Frequently Asked Questions
Ordering
What is the minimum to place an order?
Our minimum is 10 books. We'd love to help you with your order. Please reach out to us for a quote!
How many planners should I order?
Having a hard time deciding on a quantity? We know fall enrollments constantly evolve, so we highly recommend adding a few additional books to your initial order to cover those late move-ins. It's less expensive to purchase extra planners at your volume pricing vs. reordering a small number of planners as a separate order in the fall (and the additional wait time for us to produce them). We're happy to help you in both cases, but ordering more initially could be less expensive in the long run.
What are your turn times?
Our documented turn times are 14 weeks for custom cover artwork and 10 weeks for text information.
We also have a FastTrack option where we can send your order through production faster for an additional charge.
FastTrack is available for Standard and Premier Datebook customers. With FastTrack, we will deliver your datebooks eight weeks from your cover proof approval and/or five weeks from your final text approval date. Please note that transit times cannot be guaranteed.
We also have a FastTrack option where we can send your order through production faster for an additional charge.
FastTrack is available for Standard and Premier Datebook customers. With FastTrack, we will deliver your datebooks eight weeks from your cover proof approval and/or five weeks from your final text approval date. Please note that transit times cannot be guaranteed.
How fast can I get my planner?
We have products and turn times to meet all needs! Our stock products can ship within a couple of days. We have multiple cover tiers which allow for different production schedules, too. Please contact us and we can help you find a planner to meet your needs and timeline.
Can I order online?
Orders can be placed on our website at www.schooldatebooks.com. International and APO orders cannot be placed online, they must be placed through a sales rep. If you are a returning customer, you can also order on your Zone site. Please reach out to us for details!
Contract
Do I have to sign a contract to order?
To place an order, we will need a contract signed, a completed Purchase Order submitted, or the order paid in full.
What information do you require to place an order?
To place an order, we will need a contract signed, a completed Purchase Order submitted, or the order paid in full. We do not require cover or text information to be submitted until the due date, which is based on the desired delivery date.
What does Earliest Delivery Date mean?
With our Standard product line, we ask for an Earliest Delivery Date, along with your Desired Delivery Date. We request a two-week window between the two, to allow for transit time. We try to ship for delivery between these two dates. There are times, however, when the orders are complete and may ship to deliver before the Earliest Delivery Date. We will work with your school and/or district to help the shipping and delivery process go as smoothly as possible.
Choices
What is the Choices Form?
If a Custom Cover and/or a Custom Book is ordered, all customers must complete the Online Choices Form. Completing the Choices Form is how the customer will communicate their planner requests to the School Datebooks team. The Form is built based on the product ordered. Customers are able to view and select from the cover templates, choose to use the same as last year, or select to design Own cover artwork. Artwork guidelines are available on the Choices Form. Customers ordering Custom Books will also be able to select from the available calendar designs, choose subjects and select from other options to help build the calendar design to fit your school's needs.
I don't have my PO#, so I can't submit the Choices Form.
School Datebooks does not require Purchase Orders. This is not a required field on the Choices Form. If your district requires a Purchase Order prior to shipment, it is important to let your Customer Service Representative know this, so the order can be held until that PO is received. Please note, holding the order from going to print will likely delay the production and delivery of your planners.
Cover
When is my cover due?
Your cover is due 14 weeks before your Desired Delivery Date. This allows us to address any questions or concerns regarding artwork prior to the cover proof being posted.
I can't upload my photos to the Zone, why?
If you have photos to submit for your cover, please be sure that your Choices Wizard is submitted and that you've selected a cover design that allows for photos.
Please send me mockup before anything goes to print!
Cover proofs will be posted on the Zone for final approval. The following Cover Tiers must approve a cover proof before the cover can be sent to print:
- Custom Polyfusion
- Custom Cardstock
- Custom Action
- Spirit
- Personalized
Where can I access my previous year's cover?
Current customers can view and download last year's cover from the previous year's cover section on the Zone. Please reach out to your Customer Service Representative for cover files.
Explain the differences between the cover tiers available.
- Custom PolyFusion
- Completely custom, full-color front and back covers, printed on a durable poly cover.
- Custom Cardstock
- Full-color laminated cardstock front cover.
- Custom Action
- Custom cardstock design with clear poly overlay.
