Terms & Conditions | Hot Foil Machines

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Before you make a purchase, please observe our T&C’s as they are for the benefit of both parties. Your order will be processed on the basis that you have fully accepted our T&C’s, unless otherwise stated by us in writing.

1) Print Quality

To achieve a good quality print will depend on several factors, which are mostly in the hands of the operator or user of the machine.

For example, using:-

The correct temperature for a given surface
Using the correct grade of foil (most standard foils will work on lots of surfaces but from time to time, you may require a different grade of foil with different adhesion properties for your surface - please speak to main foil suppliers for their guidance as we do not claim to be experts in different grades of foils.
Correct alignment of print head
Correct dwell time (how long you leave the handle pressed down for)
Correct ‘make-ready’ base chosen on the print bed
Whether Metal Type is worn or damaged
Whether Plates or Dies are worn or damaged

This list is not exhaustive.

As long as our machine heats up and holds temperature correctly via the temperature controller, the machine will be considered as working. We cannot forsee every use customers will be looking to put the machine to or what type of work they are looking to achieve with the machine. These are small table-top machines designed for small areas of work; therefore, please do not expect to foil large areas, especially large solid areas as these machine will not apply the same type of pressure as the much larger and much heavier 2 ton press, which can cost many thousands of dollars/pounds. Furthermore, hot foil stamping is a letterpress form of printing process, designed best to work onto smooth flat surfaces. Printing onto slight textured surfaces is possible as well as products that may not be totally flat (eg wallets) - here some basic adaptation is required by the user as well as some experience, knowledge and some ingenuity.

If you feel that a fault has developed with our machine, we will be happy to have it back for further investigations. Faults should be rare as these machines are well made and are fairly simple in their manufacture. Virtually any fault can be resolved without have having the machine back here.

Please note, as with any mechanical/electrical product, a certain amount of hands-on skill maybe required to set the machine up accurately. A lot of hints and tips are supplied in our instruction manual and training DVD - we would urge you to refer to them for guidance and contact us if you require any additional help please.

Please do take the time to read our Instruction Manual fully and also, please do watch our Training DVD fully before using the machine. If, despite this, you are still unsure, please feel free to contact us by usual means and we will be happy to help.

2) Free tests on your own Product

If you are purchasing our machines for a specific task, then we will be happy to quickly test print two of your products free of charge and report you of our findings by email as well as attachments (images). We will test print using our stock dies, type and foil only. All we ask is that you send us sufficient quantities for testing please. Once tested, we will take some photos and email our results back to you. If you require the samples sending back to you (and you are outside the UK), we will invoice you for shipping charges or you may request your own courier to make collections. Our free test service extends to 1-2 products only and in 1-2 locations of your product. If it is any more than this, then we will need to make charges, which can be advised on request.

If you are not sure if our machine is suitable for your needs, it is a good idea to email us some images of your products prior to purchase so that we can evaluate and give you some initial feedback. If you have some images of previously pre-printed foiled products, please send us those images too.

Please note that our tests are just tests and we may need to stamp in various locations before we can determine the correct settings for a new product. Once tested, they will not necessarily be in a condition for resale nor photography. Furthermore, whilst we take great care in carrying out tests, we cannot be held responsible if any items are ruined. If a special die is ordered, the costs will be borne by the customer at all times, regardless of the test results.

Please note that printing onto bags requires an area free of handles , buckles, internal zips/pockets etc as the print head comes down to print – in other words, a flat and unobstructed area which does not impede the printing process.

If our machine is purchased without taking our offer of tests, then it will be assumed that the customer has satisfied themselves as to the suitability of our machine for their tasks.

3) Ordering of Type & Dies
Important notes to consider when ordering Type or Dies

a) Our brass dies and type are made from your camera ready artwork or from a font file supplied by the customer. Artwork is sent to the engraving machine and there is no human intervention in this process. It is assumed that you have checked everything and have shrunk your artwork down (and printed it out) to the actual size to get an idea how it will look on a die or how the type will appear.

b) Where possible, avoid using typeface smaller than 10pt. Anything smaller than 10pt is used at your own risk. This is because hot foil stamping process relies on heat and pressure which can result in small typefaces filling-in or letters joining together and this may give the appearance of a blotchy print (see image below)

c) When using small fonts, always leave greater character spacing between letters and avoid using lowercase letters. When using smaller fonts, always use Sans Serif Type for clarity and not small, bold or serif typeface as this will certainly lead in infilling of letters etc.

d) Serif type (such as Times Roman) may not be as sharp as Univers for example and certainly on smaller type, the bits that hang off letters may not always print out too well.

e) Smaller fonts may behave differently when printing onto say paper than printing onto say a soft surface such as leather etc. There is a greater chance on colour infilling on softer surfaces than there is on card or paper for example. This is because as hot letters and foil are pressed into the leather, it creates an indent (due to its pliable nature) and thus more likely to blend letters together and create a blotchy print.

