SimpleCert® News

Category: Why SimpleCert?

Young man holding a framed certificate.

Looking to get Certificates printed, framed and mailed out?

This is a question we receive now and again, and the short answer is Yes – we do that. And we’d be happy to talk with you if you are searching for a way to accomplish this.

However when we are working with our clients, or talking with prospective companies about setting up a system to mail out framed certificates, there are several important factors to consider. It’s best to fully consider all aspects to determine if it is possible for you to get certificates printed, framed and mailed.

This blog will highlight some of the major considerations to keep in mind, if you are looking to outsource the printing, framing, and mailing of your certs.

1. Who Knew Style Could Be Fragile?

Everyone comes to this discussion with a similar intent: To reward your recipients – doctors, graduates, honorees, etc – with an impressive, meaningful, framed award certificate that will immediately be hung on a wall for years to come. It’s a noble, commendable goal.

However, keep in mind that a large, beautiful frame that checks all the boxes in the design category might be fragile, and easily damaged during shipping. Ensuring that it does arrive in a pristine shape means the packaging costs might become more than you have bargained for. But, when thinking about what your end product will be to your recipients, it’s best to think about it in terms of utilizing a frame that is simple, sturdy and not overly large.

Another common misstep is to automatically rule out using frames that have clear acrylic as a faceplate, in lieu of using frames that have a glass face plate. As we all know, glass is fragile, and even the best packed frames can sometimes break during shipment. If your goal is to deliver a meaningful memento, having him/her open the package to discover glass shards is not a great lasting impression.

It’s our recommendation to consider using frames that have a clear acrylic faceplate, to ensure there are no nasty surprises.

2. There’s a Reason it’s Called Snail Mail

As you may know, SimpleCert® is an online self-service tool that allows you to instantly create any number of certificates. Certificate recipients have a high quality, electronic certificate waiting in their email inbox the second you send them out from SimpleCert®. Instant gratification!

When we send certificates out for clients via mail your recipients can easily be waiting for many days, even weeks before they receive their certificate. It’s possible that the perceived value of your certificate may diminish to a recipient during that time. Of course, this can be offset to some extent depending on how much money you are willing to spend to ship them out.

Every use case is different, so be sure to ask yourself how important it is that your certificates are received quickly. Will the perceived value of your certificate diminished by the amount of time it might take to mail to a recipient?

3. The Elephant in the Room That’s Standing on your Certificates

In a word: Cost.

The cost per certificate, to print, frame, and mail a certificate can quickly become a factor if you are sticking to a budget. As has been mentioned above, each use case is different. And we can help you assess and determine if cost will be a factor for you to mail certificates.

In general, here are some ballpark costs that you can expect to pay, if you are looking to have your certificates framed and mailed, per certificate and BEFORE actual shipping costs are factored in:

  • SimpleCert® creation of certificate: $.10 cents
  • Certificate cardstock: $.45 – $1.10
  • Printing: $.49 cents
  • Mailers and packaging: $.55 – $3.50 dependent on the size of the certificate frame
  • Certificate frames: $4.50 – $15.50 per frame

With these numbers it’s safe to project that you are looking at ballpark costs of between $6.09 – $20.69, per certificate as a good estimate, not including shipping costs. Of course additional custom features, like gold foil stamping, can increase these costs as well. However, If these numbers are within your budget, then let’s talk and we can get you set up.

Suffice to say when projecting out these costs across an entire Certificate program, many companies opt for an alternative method to distribute certificates. The vast majority of these companies opt to utilize SimpleCert® for its original design as a way to provide high quality certificates to recipients online.

4. It’s the Content, not the Container

Taking these factors into account, it will become easier to determine what is the right avenue for you to take.

If budget is a factor but there is still a strong need to mail certificates, consider engaging SimpleCert® to print high quality certificates that would be mailed without a frame. Taking out the certificate frame will greatly reduce shipping and packaging costs, and eliminate any possibility of damage in shipment.

Of course, it’s our opinion that the true value of any certification you give is in the actual certificate itself, and less so in an actual frame. SimpleCert® is designed to automate the process of Certificate Management, and provide your recipients with a high quality certificate that they can store and enjoy digitally OR physically if they choose to print the certificate out.

At the end of the day however, it’s our job to support you, so shoot us a line at inquiries@simplecert.net if you have questions, or are looking for a way to get certificates printed. We’re happy to help.

SimpleCert® version 2.0 is available with more features!

Hello from SimpleCert® HQ! It’s been a crazy and exciting few weeks here in the Silicon Forest, and it is with great excitement that we are announcing the release of SimpleCert® 2.0! A ton of effort, a lot of your suggestions and requests, and many long days and nights have gone into this important milestone. Thanks to all of you in the Voodoo Doghnuts:

  • SimpleCert® is now FREE to use! SimpleCert®’s free account gives you full access to the Build, Send and Store modules that allow you to create and manage your certificate program. Also included is the ability to send up to 10 certificate notifications per month – for free. That’s over 100 certificates free per year!
  • SimpleCert® now has both monthly, and “Pay as you go” Plans. With your account you have the option of signing up for a monthly account, or you can simply purchase credits as needed to complete your projects. The Pay as you Go option is great for users who don’t have regular needs for certificate distribution. The monthly option gives you a re-occurring allotment of credits per month, to complete your projects. For those of you who have infrequent needs for a tool like SimpleCert®, the Pay as you go option is tailored exactly for you!
  • You can send out as many projects per month as you need! SimpleCert® is available for use whenever needed – whether that‘s once a day, once a week, or once a year. Because you are no longer limited to sending out a set number of projects per month, you can utilize SimpleCert® for your exact needs. Need to send out half a project today, and the other half next week? No problem! Got a busy month next month and need to send out 7 certification lists? Done! There are no longer any restrictions on how many times you can utilize SimpleCert®.

From the very beginning, our goal has been to create a tool that provided a solution to the very painful and time consuming process of certificate management– and with the release of SimpleCert® 2.0, we believe we are much closer to that goal. As always we welcome your feedback and suggestions on how to make SimpleCert® work better for you. And thank you again to all of you who have had a direct hand in shaping this release. You rock.
Don’t forget to check out the Video Tutorials! Take a look at the FAQ if you have a questions, or reach out to support@simplecert.co at any time.

Sincerely,

The SimpleCert® team

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