept rush jobs?
OK, so my question wasn't on the list. What now?
What is Digital Printing?
Ka-Blam is a digital printer specializing in short run printing for comic book publishers and creators.
By using high end laser technology to simulate the look of traditional offset printing we can produce comics and paperbacks without the high overhead and huge print runs that come
along with traditional printing. Our service allows creators and publishers to print to their needs -- with the ability to come back as often as needed for additional copies -- rather than print
thousands of copies at a time.
Ka-Blam is the ideal solution for independent comic publishers looking for an alternative to traditional printing and for webcomic creators looking to put their work into print and thereby add an extra
revenue stream to their business.
We can print in amazing full color or crisp black & white (btw, grayscale counts as black & white -- so long as there are only black, white, and shades of gray on the page) and in quantities from as low as 1
to as many as 1,000 with ease and all at surprisingly reasonable prices.
Can I print a book with some color pages and some black and white
pages?
Of course. However, the full color rate will apply to the entire book in such
a case.
Is there a minimum number of copies I have to print?
No. Not even one. If you just want to list your title at IndyPlanet you can place a 0 quantity order.
Though we'd really recommend that you order at least 1 copy just so you can see what you're selling.
BTW, there's no maximum number of copies either. Although in all candor if you're looking to print a large number of comics (say 1,000 plus) ... while we'd
love to have your business you'll probably find that a commerical offset printer will give you a better price than we could.
Is there a maximum number of pages I can print per comic book?
Yes. On standard-sized comics (and manga-sized minis as well) we are able to fold and saddle stitch (center staple) a maximum of 52 interior
pages.
Perfect bound trade paperbacks max out at around 400 pages.
Is there anything you will not print?
Absolutely. We will not print anything that is illegal, defamatory, or infringes
upon the rights of another person or company.
But that's probably not what you were asking about, is it? You're probably asking about nudity and sexual content, huh? In that case, the short answer is this --
We'll print 'R', but not 'X' and certainly not 'XXX'. It's not a puritanical thing. Really. It's based on sound legal advice we received and have chosen to heed, having to do with the voluminous and wildly
varying laws around the country (and the world) regarding 'obscenity' and the transport thereof.
We've elected to print no comics (or comics related material) containing
any scenes of an explicit sexual nature.
My friend recommended me to you. Is there a little something nice you can do for him?
How about a $5 credit on her --or his-- next order? Just ask your friend for their Ka-Blam username
(no, you don't need their password -- just the user id) and then when you're placing your order just
enter it in the form field that asks if someone referred you to us. We'll credit them $5 that they can
apply towards any print order that they choose.
Now, here are the caveats on this one ... You can only cit someone with a referral if it's your first
time placing an order with us. Only fair, right? I mean, if you've used a service in the past you can't
rightly credit someone for recommending it to you for future use because you've already been there done that.
Also there's no cashout on this. It's a credit that spends like cash -- at Ka-Blam ONLY -- but it's not cash. Fair enough?
On the up-side though ... for the referer there's no limit. If you send us a hundred first-time customers
then we'll credit you with a five hundred bucks you can spend on our print services! Try us and see!
Is there a setup fee?
Ka-Blam charges no setup fees on any initial orders or unaltered reorders ... however, if you wish to make changes to an item you've previously printed
with us or create a new revised edition of a previously printed item we DO charge a Reset fee.
What if I want to make changes to an order I've printed once before?
We do charge a Reset fee (or page replacement/substitution fee) whenever we have to substitute or replace pages or do anything that
causes us to have to reset a previously built printable document. The fee is $1 per page with a minimum fee of $5 and a maximum of $25.
So for example ... you printed the Amazing Kung Fu Monkey #1 with us six months ago and you've since found a typo on page 13 that you want to correct. The fee would be $5. Yes, it's only one page, but the $5 minimum would kick in. If you decided to replace the first seven pages then the fee would be $7. One dollar per page. To replace all 32 pages and the covers the fee would be $25 since there is a $25 maximum fee.
The fee is per item and per instance. So if you want to replace 1 page in each of three items the fee would be $15 ... the minimum $5 charge times 3.
Why do we charge this fee? Because changing a file or replacing a page is not as simple as it sounds.
