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. 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. I’m having trouble ordering samples online. What am I doing wrong?

A. Make sure that you’ve successfully registered online and that you are currently logged-in. Once you’ve selected your border choices by size and substrate, your order will automatically be e-mailed to our design center. If you still have problems or questions about ordering samples online, please contact info@qepdesign.com or call 574-294-6943 to talk with our design department.

Q. Why do I have to register to order samples?

A. The registration process allows QEP to better serve design professionals and purchasing agents. Registration also allows you access to services such as current product lists and updates on new products/services. QEP only accesses information necessary for purchasing, shipping, and customer service. We do not share your information with any third party.

Q. What do I do if I’ve forgotten my password?

A. There is a link on the log-in page where you can enter your e-mail address. Your password will be immediately e-mailed to that address. If you have changed e-mail addresses, you may need to re-register in order to have access to some of our online services.

Q. When I order samples of your decorative border product, how long will it take before I can see those samples?

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

Q. Do you charge a fee for the wall border samples that I order from your catalog?

A. QEP does not currently charge a sampling fee to design professionals, wholesalers, or purchasing agents. However, we reserve the right to restrict the number and frequency of requests for samples.

DESIGN PROCESS:

Q. How long does the design process take?

A. Design times vary. If it is only a matter of re-coloring an existing pattern and the team’s schedule is light, it should easily take less than five business days. However, if we need to create something brand new, using either traditional or digital media, depending on the complexity of the design, the creative team’s workload, and the medium used, it may take up to several weeks. 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 sounds 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. However, we currently do not print with any metallic or pearlescent inks.

PURCHASING/ORDERS:

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

A. We offer some of the lowest minimums in the business.

Our minimum order for pressure-sensitive seam tape varies by width. Please contact us directly for specific details.

Our minimum order for wall border is four 50-yard (45.72m) rolls of decorative wall border (200 yds. or roughly 183m) per pattern.

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

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. 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. However, we are happy to partner with reputable wholesalers, distributors and retailers in creating exclusive product lines for their customers.

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: clear polyester, opaque white polyester, and paper-based. We can also print on plain, unpasted paper.

Q. Do you stock any finished goods?

A. Because virtually all of our work is custom, we print-to-order by size, substrate, pattern, and color. It would not be feasible for us to keep significant yardage of each pattern in all of the sizes and substrates we offer. Our lead time is still among the shortest in the business. By not stocking patterns, we reduce waste and storage costs, and are, therefore, able to pass those savings along to our customers. Also, with our digital system, we eliminate pattern obsolescence. That means our patterns do not become Òunavailable” due to printing constraints. Again, we are happy to partner with wholesalers & distributors who would like to stock our products.

APPLICATION & STORAGE:

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

A. Our commercial 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 border to a wall surface is between 50¼ F and 110¼ (16¼-43¼C)

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

A. Unused border, packaged correctly on its original core, has a shelf-life of about two years. It 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 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 border 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.

Q.What if I need to reposition the border on the wall?

A. Repositioning 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. We now offer different adhesives for different applications: commercial or residential. We still offer our great commercial adhesive which is best for use with vinyl wallcoverings. QEP is now pleased to offer a peel & stick border that can be used on painted surfaces. We have many adhesive options and 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 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. However, we offer the option of creating an exclusive design/pattern for art prints. We can also take your own original artwork* and reproduce it as exclusive prints. Contact us directly for further details. (*Size restrictions of original work may apply. We cannot reproduce copyrighted images.) 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 white polyester peel-and-stick and are working on adding an even more environmentally friendly group of bonus border packages on our unpasted paper border. For those who prefer our clear substrate, we will also soon be engineering packets of coordinates that would be best showcased on our clear polyester peel-and-stick.

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’t I just order production without seeing a sample first?

A. You are certainly welcome to order production without first seeing a a physical sample or a border. However, we cannot guarantee that what you see on your computer screen will look exactly like you expect once printed on our press. We highly recommend that you request a free physical sample of a border in the exact size and on the specific substrate you will be using in production. The color represented on individual computer screens can vary greatly. We want to make sure that you are going to be completely satisfied with our product before you submit an order for production.

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