The following is a compilation of frequently asked questions regarding our products, services, and ordering process.
If you do not find an answer to your question here, please contact us via mail: office@polvinyl.pl or use the contact form at https://polvinyl.com/contact/.
Inquiries should be directed to the central email address: office@polvinyl.pl.
We will generate an offer once the technical and commercial specifics are resolved.
Afterward, you may place an order in accordance with our quotation.
To complete your vinyl order, we require the following:
1. Vinyl Master
2. Graphics/Art Files
3. Completed Track List and Copyright Declaration Form
4. 30% Pre-Payment
The delivery timeframes are effective from the date of order submission, as well as the submission of all required data.
The estimated delivery time for a full made order is 8-10 weeks. We will distribute the test pressings within 4-6 weeks. We will dispatch the completed records approximately four weeks after the customer confirms their satisfaction with the test pressings.
The delivery time may fluctuate based on the specific order.
The catalog number allows a record to be identified, such as in our production process or on Discogs. The publisher or artist determines its format, which can be a continuous label shortcut or the name of the plate.
During the production process, we engrave the catalog number to ensure consistent identification of the pressing tools. Therefore, all documents, data, and communications should include the catalog number as a reference to the order.
The nature of vinyl pressing renders goods unusable for anyone other than the client who placed the order. For that reason, we ask for payment in full prior to vinyl manufacturing commencing, unless you have made special arrangements before placing your order.
A 30% down payment is required. We will issue an invoice for the down payment amount.
Please wait to send a formal invoice before making a payment.
Upon selling deliveries within Poland, a 23% Polish value-added tax becomes due.
Generally, VAT is payable only in the country where the products (vinyl records) were sold. Polvinyl must add VAT if they sold the order in Poland.
Unless you are VAT registered and can provide Polvinyl with a valid EU VAT number, VAT will also apply at a rate of 23% if your order is shipping within the EU.
The standard rate of 23% VAT will apply to any orders shipped within Poland.
Unless you are VAT registered and can provide Polvinyl with a valid EU VAT number, VAT will also apply at a rate of 23% if your order is shipping within the EU.
We will invoice orders shipped outside of the EU without VAT, but you will be responsible for paying import duties and taxes in the country of delivery.
These duties and taxes will be based on the value of the goods, as well as delivery costs, and will vary from country to country.
We urge you to check with your local tax office to ensure there are no nasty surprises upon delivery. Some countries can apply quite hefty rates to vinyl/CD products, and some also have rules about individuals importing large quantities of goods.
Unfortunately, Polvinyl cannot be held responsible for these duties, taxes or rules and regulations.
Test pressings (TPs) are used to check and approve the acoustic quality of the vinyl record, as well as to ensure that you are satisfied with the transfer process of the supplied audio onto the vinyl format. You should focus on assessing the quality of the acoustic sound and volume levels, but also listen for any untoward pops, clicks, excessive hiss, and basically any unwanted artifacts that directly disturb or distract from the listening experience. This is also the time to check if any requested record engravings are present and correct.
We provide a minimum of two (or more) test pressings so that you can identify any serial issues with the vinyl pressing. Any consistent serious issues on every copy may suggest a metalwork issue, necessitating the creation of new stampers before the final pressing.
All copies should be the same, but due to the mechanical process of vinyl record production, things like pops and clicks can and will vary from copy to copy. Due to the short-run nature of test pressing production, on occasion the vinyl presses may not have reached optimum temperature for the first few records, so it’s important to listen to all 2 (or more) copies. A test pressing often exhibits more “surface noise” compared to the main pressing run, which consistently presses under optimal heat conditions.
Your turntable’s setup can significantly impact the accuracy of record playback; often, a simple adjustment to the counterweight can significantly enhance playback. For example, if your tracking force is too low, the needle will not sit deep enough in the groove to accurately trace the encoded information. This can result in a perceived loss of frequency, whereas the real issue lies with the playback equipment. Given the multitude of potential errors, it’s crucial to pinpoint the precise location of a problem and identify any misleading impressions.
