What is the turn around time for ____?
Print orders that are built by customers are going to be around 3 days depending on the season and volume in lab. Print only orders built by UPI will be around 4 days. Orders with addons (anything that is not a print) is going to add 1-3 days depending on number of addons. Design work or any sort of digital manipulation will take upwards of 4 days depending on amount of work and when the customer approves the proof.
What is the shipping cost?
Prepaid orders of $100.00 or more (excluding supplies, Economy Express orders, prepay flyers and items 30" & larger) will receive free shipping via regular U.P.S. and/or U.S.P.S. ground service (provided there is no unpaid balance on account.)If the order is not prepaid, customers are responsible for shipping charges.

United Promotions, Inc. will not accept responsibility for loss or damage by shipping carrier. All claims are filed with the shipping carrier.
Is there a minimum order charge?
The cost for any job to go through the lab is $10. If a job is submitted and does not meet that $10 minimum then we have to charge a minimum order fee to recoup the cost of processing the job.
How can I submit a job for processing?

There are several methods for submitting a job. The most common methods are as follows:

Mail - We can accept images on a CD or DVD through mail/UPS. Be sure to include a runsheet (available on our website under Download Printable Forms and also available in the bad of our catalog) and something that details your package contents. If you are not ordering packages, an order form will suffice. UPI discourages submissions of jobs on flashdrives and submissions of originals. UPI cannot guarantee originals or flashdrives will return to the customer intact.

FTP - FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and it is going to be very similar to submitting through mail but it will be done through our website. As with mail you will need to include the images as well as a runsheet and something that details your package contents or an order form.

Lablink - Lablink is a free software that allows you to build your job (choosing the size and the crops). Because you perform the build and cropping this option can save a day of in lab time and will also be marked down 8%. Lablink is very well suited to schools and sports and allows you to create your job in an assembly line method.

ROES - Like Lablink, ROES allows you to build your own job and you get the shorter turnaround and the 8% discount. ROES is also very well suited to schools and sports but the method of building is slightly different. In Lablink you focus on the individual tasks for the whole order. In ROES your focus is on the individual subjects. There are 3 versions of the ROES software and they are made for 4 different uses. Upress is for anything in the press print department primarily things with multiple sides like cards or books. Sports ROES is going to be used for any sort of sporting event photography, static or action. UPI Volume ROES is going to be anything volume/school related. UPI QuickShip ROES is for economy express or same day ROES orders.

Photolynx FLOW - is a capture program that gives you the capability to match student images and data. It has a robust layout creator that allows you to build and print different items such as ID cards, proof sheets and order forms. Use the powerful Green Screen tools in Flow to knockout and apply your own backgrounds. When all of your images and data are matched and packages are entered, you can send your order directly to your lab.

Can I get this job rushed?

There are methods of expediting jobs when you submit them. A "RUSH" surcharge of 25% - 50% may apply.

Same Day ROES

which is a service we offer where we will be able to ship print/proof jobs in a 1 day turnaround. All you need to do is select the catalog option of Same Day ROES in the ROES software and have your job submitted before 10 am the day you need the job to ship out. There is an additional cost for this expedited service and that is detailed on the opening page to Same Day ROES and in the catalog.

Economy Express is a new service we offer. If you select Economy Express as the catalog and have a job submitted by 5 pm we can ship it the following day. Economy Express is cheaper than Same Day ROES but please be forewarned that shipping is not free, there is no individual color correction, and the order will be bulk packed.

If you have questions about either service you can give us a call.

If you've already submitted the job and you need it rushed, please call the lab. We will do everything within our means to get your job done. During our busy season it may not be possible to get the order out before the projected date but we may be able to work with you on an expedited shipping method.

