General Information

Everything you need to know about J. Charles's policies and procedures can be found right here. As always, NO charges for: set-ups, personalization or copy changes on awards, rush orders, and so much more!

Artwork

Etching: To ensure the best possible etch for your products, all artwork should be black and white vector art. Ideal formats include .ai, .eps and .pdf created in Adobe Illustrator. Artwork that is placed or linked into these documents do not meet these requirements. Artwork should be created to hold a minimum of a 1 pt. line weight.

Printing: To ensure the best possible print for your products, all artwork should be CMYK and at least 150 dpi. 300 dpi is recommended. Artwork dimensions should be sized for the area where it will be printed. Scaling artwork is not recommended as it can introduce artifacts/pixelation thereby reducing the quality of the printed imagery.

Fonts: Simple, bold sans-serif fonts are recommended. Many serif and script fonts contain marks that will not etch properly. If copy is sent with artwork, remember to send it in outlines or accompanied by the font file. Small marks such as registration ®, copyright © and trademark ™ need to be enlarged, deleted or turned into a dot.

Artwork that does not meet these requirements, or needs modification to ensure a quality imprint, will have an art charge of $80 (C). If art charges will be incurred, customer service will notify you prior to set-up.

Emailing Art: Send to: service@jcharles.com – please compress files prior to sending via email.

Blank Merchandise

Use EQP less 10% for blank merchandise. There is a 15% restocking fee on all returned blank merchandise. Returns are not accepted without prior authorization.

Blanket Orders & Releases

A blanket order is a purchase order that allows multiple delivery dates (releases) over a period of time. Blanket orders allow customer to take advantage of predetermined pricing and reserve stock for future use. Blanket orders are typically used to reserve inventory for ongoing programs that are fulfilled in smaller batches (releases) over a period of time.

Requirements:

  • Blanket orders require a full down payment at the time of order to reserve inventory including service charges such as color-fill, extra decoration charges, etc. Future shipping charges are not covered by the down payment and will be invoiced after fulfillment.
  • Blanket orders will be held for up to 1 year from the date of order.
  • Remaining product at the end of the 1-year term may be fulfilled in full per the customer’s requirements or returned to inventory with a restocking fee of 15% of the remaining value.
  • There is a $1200 minimum order for the entire value of the blanket order. There is no minimum per release throughout the duration of the program.

A new purchase order must be submitted for each release. Please reference the original blanket order using your purchase order number or our sales order number. Releases are subject to shipping and other additional charges not retained by the down payment.

Brand Shapes (Custom Acrylic Awards)

Pricing is calculated by drawing a rectangular border around the artwork. The total area of the rectangle is used to determine the appropriate pricing tier.

There is a strict 10 piece minimum.

Each Brand Shape request includes two concepts free of charge. Additional concepts or excessive revisions are subject to our standard art charge of $80 (C) per hour.

Laser cutting acrylic can produce a slightly wavy edge due to heat generated by the laser. This is more visible on thicker pieces. Please note that this is inherent to the process and not considered a defect.

Lead time 10-14 business days.

Bulk Items

Items offered in bulk packaging must be ordered in multiples of their case quantity. The case quantity is listed in the first column of the pricing table.

Cancellations

Cancellations must be submitted in writing via email. If an order is cancelled before any proof/artwork has been started, there will be no charge.

We do not accept cancellations on items already produced. All items produced will be billed in full.

We reserve the right to cancel orders, with notice, under the following conditions:

  • No response to a proof after 90 days
  • Order remains on hold for more than 90 days due to lack of information such as: shipping addresses, artwork, personalizations, etc.

A Charge of $80 (C) will apply to any order that is canceled for the reasons above or if an order is canceled by the customer after proof approval and production has not started. Other charges may be assessed based on any costs or expenses incurred by J.Charles.

Changes

We understand change is a part of life and will always do our best to accomodate order changes in an efficient manner without additional charges.

If your proof has been approved and certain materials related to setup have been consumed, a fee of $10 or 5% of the value of the cancelled items will apply, whichever is greater.

Examples include, but aren't limited to:

  • Copy changes
  • Reducing quantities
  • Item changes

If production has begun and some or all of the items have been produced, cancellation fees will apply. See the Cancellations section for more information.

