Alphagraphics

Although a recent print job arrived at my client’s office with a glaring issue, which is unfortunate but also rare, AG took care of it with a no-​cost rerun of the job in a very timely and responsible fashion. Client got what they wanted, it arrived just in time for the campaign it was part of, and my respect and loyalty was summarily boosted. The original mistake was admittedly in the design file wrt logo positioning, but the expectation (reasonable I hope) is that AG has a quality control vetting process to catch issues like this before they happen – in this case, the client logo being punched through by the coil binding, which I had not anticipated. So although some responsibility fell on the design side, it’s great that AG was willing to own their part and make the fix. Better of course when such issues can be prevented in the first place; barring that the cooperative spirit which recognizes the common interest of happy end clients is the next best thing. Thanks for that.

My graphics designer only uses Alpha Graphics and i have always been pleased with results of different projects. First class operation and very professional.

Hands down the best printers I have worked with. They are extremely prompt in replies, always find the information I need, and have always delivered well before the due dates.

I wish I could rave about them but nothing about my experience went as expected.
— After being assured the prints would be done on time (timing was critical), I had to wait an additional 30 minutes.
— When compared to a much cheaper print shop’s prints their prints were blurry and dull.
— At their request I left copies of prints from other shops to compare to theirs (which they promised they would return safely to me) but of course, all of them were promptly misplaced and lost.
So, not only did I get bad prints from them, but they cost me the loss of the decent prints I’d gotten elsewhere! And there was no offer to replace them or reimburse me for this loss. I was holding off on writing a bad review, hoping I’d misjudged them, but this last goof up was just too much. Not cool.

Hung up before finish talking LOL

This company only gets one star because I couldn’t do zero.
I called Alphagraphics on a Friday morning and spoke to a Chris Kelsey. I asked about turn around time for offset printing 1000 – 2000 12-​page catalogs. He told me they would need a couple of days and that before the job could be started I would need a quote. I sent him a request for quote with all of the details seconds after ending the call.
The following Tuesday morning I finally received an e-​mail quote from Chris. Then I brought my completed PDF’s in later that day. I was surprised that the quote was triple the cost of their competition, and that he had added tax to the quote despite my inclusion of our resale certificate with the original e-​mail.
When I brought my PDF’s in I asked about the pricing and a different person, Aaron, said that Chris had quoted for digital printing. I guess Chris didn’t listen during the phone call, or read the e-​mail before providing a quote because both were requests for offset printing.
Then Aaron told me that digital printing was better anyway because they would do a physical proof of the exact booklet. Aaron told me that I would need to talk to Chris about all of this and that the person who provides the quote is who you work with for the whole job. Aaron said he would let Chris know everything we talked about. I left my PDF’s and called Chris in the morning.
Chris had no idea who I was, or where my PDF’s were. We got straightened out and he said he would have a proof ready shortly. The next day, now Thursday, I receive an e-​mail with a PDF proof that I am instructed to approve ASAP. I ask about the physical proof Aaron promised and Chris says we don’t have time for that, because of my deadline. That he could only do flat sheets, maybe.
Later that day Chris calls so I can come in and approve flat sheets. I do.
My catalogs are ready to pick up on Friday afternoon. The box is sealed. There is another woman there complaining about the business cards they’ve made for her. The ink is literally rubbing off from the gentle friction of the cards being together in the same box. They tell her they will have a hard time fixing it because of her deadline.
I take a look at the catalogs over the weekend. All of the thinner inside pages have doubled text in a gradient improving from left to right. The text at the left side of the page had a double of about ¹⁄₁₆^th of an inch and there’s no issue on the right side of the page. This problem was not on the digital PDF proof I approved.
After 15 years of hiring print shops I can see that this is likely a paper feed issue. I took the catalogs back to Alphagraphics and asked about the issue. Chris found the person who worked on the print part of the job. She asks what dpi, I say 500. She says this is a Photoshop PDF issue and that without having made the entire document herself she has no way to say that this wasn’t this way in the PDF file. This was not on the PDF proof Alphagraphics provided.
I asked her to explain how Photoshop would make a gradient of bad quality from left to right. She said she didn’t know because she hadn’t made the file and it was obviously a mistake in the file. She said that we hadn’t hired Alphagraphics to do the graphic design for this project so they couldn’t guarantee the print quality, that it could only have been a problem with the original file. I ask her again to carefully explain how Photoshop could make a file which results in a gradient of bad quality from left to right. She says again that it is possible, and that the only way to ensure it doesn’t happen is to have Alphagraphics make the files. I said «I think you are full of shit.»
Chris said «We’re not going to fix any of our mistakes if you’re going to have that attitude.» And I said «That’s not a problem because I know exactly how to complain.» Chris then clenched his jaw, turned red, leaned across the counter, stared into my eyes and said «I have some suggestions for what could happen to you if you do.» I left.
Bad service, lies, insane prices, horrible print quality, and then a threat to keep you from complaining.
Maybe Chris eventually realized it wasn’t okay to threaten clients, or someone in the office saw it happen and intervened, because later I received an e-​mail from Chris that said:
«I’m sorry that you are unhappy with your guides. I am still trying to figure out what happened and if we did anything wrong, we will re-​print them at no cost to you. I’ll get back to you by tomorrow. In the meantime; perhaps so could send us the native files.»
Too little, too late, please do not threaten clients and then expect them to cooperate with you. I wouldn’t go back to Alphagraphics if someone paid me to.
You don’t have to guess how bad the print quality was because I’ve added an image to show you.

