DO YOU SELL DECORATIVE WALL BORDERS RETAIL?

Q. Where can I buy your decorative wallpaper borders?

A. We now offer select home decor borders for sale directly to homeowners in 5-yard bolts and are adding more patterns all of the time. Our peel and stick or unpasted borders are great for residential use.

We offer select patterns on eBay.

You may also contact our studio directly about ways to purchase additional patterns in individual 5-yard bolts or "like" us on Facebook and vote for your favorite patterns. Send us suggestions for borders you'd like us to offer retail.

Interior Designers and wholesalers can always order wholesale amounts of our border directly from our main office (574-294-6943) or . Our minimum order is just 200 yards (forty 5-yard bolts or four 50-yard bulk rolls-- great for commercial interiors). We offer traditional, architectural, school spirit, sports, floral, classic, kids (boys and girls), nursery, country, contemporary, and breast cancer awareness wallpaper borders, just to name a few. These are great for clubs, teams, fundraisers and retailers of all sizes.

HOW GREEN IS QEP?

Q. What is the environmental impact of your products?

A. QEP manufactures all our products made-to-order. In this way we never use more material than we need to fill the order. This cuts out a good deal of waste resulting from overstock. We do not offer printed catalogs; we make all our patterns available online at www.qepdesign.com to reduce paper waste.

QEP offers an unpasted plain paper substrate which can be recycled. We recycle all paper and cardboard waste. We also recycle all waste components from our equipment where applicable.

Our most popular peel-and-stick wall border is printed on a polyester substrate (opaque white, clear or metallic). Polyester is a much greener product than vinyl as it is cleaner to manufacture and it is completely inert, which means it does not leach chemicals into our landfills. Also, QEP offers price breaks for sizing that allows us to reduce waste of material.

In fact, our most economical product offered is also our greenest. The Bonus Border Program allows you to save money on the purchase of two coordinating borders, one wide width and one narrow for accent use, while drastically reducing waste and energy use in production. Please see the MISC section of this document for more on this program. It’s a bonus for you and for the environment!

SAMPLES/ON-LINE CATALOG:

Q. Do I need to register in order to search your online catalog?"

A. Please feel free to browse! We no longer require customers to log-in and register to search our catalog.

Q. How do I order samples?

A. If you would like to receive samples of any of our wallpaper borders, e-mail, fax, or call in your request. Please specify width and substrate when requesting samples. Quality Engineered Products reserves the right to limit the number of samples per customer. Restrictions and fees may apply.

Q. After I have requested samples, how long will it take before I will see them?

A. Once you’ve submitted your request for samples, we can usually process your request within five business days. Shipping times, custom patterns, and other logistical considerations may vary.

DESIGN PROCESS:

Q. How long does the design process take?

A. Design times vary. The best thing to do is to contact QEP’s creative team directly and schedule a consultation. (Customers may expect reasonable additional delays incurred by shipping, travel or other logistical considerations.) Rush orders can sometimes be accommodated.

Q. Custom design and color work sound expensive. What sort of fees do you charge for design services?

A. Based on the quality and amount of customization we offer, our fee schedule is very affordable. Most design fees will be offset by the first production order. Highly customized, low volume projects may be subject to additional studio fees. High volume customers may have studio fees waived. Please contact us directly for further details.

Q. Are there increased costs for the number of colors used?

A. No. Since we print digitally, colors do not have an Òassigned” position and any number of colors may be used. We also offer clear and metallic substrates, which offer even more design options.

PURCHASING/ORDERS:

Q. How much do your borders cost?

A. Prices vary greatly by width, substrate, and availability. Custom designs are subject to studio design fees. Merchandise prices and specifications listed on the website are subject to change without notice. Typographic errors are subject to correction. Please contact our office manager for a written quote; all prices are quoted in US dollars. Call ahead before faxing rush orders.

We currently accept valid checks, money orders, and PayPal. Any order for less than 200 yards must be pre-paid. Customers are responsible for all fees incurred by insufficient funds or other circumstances beyond our control. All prices vary by width and substrate and are subject to change without notice. All studio design time, shipping, and special processing charges are additional.

Q. How do you ship your products?

A. We ship F.O.B. by arrangement. Contact our office for details. Shipping fees vary by carrier. Restrictions by weight and size apply.

Q. What is the size of a minimum order? How much material do I have to order at once?

A. Certain select patterns are available in 5-yard bolts. Check us out on eBay. To order any pattern in our catalog at any width, on any substrate, you must order 200 yards (roughly 183m) or more per pattern. That is just forty 5-yard bolts or four 50-yard rolls.

Our minimum order for art prints varies by width of material. Please contact us directly for specific details.

