Placing an Order

• What is your turnaround time?
  We ask for a week (five business days) for most items before they're ready to ship out/be picked up. If you have a particularly large or detailed order, we may require more time.
• How fast can I get this done?
  You're our top priority at Awards of Excellence, and we will do our best to get you your item by the time you need it, though it may cost a bit more than usual. If you'd like to set up a rush order, please call us at 937-296-0704 or email us.
  Rush charges are as follows:
          Same Day: price + 150%
          Next Day: price + 100%
          2 Days: price + 50%
          3 Days: price + 25%
  (For example, an order typically costing $10 would cost $25 for same day, $20 for next day, $15 for 2-day, and $12.50 for 3-day production.)
• How will I know my order went through?
  You will get a confirmation email to verify that your order is being processed.

Engraving​

• Do you charge per word or per line?
  Neither. We charge based on the product or the size of the area that will be engraved. We will offer our expertise to make sure your art and text are at a readable size.
• Can I bring in my own item for engraving?
  Yes. We would be happy to engrave your item, if possible. If we do proceed with a custom engraving, know that we do all that's in our power to maintain the item's integrity, though there is always a slight chance that the item might be damaged. Please call or bring in the item to see if it’s something that will work with our machines.
• Can I get custom items to engrave?
  Absolutely! At Awards of Excellence, we pride ourselves on offering specialty items that can make your next event or occasion spectacular. We're also happy to work with items you supply to create a one-of-a-kind piece.
• Can you engrave my gun?
  No. For legal and safety reasons, we cannot engrave any part of a firearm.
• Do you offer more than what's on your website?
  Yes! The kinds of items we offer are virtually limitless. We've put the most popular items online, but can make thousands of different awards. You can take a look at just one of our supplier catalogs here: Full Catalog, Full Website

Vinyl

• How long will it take?
  It completely depends on the project. A decal will take less time than a vehicle wrap. Certain cars take longer than others. For full vehicle wraps, we ask for at least 2 weeks from art approval to finish; for smaller jobs, we ask for 1 week from art approval.
• How much does a wrap cost?
  It depends on the project. We have ballpark prices here.
• Is there anything I should know about taking care of my newly wrapped vehicle?
  Yes. Here is information on how to care for your vinyl.
• Do I have to get my car de-waxed before getting it wrapped?
  Not necessarily. We can de-wax your car for you, or you can choose to do it yourself. Either way, your vehicle must be de-waxed so that we can put vinyl on it.
• Can I take my vinyl-wrapped vehicle through a car wash?
  A car wash is not recommended for any wrapped vehicles, especially ones with vinyl lettering. We recommend hand-washing your vehicles so that the vinyl will not be damaged.

Images and Design

• Can I get my logo engraved?
  Yes. The best way is to provide us with a digital vector file (Corel [.cdr], Encapsulated PostScript [.eps], Adobe Illustrator [.ai], and vector PDFs.). These best integrate with our machines and design programs.
  We can also accept raster files (Photoshop [.psd], .jpeg, .png, PDFs, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and all other formats), though a one-time, $40 charge will apply on these; we will need to redraw the logo to integrate with our machines and design software. Once we use your logo for a project, we will have it on file, and the additional charge will not be necessary for future projects.
• Sublimation projects will not be subject to the one-time fee.
  Only send artwork that you have the rights to; we will not take artwork that is not registered to you or your company, for legal reasons.
• Where do I send my files?
  You can either email them to us at [email protected], use our File Upload page on this website, or you can bring your artwork in to our store. If you bring it to the store, we can either scan in a high-quality image or accept artwork on a flash drive.
• What fonts do you offer?
  We have thousands of fonts available, but only offer a few online to make the ordering process more simple. If you're looking for a specific one, just let us know; a small fee may apply if we have to buy the font.
  These are the only fonts available for our diamond drag machine: PDF, JPG.
  These are the typical ones we offer for laser engravings and sublimation: PNG.
• Can I get my favorite team's logo on a keepsake item?
  Not unless you own the rights to the logo. Because of Trademark liability, we cannot make an item with a trademarked image on it unless the client has rights to that image. That being said, we have some suppliers that have rights to offer products with team logos already on them. You can come by the shop and peruse our supplier catalog, or email us what you hope to find.