Color-Fill

Color-fill is available on most items in our catalog for $10.00 (C), per color, per item, per location. Choose from the color palette shown below. All items in the catalog depicted with color-fill include color-fill as shown at no extra charge.

PMS color matching is not available on color-fill. Please see our selection of available colors below.

Please note, FDA regulations do not permit color-fill on items to be used for consuming food or drink.

Color swatches are approximate, and may vary slightly from actual color-fill paint.

Color Fill Swatches

Confirmation

Orders are promptly acknowledged via email with an order confirmation document for your records. Please review the document carefully for any discrepancy between your purchase order.

Our order confirmation document implies your approval and supersedes all terms and pricing on the customer’s PO. Discrepancies and disputes must be resolved prior to the production of your order. Any changes will be reconfirmed for your records.

Consumer Products Safety Information Act

The Consumer Products Safety Information Act (CPSIA) sets rules and guidelines for all children’s products. J.Charles sells no products intended for use by children and therefore is not subject to CPSIA regulations. For more information on CPSIA guidelines, go to: www.cpsc.gov.

Copy Changes

There is no additional charge for copy changes on award items. Page will indicate if copy changes are free. All non-award items such as paperweights, drinkware, etc., will incur a charge of $8.00 (C).

Credit Terms

Strict 30 days net for qualified accounts only. Accounts consistently past due, or those not eligible for an open account, will be set-up as prepay customers. COD orders are not accepted. We accept VISA, Mastercard and American Express.

Accounts receiving payment terms must pay invoices via check or ACH. Credit card payments for invoices bearing credit terms will be assessed a 3% processing fee.

If you wish to use your credit card to pay for your order and avoid the 3% processing fee, a card must be kept on file and will be charged immediately after your order ships.

Late Fees: A late payment fee for 5% of the full invoice may be assessed for delinquent invoices.

Collections: Invoices exceeding 90 days past due will be sent to collections. A collections fee for 30% of the full invoice amount will be assessed.

Custom Products & Designs

J.Charles does offer custom design services for glass, crystal, and acrylic products. For custom acrylic see our Brand Shapes. For all other custom products see below.

The price for custom design work is $150 (C) for up to two concepts. Additional concepts are billed at an hourly rate of $80 (C). Design charges will be applied as a credit towards future purchase orders for this product. If a purchase order is not placed, all charges are considered non-refundable and may not be applied toward other invoices.

When requesting a quote for a custom designed glass or crystal product, please provide the following:

  • In-hands date
  • Budget
  • Quantity
  • General direction such as descriptions, sketches, ideations, themes, etc.
  • Art files including logos, images, graphics, icons, fonts, colors, brand guidelines, etc.

Understand that most custom products are manufactured overseas and have lead times between 90-180 days based on material availability, location, logistic conditions, and time of year. Rushes can be accommodated by utilizing air freight or domestic sources but can increase the cost – often significantly.

Prototypes can be requested and will be billed at net cost plus shipping.

Customer Merchandise (Consignment)

J.Charles offers fulfillment services and will warehouse, decorate, and ship customer owned merchandise.

See the Decoration Services section for more information and pricing.

Decoration Services

J.Charles will decorate and fulfill customer owned merchandise that is shipped to our facility. A one-time setup fee of $60 (C) applies to all orders plus individual run charges as defined below.

Large items such as awards, vases, decanters, trays, etc. can be decorated using a single process (deep etch, laser etch, or digital print).

Qty: 1-9 $33.00 (C)
Qty: 10-50 $31.35 (C)
Qty: 50+ $29.80 (C)

Small items such as drinkware, paperweights, ornaments, etc. have a minimum of 12 pieces and can be decorated with a single process.

Qty: 1-9 $12.00 (C)
Qty: 10-50 $11.40 (C)
Qty: 50+ $10.85 (C)

Secondary locations, secondary methods, and color fill are available and follow pricing as defined in their respective sections of this general information.

Drop/Split Shipments

There is a $10.00 (C) charge per destination after the first destination, plus actual shipping cost.

Names and addresses must be provided in Excel per our specifications. Please contact customer service for the Excel template file or download it at:

www.jcharles.com/downloads/drop-ship-template.xlsx.

Freight Estimates

See the Shipping Estimates section for more information.

Fulfillment Services

J.Charles offers fulfillment services and will warehouse, decorate, and ship customer owned merchandise.