Our minimum order for pressure-sensitive seam tape varies by width, but will be no less than 50 yards per pattern. Commercial inquires only, please.

Q. What are your lead times for production?

A. Once you’ve finalized a pattern, we can usually process your production order withing five working days. Additional packaging and custom designs require extra time. Shipping times and other logistical considerations may vary.

Q. Do you sell your products directly to designers?

A. QEP works with many interior designers and firms directly. We are happy to partner with reputable wholesalers, distributors and retailers in creating exclusive product lines for their customers. We also offer select patterns for direct sale in 5 yard bolts.

Q. What wall border widths do you offer?

A. Any QEP wall border pattern may be printed from 2” up to 11 1/2” wide. However, we offer price breaks at 3 3/4” and 5 3/4” and 9” widths. Our most popular widths are 3.75”, 5.75” and 7” wide.

Q. What wall border substrates do you offer?

A. Although we print on a variety of substrates, the most common peel-and-stick substrates are residential peel-and-stick and commercial peel-and-stick. Our commercial peel-and-stick substrates include clear polyester, metallic polyester, opaque white polyester, and paper-based peel-and-stick. We also offer and plain, unpasted paper and can source other substrates upon request.

Q. Do you stock any finished goods?

A. Almost everything we do is print-to-order. We do stock a few select patterns for direct, invididual sale. Check us out on Facebook and eBay. We now have an ONLINE STORE . However, we do not keep significant yardage of most of our patterns. By not stocking large quanities, we reduce waste and storage costs, and are able to pass those savings along to our customers. Also, with our digital system, we eliminate pattern obsolescence. That means our designs do not become unavailable. Again, we are happy to partner with retailers, wholesalers and distributors who would like to stock our products.

WALL BORDER INSTALLATION FOR RESIDENTIAL USE:

Q. How do I install removable peel-and-stick wallpaper borders?

A. First, your walls must be clean. Dust, oils, perspiration, silicone products, waxes, soaps, and any other contaminants must be removed from the surface for any wallborders to adhere properly. Walls may be cleaned with a clean lint free cloth or paper towel and mild soap; be sure to thoroughly remove any soap residue and allow the wall to dry completely before applying.

Mark area of wall to receive border with either a level line, or two alignment marks at least 18 inches long at the starting point of the installation. TIP: Painter's masking tape makes a good reference line if carefully aligned and can be easily removed after your border is installed. Remember, if you don't start level you will not end up level.

For peel and stick borders, peel release liner back from the first 18 inches of border to be installed, and carefully align the border with reference lines or marks. Lightly tack border in place.

Inspect alignment before continuing. If alignment adjustments are needed, COMPLETLY remove border from wall to realign. Trying to correct the path of a misaligned border can cause a stress to glue line that will cause it to fail in service. FACT: This is the second most common installation mistake. The construction of the border only allows it to track a straight line, correcting a misaligned border mid run is a recipe for tears and puckers.

Install remainder of the length of peel and stick border by peeling release liner off as you go and lightly tacking border in place.

Inspect alignment before continuing. If alignment is acceptable proceed. If correction is needed, re-mark the area where the border is to be applied.

Using a stiff plastic spreader, press border gently, but firmly into wall, being careful not to mar the paint. Start at one end and work to other end. Firm, gentle pressure over entire wallpaper border surface is necessary to make adhesive contact if you have embossed vinyl wallcoverings.

FACT: Inadequate pressure is the leading cause of peel and stick adhesive failure.

FACT: Colder application temperatures (less than 70 F) of peel-and-stick wallpaper borders may require more pressure for adequate adhesion. Warmer temperatures soften the adhesive slightly, allowing it to more easily conform to the panel embossing.

Border should be stored in a clean, dry place. Loose roll ends must be taped tightly, or roll must be secured with a large rubber band when not in use, or damage can occur to the roll. Loose rolls tend to allow the release liner to lift away from the adhesive and "pucker", causing vertical wrinkles in the product.

As with any other wall covering product, ensure color and pattern are correct for area of installation. Using rolls from different lot numbers in the same room is acceptable if the color is verified to exactly match prior to installation.

APPLICATION & STORAGE:

Q. What is the temperature range of adhesive on commercial wall borders and seam tape?

A. Our commercial (non-residential) adhesive has been tested from -20¼ F to 130¼ F (-28¼-54¼C).

Q. What temperature should border tape be applied?

A. The optimal temperature range to apply our commercial grade peel-and stick to a wall surface is between 50¼ F and 110¼ (16¼-43¼C)

Q. What is the shelf-life of your wallpaper border?

A. Unused commercial wall border, packaged correctly on its original cardboard core, has a shelf-life of about two years (However, other factors may shorten the life of the adhesive. Any unused peel and stick border must be kept dry, dust-free and away from extremes in temperature. In other words, don’t store the border next to the furnace nor in freezing temperatures for best results.

