Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question which is not answered here, please send us an email message
Do you have a webring?
Yes we do. "The Charcoal Category". If you are interested in joining the "Charcoal Category" webring, just click here.
Where can I get some free web tools to enhance my website?
Check out our Resources page or go to Bravenet.com, the leading provider of free web tools for webmasters on the Internet.
Can you do customized work or draw from scratch?
Yes we do. However, most often the customer has a particular picture, photograph the they would like drawn for a loved one. Also, customized work and / or drawing from scratch takes longer, costs more, and usually takes an inordinate amount of negotiation time to ensure no misunderstandings! The cost, therefore, is usually more than the average person wants to invest. Because of this, we prefer not to do customized work.
What kind of photograph do you need?
Any picture will do as long as it is clear. You should make sure the photograph has good detail, the more detailed the photograph, the better detail you will see in the portrait. Color photographs are preferable since they have much better detail.
Will my Photograph be returned ?
No, we do not return photographs.
How long does it take? How will I be notified?
Most originals take approximately 2 - 4 weeks to complete. After completion, you will receive an email notification with the address of a private web page for your viewing.
How do I contact you?
You can reach us a number of ways: 1. Write to: Charcoal Factory 19610 Puritas #235 Cleveland Ohio 44135
What are the sizes of your originals and what type of paper is used?
Most originals are drawn on acid free, 140 lb., heavy weight, cold press paper. Originals are usually, approximately 24 in x 18 in. Charcoal originals may smudge. To help prevent smudging, dusting, and wrinkling, originals are sprayed with Krylon “Workable Fixatif“ #1306. (You should keep out of reach of flames, children, pets, and avoid eye contact.) High-quality photographic prints are produced, on photo glossy or photo satin paper, by HP Designjet 5000 ink jet printers.
We like your drawings but want a painting or more colors. Can you do this?
Charcoal, with a "splash of red", is our main medium and trademark. We prefer to stick to this.
What is Charcoal?
Charcoal is composed of graphite, a crystallized form of carbon. It is popular for the ease with which marks can be corrected by being dusted, or even blown, from the surface. Different types of charcoal are made by wetting graphite, blending it with ground clay, and then baking it into dried sticks, where the more clay added, the softer the stick. With this process, a useful variety of hardnesses and textures can be produced. Compressed charcoal is made by combining powder-ground charcoal and a binding agent in a process that results in shorter, break-resistant sticks. Willow charcoal, probably the most popular, can be obtained different grades (extra soft, soft, medium, hard) and different lengths Vine charcoal is most commonly made from burnt grapevine and has the ability to produce lines and tones of infinite subtlety. With charcoal, preliminary outlines are drawn, blended, and layered. Tonal effects are created by crosshatching or smudging with a stump, a kneaded eraser (putty rubber), or a brush dipped in clean water. A kneaded eraser is also used for lifting out highlights. Direct application of charcoal on paper will produce very soft, black lines. Spray fixatives are used to protect drawings against smudging and abrasion. A fine transparent film of lacquer is deposited on the drawing surface to hold any loose particles of charcoal in place. Some fixatives can also be used to protect dry transfer products against scratches.
Do you charge shipping and tax? How is the finished product shipped?
Yes. Most print orders are shipped within 24 hours of order confirmation. All orders are packaged in mailing tubes and shipped UPS ground. Normal delivery may take 3 - 5 days.
How much are your originals and / or copies?
The average original, up to 24 x 18 costs approximately $235.00 The average, unsigned Digital Poster, up to 24 x 18, costs approximately $19.99 You can order your completed work after you view the results
Will the finished product (drawing, copy, print) be framed, unframed, matted?
Unframed, no matts. You purchase only the picture from us.
How long does it take to receive my print order?
Most orders are shipped within 24 hours of order confirmation. Orders are shipped UPS, ground delivery and may take 3 - 5 days.
How do I pay you?
1. You can send a check or money order to: Charcoal Factory 19610 Puritas #235 Cleveland Ohio
2. You can use our PayPal payment option.
3. We are currently working to accept credit cards.
Do you sell email addresses?
No,
I have a picture I want put on the wheel cover. Can you help me?
This is a question that I get quite often - Here is the problem for merchants that don't do the printing(usually silk screen) themselves - In order to make a profit, Printers usually require a minium number of covers in an order - They, quite often, don't want to do one or two customized prints and usually charge an extra $50 - 75 just to make any change to an existing product, plus, they want a committment for a minimum number to be printed - Also, for new products they usually want a $50 - 75 set up fee - As you can imagine, this can get to be very cost prohibited very quickly - I would suggest that you check with silk screen printers in your area and explain to them what you want - Be aware that not all silk screen printers will attempt this - I live in the Cleveland, Ohio area and would be more than happy to give the name of my printer to anyone wishing it - Just send me an email.
How many unique visitors does Charcoalfactory.com receive per day?
The Charcoal Factory is currently a Google Rated 5 Site that may receive 100 + unique visitors per day, registering thousands of impressions, depending on many factors including web ring traffic, search engine key word purchases, specials, time of the month, etc. We also have our own webring which generates traffic between it's members - This is what our Banner Ad placements sell, not click-through guarantees - All of this is taken into account when setting our prices which we think are the most competitive on the Internet - We do guarantee that you will receive, per our advertisements, good service, quick banner placement, and unlimited viewing potential by anyone visiting your banner page - We can not guarantee, however, the number of visitors to our site, that our visitors will be interested in your ads, or that the quality of your ad will attract our visitors -
First, if you need a document scanned, we don’t offer that service. We will print from the photo or document you provide attached to an email. Yes, we can print from a PDF file. DPI (dots per inch) indicates the resolution of image. The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution. Our printer resolution is 2400 dpi. A more common resolution for the average laser printers is only 600 dots per inch. We use a Six-color ink system (cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan and light magenta) which ensures higher contrast and better color accuracy. If you send a 300 dpi photo, then we can print it. This doe not necessarily mean that the quality of the image will hold up when we expand it to the large format size, especially if the file size (megapixels) is small. The best thing to do is send us the file and let us take a look - If you don’t like the results or if it is not a clear and quality poster to us, we will refund your money. You might want to check the Internet for more information on printing digital files, dpi, etc.