See the Decoration Services and Insertions & Kitting sections for more information and pricing.

Holiday Production

For all orders with proof approval by December 1, we guarantee shipping (not delivery) by December 15. Please be aware that expedited freight charges may occur during the holiday season.

International Shipments

Customers must choose a carrier and provide an account number for billing. J.Charles is not responsible for researching and quoting shipping companies. There is a $25 (C) service charge per destination. The customer must establish declared value for the air bill. If value is not stated on the PO, we will use catalog pricing. Any duties, taxes, etc. charged back to us will be billed to the customer; these charges may be billed 90 days or more after shipment.

J.Charles does not provide shipping estimates for international shipments.

The following additional information is required to process international shipments for each address.

  • Recipient's phone number
  • Recipient's email address
  • Full billing address for the third party account number

Insertions & Kitting

There is a $3.50 (C) charge per item for insertions and kitting.

Note that we do not offer custom boxes. The provided items will be securely packed in the master carton along with the J.Charles merchandise.

Inventory

J.Charles makes every effort to maintain sufficient quantities to meet product demand; however, all orders are subject to product availability. Please refer to the inventory lookup tool on each product page or contact customer service.

Mailers

Items can be packaged in shipper-safe mailers for an additional $10.00 (C) charge per mailer.

Minimums

There are no minimum quantities for awards and some large gift items. Minimums are communicated in the first column quantity of the pricing table for all items. A less than minimum charge of $60 (C) will be assessed on items that do not meet their respective minimum.

The less than minimum charge does not apply to programs (see section titled Programs for more information).

Monogramming

Monogramming is available for the majority of our items with no set-up charge. Include with your order the list of initials and style desired. Contact customer service for further information.

Office Hours

Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST M-F.

Overruns & Underruns

We ship exact quantities.

Packaging

All items (except bulk items) are packed in attractive gift boxes suitable for giving. The type of gift box varies by item and is noted in the product details of the catalog and website.

General descriptions of our packaging can be found in the packaging section the catalog and on our website by visiting:

https://jcharles.com/packaging

Personalizations

There is no additional charge for personalizations on award items. Page will indicate if personalization is free. All other items are $ 8.00 (C).

PMS Color Matching

For printed items we can provide an approximate match for $80 (C) per color, per order.

Please note that any match is considered an approximation and exact matches cannot be guaranteed.

We do not offer PMS color matching on our color-fill.

Pricing

All prices are subject to change. Please see our website for the current price.

Existing and blanket orders are grandfathered in on pricing changes based on their original order date.

Product Quality

Etched items are all hand-etched via sandblasting. Variations in texture may occur and are not considered defects. Due to the various processes of glass and crystal manufacturing, please be aware that bubbles, flow lines, chill marks and other variances are acceptable and not considered defects. For specific information on each item, please refer to the item, then refer to our Material Reference.

All dimensions shown are approximate and may vary slightly from piece to piece.

Production Time

Please allow approximately 5–9 business days after proof approval to produce a typical order. Unusually large or complex orders may require additional working time and will be estimated on an individual basis. Ship dates cannot be guaranteed for orders that are held up due to credit and payment issues, lack of artwork, missing shipping information, art approval, etc.

Proofs

Digital proofs are provided free of charge for all orders. We proof all orders, even exact repeat orders, unless otherwise requested or arranged.

Due to the unique production cycle of recognition products, and to allow us to produce rush orders, your proof will arrive approximately one business day after your order acknowledgment. Proofs must be approved as soon as possible to prevent any delays regarding ship date.

Pre-Production Proof: A production proof is a fully etched/imprinted physical item that is part of an in-house order sent for approval prior to production. Production proof cost is net EQP plus shipping. Please allow approximately 5–9 business days for production after approval.

Virtual Sample: See section titled Virtual Samples.

Programs

Use catalog end-quantity for pricing. Please mark all orders “Program” to assure proper billing.

Proof of program must be provided prior to launch. Please send a copy of the catalog, brochure, or link to the website in which the item(s) will appear.

As always, inventory is allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. We strongly recommend placing a blanket order to reserve inventory for your program to ensure product availability throughout the program's duration. See the Blanket Orders section for more information.

Less than minimum charges are wavied on programs.

