Rant And the fun continues.....

[TXFB.INS]

got a file last week of a "logo" in a raster format. After enlarging to the desired size there was heavy pixelation, about 39 DPI

commented back, with screenshots, about the pixelation and asked for the design file, specifically in vector, and gave the option for EPS, CDR, AI hoping this would eliminate the hassle.

Yesterday got the SAME design saved as an EPS.
They even included the website where the converted the picture into a EPS format.

so I sent another Email showing the pixelation and stated again that this was a picture NOT the design file as requested...............

 

[TammieH]

People! what are you going to do?

 

[icedhot]

we get that all the time: raster image SAVED as eps or pdf. they think they are pretty witty. they dont understand we need vector eps not just a file in eps format. how do you convey to them on this request?

 

[rossmosh]

I'm perplexed why you don't send it out and get it converted to Vector Art for $10.

 

[Vinyl slayer]

What Rosh said, unless it's a simple enough design to do that yourself. Depending on who your dealing with... they may or may not know the difference in what you need.
This happens to me on a regular basis - with different clients. Often the person I'm working with, is getting files from someone else. If after two file submissions requests, I'll get a bunch of files...one I can work with. but oh wait, the text wasn't outlined. It takes a lot of communication and educating clients on what you need - to produce what they need.

 

[unclebun]

I'm perplexed why you don't send it out and get it converted to Vector Art for $10.

Two reasons. Converted artwork is pure trash and does not accurately reproduce the original, especially for $10. I can do it myself, but the customer is unwilling to pay for my time to do it, since they've already paid a designer far more than I charge for creating it. Second, they already have the artwork in vector format; that's how it was created. Sometimes the issue is that your own customer only has the jpg they were emailed for use in social media advertising or to drop in Word documents and they don't realize that the designer has more, or they are afraid to call the designer to ask for what you want because they think they will be charged another exorbitant fee. The hassle of getting the file is usually worth it because then you will have it for those future jobs they are promising if you could just cut them a price break on this one.

 

[De.signs Nanaimo]

This is almost a weekly occurrence for me, if it is a small job, I just quote back my charges to turn it into a vector, this either gets rid of an unprofitable/cheap client, or prompts them to actually get the vector logo, sometimes they even pay the design charges.

If it is a larger job and the logo work is under an hour I just pad the quote a bit maybe $50 and turn the logo into a vector. You then own that vector file and if they ever need it you can charge them a one hour fee to get it from you!

 

[CanuckSigns]

What about when you tell the client it will be $xx to convert their jpeg into vector art, and they spend the next 3 days sending you the same file over and over again with different extensions, when you add up the unbillable time spent telling them it's still not correct, you could have redrawn it for them...

 

[Pewter0000]

What Rosh said, unless it's a simple enough design to do that yourself. Depending on who your dealing with... they may or may not know the difference in what you need.
This happens to me on a regular basis - with different clients. Often the person I'm working with, is getting files from someone else. If after two file submissions requests, I'll get a bunch of files...one I can work with. but oh wait, the text wasn't outlined. It takes a lot of communication and educating clients on what you need - to produce what they need.

The communication piece definitely takes a lot of effort. And it's not always just clients that don't get it - I had one freelance designer that I assumed would know how to "outline text" - they thought it meant "rasterize" text apparently, by the next file I received.

 

[rossmosh]

Two reasons. Converted artwork is pure trash and does not accurately reproduce the original, especially for $10. I can do it myself, but the customer is unwilling to pay for my time to do it, since they've already paid a designer far more than I charge for creating it. Second, they already have the artwork in vector format; that's how it was created. Sometimes the issue is that your own customer only has the jpg they were emailed for use in social media advertising or to drop in Word documents and they don't realize that the designer has more, or they are afraid to call the designer to ask for what you want because they think they will be charged another exorbitant fee. The hassle of getting the file is usually worth it because then you will have it for those future jobs they are promising if you could just cut them a price break on this one.

Hmm, what's better. A super low resolution logo file that is the "real" logo but prints like trash or a vector art file that prints properly but is a 95% match to the current logo.

If you can track down the good version, it's worth it, but a lot of customers don't want to be given a task and just want to pass the job off on the business. If you tell them it's a 90-95% match and it will print nicely, they're typically in favor of that vs a low res print job that will look like crap.

