Scenario: You have finally found the most amazing birthday party printables that are going to make your little one squeal with delight on their special day. You've paid extra to get the digital files personalized. You've uploaded them to the print & copy website to be printed ASAP because the party is in just two days. You are cutting it kinda of close!
Fast forward to you walking into the office supply store. You approach the copy attendant to discover that there has been a small problem. They attempted to notify you via voicemail, but Stinkos cannot fill your order until they see a copyright release. They don't print unlicensed character prints. What are you going to do? Little Johnny will be so upset if he can't have his Octo-Scribble-nauts birthday party!
Stinkos may be a portmanteau of our "favorite" big office stores, Staples and Kinkos, but suitably their service can be rather, let's say, "Stinky." Some of the big office supply stores can be overly stringent regarding copyright. Sometimes if you just mention buying party printables from Etsy, they get really rude and launch into a copyright lecture. Then you could go back tomorrow when a different copy attendant is working and they would print the same printables without saying anything. So it just seems to depend on the store and who is working as the copy attendant whether or not they will print what you need. The bottom line is that Stinkos is just trying to protect themselves from being sued by Disney or whomever owns the characters.
I could fill your head with lots of legal terminology and fancy art speak about creating derivative work and how all art is derivative. This of course won't solve the problem at hand, which is getting the printouts for little Johnny's birthday. So, I'll spare you the boring stuff and just give you some tips on how to proceed.
Use the Self Print Kiosk
If you want to avoid getting a copyright lecture from someone that thinks they are the copyright police, we recommend using the self-service printing station. All the big name office stores have them. Once you know what you are doing, they are actually faster and more affordable.
Self-service is a bit of a misnomer. The copy attendants are always helpful at showing you how to pay and print at the kiosks. They will even help you change the paper out if you want to print on something special like, glossy, cardstock or sticker paper.
Scared of the Technology?
Let the copy attendant know that you are interested in printing your own handouts and you would like a demonstration on how to use the self-serve kiosk. You will need to prepay and/or bring in your own specialty paper, otherwise the paper trays will be filled with just plain paper. Plain paper is fine for many of the printables available in our store, but we prefer to print on thicker cardstock or full sheet sticker paper.
More information on Self- Printing
FedEx Office (formerly Kinkos)
Print & Go
Staples
Copy & Print
Self-Service Printing in Action
Watch this older video about the self-print station at a Kinkos. Staples has something similar, however both machines have been updated to allow for current technology.
Still Want the Full Service Experience?
If you just don't feel tech savvy enough to print DIY style, there is still hope. If you must find a full service copy shop to do the printing for you, we recommend calling ahead. Ask a local copy shop if they will print birthday party printables with little Johnny's favorite Octo-Scribble-Nauts characters? Obviously, insert your chosen party theme here. You may find that smaller local copy shops will be more accommodating in this case because they aren't bound by so many regulations.
Also, don't wait until the last minute to get the printing done. If you are in a time crunch, printing is going to feel much more stressful. In some cases, we will even be able to do the printing for you. If you have or plan to order our printables, please send us an email requesting a printing quote. We are more than happy to help you have the best celebration possible, all you have to do is ask!