We recommend that you listen to your TPs on several different set-ups, as there are factors that can affect the way a record sounds on playback. These factors include the type/condition of your stylus, the weight and setting of your tonearm, the speakers, and the room acoustics.
If you have any concerns after listening to your test pressings, please contact us.
As long as one copy of the test pressings is error-free, we can produce the main pressing without errors. Before each primary pressing, we frequently discard the defective initial records. The production of test pressings omits this stage, potentially contributing to surface noise.
We offer the following formats and weight variants:
7 “with 40 g.
12″ with 140 g and 12 “with 180 g.
Production-related weight can vary by +/- 10%.
Yes, you can re-order as often as you need.
Typically, the turnaround time is faster, because Polvinyl already has the stampers for your vinyl record (valid for 1-2 years from the first pressing).
We provide worldwide shipping services. We ship every order according to the location you provide us when placing it.
We use prominent global courier companies to deliver all items to you.
Regrettably, our courier companies will be unable to provide a specific delivery time until the day of delivery. However, some couriers will attempt to contact you via text message.
You can change your shipping information during the order, provided that it has not been dispatched or is due to be dispatched in the next 48 hours.
The price of delivery will be subject to change depending on the location of the new delivery address.
In this case, please contact us as soon as possible.
We are busy servicing numerous labels and musicians in order to quickly get vinyl records into the hands of eager consumers. Our warehouse lacks sufficient storage space to accommodate our fluctuating production needs. When planning the pressing of your records, please consider this.
However, we can provide storage outside of our plant’s location for a fee. The storage will be located in Osno Lubuskie, Poland.
Similarly, we can offer you direct shipping to the end customer as part of our “Label Services” service.
Contact us for more details.
Keep your vinyl records in a cool, dry place where the temperature is fairly constant throughout the year.
Keep out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources such as radiators. Avoid stacking items on top of each other, as this can lead to warpage.
Where vertical storage is unavoidable, we would recommend shelving as a better solution to stacking boxes.
Please let us know as soon as possible.
Production and our courier companies both have time limits for placing claims, so to ensure we are able to resolve any problems quickly and easily, we advise you to check your order immediately upon receipt and flag any problems within 7 days of receipt to us.
We are committed to ensuring customer satisfaction; therefore, if you are not satisfied, we are dissatisfied. Please do not hesitate to contact us in the event of this most unlikely of occurrences.
Regardless of perceived triviality or insignificance, please notify us, and we will initiate an inquiry.
Please provide us with the exact details of the problem, including the affected quantities. We will then inform you if any additional information, photographs, or samples are necessary.
There is nothing more satisfying than satisfied clients for a job well done. Therefore, please do not hesitate to share your experience collaborating with Polvinyl.
Please inform us of the specifics of your release campaign, date, or party. We would be delighted to share any pertinent information and links on our social media platforms.
All reviews are welcome and very much appreciated. Send them to us at office@polvinyl.pl and we will publish them.
Polvinyl and its partners must have documentation via an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) form proving that you are authorized to produce the licensed content.
Polvinyl and its partners requires this IPR form to ensure that no copyright material or other intellectual property rights are infringed upon.
Any mechanical reproduction of works must inform ZAIKS (Poland), GEMA (Germany), or any equivalent international collecting society to confirm their inclusion in their repertoire.
Following an examination, the collecting society issues a delivery license for mechanical reproduction. Now we can start processing your order.
Yes, a pressing plant is not allowed to ship any records without the delivery license.
A collecting society is present in nearly every nation. You must report the record to the country’s collecting society.
By signing the exemption agreement, you acknowledge that you possess all pertinent intellectual property rights (e.g., copyright) and that Polvinyl is not responsible for any infringements on the rights of third parties that may result from the duplication.
The mastercut, also known as the vinyl cut, technically adapts and transfers the audio data to a lacquer disc or DMM disk.
A mastercut does not include audio pre-mastering (EQing, compression, limitation). However, a customization is included. Audio pre-mastering is optional upon request.