Pricing and Shipping

• Do you charge per word or per line?
  Neither. We charge based on the product or the size of the area that will be engraved. We will offer our expertise to make sure your art and text are at a readable size.
• Will you ship my order?
  Yes. We would be more than happy to ship your items anywhere in the contiguous United States (please contact us for Hawaii and Alaska), though additional charges may apply.
• What forms of payment do you accept?
  We accept cash, personal and company checks, and credit cards, including: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. For companies, we can set up a billing account to process P.O.'s.
• How do you come up with your prices?
  We add supplier cost, time, labor, materials, and shipping together to reach a product's final price. It takes a lot of time, work, and effort to produce the items we offer.

Terminology

• Aluminum - A type of metal that is silver in color. Black aluminum will have a silver engraving on a black background. It is a good quality metal, though less sturdy than brass.
• Base - The bottom portion of a trophy; typically made from plastic, wood, or marble.
• Brass - A type of metal that is golden in color. Black brass will have a golden engraving on a black background. It is a very sturdy, high-quality metal.
• Decal - For our purposes, this is a design that is printed on adhesive-backed vinyl to be able to be transferred to another surface.
• Diamond Drag - This is a machine that uses a diamond to etch an engraving onto an item. You are able to physically feel the engraving.
• Finish - This is the top layer of an item; a wood finish is made to look like wood, but is made from manufactured wood (particle board); a marble finish is made to look like marble, but is made from manufactured wood; a piano finish is a gloss applied to an item.
• Heat Press - This is a machine that uses two extremely hot pads to apply pressure on both sides of an item; through this method, an image can be transferred (sublimated) onto an item.
• Laser Engraving - This is a type of engraving achieved by a laser cutting into an item.
• Oxidation - A process where an engraving is turned black by applying an oxidized fluid. Here is an example. This process can only be done with a diamond drag engraving.
• Plaque - This is a flat wooden, glass, or acrylic piece that can either be engraved or have plates put onto it.
• Plate - This is a thin piece of metal or plastic that is engraved and attached to a plaque, trophy base, or other item.
• Proof - This is a digital (normally a PDF) depiction we send you of what your order will look like before we begin to make it.
• Rounded Edges - Here is a picture of what rounded edges look like.
• Scalloped - Here is a picture of what scalloped edges look like.
• Sublimation/Sublimated - This is a process where ink is transferred onto metal, fabric, glass, or ceramic by using a heat press.
• Supplier - This is a company from which we buy raw materials to make our products.
• Vehicle Wrap - A project that involves literally wrapping a vehicle in vinyl by heating it up and adhering it to the vehicle's surface to cover all or most of the original paint.
• Vinyl - A high-quality plastic that can be heated and stretched to cover various materials.

Return Policy

There are no returns on custom items. During the proofing process, you'll have the option to review your order. When you click to submit your order or okay the proof, you are verifying that everything regarding your order is correct. All other items returned within 30 days of purchase with receipt will be exchanged for in-store credit. At Awards of Excellence, we stand behind our work. If there happens to be a mistake on the engraving or an issue with the quality of our product, please let us know and we can make sure your order is filled correctly.

Privacy Policy

We do not sell, distribute, or release any of your information to third parties. We promise to keep your information confidential.  During your online ordering process, your information is encrypted with our secure server. We include your e-mail in our notifications of sales and promotions about once per month, but you can opt out at any time.

Item Donations

We do not accept old trophies, plaques, or other awards. However, the YMCA, religious organizations, and non-profits typically accepts donations of this kind.