5) Will you stamp dates on the outside cover?
Yes, for an additional $10.00 charge. Any additional stamps are done on the end sheet material and are etched inside the front cover on the endsheet. When stamping a date on the leather cover we will stamp the date in the format of 01-01-2009, and it will appear under the name. You may instead have it etched on the black end sheet inside the book (i.e. Baptized: January. 1, 2009) or (i.e. Married January 1, 2009). We will not stamp scriptures or personal phrases on any of our outside covers except as may be offered on some items, we will etch them on the black end sheet.
6) Must I choose a paper edging? Can I order a plain white edge?
Pages can be left white, however we highly recommend either the speckled edge or the gold or silver foil edge to hide the dirt and marks that frequently used books acquire. Paper is porous and white edges will show any amount of soiling. The color of speckle will coordinate with or match the color of the cover. If you absolutely want white edges, please write it on the order blank.
7) Can you bind the large Bible with the Reasoning book or other such combinations?
We can only bind together two books that are similar in size. We cannot enlarge the Reasoning book to match the size of the large Bible. We can bind the large Bible with a large Song Book or the All Scriptures Inspired book, etc.
8) Must I send you the books? Couldn't you pick up the books at your Kingdom Hall and then I could donate toward the worldwide work at my Kingdom Hall?
We follow the guideline of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society which states that the friends must send their own books.
9) Can the Tetragrammaton stamp either be ordered on other books or removed?
The Tetragrammaton is standard on both the Deluxe and Tooled style English and Spanish Bible covers. It may be available for an additional $10.00 charge on other books. There is additional $10.00 charge to remove the Tetragrammaton from our standard covers, as we must make that cover individually.
10) How can I get your banner on my website?
11. Where do I ship my books?
Custom Bookbinding Co.
2034 Liberty Ave.
Beloit, WI 53511 USA
PLEASE NOTE: Use only a carton or box to ship your books. Do not use any envelopes! The books can get damaged or break through the side of the envelope, we receive damaged books or books are lost through the side of the envelope on a regular basis, when they are shipped using the shipping envelopes! Also, inside the box, enclose your name and address or a copy of your Internet Order receipt.
12. How can I contact Custom Bookbinding?
Email : customerservice@bookbind.net
Phone toll free (888)-800-3982 or locally at (608)362-3982
13. Do you offer discounts?
We send newsletters out on a monthly basis, that include notice of special discounts, close outs, and coupons that are available to all who have signed up to receive the newsletters. For specific groups of individuals we currently are only offering discounts to Circuit Overseers, District Overseers, Assembly Hall Overseers, Special Pioneers and Bethelites that are currently serving in that capacity. Our discounts do not include Regular Pioneers or Auxillary Pioneers. This is our way of helping those that have made a special Vow of Poverty. If you are serving in that capacity, please call for further information on our toll free number 1-888-800-3982 before placing an order. Those individuals listed can purchase for their own use or to give as gifts directly to others. It is not intended for you to either order for others, sell, or get reimbursed. We ask that everyone participating in the discount program respect the terms as well as the spirit that it is being offered in. Our discounts may be withdrawn at any time and/or the discounted amount may change as may the items they apply to. To qualify for the discount all orders must be placed through our shopping cart system. Sorry no discounts will be given for mail-in orders or phone orders.
14. What are the shipping costs and options?
Shipping costs have increased dramatically for all carriers, due to their increased fuel costs. We ship UPS daily. If you want to know the exact costs of the various shipping options (i.e. Ground, 2nd day air, next day air, etc), step through the check out process at our website and it will automatically figure the prices and let you decide which option you want before actually paying for it. We only charge the posted UPS rates plus a $2.50 handling fee for domestic shipments. If we are shipping internationally, the shipping costs will include a handling charge to cover paperwork, etc. International shipments are given a USPS (US POSTAL SERVICE) option along with the INTERNATIONAL UPS option.
Please be informed that, although USPS may be cheaper in price initially, their delivery may take longer and any insurance claims on damaged or undelivered packages may take several months to process, which means YOU will need to send us more books and will possibly be waiting another 3 months to get your books. We do NOT consider that worth trying to save 2 or 3 dollars to ship your custom order. Time in transit from us to you will vary due to the shipping method you choose and the time it takes to go through Customs in your country, thus once we ship the order we cannot predict when you will receive your order.
15. Why didn't I get a receipt by email for my order?
Your settings of your firewall/virus software for your computer or your online service provider, such as AOL or Earthlink, may be set too high and it will filter out even some of the emails you may actually want to receive. Check your junk email box, as it may have been sent there.
16. When will my credit card be charged? When I place my order or when you ship my order?
Your card will be charged when you place the order. Because of the custom nature of most products we offer, we require payment prior to starting your order.