We must first verify the data for accuracy.
Data that is obviously assignable to an order is required.
Individual titles should be named by side and position (for example, A1_xyz, A2_xyz, …, B1_xyz, etc.).
If you send a complete file, you must include a tracklist/cue sheet to ensure that all titles are identifiable.
Optical markers (track markers) must be independent of the audio. This implies that it should be possible to combine two tracks without generating an acoustic break.
If you don’t specify the intended revolution per side (33 1/3 rpm or 45 rpm), the studio will make the decision (recommended!). If there is a discrepancy, the studio will notify the customer.
Accepted are the usual formats WAV, AIF, FLAC (lossless) & DDP Master, as well as Audio CD.
The resolution should not be lower than that of an audio CD (16bit, 44,1Khz). The higher the resolution, the better the result on vinyl.
The maximum playing time is always dependent on the master’s frequency and dynamic range, as well as the RPM’s of 33 1/3 rpm & 45 rpm. The louder the cut, the less playing time available, an average guideline of maximum playing times can be found here:
07 ” vinyl at 33 rpm – max. 06:30 min.
07 ” vinyl at 45 rpm – max. 04:30 min.
10 ” vinyl at 33 rpm – max. 15:00 min.
10 ” vinyl at 45 rpm – max. 07:00 min.
12 ” vinyl at 33 rpm – max. 24:00 min.
12 ” vinyl at 45 rpm – max. 11:00 min.
Unless otherwise requested by the customer, our studio staff will choose the best possible variant depending on the audio material available.
By default the catalog number + side is engraved in the runout (eg XYZ-Rec-001 A or XYZ-Rec-001 B). When placing the order, you must specify any additional engraving requests, as any subsequent requests after electroplating will result in an additional charge.
Unless specified otherwise, we insert about 2 seconds of the gaps between the tracks. We generally will not amend the length of the gaps between the tracks on your vinyl master, unless you specifically request that we do so. Please specify if this is already created in the master or not desired.
Loops and locked grooves are available on request.
Unfortunately, we cannot offer inside-out cuts.
Direct communication with the studio is required for all special (including technical) requests.
The master is adapted to be suitable for cutting with the aim of making the record sound 1: 1 like the master delivered, which is dependent on the material and not always 100% possible due to the physics of cutting vinyl.
Detailed technical specifications for the vinyl master can be found in our audio specifications (PDF).
Complete audio premastering is available on request.
In order to make the record sound exactly like the delivered master, we adapt the master for cutting, a process that is dependent on the material and not always 100% possible due to the physics of cutting vinyl.
Our audio specifications (PDF) contain detailed technical specifications for the vinyl master. See our Specifications for audio mastering and vinyl cutting.
Complete audio premastering is available on request.
There are two types of vinyl cutting processes: classic lacquer cutting and later-developed DMM (direct metal mastering) cutting.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Lacquer cutting is most suitable for very loud and deep cuts. Long records (LPs) with over 20 minutes of playing time per side are ideal for DMM, as the one-step electroplating process minimizes background noise, ensuring more stable reproduction of treble. Additionally, it eliminates pre- and post-echo effects.
With our two cutting studios, we can offer both methods. We cut the lacquer using a NEUMANN VMS70 + Pitch13 computer, which includes a SAL74 cutting amplifier and a SX74 cutting head. FLoKAson (Flo Kaufmann, Switzerland) has completely overhauled and modified the machine, including the amplifier. A very rare NEUMANN VMS82, including the FLoKAson Ultracut amplifier, performs the DMM editing in conjunction with a NEUMANN SP79 mastering console. FLoKAson also conducted a complete overhaul and modification on this machine.
Unless otherwise requested by the customer, our studio staff will choose the best option depending on the audio material available.
You decide on the RPM speed.
Generally, we cut 12″ records at either 33 RPM or 45 RPM. However, vinyl cutting is more art than science, and a true cutting speed recommendation is not based on audio length alone but also the characteristics of the supplied masters, among other factors.
