Firstly may we take the opportunity to welcome you to our website. We aim to make the purchasing of our products as simple and pain free as possible, so if you feel something is not working as it should or your simply confused by an issue you're experiencing on our site, please feel free to email us and let us know.

This page is designed to guide you through our ordering process. You may already be net savvy and know how to do this but our site may be slightly different to the norm. For those who aren't net savvy or just want to make sure they don't make any mistakes, this guide should bring you up to speed.

Please note that our minimum order level is £50 excluding shipping and VAT, all orders under £150 will be charged £10.00 carriage. The shopping cart will not let you checkout before your order totals over this level, you will be advised that you need to add more items to your order if you try to check out sooner. Any orders that slip through the system below this level will not be processed and you will be emailed and notified of this by our sales team.

All orders over £150 nett are carriage free. Please note, at present we only accept orders from the UK. If you are outside the UK and wish to order please email our sales team in advance of placing any order. We will not process any orders received from customers outside the UK that have not emailed us in advance.

Navigation
To the left of each page you will see a navigation bar with a number of headings / selections available. This is a quick way to jump to specific product ranges that you want to view. These links will take you to the overall page containing the postcards within this range, here you may be offered further options of ranges, such as 4x6, 8x10 and 11x14 size formats as a sub page.

To view the available cards for the specific range simply click on the image, the product heading or the more information link. This will take you to the next pages, either giving you more options, such as colour finishes on the larger ranges or direct to the product pages.

The easiest way to see where you are in the catalogue at any stage is via the "crumb trail" this is directly above the store sections and is dynamic, showing you which section and sub-section you are viewing, its also a quick way to jump back to the pages you have previously viewed.

Ordering Online
When you see an add to order button, you can simply click this to add this item to your shopping cart. Next to each "add to order" button is also a qty box, this enables you to add more than one pack of each item to your cart, simply change the number to the total of packs required and click "add to order". Your shopping cart will now change to reflect your additions. If you want more information about each item please click on the postcard image, the header or the more information link to go to the individual products page.

At any point during the ordering process or viewing our catalogue you will be able to see a summary of your order total at the top right of the page. This gives you a running total detailing how many items you have in your order and also the current value. If you wish to review your order at any time simply click on the view order link, which is to the left of the order details box. Once your happy with your order and wish to checkout, simply click the checkout now link, again found to the left of the cart summary or alternatively from the cart summary page.

Ordering Offline
If you don't wish to use the online ordering system its not a problem. Simply click one of the links to download one of our order forms in the format of your choice .pdf or .doc (adobe or microsoft word). Print this order form out and complete as shown, entering the qty of packs you require along with the relevant code numbers then either call your order through or fax it to us on +44 (0) 116 2778623. If faxing please remember to send along any relevant shipping info

Checking out
Once your order is complete and you've clicked to go to the checkout you will be presented with the first page of our checkout. Our checkout is 100% secure and all information is transmitted over a 128bit SSL encryption. You can tell this by the padlock symbol appearing in your browser, for example this is shown on the bottom right of the screen in ie6, in the url bar in ie7 and in the url bar in firefox.

Please note all fields shown in red with a * are required fields and information must be entered to complete the checkout phase.

The first phase simply asks for which country you are based. As we currently only accept orders from the UK simply select UK and click the "next" button

The second phase is where we take your invoicing details. Here you will need to enter all your name & address details. Please note that if you are paying by credit / debit card, this information needs to be the same as that on the statement address for the card you are using as we will use this information on security checks. If we encounter any errors we will of course need to contact you so please ensure you provide a telephone number that you can be reached on in office hours and also a valid email address.

If you are going to repeat orders or know that you may order again you can tick the "remember me" box, this will store your basic contact information ready for your next visit, however it will not store any sensitive information (ie credit card details)

You will next have to tick to confirm that you accept our terms and conditions, a copy of which can be seen here.

Next is a box where you can type any special delivery requirements, after this is completed, if required, simply click the "Next" button.

The third phase of our checkout is where we take your payment details. The Postcard Company accept most major credit / debit cards including Amex and we also now accept Paypal.

Firstly there are a couple of questions that you may choose not to answer although all information we get here will help us to improve our site, products and services to you in the future.

Next is the payment methods. Simply select from the drop down menu which method you wish to pay by. Your options are -

1) Credit Card
This is a straight forward choice, the next drop down menu then denotes the type of card you wish to use, choose the correct card type (noting if you're paying by switch/maestro if it has an issue number) complete the rest of the details along with the CCV number. This can be found on the back of your card on the signature strip and is the last three digits.

2) Credit Card details sent separately
This option allows you to complete your order without transmitting any sensitive information over the internet. Choose this option if you wish to order online but want to then call us to give us your credit card details. Our contact number is 01162779537 (9.00am to 5.00pm mon-fri GMT)

3) Invoice with order
This option is only applicable to customers who already have an authorised account with ourselves. Accounts take around 30 days to open due to credit checks etc. If you require your order quickly, do not use this option unless you already have a credit account. If you are unsure or would like to open a credit account please contact our accounts department by email or on 0116 2779537

4) Paypal
If you wish to pay via your paypal account please use this option. You will need an existing paypal account however to use this option. To complete payment this way please follow the online instructions as you would at any other Paypal merchant and once you've completed you'll be re-directed back to our site. Please note this is a secure system utilising Paypal's encryption methods.

Once you have selected your payment method and completed all the relevant information simply click next to complete your transaction.

You will receive an email from ourselves detailing your order and also informing you that we have received it. If we receive your order before 1pm Mon-Thurs we will endeavour to ship it that day for you, and you will receive it next day. All orders are shipped on a next day basis via Business Post so please ensure that you someone will be there to sign for it.

If you have encountered any problems during the checkout phase, please email us straight away and we will try to assist you in completing your order.

If you are still unsure how to order, please call our sales team and we will help with your order over the phone.