We have to verify the new files, rebuild the printable document, build new digital proofs, post new digital proofs, delete all the backups (two here at the offices and one off-site), and then create and store the new backups. That's why we discourage file substitutions and charge a reset fee.
BTW ... the Reset fee applies to changes made to ANY job we've previously printed -- if you click the page substitution button on the reorder form (or
even if you don't and just send new pages) or if you create a brand new order makes no difference. You can call it a revised edition or a remastered
edition ... it doesn't matter. If the intent is to replace an item that we've previously built a printable document for then the fee applies.
How will my order be shipped?
We've added a couple of different options for you to choose from. We ship via UPS and the United States Postal Service, and
offer various different shipping options for each. At the time you place your order you'll be able to select the shipping option you desire.
FYI ... if your order is small enough to fit into a USPS Priority Mail envelope (say, a dozen or so standard-sized comics plus packing materials) you can probably save about $10 over shipping via UPS.
On larger orders it tends to balance out a bit.
For international orders, USPS will almost always be the low cost shipping option.
Also ... unless requested otherwise, proofs and quantity '1' orders will always ship USPS first class mail.
How much will it cost to ship my order?
You will be charged for the exact calculated shipping amount plus insurance, plus 3% of your
total order to cover the costs of securely packaging your order.
Do you ship internationally?
Almost everyday. If Paypal will do business in your country (believe it or not there some where they won't) then you can place an order and we'll ship to you.
In most cases on international orders we will ship via USPS Priority Mail International Flat Rate -- even if it means shipping your order in multiple boxes. We've found that in most cases
this is the least expensive and most reliable option for international shipping.
The process couldn't be easier. Just choose the product you'd like to order from products list on the left side of the screen, click it, and fill out the order form on the new
screen. It's very easy and each step of the process is explained on the order form.
How do I know if you have received my order?
You'll receive a confirmation email from us containing the details of your order
as well as an order number. You'll also be able to track your order's progress through the Ka-Blam User Control Panel.
What is the User Control Panel and how do I use it?
The Ka-Blam User Control Panel is your personal access area at the Ka-Blam site. From the User Control Panel you can monitor the
status of existing orders, place
reorders, access your messages from the Ka-Blam Message Center list an item for sale at IndyPlanet.com,
edit your IndyPlanet listings, check your sales and earnings at IndyPlanet, and
even request a payout of your IndyPlanet earnings ... at ANY time, and more! To access the User Control Panel all you need to do is login at www.ka-blam.com and click the
My Info button on the top right of the screen.
Can I just send you my pages and have you scan them and put the
book together for me?
No. Sorry. We must have digital files.
In what file formats can I send my pages?
Tiff files ... PC formatted, flattened with
no extra layers or channels, and RGB mode for color files.
Oh ... and please, please, please ... don't forget to archive them --- winzip
or WinRaR or
StuffIt
or whatever else you've got so long as we get a single downloadable file.
RGB?? Really? But that's a screen format. Don't you mean CMYK?
We mean RGB. Really. Trust us. With our equipment that will give you the best,
most vibrant, most-true-to-your-colors print. Though if you refuse to take our word for it ... if
you absolutely must send CMYK files ... well, we understand. Your colors won't be as vibrant, but
we understand.
At what size and resolution should my files be?
You can find our technical
specifications here.
Can't I just send you a PDF or a Quark Xpress file?
No. Let me say that again ... NO!
Once upon a time we were young and foolish enough that if someone insisted on sending a PDF we would
just shake our heads and say ... Well, we'd rather you didn't, but OK ... Those days have passed.
We have found that almost invariably PDF files lead to
pre-press work and we positively hate doing
pre-press so we charge a lot for doing
it.
So we've made it official ... NO PDFs!!
Please.
How do I send my files to you?
The best way is to simply upload the files to an unpublished area of your own website and then provide us with a direct link from which
we may download.
We can also get them via ftp if you'll just send us the necessary address
and login info.
PLEASE NOTE: We're not asking for access to
your main FTP folders. Not at all. It's a very simple matter to allow FTP access ONLY to a single, password-
protected folder. If you need help doing this you should be able to get all the info you need from
either your server-provided control panel or from a simple Google search.
If you do not have access to an FTP site, we recommend using a free file storage
site like sendspace.com.