f) Our metal type should not be used with other machines that create a lot of pressure (eg with toggle mechanism or air operated machines) as with heat and a lot of pressure, the letters can flatten or wear out prematurely. This in turn can lead to inferior quality printing. For machines that use high pressure as described above, or when printing onto soft leather, we would always recommend using brass type which is much harder, gives you sharper print quality and is also more deeply etched - this can prevent infilling as the type 'sinks' into the softer leather. If you are not sure, please send us samples of your material and we will be happy to test print metal and brass type for you free of charge before you purchase our machine. Metal type works well with our Foilcraft Hot foil Printing Machines bearing the above provisos in mind though.

g) With practice, you will realise over a period of time as to what works and what does not work. We unfortunately cannot prempt or advise you on every type of material or surface that is out there. We would be happy to give you some advise based on our experience and even offer to test print onto your products - but ultimately, we cannot always guarantee print quality as many factors are out of our control, including those mentioned above.

h) Brass dies and type are made to order and therefore no refund will be made on these items under any circumstances. This complies fully with the Distant Selling Regulations for items that are specially made to order. We cannot also accept any type that has been opened either (Metal Type, Quads & Spacers etc). With your machine, you would have been supplied with a free generic metal die to practice with, please use this rather than unpack a new set of type as we will not be able to make a refund on type or quads and spacers that have been opened for whatever reason.

4) Returns Policy

We follow all current legislation and are happy to take back your purchase if returned to us within seven working days from the date of receipt of goods for ‘change of mind’. We cannot accept returns on specially ordered items such as type (metal or brass) or dies under any circumstances (see above).

In order for us to accept the above and offer a full refund (less shipping charges) , the goods must be unused, unmarked and any accompanying CD's or DVD's must remain unopened and any foils or materials must be unused. If these are opened or used, then it will be assumed that the customer has used the goods as they form an integral part of your product/package.

It is the customer's duty to ensure that goods are returned to us undamaged, insured and packed such that any potential damage can be avoided. Customers must also inform us in writing or by e-mail of their intentions to return goods within the stipulated period quoting our RMA Number. We cannot accept notice by telephone.

It is a condition of this contract that a purchaser of our products will bear the shipping costs of returning the goods to us within the above stipulated period.

If goods are received as ‘Dead on arrival’, we will require your co-operation to carry out a few simple tests to determine if the machine is indeed ‘dead’ and this may require replacement of fuses etc. If the thermostat or the heating element is not working, we will ship another one out to you. In such cases, please ask a competent and qualified electrician to fix this for you. This should not take more than 30 minutes or so. This method is simple and easier and less costly rather than sending the whole machine back, especially for our overseas customers. This will be our preferred method of addressing such issues, unless stipulated otherwise.

If our machines have been used and falls outside the distant selling regulations (time frame for refunds), then we may, at our discretion, offer to take the machine back providing it is in pristine condition and returned to us in its original packaging, subject to a restocking charge of 25%. We will not take back any type that has been opened or ordered specially for you.

Where we have tested onto your products before purchase and you have accepted that our machine is suitable for your needs, then no refunds can be entertained unless a fault develops with our machine upon arrival.

5) Delays in shipping goods

No liability will be accepted by Creative Printers for lost orders as a result of delays in supplying any type of products, shipping and postal delays etc.

We will aim to ship your order out promptly upon receipt of cleared funds. it is the customer's duty to inform us that payment has been made in to our bank account as we may not check our bank account on a daily basis.

We cannot be held liable for any delays, however caused for special typefaces, dies or other products ordered for customers.

For overseas customers, if you request goods to be shipped to you via standard Air Mail (Royal Mail), then please be advised that should goods go missing, astray or arrive damaged, then it can take 30 to 90 days to claim compensation from the Royal Mail. We always obtain proof of postage and our liability will end there - however, we will always try to assist you as much as we can to claim compensation for your goods. We regret we cannot send out replacement goods 'free of charge' whilst claim is under investigation - they must be paid for and once we receive any compensation from the Royal Mail, your account will duly be credited. This applies to when goods are sent by any means of shipment, including by couriers, below.

The best shipping method is for you to order your goods via one of the larger couriers such as DHL , FedEx etc. If you have your own account with them you can ask them to collect from us and settle payment with them directly or alternatively, we can arrange this for you at extra cost. Goods sent by this method can easily be tracked online and offer a more secure method of shipping.

6) Warranty

We offer a 12 months warranty back to base which would cover any defective manufacturers parts and labour. This does not cover negligence or misuse of the machine for the purpose it was not intended for or in a away that is not compatible for a machine such as ours.

7) Contract to supply
Errors and omissions excepted in all quotations supplied in emails, pro-forma's, invoices or verbally or online shopping. An order is accepted and contract is formed once we have shipped the goods or the customer has been notified that the goods have been shipped. These terms apply to our entire range of products and services.

By ordering goods from us, it will be assumed that you have agreed and accepted our Terms & Conditions which go on to form our Contract of Sale.