Step by Step

Bryan China Company
Presents
Commemorative Plates, Mugs, and Bells
How It works... Step by Step

Deciding to Produce a Plate?	Most of the time, your committee gathers information about different plate producers and you try to decide which company will provide a better value. It isn't always easy to compare "apples to apples" and some of the companies have info that's hard to understand.... they require camera ready art, they charge for art changes... and it seems that your cost is really unknown! Please be assured that Bryan China Co. doesn't do things like other companies. We've been at this a long time and we understand committees and the constraints you have. Accordingly, we've designed our programs to meet your needs. For example... we do not require camera ready art... just send us a picture... we'll illustrate it for you... no extra cost beyond our initial art/setup charge of $65.00. That's it! You can ask Jimmy to change your design as many times as you would like!! (shhh...He secretly loves it)

Decide on a Style	We have several styles and sizes of plates available. The most popular are the 8 1/4" White Coupe Plate and the 9" Ivory Rim Plate. The vast majority of churches and organizations choose one of these two. If you wish to see them first hand call us at 800-966-3098 and we'll rush a sample out at no cost or obligation to you.

Pre-Selling?	How do you get people interested? While the ideas are limitless, here's a couple of ways to do it: Sponsor Group - you can sell the plates as a Sunday School fundraiser, enlisting the help of every student! This way, the entire congregation is immediately involved... everyone will talk it up! Plates make a great fundraiser for any group! General Sale - You can make an announcement at each service that the church is in the process of producing plates and you need to find out who's interested so that you can order the right quantity. You can have a sign up sheet and display a sample (from one of our other programs) to show everyone the quality they'll receive. There are many ways to conduct the sale... the most important part is getting the word out and talk it up! Don't forget about congregation members that have moved away, shut-ins, and gifts for couples married in the church! Your plates make a wonderful gift!

Preparing Your Art or Photo	Photos If you are sending a picture, just take it from the angle you'd like to see on the plate. It's a good idea to try different angles and have your committee decide which looks best. If some details of your building are hard for you to see, please take a close-up photo of that area so that we can see it. Don't worry about power lines or cars that are in your photo, we routinely remove them. If you have an older photo that includes a tree that's no longer there... we can take it out if you wish. Existing Drawings We can also use an existing drawing of your church, either from a note card, a photo, or we can work from the original. We'll scan it and then adjust the copy so that it's suitable for the ceramic process.

Sending Your Order	Sending You can either mail your photos/art to us or email them. If you email, send the file in a .tif or .jpg format. If you have any questions, please feel free to call. (we can work with almost any format) Decide on whether you want a 24K gold or platinum rim on your plates. We strongly recommend it since the extra $2.00 really increases the perceived value of the plate in the eyes of your congregation!. Complete the order form as completely as possible. Include a check for $65.00 for the art/setup charge. This is the only amount you have to pay before receiving your plates. When we receive your order, we will call or email you so that you know we received the order. We will also make sure we have all the info we need to proceed. We will enter the order and assign an artist.

Info for the Back	Each plate has a 4-5" circle on the back, in which we can fire your church history or other narrative. Unlike most companies, we include this in your price... no hidden charges. With your order, include information you want on the reverse. If it's too long, we'll let you know and we'll suggest ways to edit it so it fits well.

Art Department	After receiving your order, it'll take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks for our art department to prepare the art, depending on our schedule. If you want to check on the status, feel free to call us. When your art is ready, we will email or send a paper rendition so that you can see exactly how your plate will look. At this time, you should make sure the spelling is correct and that you like the image. If not, just simply let the artist know what you would like changed. They will change it and resubmit for your approval. No surprises... If you need your plates by a specific date, let us know on your order form and we'll do our best to make your deadline, as we can usually accommodate special needs. Please note that simply writing a date on the order form does NOT guarantee that we can deliver them by that date. If you have a "drop dead" date that you need them by please make sure to speak with us to verify that this date can be met. Please also note that every change you request to the artwork mockup(s) adds additional days to the process, and in some cases can cause us to not be able to meet your delivery date. Bottom line--if you have a specific date please make sure we are aware of this date, and also make sure that you are ready to make artwork & design decisions quickly. Many churches & organizations want to make these decisions "by committee" and this can cause extensive delays that make it difficult for us to meet your schedule.

Production	When you approve art, we'll schedule production. The process involves reproducing the art in ceramic color via a silk screen process. We then hand decorate the image onto a collector quality plate and high fire it. The firing process softens the glaze of the plate and the image soaks in for permanence. You can't scratch or wear it off... it'll be there for a long, long time. After the plates are fired, they are inspected for quality and only quality plates passed. We destroy all plates that don't meet our quality standards. Since Bryan China Co. is best known for the highest quality collector plates, we know quality. Production takes about 2-3 weeks from when you approve art. Sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on our schedule.

Packing	Each plate will be packed in an individual reshipping carton. Click here to see the carton. These cartons will protect the plates if you need to reship them individually. We then place about 40 of these individual cartons into a larger box for UPS shipment.

Shipping	We ship most orders via UPS. We guarantee their safe arrival... no other company does this. If you find any breakage, just call us and we'll cheerfully refund or replace the items. We will not ask for proof. When your order is shipped, we'll email the details so that you can track the shipment via your computer. (We'll show you how) In deciding where to have the plates shipped, it's less expensive to have them shipped to a business vs. a residence. Large orders... say 250 or more plates, will be shipped via a commercial carrier. We'll work out the details in advance of shipment.. Again, no surprises.

Payment	After shipping, we'll prepare an invoice and mail it to you. You have 30 days in which to conduct your sale, collect the proceeds, and remit payment. We only do this for religious groups since we've done hundreds and hundreds of programs and have always found absolute integrity in the conduct of the programs. In other words, we trust you!

Other Things to Consider	Order Quantity Our minimum order size is 72 items, in any combination. Deciding how many to order is always difficult. It is our experience that it's best to order 15-20% more than you think you need. Once you receive the plates, people who didn't order... wish they would have. We also caution not to over order... incorrectly thinking that every family will want a plate. Reorders If you can meet the 72 piece minimum, no problem. There's no art/setup fee for reorders. If you only need a few more and can't meet the minimum... please call us as soon as you can. We may have extra plates and/or components available to accommodate your needs. We'll let you know quickly. Plate Stands It's always a good idea to order a few plate stands so that your congregation can enjoy their plate immediately. It also represents an additional source of funds for the church as well.

Call Us!	800-966-3098 Please feel free to call us from 9am to 4pm EST and we'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. Our goal is to make your plate program as successful as possible! We guarantee it!

Contact Information
Telephone 1-800-966-3098
FAX 1-724-658-8968
657 Northgate Circle