You simply archive your files into a single downloadable file -- you can use winzip or WinRaR or StuffIt or whatever else you've got so long as we get a single downloadable file --
and upload that archived file to them using form fields at their site. Then post the link they provide to you in the Notes field of our order form.
Of course you can also send the files to us via snail mail on CD or DVD. Our
mailing address is --
Ka-Blam Digital Printing
7041 Grand National Dr.
Suite 122
Orlando, FL 32819
Of course, please be aware that we cannot begin verifying the printability of
files until we actually have them in our possession. If you choose to send your
files to us via the mail ... your order process will take longer.
What methods of payment do you accept?
We prefer ... Paypal.
Though we will also accept a personal check or money order made payable to 01 COMICS INC.
Please be aware that paying via check or money order may delay your order's shipping as check MUST clear before we will ship your order.
Also please do NOT make the checks or money orders payable to Ka-Blam. They MUST be made payable to 01 Comics Inc. Or they will be returned to you and your
order delayed even further.
BTW ... if you choose to list a title for sale at
Indyplanet.com then you MUST have a Paypal account because that's where we'll send your earnings whenever you request a payout. NO checks will be mailed. ALL payouts will come via Paypal.
When will I be billed?
After we have received your files and verified that they are indeed printable,
we will email you an invoice for the full amount due (including shipping and handling).
We'll try to get your invoice to as quickly as possible, but please be bear with us if it takes a couple of days. Don't worry we will get it to you. We won't forget to
ask you for money. We promise.
Believe it or not, invoicing is actually one of the more labor intensive things we have to do around here. Among the things we have to do before we can send an invoice is
to calculate the weight of the order, then go to the website of the shipping company and calculate cost and shipping time, then plug all of that info into our database
(double checking the numbers of course), then generate the invoice, and finally email the invoice. And that's just for domestic orders. International orders offer a whole
set of different hoops to jump through depending on the destination country.
We're constantly working to streamline, but since every order is unique there's only so much automation you can add to the process.
FYI ... because these invoice emails are auto-generated they are sometimes tagged as SPAM by some spam-blocking software.
So if you have some sort of spam catcher or blocker working in collaboration with your email client you may want to check your designated
spam box and see if the invoice was trapped there. If it was then be sure to change your settings to allow future emails from Ka-Blam to come through.
And of course payment in full must be received before we will begin
printing. Sorry, no exceptions.
How long will it take for me to get my order?
We have a tiered pricing system on all comics products. You determine your price based on the date you request for shipping.
Our base turnaround is 28 days. If you select that option then base pricing applies. Now that doesn't mean it will take 28 days for your order to ship only that it MIGHT take up to 28 and by selecting this option you're saying that it's OK with you if it does take up to 28 days.
There's also a discounted and expedited option. If you select the discounted option then in exchange for a 10% discount your order may take up to 40 days ship. Again, doesn't mean that it will be 40 days ... most likely it will be quicker than that ... but by selecting this option you're saying that it's OK with you if it does take up to 40 days.
If you absolutely need it faster than 28 days then you can select an earlier ship date, but a surcharge will apply. The faster you want it shipped the higher the surcharge. The surcharge maxes out at 175% of the base for a 10 day turnaround.
Please NOTE: The tiered pricing is for comics products ONLY. T-Shirts, posters, artboards, mousepads, and flyers are always base priced and will ship within 10 days (pending payment of course) unless
bundled on an order with comics products.
Also quantity 1 orders (proofs, basically) are always base priced and will ship within 10 days pending payment.
Do you accept rush jobs?
Yep. See the answer to the previous question.
Will you help me sell my comic after it has been printed?
Indyplanet.com is our webstore and order processing center. There you can browse all the titles available and get free previews and other info.
Will you distribute my comic to comic book stores for me?
Coming VERY soon. Promise. We'll let you know when we've got something in place.
If I provide you with the purchase order info, will you ship my
comics directly to the warehouse of a distributor?
We'll ship your comics wherever you ask us to ... though please be aware that
certain monopolistic comic book distributors may have arbitrary rules concerning
comics printed digitally. Plus the combination of their mandated discount structure
and our pricing isn't such a good mix. Our recommendation is that you sell directly to your
readers either over the web or at conventions and personal appearances.
OK, so my question wasn't on the list. What now?
Easy. Just ask it in the Message Center and someone from our staff will answer it for you ASAP!
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