Q. How durable are your wallpaper borders?

A. All of our borders are resistant to marring and sun fade. Our clear and white polyester substrates resist tearing very well.

Q. What is the best way for me to prep the wall before applying wall border or seam tape?

A. For detailed instructions on how to apply our commercial-grade pressure-sensitive wallpaper borders you can download instructions from our website or call our facility at 574-294-6943 to request a copy.

Q.Can I use cleaners on my border once its been applied to the wall?

A.Mild soap and water are best. Wipe gently and do not over saturate. Test a small portion first.

Q.What if I need to reposition the commercial wallpaper borders on the wall?

A. If carefully, removed, residential wall borders can be removed and repositioned. Repositioning of the commercial-grade pressure-sensitive wall borders MUST be done in the first few minutes after application and may not be successful in all cases. .

Q. Can I use your peel-and-stick wall border product on painted drywall or paper-based wall paper?

A. Our new removable peel-and-stick is great for use on any drywall or painted surface. It's so easy to apply and remove that many customers use our border to change their decor often. We still offer our great commercial adhesive which is best for use with vinyl wallcoverings. Our adhesives may not be suitable for all surfaces. Please contact us about our many adhesive options and unpasted paper. We can source other raw materials upon request.

FRAME-ABLE ART PRINTS

Q.What does the design process for frame-able art prints entail?

A. The design process for frame-able art prints is similar to that for wall borders. Design times vary greatly based on size and complexity.

Q. What are your available sizes for frame-able art prints?

A. We can print art prints or giclee up to 50” wide on a variety of substrates including photo paper and a canvas material.

Q. Do you offer framing/matting services?

A. At this point QEP does not offer framing or matting services for our artwork. We would be happy to refer you to reputable companies who specialize in framing services.

Q. How much do your frame-able art prints cost?

A. Costs are figured per square foot and vary by substrate.

Q. Do you offer original artwork for sale?

A. We do not currently offer original artwork for sale. We can also take your own original artwork* and reproduce it as exclusive prints. Contact us directly for further details. *Restrictions may apply. Please contact our creative team for details.

MISC.:

Q. Tell me more about the Bonus Border Program.

A. QEP’s Bonus Border Program is our way of offering both you and the environment a great deal. We currently offer about 30 pairings on our peel-and-stick and are working on adding an even more environmentally friendly group of bonus border packages on our unpasted paper border.

We have engineered decorative border packages that have either a 7” wide border and a 4” wide border OR packages that have an 8” wide border paired with a 3” wide border. Because we’ve taken two individual borders and engineered them to match up seamlessly, we can offer the packets at a substantial discount. For each overall package, you can save up to $2.15/yard for the two borders over purchasing the two borders separately! You can purchase the pair unspliced and use it as one very wide, dramatic border or you can order them slit and use one at the ceiling and the other at chair rail height. This program dramatically reduces waste and allows the designer to get more product for less.

Q. I heard QEP prints indoor/outdoor banners. Is this true?

A. Yes, we print banners up to 5’ (1.52 m) wide. You can supply us with the graphics or we can come up with something new for you. Contact QEP directly at info@qepdesign.com or 574-294-6943 for details.

Q. The wall border I want from your catalog looks good on my computer screen, can I order it right away?

A. You are always welcome to order wallpaper border! Please keep in mind that color varies from computer to computer and may not represent the final color accurately. If color is critical and you are ordering a custom pattern and/or a large order, we recommend that you request a physical sample of a border in the exact size and on the specific substrate you will be using in production.

Q. What is your return policy?

A. Contact the carrier immediately If there is damage to the package. When you receive your order, immediately open and inspect wallpaper border, seam tape and art prints. Check the name/lot number, pattern, and color. Contact us immediately if you have any questions or concerns. We will not accept claims made 30 days or more past the ship date.

You must contact us immediately if you receive an undamaged package with damaged product. Save all of the packaging that came with the product. We will not issue a refund without the return of goods and any undamaged packaging. Returned items are subject to a 10% handling fee. Sale, discontinued, and discounted products are available only in as-is condition and are not subject to return, exchange or refund.

FORCE MAJEURE.

QEP will make every reasonable attempt to get our product delivered to you in a timely manner. However, QEP is not liable for delay or failure of delivery of any of our products due to any sources beyond our control including but not limited to holidays, scheduled shutdowns, labor disputes, late delivery or shortages of our raw materials, production limitations, natural disasters, etc.

*It is unlawful to reproduce copyrighted material without express written consent of the copyright holder