What do I need to DO TO order from you?
UPI Lab is a wholesale lab and we deal directly with professional photographers. You will need to sign up for a free customer account. To do so you can go to Catalog on our website and click the link Download Printable Forms or just click the links within this text. The two forms you need to fill out are at the bottom, they are the Tax Exemption Form and the Copyright Release Form. These forms must be printed and faxed, emailed, or mailed to us once you have filled them out and signed them. If you have any questions you are welcome to call us and somebody will be able to walk you through any questions you have. Once those two forms are on file then we will assign you a customer number, it will be a 4 digit number that will be used anytime you place an order and anytime you check on an order.
What payment options do I have?
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Amex, Mastercard, Discover) and money orders. If you intend to pay with a personal or business check we must have a check acceptance form on file for you. We are not set up to accept cash in any quantity. A job must be paid for at the time of shipping unless the job is going COD. Please be forewarned that COD must be paid with a money order and must be an exact amount, also free shipping will not apply and there is an additional COD fee.
Do you print flyers/envelopes?
We do offer this service for our customers. We have the option of generic flyers with your company and package information on the back or a fully custom design. You can submit a print-ready PDF of either/both sides or you can opt to have us design either side or both side for $12.50 per side. We will submit a digital proof to you for approval and once you have approved the design we will keep the design on file indefinitely. While we love hearing from our customers over the phone please note that any design work approvals and comments must be submitted through email to ensure we have a product that you are completely satisfied with.

Click here for a PDF of the template margins for our large and small pocketed envelopes.
What are the system requirements to run the ROES Client?
ROES can install and run on Windows 7 and higher, both 32 and 64 bit editions, and on current versions of OS X (10.12 and later). As we offer native installations for both systems, Java does not need to be installed. Note: Windows XP is no longer officially supported by Microsoft and is considered not secure. UPILAB will not support ROES on a Windows XP machine.
Uncommon ROES Failures

There are several possible reasons why the ROES Client will not start up, or in some cases not transmit to the lab. We have found it is best to go through these steps in order and always end with cleaning out Temporary Internet Files:

The ROES Client may fail to install and launch on occasion. The causes can vary based on operating system or other factors external to your system. The native launch.msi file is a true Windows installer file and is secure signed by our company. Some antivirus software may not consider our company name to be 'commonly found' in their application install list so could flash an alert about this. An installation guide can be found here. The install may fail if some portions of the process fail, and starting fresh is the best bet. To do this, click Start and type in the field that appears just above it C:\ProgramData and press Enter. Scroll down in the window that opens to find the SWROES folder and delete it. Then re-execute the launch.msi file.

Launch Failures

After installation and even some use, the ROES Client may fail to launch. If you have run ROES on the system before, then it's possible a saved setting is the issue and cleaning up to start fresh is the best bet. First, open an Explorer window (click Start and Computer) and choose C: drive, then Users and go into your user account folder. Find the .roescache folder and permanently delete it (this may take some time), then see if ROES launches. If it still fails, in the same user login folder look for the folder starting with a period that applies to your ROES (.UPIVolume/.UPISports). In that folder will be a file of the same name as the folder ending in .properties. Delete this .properties file, which stores old/saved preferences, and then try the launch again.

Order Completion Failures

The ROES Client may fail to complete your order for reasons usually involving the image files used. First, be sure that all images used in the order have not been moved (such as removing a CD or USB drive) or renamed since being added to the order in ROES. The files are not physically added into the order for the lab until you finish the order completion steps prior to transmission. Second, beware of using any characters or punctuation in the file names you use. Parentheses, apostrophes, quotes, copyright signs and other hotkey characters should be avoided at all times.

Order Transmission Failure

The most current send issue is with FTP and Java 7 or higher. Java changed their FTP calls in version 7, and in Windows, due to a bug in the operating system (specifically Windows Firewall), FTP fails immediately. Many labs have changed to a new transmission method ROES offers, however most are still using the usually reliable FTP. You can try the following steps if the Uploads pane shows the failure immediately.

Turn off the problem issue in Windows Firewall, which can be done via the following steps:

Click Start in Win 7/Vista, then choose All Programs, Accessories, and right-click on Command Prompt. Choose Run as Administrator in the list and the black command window will open. At the prompt type:

netsh advfirewall set global StatefulFTP disable

and press Enter. An 'OK' should appear below it and bounce back to a prompt. Then type

exit

and press Enter to formally quit the window. After that ROES orders should send OK via FTP. The command simply turns off a check in Windows Firewall that is causing the issue.

What characters cannot be used in image file names?
Kodak's DP2 software will refuse certain characters, and while we filter most out in the ROES Client, it's still best to not use apostrophes, commas, slashes or ampersands in image file names.

