art clean up question

[Ronda]

I have cleaned up someone's bad art more times than I would like to admit. AND I usually do it without an extra charge (I know I am in the process of fixing that) They bring me or email me a jpg they created in word or whatever and I need to screen print it or order some type of promotional product etc, all of which require vector art.... anyway, I just do it and don't charge for it.

Now I have customers coming to me saying they need the really nice art I have from when I did their shirts so they can run a color ad in the newspaper.

How should this really play out? I know I need to charge them to fix it in the first place, but then when they come back later and want me to give my good art to an engraver or newspaper or whatever....How should I handle this?

Thanks
Ronda

 

[DRPSignsNGrafix]

If you do a lot of work and have not been charging them, explain to them nicely that your have been cleaning up the artwork at no fee cause they are a valued customer, but if they want the cleaned up artwork, that they will need to pay the art fee for it.

 

[R08]

Start charging an art setup fee. I find customers seem to really accept this. Especially because it's a one-time charge.
You'll feel a lot better when they ask you to send a copy to another company. I used to charge for that but it was more of a pita so now I just make sure I charge enough up front.

 

[Big House Signs]

We charge a fee to set up their logo and for that fee they get the files on cd. If after that they still call and want us to email something...Its $25.

Paula

 

[gators2001]

We charge to But have just started using eric @ vector doctor he is awesome

 

[Rodi]

I worked at a place that did not charge for my work, but any alterations I made were the companies, so when the client asked for "their" art back they were told they were not charged for the creation of the artwork so a charge would be in order.

 

[Flame]

I always charge for what I do, and the customer gets to keep their artwork. I think it's a very upfront approach my customers seems to like it.

If I have to design, I charge an art fee.

 

[mikefine]

If you want to do the customer a favor, and they give you good repeat business, it's a good service to send them their art at no charge. If not, it is a $75.00 (or more)
"art transfer" fee which is fairly standard in the print industry. If the customers question the charge, you have labor costs and server archive expenses associated with the requests. For free, you can fax hard copies of their logo.
For email files, there is a charge. This is a very fair practice.

 

[Border]

I like to offer them a CD with their logo in the most common forms they would need for things like t-shirts, letterheads and ads, etc.

I tell them it is a thing that many of my customers have done in the past and all are very happy with it. Charge what you like for it...I usually charge them $75.00 for that and let them know I plan to to keep them coming back by giving them great service. Very few turn it down and the ones that do turn it down usually end up getting one eventually, as soon as they are faced with someone else needing a good copy of their logo for whatever reason. Then they know they are gonna pay before they even call me back!

 

[onesmf]

I suggest some indication from the outset, whether you charge or not to create the artwork, that all artwork created by you is the property of your company. This covers you in multipul regards. One, no one else can copy or use your artwork and two you govern the artwork because you created it. Sounds like you have no hard and fast rules associated with your art. Might be time to create some guidlines and restrictions. It certainly is fair to fetch compensation for your work, especially when you are making someone else's job easier by providing vectored art. Businesses certainly own the rights to logos and such, however you own the rights to artwork that you created as well.

 

[GoodPeopleFlags]

You could send the newpaper a .jpg at no charge. If your customer wants vector files, tell him you'll be glad to put it on a cd in several formats for $25 or however much you want. That 1-time $25 will save him from having to pay someone else to scan or clean it up everytime he needs something like this. Also inform him that replacement cds will be $25 if he loses it.

 

[Idea Design]

I once had a job where I had to re-draw three logos for a company in town because the vector files were nowhere to be found. I redrew them to make my job easier by having quality artwork. They called me later to see if I would send the files to the guy who publishes the local house hunter type magazine. I explained that they could use what they sent me in the first place, or they could pay me for the time it took me to redraw all that art. They ended up paying, and now that company has quality, vector artwork at their disposal.

If you re-create artwork so that your production looks better, IMO, you are under no obligation to send those files to anyone unless compensated. This is one of the main reasons I also screen print. I call it creative control. If I can provide as many of the various materials (signs, shirts, golf balls, vehicle lettering, business cards, etc) that any given company might need, my bottom line increases, and you don't have to worry about seeing your artwork molested by the neighbors nephew in an attempt to re-create it for some other kind of production.

 

[coyote]

We just charge an art charge up front for vectorizing a bitmap image or cleaning up an EPS that is not good quality....depending on how much time it takes. Then, we can email it to whoever they want....if they want it burned on CD, we charge for that. Easier to do it up front than to try to explain that you worked on it for free and now you want them to pay for it....
C

 

[Ronda]

Thank you to everyone who replied. Like I said I am in the process of fixing this. But I just did this customer the favor and emailed out what they needed.

Thanks again

 

[toucan_graphics]

I always charge an artwork fee of $60. If the customer brings in TRUE "camera ready" artwork, or there is NO clean-up to be done, then and only then I waive the artwork fee.