17. What is Top Grain cowhide?
Leather is made from animal skins or hides. The top layer of the hide is the toughest and most durable, but may also have small imperfections caused by the animal getting scratched by barbed wire or from insect bites which have healed but remain slightly visible. Some areas of the cover may be softer or more supple than other areas on the same cover. An important point is, that if you see these things it is proof that you are getting authentic Top Grain Leather. They do not weaken the leather. Each hide will have its very own unique markings and attributes, just as every persons skin is different and unique to them.
18. What is the difference between CB leather and Designer leather and why I do I have to pay more for Designer leather?
CB leather is actually a better grade of leather that we at CUSTOM BOOKBINDING (CB) are able to order at our exact specifications from the tannery. This can be done because of the large amounts of the particular color we are ordering, and then we pass the savings and value on to you. We have no control over the tanning of the Designer colors, and since we are purchasing them in smaller quantities, the price is higher. The extra amount you are spending is not for improving the quality, but only for the ability to choose a specific color that is not in as a high demand as our traditional colors. That being stated, Designer leather is a good quality Top Grain cowhide that is used for furniture upholstery or bookbinding.
19. Are the owners Jehovah's Witnesses? If so then why don't you show pictures of the Societies books?
This is often asked, and yes, the owners are JW's in good standing (see 'Joel's Biography'). We do not show photographs of the Watchtower publications on our web site out of respect for their intellectual property rights and so that we are not confused with the the official Watchtower Bible and Tract Society web site.
20. What color will you use to stamp the title on the cover?
If the paper edge is gilded, the color of the titling will match the paper edge color (i.e. gold gilded paper would have gold stamping on the book). If the paper edge is speckled, then our standard or default color would be gold, unless you request silver stamping.
21. Why are the margins different sizes in my book?
Look at the margins in any book and you will see that the registration (the location of the printed text on the page) is not the same on every page. If you measure the top, bottom and side margins you will notice that they are not all the same size. Margins are different sizes because, when the publisher (the Watchtower Society) goes through the process of printing, cutting, collating and binding the pages together, the pages end up in slightly different positions. This is a normal part of any book making process. We are only putting a new cover on a pre-bound book. We do not take the pages apart, so the location of the text on the page and the resulting margins are the same as they are when we get the the book from you. We do trim a small amount off the sides (1/16 of an inch) to square up the book again, but this is neccessary in order to put on a new cover with rounded corners.
Photo of Exodus in front of book Photo of 2 Kings in middle of book
Notice the difference in the margin width, and these measurements are in the same book! This is normal, so please do not ask us to throw away a book or give you a different one due to the variations in the margins. We need to respect the time, effort and resources that were used to produce our precious books and thank you for your kind consideration.
22. On some of the Society's books the titles on books are not centered, is there something wrong with my book?
No, this is normal in the book publishing trade. In the cover making process, the title is allowed to "float" side-to-side, in other words it will not be perfectly centered, which allows for the variables in the production process. If you measure the location of the title on ten (10) different books you will no doubt see different locations both side-to-side but also up and down on all of them. This is typical for all publishers or book binderies.
23. What is the difference between a "Turned Edge Style" and the "Cut Edge Style" covers?
The photo below illustrates the difference. Notice the book on top has the "turned edge" style of cover, in other words the leather is turned over the edge and glued (like a hem is used in sewing), which makes the leather thicker around the edges and also gives it a finished look. The book on the bottom has the "cut edge" style of cover. The cover looks thinner around the edge, because it is not turned over. The leather for both styles of covers are approximately the same thickness. In this photo, shown are a book with the Premier style cover on the top and the Tooled style cover is on the bottom but the same applys to the Deluxe style of leather covers.
24. What form of payment do you accept?
All prices and payments are in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. We accept credit card payments from Mastercard, Visa and Discover and also we accept PayPal. We will only accept personal checks and money orders for U.S. orders that are mailed in. All foreign currencies may use either a credit card or PayPal for payment and they will do the currency exchange at the prevailing rate that they charge. Payment by check or money order in foreign currency is not accepted and if sent to us, your order and payment will be returned to you. Note: if you make a currency choice on the front page of our website to show the cost in your currency, it is only an estimated amount. To obtain a more accurate total in your currency choose the US Dollar option and then calculate the current exchange rate by going to http://www.xe.com
25. Can you bind my book with a hard cover?
Most books we bind are done as a soft style cover, however we can bind your book as a hard cover style upon request for a small additional charge of $15.00. To order your book with a hard cover, place your order for the soft cover book that we offer and then in the notes field at "Check Out" just add the notation that you want a hard cover and that we can charge the additional $15.00 to your credit card.
