If
you do not see an answer to your question here in the
Q & A section, please
Melissa
for further information.
Q:
Where
was Hana Hou Productions founded?
A:
Honolulu,
Hawai'i. Due to a move in 2002, Hana
Hou Productions is now located outside
Chicago, Illinois.
Q:
What
does "Hana Hou" mean
and how is it pronounced??
A:
"Hana
Hou" is a Hawaiian phrase meaning "encore",
so "Encore Productions". It's
pronounced Ha-na-Ho (not "Ha-na-Who").
Q:
Do
you have a mortar-and-brick storefront
or a place where your designs can
be
viewed??
A:
Currently,
no. Melissa would LOVE to eventually
have her own store one day! However,
samples are
available for purchase via this website.
Q:
Do
you sell wholesale to store fronts
/ businesses??
A:
SOON!
Melissa is planning to have select
note cards and thank you cards, and
possibly blank invitations available
for wholesale in mid-2007. The minimum
order will be $275. If you wish to
receive information about this service
and when it is available, please
send an
to
be placed on the mailing list.
Q:
Do
you offer inner envelopes??
A:
Yes,
but only for select designs. Please review the details for each
design closely. If you really desire
inner envelopes, please
Melissa.
She may be able to change the size
of the invitation design you are
interested in ordering, so that you
may use the inner and outer envelope
sizes she has in stock. Otherwise
belly wrap bands are a great way
to add a guests names to the invite,
as are tags (for 3D boxed invites).
Q:
Do
you offer guest addressing services
for envelopes?
A:
Yes,
but only for clients who order their
invitations from Hana Hou Productions. For
a fee of $1.55 per main outer envelope,
Melissa
will Modern Guest Address (ink jet
print) your guests names and address
(up
to five
lines)
in
the font which coordinates with your
invitation wording. If you also order
inner envelopes, the cost is $1.35
per envelope for up to three lines
of text. The fee reflects the time
it takes Melissa to layout, format,
and then print your guest addresses.
It also includes the cost of the
ink.
Q:
Why
are PRESS PRINTED invitations so
expensive??
A:
Many
individuals new to the invitation
world are surprised by the high end
cost of printed items. What they
do not realize is that when invitation
pieces are printed by a printing
press (rather than a high quality
inkjet or laser jet printer), there
are often medium to high costs involved
for operating the press. A negative
(like a photo negative) needs to
be made of your text, and then from
the negative, a printing plate which
is used on the press. You're also
paying for the cost to operate the
press, to create a custom colored
ink (for certain orders), as well
as, the cost to "wash down" the
press (from the colored ink) when
through printing. Everything adds
up - and thus the cost. Then factor
paper and envelope costs and the
invite designers time and use of
their design.
Q:
Can
my invites be printed in more than
one color?
A:
Certainly. But
each additional color adds additional
costs, as with letterpress only one
color can be printed at a time.
Q:
Do
you only print letterpress?
A:
No. Melissa
can use letterpress, offset, embossing
and/or foiling. Currently
thermograph printing is no longer
available.
Q:
How
can I tell what type of printing
is done for an invite or design
Hana Hou Productions offers?
A:
Melissa
specifies on each design page how
the design/text is printed, so you
always know what you're paying for.
Some companies offer "printed" invitations,
but do not specify how they are "printed".
Be sure to enquire what "printed" means
- inkjet, laserjet, letterpress,
thermograph, offset, etc. Inkjet
printing is the least expensive method,
so be sure to compare the price to
the type of printing to determine
what you're really paying for in
the long run.
Q:
Are
shipping and handling charges included
in the invitation pricing?
A:
No,
unless otherwise stated.
Q:
Who
pays for the shipping of the product(s)?
A:
You
are responsible for the full, actual
shipping charges plus a $10 handling
fee, unless otherwise stated. You
are invoiced via PayPal.com once
your order has been packaged and
weighed for the shipping costs. It
would be greatly appreciated if you
would pay this invoice ASAP.
Q:
How
are orders shipped?
A:
Orders
are shipped via UPS or FedEx Ground,
USPS Priority Mail (with Delivery
Confirmation) or USPS Express Mail,
depending upon how soon the client
desires their order. If you'd prefer
2 Day Fed Ex, or have a Fed Ex or
UPS account you'd like to use, please
let Melissa know.
Q:
Are
shipped orders insured?
A:
YES.
Your package will be insured based
upon the paid
dollar amount. Melissa includes this
in the shipping fee.
Q:
Who
ships orders?
A:
All
orders will be shipped by Melissa
from her
studio in Illinois.
Q:
Is
a signature required?
A:
YES. If
you have a signature "on
file" and
the package is left, Hana Hou Productions
is not responsible for theft or damage
of the package. It is recommended
that you ship to your place of work
so that someone will be able to sign
for the package - call it peace of
mind!
Q:
Can
you print Japanese or foreign
language characters/text?
A:
Yes.
Melissa has printed Japanese, Portuguese,
and Spanish, to name a few. However,
in some instances you must provide
the text/artwork (esp. for Japanese/Chinese
lettering). Melissa will need for
you to email a high resolution
EPS file that is formatted to fit
the invitation design you select.