 

[Stacey K]

I always thought about making a sheet up to send to these people that explains this. I just never did...I'll add it to my To-Do list lol

 

[iPrintStuff]

I always thought about making a sheet up to send to these people that explains this. I just never did...I'll add it to my To-Do list lol

I ended up having to do one of these for canvases. We do a deal regularly and every single photo we get is from Facebook downsampled to 72dpi and only looks great as a postage stamp.

Now I just send them a PDF with a bunch of “please don’t use Facebook, WhatsApp..” etc.

I used to say “please send a file that’s larger than 2MB” but people will always find a way to dumb their way through and just send me a 2MB screenshot of their postage stamp. Ugh.

 

[Lindsey]

I have poster at the shop that shows the difference between raster & vector and it's quite helpful. I also warn them of the risk of jaggy pixels making their sign look bad.

If they don't have a vector, I offer to add vectorizing to the quote. They usually object to extra costs, and go track down the vector file. If there really is no vector, and the resolution is below what I consider acceptable, I send the client a preview of a portion of the design at full-size to review and choose themselves whether it is acceptable.

 

[Geneva Olson]

We had a customer come in once wanting his business card blown up on the side of his truck. All he had was the business card artwork. It had a photo of a floor on it. It was a company that put a coating on floors so people don't slip and fall. So the floor had water spills on it. After several failed attempts at getting the artwork big enough, we finally just recreated the photo. I cleaned the floor, poured some goo gone on it to make it slick, wiped it down and then poured water to make the beaded up water effect. We took photos and got the desired effect. I joke that now my shop floor is going down the side of the road.

The guy thought it was pretty cool that we did it. Man, I need a photographer fee for that job.

 

[Johnny Best]

Or the customer got it from a sign shop and never paid for the logo and just has a jpg of it.

 

[iPrintStuff]

Or the customer got it from a sign shop and never paid for the logo and just has a jpg of it.

With 99% of our customers it’s that they’ve been given some weird file types (ai/eps etc) that they haven’t been able to open so just don’t bother retaining them. The email gets forgotten about. Gone forever. Just like Hillary’s.

 

[Pewter0000]

Or the customer got it from a sign shop and never paid for the logo and just has a jpg of it.

Or, "My nephew/friend/cousin etc. made this for me!"

Worst though is when we have a client come in and we tell them "I'm sorry, this isn't in a format we can use" and they tell us they've just dropped $700 bucks to a "designer" who told them that's industry standard. Oh sweetie, .PNG might be considered standard for small online graphics, but not for your banner.

 

[myront]

Whenever our sales team are asked to send over a companies logo they relay the message back to me. My first question is what is it for and I can tell immediately that the client is getting this weird face like what does that matter. So I explain to them the difference and usually end up creating a "media package" with a transparent png named web_stationary use, vector.pdf, hi res png for larger print. I explain to them that the vector pdf is the one you really need to pay attention to. If anyone asks for your logo for t-shirts etc. you give them that one.

 

[signbrad]

I make it a point to never say "eps" or "pdf" to a client. If I say "eps vector," they don't even hear the word "vector." Invariably, the clueless client will take their pixel image and save it out as a pdf or eps and send it to you.

I say only "vector." We need a vector. I write it down. If they ask, "What about a pdf?", I say, "No matter how you send it to me, it must be vector. Is it vector?"

Interestingly, on the subject of vectorizing, graphic artists in my area will typically charge 300 dollars to vectorize a logo. But not sign goobers. My boss might charge 60. In a conversation with an owner of one of the ad agencies here in town, I mentioned this disparity in pricing. She said, "Now you know why design companies have a low opinion of sign shops." I said, "Why?" She said, "Because they are stupid."

We may be offended by that, but it is good to remember that we aspire to be professionals, experts in our field, just as a medical doctor is in his or her field. The only real difference is that the stakes are higher in medicine. Like doctors, we are paid, not so much for our time, but for what we know.

Brad in Kansas City

 

[iPrintStuff]

Or, "My nephew/friend/cousin etc. made this for me!"

Worst though is when we have a client come in and we tell them "I'm sorry, this isn't in a format we can use" and they tell us they've just dropped $700 bucks to a "designer" who told them that's industry standard. Oh sweetie, .PNG might be considered standard for small online graphics, but not for your banner.

Wait, a 72dpi PNG isn’t industry standard? Someone should tell my customers!