From Business Cards to Posters....
Written: Dec 31 '00 (Updated Nov 08 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: inexpensive, professional, fast
Cons: automated responses confuse customers
The Bottom Line: Kinko's provides many excellent services the fact the you can now submit, have produced and work delivered all from you desktop is wonderful!
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| shanna's Full Review: Kinko's Online |
Kinko's Online.... I used to work for Kinko's so it seems like I should be able to be fair and pretty detailed.... and I can give you the inside facts on what happens to your work after you've done your part to get your job done, hopefully right and on time!
Most of us are familiar with Kinko's, your neighborhood copy store, but what you may not know is that you can get just about anything done at Kinko's. They have really come into the digital age, and it's not just about copies anymore. Let's say you live in LA and are traveling to Atlanta for a business meeting... your administrative assistant didn't get your powerpoint presentation done for the big meeting in time for your departure. Well all is not lost, you don't have to head to the unemployment office just yet, or even miss your flight. Go ahead and get on your 747 and kick back a few drinks. Tell your assistant to get the presentation done, and upload it to Kinkos.com. Pick a store in Atlanta and ask for the presentation to be delivered to you at your hotel.... NO... not possible I hear you saying... Oh, but it is....and believe it or not at no additional charge. You will pay only for what you would pay for the copies of your presentation, no extra charges for pick up and delivery.
You can upload almost any kind of file to Kinkos.com if it's a commonly used application, like Word, Excel, Pagemaker, etc.... If you're using a program like CAD or specialized software from your company, all is not lost! Download Kinko's File Prep Tool, install it on your computer and follow the instructions to make a KDF file and Kinkos will have no problem getting your file printed. In all honesty I will tell you from the inside of this experience the absolutely best way for you to send your file is PDF format. Not only will this ensure there are no font problems, but it locks your file in just the way you want it and your results will be what you expect! PDF is safe as far as making sure your fonts and images are what and where you want them, but also makes platform issues nearly non-existent.
At Kinkos.com you can get anything done that you would want to do in the store itself. Business Cards, flyers, brochures, invoices, presentations, transcripts, posters, calendars, greeting cards, banners, aluminum signs, PVC signs, magnetic signs, etc.
Need a last minute birthday present for your mother-in-law in another state? No problem, we know grandma's love pictures of their grandkids... so scan in your favorite photo of the kids (150 dpi, saved as an RGB EPS) and get grandma a mounted 36x24 poster of her darlings delivered to her door within 24 hours, all for under $75. Too good to be true? Nope.... it's all possible with Kinkos.com.
So you're thinking, you work there, of course you're going to have only good things to say about this service.... well here's some tips to make sure your job gets done right and on time....
1) After you email your file, you will receive a response from Kinkos.com... basically it's only an automated response from Kinko's server. This doesn't mean your file is actually already at the store itself. So about 30 minutes after you receive your confirmation, I recommend that you call the store you emailed and confirm their receipt. It will also alert them to go check the email and make sure the file is there. At this point you can also cover any details about the job with a co-worker and find out what time your order will be ready.
2) Give Kinko's good phone numbers to reach you at... don't give them your office number if you aren't going to be there.
3) If you are submitting a job through the FTP site, and haven't used File Prep or PDF, make sure you upload your fonts' and images, so the job can be printed correctly.
4) If you're upload scans to be printed on the Fiery, use 400 dpi, RGB, EPS images for the best results and keep in mind that blues and purples are hard to match completely. If you're having a poster done on the Hewlett Packard 2500/3500 printers, use a 150 dpi RGB EPS.
Kinkos.com can also help you locate the store nearest you by just plugging in your zip code or the zip code where you need a store. You will receive driving directions, phone numbers and locations to stores you want.
When wouldn't you want to have a job printed at Kinko's? The big 4 color print jobs can get very expensive. Kinko's uses copy machines, not presses. And while that doesn't mean you job can't be done, it means it will probably be done at a specialized branch and you may find more competitive prices from a commercial printer. Hopefully I won't get fired for saying that.
Looking for a job? Kinko's online can also give you job openings across the country.
So all in all, I highly recommend this service to anyone in need of commercial or business copying or printing. Kinko's will get your job done right and on time!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID: shanna
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- Top 500 |
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Member: Shanna
Location: Pensacola Beach
Reviews written: 231
Trusted by: 197 members
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