We know our cutting machines inside out, so we are best placed to give the most accurate advice.
You can send audio files to our email: office@polvinyl.pl.
Before uploading, please make sure to compress all files into a ZIP/.RAR folder.
You can forward digital files via WeTransfer or Dropbox (in a .ZIP or .RAR folder) or via your own FTP site.
These sites are generally free of advertising and ensure there are no delays imposed upon individual IP addresses. We have found that following these steps is best practice for transferring audio electronically.
You can send physical formats (CD, DVD, Minidisc, DAT, USB Stick/ Flash Drive, or ¼” Tape) to Polvinyl’s office directly.
We recommend considering vinyl mastering before submitting audio files for production. Due to the numerous variables, determining the best overall approach is difficult to determine due to the numerous variable factors. You can frequently cut even unmastered audio to vinyl in a suitable manner.
In general, audio that is heavily limited or compressed, as is often found in digital or CD masters, is not suitable and should be avoided whenever possible.
This is not to exclude digital masters, as numerous of them are dynamic and perfectly suited for vinyl.
In conclusion, we generally suggest that you investigate vinyl mastering in order to achieve the most optimal transmission to the vinyl format and the highest possible audio quality.
After receiving the audio files from you, we adapt them to the matrix cutting process. We prioritize the upper and lower tones, as they have the potential to harm the cutting head.
Read more about this in “Audio mastering and vinyl cutting.”
We recommend against this approach, given that MP3 is typically of lower quality. However, it is your project, and if you are satisfied with the quality of your MP3 recordings, Polvinyl can use them.
Please be aware that we will encourage you to source or output your audio to a higher standard, but if MP3 is really all you have available, then it is possible to supply this format.
The higher the bit rate of your MP3, the better the quality. We would recommend 320 kbps, which is much better than 160 kbps or 80 kbps, which are much more highly compressed.
Once you have thoroughly reviewed your test pressures and determined that you are confident in your decision to proceed, please submit your approval to us in writing.
We will start to press your vinyl records according to the agreed production date.
Due to the nature of work involved in pressing vinyl records, Polvinyl asks that the minimum number of records per order is 100.
However, this is not economical. The price pressing difference between 100 and 200 pieces (or 300 pieces) is so small in percentage terms that it is worth considering increasing the print run.
Yes and no. Black vinyl has the best reproduction characteristics and produces the least amount of noise. The addition of color pigments to the vinyl may result in mildly elevated noise levels. This happens more to transparent colors than opaque ones.
As a result of the nature of vinyl production, there is always a discrepancy of +/- 10% in materials. This implies that Polvinyl may deliver ten percent more or less material than the quantity you request.
When placing an order, please bear this in mind. If the total number of records received is less than the amount you paid, we will issue a reimbursement; if the number of records exceeds the amount you paid, we will issue an additional invoice.
Kindly provide us with high-quality PDF files that include any imagery at a resolution of 300 dpi. In order to minimize the likelihood of order delays and achieve the highest quality print results, we recommend that you review our General Print Data specifications.
We suggest that you consult with us your design project. Frequently, a five-minute phone conversation can provide you with all the necessary information to simplify your task and enhance the quality of your final files.
Unfortunately not. Sometimes it is possible to make changes to your order depending on what stage of production it has reached.
If we already press your records, the audio files cannot be changed.
If we have not printed your cover, we can change the graphic files, but you will likely be subject to some sort of monetary fee to update your order if we have incurred costs of preparing for printing (e.g. matrices).
Please contact us as soon as possible if this is something you require and we will be happy to help.
There are many different combinations of our sleeves (Inner sleeves, Disco sleeves, Covers, PE sleeves, PVC sleeves). For a personal consultation, contact us via office@polvinyl.pl.
– embed fonts converted into paths
– colour profile: CMYK
– resolution: min. 300 dpi
– true to scale 1: 1
– no cut marks, registration marks, color control strips or cutting lines
– no template information from our specifications
– keeping the background colour in the bleed
– distance of 2 mm between text / important information and punching line
Special colours should always be created as solid colours. Also, they should always be left blank or cropped.
