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.