Render Failures
When using the Render button in the cart pane, larger products like book spreads with multiple images or wide format items may fail to produce flattened images. This is almost always a memory allocation issue. If you are in 32 bit Windows such as XP, able to overcome this issue easily as the maximum memory is not very high. If you are in 64 bit Windows, you may be running the older installation in Java that is not using a very high memory allocation. Remove the current desktop icon and visit the lab page for the ROES Client, which should give you the ability to use the native installer via the launch.msi file. Once it finishes and opens, this should then allow you to return to the saved order and render the items.
I am receiving an error when the order is preparing to transmit that states "Cannot compress order due to null"?
There can be 3 causes of this:

1)     Verify the file has no illegal characters like a backslash in it from the My Information screen's Account field, where N\A may be entered. Go back to the My Information screen and replace N\A with just NA, None, or NewUser.

2)     Verify the files are actually on your machine. The images cannot be located on DropBox, Box, iCloud, OneDrive or any other cloud service. ROES will pack the order up before sending and it will cause a slew of errors when unpacking if it did not get the whole file. Copy or Move the files to your local drive before ordering thru ROES and you should be able to avoid this.

3)     Zip file corruption can occur in rare instances. Go back into the order and look line by line through the cart. You will notice a product ordered line with no thumbnail, horizontal thumbnail with a vertical image in it or by it or a package ordered with a quantity of 0. The way to clear this last error is the clear the cart and start over.

Can I use tiff images with the ROES Client, or just jpegs?
Yes, United Promotions, Inc. will accept .tiff files. We also accept .jpeg and .png files.
Null pointer exception on launch on existing system.
In some cases, the last launch may have stored a setting that cannot be utilized, such as a screen location. This can cause a launch error with a null pointer exception. If you receive a report of this, have the customer empty the .roescache folder and delete the .properties file from the .labname folder (.UPI & .UPISport) of the launch. These folders will be under the user home folder in Windows (like C:\Users\Username) and Mac, however on a Mac the folders are hidden. To access these hidden folders, you must do a direct go to via Finder. Open Finder and choose Go from the top menu, then choose Go to folder from the list. In the dialog that opens, enter:

~/.roescache

Press Enter and the folder's contents will appear in a Finder window. You can select all and delete the contents to clear it if needed. You can also access the '.labname' folder the same way. Each ROES Client launch will have its own '.labname' folder (.UPI & .UPISport) for storage of preferences, old orders, auto-saved orders, packages, customer data and saved Pager templates.

Too many images across the bottom? Use Multiple folders removal.
The new ROES allows for opening of multiple image folders and shows each separately. If a customer opens to many folders, click the X for the first listed folder and hold the ALT (OPT on Mac) key to remove all.
Uploads pane management.
Orders that have not been sent will have the re-open as new and delete buttons grayed out. If a customer needs to re-open or wants to delete and start over, they can hold the ALT (OPT on Mac) key down to gain access to all buttons.
What is a composite?
A composite is a collection of portraits of the individuals, their names arranged to your specifications to reflect the image you want.
How do I get started?
Ways to send composite order into lab.

1)     Order form from book with CD
Fill out the form completely, you will need title block from each class if you have more then one.

2)     UPILab Roes
In the ROES Composites category in the sizes palate in UPILab Roes you can either choose the composite only product and send all your photos to use to build the composite or build your own. In the option palate you can choose how you wan the composite to look like. If you want ?something special? just type up what you would like in the special instructions and if we have any issues we?ll just call.

3)     FTP
If you usually use FTP you can upload your photos that way as well, just include a document with the instructions.

4)     Lablink
Like ROES Lablink has a special product in school items for Composites that just sends us the images to build.

5)     In house already
If we already have the images in house for other items like packages/service items you can just fill out the order form and fax it to use. Or if you are in a hurry please send an email to production with complete instructions detailing your new composite job and we will take care of the rest. Please remember that we only keep images for 60 days and if you order after that you have to resend the images.

Do you color correct my images?
Yes! Free of charge!
How much does it cost?
There is an initial setup fee of $10.00 for a standard composite and a $40.00 fee for a custom setup per class. You must take into account an indexing fee. Please refer to our pricelist for more specifics.

Standard

  • Basic image layout on standard size background.
    (solid color or approved image)

  • Basic text block placement.
    (see example)

  • Above shown frame and data listing options.
    (any color)




Custom

  • Everything a standard composite offers plus more!

  • A wide range of color/fonts and backgrounds!

  • Larger title block placed anywhere!

  • Ability to include logos!

  • Placement of your company info!