To achieve a deep black area, printing with black as the sole colour is not sufficient.
One way to achieve a deep black is to mix the process colours in the following ratios: Cyan 63%, Magenta 52%, Yellow 51%, and Black 100%.
To achieve a “cold black,” use cyan at a concentration of 30-60% as the sole deposited color, up to 100% black. Use 0% cyan, 60% magenta, 3% yellow, and 100% black to achieve a slightly “warmer black”.
Fonts and the outer edges of a filled area should have a pure black outline, only 100% K, so that a clear distinction without bleeding or visible registration problems of individual colours can be achieved.
The print data should be created in “print format”. Each product’s specifications contain these details.
The cardboard we use has two different sides. There is a smooth side specifically designed for printing, and there is also a rough inside surface. The inside-out printing process prints on the rough inside, not the smooth outside. By default, we don’t intend to print this. The advantage of this printing process lies in its unique appearance. Keep in mind that the paper’s reaction to the ink varies. This can lead to deviations in the print result.
When cutting the edges of printed products, a variance in the position of the knife must be expected. In order to be able to compensate for this variance, all print data should be provided with an additional 3 mm margin.
A subtle gloss machine Varnish is the standard and default finish on our printed products. This layer is a liquid gloss varnish that seals the ink and enhances the impression of your print by reflecting light, resulting in a more vivid and rich appearance of the colors. The finish is more akin to a cereal box than an automotive magazine, with a soft sheen rather than a high gloss.
Additionally, we provide matt machine varnish, reverse board (uncoated) finishes with a matt varnish, matt and gloss UV, and matt and gloss lamination. For a more comprehensive explanation of the diverse print finish options that are available, please consult our glossary.
All of our printed elements are typically lithographically/offset printed, unless otherwise specified. This is the industry standard method and color paradigm for large-scale full-color commercial printing, consisting of four colors (4/0): Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black.
The quantity of color plates necessary to print on each side of the stock is the basis for the four-color print process. For instance, 4/1 would produce a full-color print on the front, featuring Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black), while the posterior would feature only Black (K).
We recommend saving the majority of images at 300 dpi to ensure optimal print resolution.
We recommend saving black and white line art at a resolution of 800 dpi, and preserving bitmap images at a minimum resolution of 1200 dpi.
To ensure optimal scanning of the barcode we recommend all images to be vector and set to single black (k) only on a white background. Barcodes must be printed so that darker bars appear against a paler background. Scanners read using red light, so red bars should not be used.
Please note that your graphic designer may already add a barcode at the stage of developing the vinyl cover.
If you do not have your own barcode, we will help you generate it.
We recommend that your barcodes are produced at 100% magnification (37.29mm wide by 25.93mm high), although this can be reduced to a minimum of 82% and enlarged up to 200%, if required. The stripes should be at least 13 mm in height.
It is advised that barcodes be located on the rear of the product in the bottom right-hand corner, but this is not mandatory.
Check out our barcode specifications.
Polvinyl sp. z o.o.
Tadeusza Kościuszki 43 / 10
40-048 Katowice
NIP 6343007921
KRS 0000959666
Tel: +48.730 145 728
Mail: office@polvinyl.pl
© Copyright POLVINYL SP. Z O.O. 2024.
Polvinyl sp. z o.o.
Tadeusza Kościuszki 43 / 10
40-048 Katowice
NIP 6343007921
KRS 0000959666
Tel: +48.730 145 728
Mail: office@polvinyl.pl
Privacy Policy
© Copyright POLVINYL SP. Z O.O. 2024.
Polvinyl sp. z o.o.
Tadeusza Kościuszki 43 / 10
40-048 Katowice
NIP 6343007921
KRS 0000959666
Tel: +48.730 145 728
Mail: office@polvinyl.pl
© Copyright POLVINYL SP. Z O.O. 2024.
