Thank you for your interest in calligraphy services with  The Constant Scribe!   It is my commitment with every single client to make things as easy and worry free as possible, to deliver excellent work on time, and to be that one vendor of whom you can say, “Wow!  That was easy!”

Since excellent communication is essential, I have written out my general policies below.  If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email.

Envelopes

Some paper requires additional preparation of the surface to get it ready to receive ink and may incur an additional fee per set.  Please provide an additional 20 envelopes per every 100 to allow for testing of surface and for my mistakes, your corrections, and last minute additions to your list.  Pens will occasionally ‘snag’ on a fiber in the paper and ruin an envelope.  Although I take great care in execution of names and addresses, I am human and I do make mistakes!

Some envelopes, such as dark, opaque, silver, lined, or textured present unique challenges and require additional preparation before lettering  and may be subject to additional charges.  Some papers are simply impossible to letter upon with pen and ink and for these a standard writing instrument must be used.  Please check with your printer/stationer before ordering.

Turn-around time is normally 150 envelopes per week.  I will schedule a window of time for your wedding/project, so it is important that you have your envelopes ready to go for the agreed upon time frame.  Please don’t forget to factor in any shipping/mailing time as you make your plans.

All envelopes will be proof-read four times before delivery:  three times by me and once by a proofreader.  If you should find a mistake, I will re-do any errors immediately at no cost to you.  If you discover an error in the list you provided and need a re-do, I will re-do at the original agreed upon cost per set.

I allow for a one-time batch of additions to the list after delivery.  After that, ‘just one mores’ will be billed at the original fee plus $2. 

Invitation Address List

Please submit your list as a Microsoft Word document.  I cannot accept hand written guest lists.   I will read through your list carefully before beginning work and will make color coded notations to alert myself to unusual spellings, extra long lines, incomplete addresses, etc., so please submit your list in black only, 12 pt. Arial.   Please spell out all abbreviations (Street, Boulevard, Road, Place, etc.) 

Address List Format:

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe

123 Main Street

Anytown, State

Zip Code

John and Sarah

Ryan and Elizabeth

I use Crane's Wedding Blue book for questions of etiquette; however, I do realize that some brides prefer a less traditional approach.  I will be happy to answer any questions you might have and give my opinion if asked, but ultimately I respect the bride's wishes with regard to matters of etiquette.

You may have many questions such as when, where, and how to choose and order your invitations, how soon you need to order them, how soon they must be mailed, and when to hire your calligrapher.  

Save the Date Cards

  •  Order: Seven or more months in advance
  •  Mail: Six months ahead of time, or earlier for destination weddings or out of town guests

Wedding Invitations

  • Order: Four to six months in advance
  • Mail: Two to four months before your wedding date

Thank You Cards

  • Order: When you order wedding invitations
  • Mail: Within two weeks of returning from your honeymoon

Announcements

  • Order: When you order wedding invitations
  • Mail: Address the envelopes two weeks before your wedding, then ask your maid of honor to drop them in the mail the day after your wedding     

Don’t Forget  about Programs, Place Cards, Menus and Accessories!

Requests for Estimates

You may contact me by email (theconstantscribe@yahoo.com) or by phone (815-355-0375).  I check emails early in the morning, around lunchtime, and early evening.  I generally don't answer my phone while I'm working, so please leave me a detailed message and I will return your call as soon as possible--most of the time on the same day.  After our initial phone conversation, I prefer all subsequent communications to be conducted through email so that both parties have a record of what was discussed and agreed upon. 

I will email you two documents so that I can gather the information necessary to quote your job.  The first is a client questionnaire (Word document) for you to fill out.  You can type right into the document and then save it with your last name and email it back to me.

Once the proposal is accepted, and I have received a non-refundable deposit of $50, (will be taken off your remaining balance at final invoice) I will reserve time for your project in my schedule.  Receipt of deposit constitutes a binding contract.  I usually book about 2-3 months ahead.  It's a good idea to allow at least 4 months ahead for summer weddings (June, July, August).  Remember, you'll need to allow mailing time as well as time for me to letter the envelopes!

The same general policies apply to Menus, Place cards, Table cards, and other calligraphic services.

All scheduling, materials drop off, pick up, and mailing dates will appear on your Proposal/Estimate. 

Scheduling

I will honor the time frame that we have agreed upon and schedule your job accordingly.  I cannot, however, guarantee the agreed upon delivery date if the envelopes (or other calligraphic projects) have not arrived to me on time.  Depending upon how late the envelopes arrive and what else I have on my schedule at the time, there may be an additional charge of $1 per envelopes.

Payment

There is a $50 non-refundable deposit to reserve your spot.  This will be taken off your remaining balance on the final invoice.  Fifty percent down payment (based on the estimated costs) is needed before starting work with the balance to be paid in full before the completed job is released to you.  I do not ship materials unless payment has been made in full.  I offer Paypal for your convenience.  If you opt for PayPal, payment can be made all at one time when the work is done.  I'll ship as soon as the PayPal notification of payment email is sent.

Shipping

If you are shipping your materials to me, I will send you a confirmation email as soon as they arrive.  I am happy to inventory your items if they arrive directly from the stationer.  When completed, I will return them to you via UPS ground, at your expense.  I cannot be responsible for damages or loss incurred during shipping.

Unless you insist upon USPS shipping, I only use UPS or FedEx for shipping.  If you prefer to use the USPS, you must do so at your own risk.

 (UPDATED 10/17)