Proposition 65

Prop 65 Warning

Lead Crystal: Proposition 65 requires us to warn California residents that consuming food or beverages that have been kept or served in lead-crystal products, or handling products made of lead-crystal will expose you to lead or lead components, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Items containing lead-crystal are labeled with the Prop 65 warning on the product page.

Random Samples

Use end-quantity (A) for pricing. Random samples must be ordered before 1:00p.m. (EST) to ship that day. Samples requested with specific logos are not considered random samples.

Random samples can be sent on a 30-day memo bill when individual samples (not the total order) net $25 or more. Memo bill items must be returned within 30 days in order to receive a credit on product (not freight). Memo billing does not apply to spec samples or pre-production proofs.

Rebates & Sales Incentives

Any rebates or other incentives for customer sales performance are considered on a case-by-case basis. All rebate programs must be approved in advance and in writing by company stakeholders. Accounts must maintain good credit standing with J.Charles to qualify for new rebates and make use of existing balances. If an account exceeds 30 days past due, any remaining credit balance will be voided.

Rebates are only issued via credit memo. No exceptions.

All rebates expire within one year of the issuing date.

Returns, Replacements & Claims

No returns will be accepted on decorated merchandise. There is a 15% restocking fee on all returned blank merchandise. Returns are not accepted without prior authorization.

Inspect all contents of your shipment immediately. Requests for returns or replacements must be filed with J.Charles within 7 days.

All claims for breakage must be made by receiver with the freight carrier. Receiver must save outer carton(s) as well as inner contents and notify carrier immediately for prompt inspection. Title to goods passes to the purchaser at F.O.B. point and all recourse for damaged goods rests with the carrier and not J.Charles.

J.Charles can only guarantee safe delivery to the original shipping address. We are not liable for damage to any items that are reshipped by the recipient.

Rush Orders

Rush orders are accepted, when possible, based on production availability. There is no additional charge for rush orders. However, expedited shipping may be necessary. Contact customer service for available production time.

Self-Promo Pricing

Items are priced at 10% off EQP net and must be exclusively used for self-promotional purposes.

Set-Up Charges

There are no logo set-up charges as long as artwork is submitted per our guidelines (see section titled Artwork). If art is not provided to our specifications, an art charge of $80 (C) will apply to make the art production ready. If art charges will be incurred, customer service will notify you prior to set-up.

Note: Copy changes and personalizations are not considered set-up and charges still apply. See the Copy Change and Personalization sections for more information.

Shipping

All orders are F.O.B. Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati The default shipping method is UPS Ground with freight charges added to the invoice. A standard selection of expedited services is available upon request.

Orders can be shipped via FedEx if a FedEx account number is provided.

You may provide your own UPS or FedEx account number for shipping charges. There is an $10.00 (C) charge for using a third-party UPS or FedEx account for billing.

Shipping Estimates

We offer shipping estimates via phone and email, however we cannot be responsible for the accuracy of estimates, as market conditions fluctuate frequently and without warning.

Our website has a shipping estimate tool that provides the estimated cost and transit time. Each product page has a tab labeled Shipping Estimates. To use this tool, provide the destination zip code and desired quantities.

Shipping estimates can vary significantly from actual invoiced charges. J.Charles is not responsible for any variance, to any degree.

J.Charles does not provide shipping estimates for international shipments.

Secondary Locations

For a single imprint in a secondary location on a single item, the cost is $8.00 (C) per location, per unit.

Secondary Imprints

For more than one imprint method on a single item (e.g., both etching and printing), the cost is $10.00 (C) per method, per unit.

Spec Samples

Use end-quantity pricing for cost of item plus freight. Please allow 5–9 business days for production.

Trademarks

All liability for required trademarks on submitted art and copy rests solely with the customer and not with J.Charles. It is accepted by J.Charles as being in full compliance with all laws regarding copyright, patent, trademark or any similar protection. Pictured products, graphic designs and logos only represent our ability to duplicate art and to illustrate our imprinting techniques. These designs are not available for use or sale unless expressly authorized by their owners. No product endorsements should be inferred. For a complete, current list of restricted logos, visit: www.asicentral.com/unauthorized-logos

Virtual Samples

Virtual samples with up to two revisions are provided at no charge if proper artwork is provided (see section titled Artwork). Additional revisions may be subject to an art charge at a rate of $80 (C) per hour.