stationary for knife certificates

[NickWheeler]

Hi Folks-

I really like to give customers a certificate of origin when they buy a knife.

I know some of you here do the same and I'm wondering what you use for stationary/certificates.

The ones I've made so far are just printed off my pc and I put my logo at the top of the page in big, blue lettering and then my contact info at the bottom of the page.

The certificate explains the origin i.e. my shop, materials/processes used in construction, guarantee, etc.

So...what information do you guys include and on what sort of paper/stationary do you print them.

THANKS!
Nick

[Don Cowles]

Nick, I buy blank certificate stock from Kinko's. Any office supply chain will have them, too.

[Terry Primos]

Yep, you can find them at any office supply chain. I got mine from Office Depot.

[DC KNIVES]

Hi Nick, you can get some from Sheffield's or you can make some up on the computer like my wife did for me.I think making your own is better because you can customize it to your type of knives or whatever you want.If you need a hand drop me a e-mail.Dave

[NickWheeler]

Okay, please excuse my ignorance here guys

When you say, "blank certificate stock," are you talking about a totally blank piece of paper and that is the grade/weight of the paper...or are you talking a pre-printed certificate (border and such) that gives you some room to put your own info on it.

Just want to be clear as mud you know

Thanks!
Nick

[Terry Primos]

Nick,
The stock I bought has the pre-printed borders. I have a Microsoft Word document setup with the text to go on the certificate.

The ones I bought are 3 certificates per sheet, with a perf to separate them. So I print off a group with the generic text, and then fill in the blanks by hand.

[raker]

Nick, What I do is buy a heavy wheat colored paper with matching envelope and print it myself. I usually start with a text box with a border and then put all the information that pertains to the knife in a letter form. If there is a story or parts that are obtained that has a story, that goes into the certificate also. The, when, what, where, and how is also put into the letter.
Below the text box, I will put my personal and contact information. I then sign and date the certificate and mail it with the knife (if shipping) or give it to them at the time of sale.
I always figured that almost all knives will cut and will do certain jobs. The knife that everyone remembers and wants is the one with a story. The bigger the story, the more in demand. Some knives have a built in story, due to the maker, and others take a lot of time. The "certificate" is a part of the story and will attest to the origin of the knife. If you build a great knife, the story will get longer and the certificate will become a proud document.
I always figured it was the little extras that made the difference in customer relations.

[NickWheeler]

Thanks guys, it came in loud and clear this time

Ray, I couldn't agree with you more!

Nick

[Brett Bennett]

Nick,

I include my guarantee on the certificate in addition to the details of the knife and my signature block. I also make a copy of each certificate for my records.

Brett

[raker]

I will save the file on the computer with the buyers name and knife style. I can also use the same form and change what needs to be changed and then save-as the new owners name and style again. I save the records to a disc every so often so that I won't lose all of it.
The records of the orders are kept so that I don't get too much mixed up .

[roneill]

For a big selection of these types of papers go to www.paperdirect.com

I used to use them for a lot of things. They have a very good selection of certificate paper.

Richard

[tmickley]

I'll write up a 2 page letter for every knife explaining the features, ie the steel type, heat treating by Bos, handle material, sheath construction, etc. Every person that I've given a knife to has commented on the letter that accompanies the knife. I now have enough of these that I can cut and paste most of together in just a few minutes. Now I guess I'll have to dig up some fancy stationary....

[cockroachfarm]

.....and an opinion from a collector: put as much information on the certificate as is available! (My favorite "Certificate of Authenticity" is done by Peter Wile. Outstanding.)

[lawall]

one thing i do wish everyone who presents paperwork with a knife, think about the quality of paper that you are using. if someone is collecting instead of using a blade they might want the paperwork to last more then a few years before becoming too fragile or yellow to even read. i ran across that when i bought a compass a few months ago.
thanks for the listening.