The Scala Shop

F.A.Q.

Who manages the Scala Shop?

The Scala Shop is designed by EPFL using software platforms developed and hosted by Spreadshirt and Zazzle. We at EPFL prepare the design of the available products and the general website layout. Zazzle and Spreadshirt host the websites and handle your orders, from payment to production to delivery.

I am having troubles with my orders

In this case you should contact either Spreadshirt or Zazzle, depending on which shop you placed your order with. EPFL has no part whatsoever in the production or delivery of the t-shirts, or in the handling of payment. To contact Spreadshirt, please use their USA or EU page. To contact Zazzle, please use this page.

Will you add more products to the shop?

Possibly, if there is demand and the products are available in either the Zazzle or Spreadshirt ranges.

Can I design my own Scala t-shirts?

No, not at this time. However, you can suggest us (EPFL) designs and products that you would like to see added to the Shop. For Spreadshirt Europe, here are the products (click on the "See more" links), the techniques, and the colors. For Spreadshirt US, here are the products (click on the "See more" links), the techniques, and the colors. For Zazzle, here is the range of products (only bitmap printing is available).

What is the actual difference between Spreadshirt and Zazzle? Did you consider other companies?

We settled on those two companies for a number of reasons, after considering many other companies. Specifically:

• Both offer a digital direct printing service, required to print bitmaps. In particular, they both offer a special technology that is necessary to print bitmaps containing white over black fabric. Zazzle charges a bit more for black shirts actually, as a result.
• Spreadshirt also offers a print process by which the required image is cut from a thin film by using a plotter, and then applied to the fabric. In principle that permits unique effects (glow-in-the-dark, glitter, metallic look) that would be impossible to obtain using a simple printing process. Conversely, Zazzle as an option offers embroidery, which is expensive but of course extremely durable. So we have room for expansion in the future.
• Both companies have local sites around the globe, which means a cheaper and faster service for you.
• Zazzle has a more diverse range of products, which includes beer steins, mousepads and so on, while Spreadshirt has a larger range of clothing, including jackets, trousers, shorts, etc.
• Spreadshirt offers more saturated fabric colors (vivid red, blue, and green t-shirts, for example) while Zazzle uses paler colors (light blue, lime, orange).
• The terms of service of both companies, finally, are compatible with the protection of the Scala trademark.

Do you make any money out of all this?

EPFL gets no commissions out of Spreadshirt sales. We do get a 10% commission on Zazzle sales, as their website does not allow us to remove commissions entirely. We are planning to use that to fund the office coffee, crucial during Scala development!

I would like to use the Scala logo for something else.

The Scala logo is a trademark of EPFL. Please contact us via our contact page.

How much is delivery?

Here are the delivery costs for Spreadshirt for the EU site and for the US site. For Zazzle it also depends on the site, but there are too many parameters to list everything here; please check this page.

I have other questions about delivery times, sales tax, customs, etc.

Please check the help pages on their website: Spreadshirt for the USA and for Europe, and the Zazzle help pages.