The best way to submit orders for decals is by:

FAX (540-962-5472) This is the guaranteed way!!!

The FAX is available 24 hours a day, every day! If we have power, we have FAX!!!

This method gives me a hardcopy “picture” of the artwork you need. Phone conversations just give me the audio - I need the visual. They say a “picture is worth a thousand words” – I guess a fax is fairly close to that also . . .!!! 

PHONE CALLS: Phone calls may be needed on my part to clarify details and to understand a layout.  So, PLEASE submit all necessary contact information for me to promptly and efficiently get in touch with you if clarification is needed. You can call to place an order for decals but will not be 100% guaranteed. You can call and tell me to duplicate a previous order and that should be OK - but, original orders should be delivered by FAX. However, if the phone is the best way for you to place and order, I will do everything I can to create the decal correctly.

Feel free to call the shop anytime during the day, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm. at 540-965-3976. From 9-5 we are usually at our other jobs so just leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. If you call after 5:00 pm, your odds of speaking with us personally greatly increase. On the weekends, well, it's a 50/50 shot-but if you feel lucky, just give us a call - AFTER 12:00. Your understanding will be greatly appreciated.

ORDER FORM: You can utilize the ORDER FORM that I have developed that can be filled in and faxed, or even mailed to me. This form is in .PDF format and can be downloaded and printed for your use. Other than this form, I do not offer the option for customers to order decals on line. To snail-mail a request, send it to:

Golden Touch Decals - 1907 Hot Springs Road - Covington, VA 24426

Get your order form HERE.

E-MAILS: (TightLineRods@aol.com) E-mails will be accepted as orders for decals. Please describe what you need thoroughly or include the layout as an attachment. If the attachment is in a file format I cannot open and use, I will notify the customer. I can open attachments formated for MS Office XP (WORD), .pmd and .pm6 for Adobe Pagemaker, .psd for Adobe Photoshop and .ai for Adobe Illustrator. All standard image formats such as .tif, .eps, jpg, .png etc. can be utilized.

When you submit artwork and text in a layout that is not the actual size needed, please indicate the typeface (font) name, the sizes required, and the overall size of the complete layout that will fit on the blank you are building. This will allow me to reconstruct the layout if for some reason I cannot use the submitted layout. A picture of the typeface, or better yet, a copy of the digital file of the actual typeface, is the best way for me to see what you desire.

ORIGINAL ORDERS FOR FIRST TIME DECALS: Upon completion of the design, I can either send it back as an attachment in .PDF format or FAX it back to the number you have included with your order. The image will be "life size" so you can get the true picture of how it will appear on the rod.

SCANNED ARTWORK: If you send scanned artwork to be used with text, it should be in .tif format with no compression. Sometimes I need to re-open the art in Adobe Photoshop and re-save it as an uncompressed .tif that can be placed in the design programs I use. This is usually no problem, just another step to completion of the layout. Some people like to use .jpg format because it creates a smaller file. Just remember, each time a file in .jpg format is modified and then saved, the image quality is degraded. However, if that format is all you have, I can certainly work with those in a manner that preserves the quality to its highest level.

When sending the scanned files you need in .tif or .jpg format, they can only be printed at the size I receive them. If you need them to be "scaled" to fit various rod sizes, they need to be in "vector" format so they do not become pixelated as thay are enlarged. They can be scanned LARGER than needed and I can reduce them without loss of quality - I just can't enlarge them and keep them at a high quality resolution.

DECAL FIT: To get the proper decal fit on the blank area, you must first determine the circumference of the rod blank at the specific location of the decal. This dimension will determine the overall height of the decal since you dont want the edges of the decal to overlap during application. The easiest way to do this is to wrap a piece masking tape around the blank area, slightly spiraling, and make a mark on the tape that will be visible on the two edges that slightly overlap. Then unwrap the tape and lay flat and measure between the marks - this is the circumference of the blank at that point. The layout of your decal must fall within this dimension. This is also the dimension I need to know when I am designing your decal from the very start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARGINS: Also include how much margin you need around the decal printed area so I know how to layout the decal on the paper. This way I can be sure to give you enough space for proper trimming. This is important especially if you are ordering a full sheet of decals. When ordering a full sheet of decals, the top and bottom margins will be 3/4" from the edges of the paper. The margins between the decals will be appropriate for the style of decals being printed and how much margin has been requested for each decal.

BLACK ARTWORK: If you are ordering silver, gold or white decals, your own artwork when submit should have all elements of the design shown as black. All scanned images should be scanned as 1-bit B/W, not grey-scale unless this effect is what you really want. The text color should also be black because when the printer sees a color OTHER than black, it half-tones it to shades of grey based upon it's output defaults. This may not be the effect you want. When we have an all black image to work with, we can tell the printer which spot color we want it to use for the output.

Full Color Decals are still being tested to find the best WHITE paper for the job. Look here for further details and availability.

Ordering