aaarghhh... Customer Sends Me ANOTHER PPT File

[jiarby]

And... it is a WHOLESALE customer, not the end user. Wholesale weenie has AI, CDR, and PSD, but STILL sends me PowerPoint files.

Here is what I wrote back...

Let me explain why PPT files are no good. I know we have been through it all before, but I was up late on another job and am feeling a little cranky this morning. <looking for coffee cup>

1. Colors are all RGB, not CMYK. Yes, we can convert them, but there are often changes to the hues. It is ALWAYS best for the customer to proof the actual colors rather than be surprised when the RGB-CMYK throws a curveball.
2. The fonts are not converted to curves. This can cause font substitution problems
3. Art is NOT sized to match the desired print size. This file is 7” x10” but you want 24x36. 7x10 does not scale up to 24x36!
4. Embedded bitmaps are low resolution, wrong color mode, and overly stretched/distorted.
5. PPT files do not import accurately into AI or CDR. PowerPoint WordArt is almost always screwed up during an import. Other layout elements also get wonky.
6. This is a wholesale job... The concept behind being able to sell wholesale is that I do not have to putz with the file. YOU do the art/layout and provide print ready files. If I have to spend 30-45 minutes fixing your 7x10 PowerPoint so it prints 24x36 then this is no longer a wholesale job but rather a retail one.

In culinary terms you have given me enough ingredients to make a boiled Haggis (Scottish stuffed sheep stomach) but asked me to make Chateaubriand and Bananas Foster. Additionally you only gave me enough ingredients to serve 3 people, but actually expect to have 16.

So how do I make Chateaubriand for 16 out of Haggis for 3?

 

[dj_elite]

Why would he even work with PPT??? Hopefully he understands and you don't lose his business

 

[binki]

PowerPoint is the new AI.

I dunnno the answer but we have had a wholesale customers give us sub standard garments, mostly seconds, to print on. The funny thing about those were they were selling them as designer clothing with a very high price.

 

[iSign]

And... it is a WHOLESALE customer, not the end user. Wholesale weenie has AI, CDR, and PSD, but STILL sends me PowerPoint files.

Here is what I wrote back...

here's what I would write:

Let me explain why PPT files are no good. I know we have been through it all before, but I was up late on another job and am feeling a little cranky this morning. <looking for coffee cup>

1. PPT files are one half step above layouts drawn on a napkin, and last time I scanned a napkin layout, the sign looked like crap

 

[jiarby]

He's gonna get charged $25 from now on for non-standard art fee....

He'll either get pissed off and buy somewhere else
He'll either start doing the art work right
or
He'll just PAY me

I don't care which one he picks... his volume is less than 1k/year.

 

[Firefox]

6. This is a wholesale job... The concept behind being able to sell wholesale is that I do not have to putz with the file. YOU do the art/layout and provide print ready files. If I have to spend 30-45 minutes fixing your 7x10 PowerPoint so it prints 24x36 then this is no longer a wholesale job but rather a retail one.

$25 seems cheap for 30-45 minutes, wholesale or not. Fixing the amateur work should cost retail.

 

[Donny7833]

I've made it perfectly clear to my clients. I will not accept Power Point files for artwork, period. If you would like to send a PPT to show me what the final should look like, expecting me to rebuild at $65 an hour, that's just fine.

 

[jiarby]

$25 is a nusiance fee... PITA Tax. Plus, it really only takes 10 mins most of the time. LOL!

 

[Malkin]

We do a little wholesale work for other local shops, and most of them are old time sign guys, but don't know how to properly setup file for print.
I discount the print work, but charge for setup time just like anyone else.

 

[mikefine]

I don't mess with the client at all with these files anymore. I send all my low resolution. or obscure format files to India. I write "make this vector," email it out by 10:00 and by 7:00 in the morning I have a vector file on my desktop for about $8.00. Done....It is easier and more cost effective to do that than to take a half hour to explain files and formats to my customers.

 

[mikey-Oh]

 

[Skye]

ppt

we just publish to pdf. so far colours look good.

 

[Bly]

At least PPT files are usually better than Word.

 

[Sign Eagle]

We get occationals PPT files from our largest customer who is a reseller, but they are files forwarded from their customer. It only takes 5-10 to prepare and over all this customer accounts for more than 200k this year. The ones that really annoy me are the the people that send a print ready PDF file and than ask for a PDF for approval and them make changes........

 

[jiarby]

If this guy was doing 200k then I would do it too... but for less than $100/mo... nope.


this pdf proof thing happened to me this week also..

Customer (another wholesale reseller) sends me PDF's.... then asks for a PDF proof.

Huh?

 

[heyskull]

We get a lot of people coming in with word documents, this boils my blood!!!!!
We also have people bringing in what they call editable pdf files but when you open it there is a raster image which is useless!
PPT files I just laugh at

How does everyone explain to clients the difference between raster and vector?

We even have one guy who is a designer and creates everything in photoshop at about business card size and I can't explain that these files are useless when blown up onto a 8'x5' banner!!!!!

Help I am going slightly mad

SC

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I would have charged them $25 just for the E-MAIL explaining why, since you done that before and send the file back.
Before when I did franchises window splash if windows was not clear or no one knew what windows to do when I showed up, I moved on to next one, they knew this ahead of time so I did not let them slow me down,... don't let your customer slow you down, for bull
Same with car windshields they had all sorts of ways to slow you, but when you move on to next job, next time they get it right for you.

 

[Rooster]

It could be worse. At least they're not using publisher or word.

 

[jiarby]

I just did a job for a golf tourney... they said they had "print ready" art.

Uh Huh... They were pub files. At least they were 18x24. Full of crummy BAD bitmaps & logos obviously taken from sponsors web site.

I re-did them anyway, marked up the signs 50%.

Customer sees the re-done signs and writes me a blank check and says to "fill it out for whatever you want... just wait until I leave so I don't cringe".

That's just what I did too!

LOL... he actually signed a blank check and handed it over.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

The ones that really annoy me are the the people that send a print ready PDF file and than ask for a PDF for approval and them make changes........

Oh my god why do people do this? It's my biggest pet peeve. I cannot wrap my hear around their logic. "Here's our print ready artwork in .pdf format. Can we please see a .pdf proof?" I justs forward their email back and say here's your proof. Almost every time they will make a change and resend art. We have one wholesale customer who places 20-30 orders a month with us and they do this every time. I finally told them we will no longer send proofs on wholesale jobs, the art they submit will be considered the final art and will be printed and it is their responsibility to "proof" it themselves before they send it, once they hit send they need to consider the job printed. They still do it, I don't care, I just print the file as-is, if it's wrong it's on them, I'm tired of holding their hand and doing their job for them.