I have used AlphaGraphics for business printing needs for almost five years with absolutely no complaints. I like them so much, I even had them do all of the printing for my wedding invitations, programs, etc! Both Ann and Chuck are fabulous to work with!

My jobs have always required that I work with printing companies and I have worked with many different ones over the past 20+ years. Most were expensive, had mediocre customer service, and were slow. Then, about 10 years ago, a colleague referred me to AlphaGraphics and I have been using them ever since. Their work is consistently high quality, turnaround is super fast, prices are excellent, and their customer service is second to none. Every person I have dealt with there has been wonderful to work with. I cannot recommend them highly enough!

i was super stressed and working on a tight deadline and needed a bunch of 5×7 prints asap. so after being crazy disappointed by a few other places, i turned to alpha. i am still kicking myself for not going through them from the get go!
i filled out their online form after they had already closed, and i had a quote emailed back first thing the next morning. everyone i worked with via phone and email were super nice and friendly. and everything was ready to go by the end of the day! and when i came to pick up my prints, it was the exact same pleasant experience! everyone was so wonderful there. one lady talked to me about my teal hair while i waited, and another guy chatted me up about what my prints were for and seemed genuinely interested and super friendly. he even pointed out that a guy working in the back had on an adventure time shirt like one of my prints. it was such a laid back, friendly atmosphere. :)
the quality was just as great, too! my prints looked amazing and clean and professional. i couldn’t have been happier! i’ll definitely be going through them for absolutely everything now.
(also, the cute office dog should have her own desk and/​or be the door greeter! just throwing that out there.)

This fine business saved my professional reputation!
I had 2 posters to present and a symposium to organize at a scientific meeting in Seattle. I live in San Francisco. I did not want to haul a 4 foot long poster tube on the airplane. I Unilocaled printers in Seattle and Alphagraphics scored very well. They responded to an email on a Sunday night. The symposium ate up all my time and I did not get the posters done until 1 day before the conference. They accepted the files and a credit card authorization via email and printed the posters within 4 hours with no rush charges. Then I got to Seattle and thought I’d catch a cab from downtown to their shop. It would have worked any other afternoon than February 5^th, the day of the post-​Super Bowl party for the Seahawks! I couldn’t hail a cab to save my life. Instead, I called Alphagraphics and they said they delivered next day free in the downtown area! They got the posters to the bell desk at my hotel one hour ahead of the deadline and they were splendid. Prices were competitive with Make Signs (the humongous online printer in Illinois), with no delivery charges. Quality was better.
Thank you, Alphagraphics! You are in my contacts list now!

My office uses Alpha Graphics for the majority of our needs: business cards, special mailings, custom envelopes, regular mailing envelopes, tabs, letterhead, folders, report covers, mailing labels– you name it! Great products and great customer service. Highly recommended!

My office uses AlphaGraphics regularly for a variety of print products. They are outstanding to work with (especially Ann and Sylvia) and are always there for support, feedback and assistance. Prices are competitive and the turnaround is very timely. I highly recommend using AlphaGraphics for all of your printing needs.

I would strongly recommend Alpha Graphics to anyone who need any sort of printing projects. I did an over-​size photo print with gator board mount. I got my color proof on the same day I ordered and as soon as I OKed the proof, the job was done and delivered to my place the right next day, with no extra charge! I was so pleased with their superior service. Thanks to Jenna, Martha and Toby!

I just used AlphaGraphics Seattle to print materials for an upcoming trade show. The quality of the final printed work (postcards, 3′ x 2′ signage, vinyl banner) is exceptional, and I appreciate the free local delivery direct to my office. They even worked with me to keep costs down.
I can wholeheartedly recommend using this company.

Yes print media is not dead. These guys do a great job. Always on time, always good quality. Can do low to high volumes. Pricing competitive. Excellent customer service (Jill).
This area can be a bitch to park in but they do have a couple spaces in the building. Just watch out for the parking rent-​a-​cop who well get into your shit hard for not parking in the Alpha spots.

I have been very happy working with Alphagraphics and would recommend them to anyone who needs any sort of printing or signs done. Chuck and his crew have really taken care of our needs! They are extremely easy to deal with and have helped me, a newbie, by explaining what they need from me and the various choices available for my needs. I have used them for so many different things like stickers, post cards, posters, brochures, catalogs, signs, banners and the list goes on. I have had nothing but great service from everyone there.
Thank you!