- Personalized Cardstock
- Personalized cardstock covers featuring your school name and/or logo in black ink.
- Spirit
- Durable cardstock; a one-color design using your own school color along with your school name and logo.
- Plastic Window
- Artistic designs on PolyFusion. School name will appear if handbook pages are ordered.
- Standard
- Stock cover design on durable cardstock.
Will my logo be in color?
Your logo will be printed in full color if your order includes one of the following cover tiers:
- Custom PolyFusion
- Custom Cardstock
- Custom Action
Text
I don't have a handbook, why do I have custom pages?
Standard and Premier Datebook customers: Custom pages refer to your school-specific information that you plan to submit for print in your student planner. When working with your sales rep on your contract, your contracted page count would have been determined.
Why does it say 0 pages? I want calendar pages!
Standard and Premier Datebook customers: # Custom pages refers to your school-specific information. If your order shows '0', we are not expecting school-specific pages to be submitted for your order, however we will still include the calendar pages when binding your planner order!
When is my text due?
Standard, Premier, and Custom Datebook customers: Text information is due 10 weeks before your Desired Delivery Date.
Will I get a proof of my handbook and calendar pages?
Standard, Premier and Custom Datebook customers: When your handbook/custom pages are submitted, you must approve a proof of these pages before they can be sent to print.
Where can I access my previous year's text?
Standard, Premier, and Custom Datebook customers: To access your previous year's text, please go to your Zone site and select "Resources."
I've ordered FastTrack, when is my information due?
FastTrack is available for Standard and Premier Datebook customers. We will deliver your datebooks eight weeks from your cover proof approval and/or five weeks from your final text approval date. Please note that transit times cannot be guaranteed.
Events - Custom Datebook customers
Where do I put my events?
There are a few ways to submit your events to be printed in your datebooks:
- Enter events into the Event section on your Zone site.
- Add typing of events to your contract for $250. Send us your event list and we will type those into the Zone for you.
- Allow us to import your events into the Zone! Complete this spreadsheet by listing one event per row. Do not include date ranges within a row. Be sure the years and times are correct!
Can I send you my events from my Google calendar?
Your calendar can be downloaded onto a spreadsheet and sent to us as an attachment.
When are my events due?
Events are considered part of your text information. All text information, including your events, is due 10 weeks before your desired delivery date.
Custom quotes - Custom Datebook customers
How many quotes do I get?
Quotes appear on the calendar one time per week. If you have 44 weeks in your datebook, you can have up to 44 quotes!
When are my quotes due?
Custom Quotes are considered part of your text information. All text information, including your custom quotes, is due 10 weeks before your desired delivery date.
Can I provide a list of my quotes in a Word document?
Quotes will need to be entered directly into the Custom Quote section of Zone. If you send a Word document with your quotes, a $250 typing fee will be applied to your order.
Zone
How do I update Zone username and contact information?
To update your Zone account information, jump into the Zone (all of our reminder emails to you include a link!) and select the Account Icon at the top right. Click "User Management," then select the Edit button on the right. Update your account information and save.
How do I see my current order information?
Your current order information is located on the Zone dashboard. Jump into the Zone (all of our reminder emails to you include a link!) and view your order details by selecting "View more details" associated with the current year.
What is the Zone for?
The Zone is the portal that allows you to work on your planner order from start to finish! You can sign your contract on the Zone; upload, submit, and approve cover and text materials for your order; locate tracking information; and view/pay your invoice.
Invoicing
Do you require payment upfront?
We do not require payment before your order ships. Once your order ships, we will send an invoice to you. Payment is requested within 30 days of receipt of the invoice.
Can you send an invoice to me before the books ship?
Yes! If you need proof of the order amount or would like to prepay for your order, we can send a copy of the contract or an invoice to you. Please reach out to your Customer Service Representative.
How do I pay my bill online?
Outstanding invoices can be paid on the Zone. Jump into your Zone account, select Invoice, and follow the steps to submit payment via Credit Card.
Do you accept ACH payments?
Yes! Please reach out to accounting@schooldatebooks.com to setup ACH.
Reorders
What if I need more planners?
Reorders are accepted! Our minimum reorder quantity is 10 and pricing is volume-based. Turn times vary, based on the time of year. Please reach out to your Customer Service Representative for details.