The actual useable text space varies
based upon the design you choose,
so please eMail Melissa
for further information regarding
the design for which you're interested.
Q:
What
if there are multiple fonts I'd
like to "try on" on
my invitation?
A:
When
ordering your invitations, if you
are unsure of the font you'd like
used, that's not a problem. Provide
Melissa with the fonts you're debating
between on the Hana
Hou Productions Order Form (the
one after the PayPal.com order
form), and she'll provide you with
your invitation proof to
start in those fonts. Since your
invitation is the main piece, once
you see your wording in the given
fonts, you'll be able to make your
decision. Melissa will then proceed
to work on your remaining proofs
(RSVP, etc.) in your newly decided
on font.
Q:
What
is the processing time for samples??
A:
Melissa
typically tries to have samples
out via First Class Mail within
2-3 business days...at times it
can be 5-10 business days, depending
upon the number of requests received.
Q:
Why
do you charge for samples??
A:
As
a one person studio, it is time
consuming to assemble, package
and mail samples. One must consider
the cost of the paper, the press
time for the design & text
printing, and then the actual cost
of mailing samples - it all adds
up and can get quite expensive.
By charging for samples, Melissa
ensures individuals order only
those sample designs they are most
interested in ordering for their
event.
Q:
Does
the sample fee reflect the actual
cost per invitation?
A:
Not
at all. Sample costs are based
upon the time it takes Melissa
to assemble and then some materials
fees.
Q:
If
an invitation order is placed,
are the sample fees refunded?
A:
No,
they are not.
Q:
Can
you accommodate rush orders for
press printed custom invitations?
A:
Melissa cannot accommodate
RUSH orders at this time.
Q:
How
long will it take to create my
proofs?
A:
Proofs
are ready within 24-48 hours of
receiving your payment and wording. They
are then eMailed to you as a PDF
file for review and approval.
Q:
When
should invitation orders be placed
for wedding and anniversary celebrations?
A:
Ordering
your invitations 3-6 months prior
to your event date would be ideal. You'll
need to allow: (a) one month to order
invitations from Hana Hou Productions,
(b) perhaps 1-3 weeks for you to
address your envelopes (depending
upon the number of guests, if you
work during the day and will only
have time at night, etc) and affixing
postage, and then (c) 4-6 weeks for
mailing the invitations out prior
to the event date.
Q:
Do
you accept credit card payments?
A:
Yes,
we do via PayPal.com They
accept Visa, MasterCard, American
Express and Discover, as well as,
personal check payments (which take
4 business days to clear). Please
visit their website for more information
or call PayPal's toll free number:
888.221.1161. Additionally Money
Orders and Certified Bank Checks
will be accepted, made payable to:
Melissa Casey.
Q:
How
long will an order take to process?
A:
a. Basic
Orders - Proofs
are ready within 24-48 hours
of receiving your payment and
wording. Upon approval of your
proofs, your order is sent
to press. Orders for those
designs currently available
should be ready for shipment
within 4-6 weeks. If the order
is ready earlier, the client
will be called (or emailed)
and notified. The sooner the
approval is received, the sooner
the invitations will be taken
to press. The
minimum time is 4-6 weeks, and the
max during the PEAK ordering season
of January through June is 6-8 weeks
(for
designs currently offered). For
Clay Flower
Invitation orders, you will be given
a time frame based upon the quantity
you order. Custom designs may take
longer, so please plan ahead.
b. Guest
Addressing -
If you've ordered an additional
service such as "Guest Addressing" for
envelopes and place cards, please
add 2-5 business days depending
upon your quantity.
c. Custom
Designs -
Can take anywhere from one week
to one month. A timeline is set
on a client by client basis.
Q:
How
do I determine the "reply
by" date for the response
card (for engagement, wedding and
anniversary celebrations)?
A:
The
response card "reply date" should
be approximately 3-4 weeks before
your event, but you should check
with your caterer [or reception site]
and find out when they require the
final
guest
count
- some require a time frame of one
month prior to the event date, some
one week.
Q:
How
far in advance should invitations
be mailed out for wedding and anniversary
celebrations?
A:
Four to six weeks
prior to the event is the norm. However,
if you plan on inviting out-of-town
guests who will be flying in, you
may want to consider mailing them
out as early as eight weeks
(or 2 months) prior to your event
date, assuming no Save the Date
has been sent.
Q:
How
far in advance should Save the
Date cards be mailed?
A:
Not
all bride have time to send out
a "Save the Date", but
if you're planning well in advance,
six to eight months before the
wedding is perfect. What
Melissa and her husband did for
their wedding was to send out a "Save
the Date" card six months
before the wedding. They set up
airline, car rental, and hotel
discounts and enclosed all that
information with the "Save
the Date" cards. That way
their guests had plenty of time
to make their arrangements and
even use their Frequent Flier Miles
to travel to Hawai'i.
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DESIGN IS COPYRIGHTED, AS IS THE PHRASE "ALOHA AND WELCOME...TO INVITATION
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