bad customer supplied files

[petepaz]

not sure if this is just my issue or what but... seems more and more i keep getting files from customers that were designed by professional art/designing companies and i can't use them because of font issues or all they sent was an indesign file. i do have indesign now but i didn't always because it wasn't a program i needed to work our jobs. truth is i don't even really use it other than to convert files to use in illustrator or versaworks. the other issue is not having fonts and then the files default to something else. when ever i have to send someone a file i send the original exactly like it was created with fonts (in case they have to reset some type) then i also send an eps and pdf with fonts created to outlines. is that so hard????????? for what these companies charge for artwork and design i think they can give you multiple files in different formats.
the best part is when i tell them i am having an issue they talk to me like i have no idea what i am doing and we are some hack company "we never have these problems with anyone else!" so everyone you send your files to for reproduction has every font you have and all the same programs.
so i guess my question is, am i doing something wrong or incorrectly?

 

[JgS]

I require that everything sent to me either be a jpg, eps, or pdf. I do not accept photoshop, illustrator, Indesign, or office files. Got if trouble one because someone said I edited their file (I didn't) but now I don't take the risk.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I've dealt with this quite a bit as well.

Mainly the font issue more then anything else. Although there is a nice issue that is specific to embroidery that I occasionally have to deal with as well. Sometimes when someone goes from one shop to another and asks for their file from the first shop. The first shop will change the stitching sequence that makes it stitch like crap for the next shop (and the next one and the next one), so it looks like that the customer made a mistake and went with inferior shops. Some customers think that I'm trying to bilk them for more money, because they didn't get their file done at my shop. One time, it was actually a file that I had done for another embroidery shop that is maybe 10 miles from me, so I know that the person changed the file.

Not much you can do, except either have them get their designer to change the font to outlines (which they should be doing period in my mind, I do even if the file never leaves my shop, because not all computers have the same fonts on them) or find the font, buy it and then charge them for that. Or if they have a good quality jpg, that will work for me, but I would charge for that extra work.

 

[J Hill Designs]

what really irks me is clipping paths in illy files I am sent. WTF why arent the shapes just filled? release clipping path = BIG BOX OF COLOR

maybe I just dont get it, but ..

 

[gabagoo]

No, you're not doing anything wrong.

I agree with everything you just said, and experience it on a daily basis.

I've added a line (should've been done years ago) on my quotes:
*pricing based on scaled, print-ready artwork being supplied. Additional file manipulation, set up, or troubleshooting will be billed at $75/hour.

I literally get files every day that have issues like you mentioned. Fonts not converted, transparencies, improperly flattened files, images not embedded properly...etc etc.

I usually try to get it to work which is sometimes as simple as opening in Photoshop and re-saving as a PS PDF, but anything more than 5 minutes a file gets billed.

This ESPECIALLY pisses me off when dealing with "designers" that have no idea wtf they're doing.

Sorry about the rant lol it's been a long morning already.

Good idea although I know they would just ignore it and send the files anyways. The bigger issue is.... can you believe what you are seeing. I have found many pdf files open wrong in Signlab and then wrong again and differently in Flexi. I now open them in Acrobat and then save them as tiff files so I don't have to waste any more time than is necessary. Most designers are not taught to design for our industry and take short cuts or mix low res bitmaps into files, and we usually end up eating the costs of fixing or reprinting.

 

[petepaz]

ok so i am not crazy...haha
like i said the scarey part is when they try to tell you that you are the problem......

we charge for design time when it takes a while to fix the file. i will usually give the customer the option.
i tell them they paid someone to do this already and they should be able to get a file ready for reproduction and if i have to do it we will charge them accordingly.
i have also done the photoshop thing and if it is as simple as that no chage. we also have a program called sign engine and you can import the pdf files with the text as graphics.
that works 95% of the time.

 

[petepaz]

Good idea although I know they would just ignore it and send the files anyways. The bigger issue is.... can you believe what you are seeing. I have found many pdf files open wrong in Signlab and then wrong again and differently in Flexi. I now open them in Acrobat and then save them as tiff files so I don't have to waste any more time than is necessary. Most designers are not taught to design for our industry and take short cuts or mix low res bitmaps into files, and we usually end up eating the costs of fixing or reprinting.

i have felt with that on many occasions, not so much now because of the digital printers now but back in the old days a customer would get this really fancy great looking logo made and bring it to me to silk screen or hot stamp and i would tell them i can't do it "but i just paid $300 or more for this big company to create my logo and i need it on my product or i need these labels with it on there. that is a great looking logo but it can't be reproduced...sorry

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Most designers are not taught to design for our industry and take short cuts or mix low res bitmaps into files, and we usually end up eating the costs of fixing or reprinting.

Nor mine. They think that the mere fact of using Adobe is enough to make sure that it translate into what I do. I imagine that it's only going to get worse as more effort is put into digital and web design work.

 

[JoeBoomer]

Hopeless customer files

I went from working at a sign shop to working at a custom fabrication shop where I setup & print files from GLOBAL Marketing firms. I've been to these firms and seen rooms with 50-100 guys all working on their duel-screen Mac Pro's designing and setting up artwork. Seriously, 50 guys all in the art department and I still only get good files prob. 10% of the time.

I went from getting Microsoft Publisher files & crap web images to files with missing fonts and missing spot colors. I create templates for these companies so they can size artwork correctly, have specs included, etc. Do you think I get print-ready art back? Hell no! They don't even use my templates half the time. Not to mention the utter disregard for deadlines. "Oh, by the way we have two sprinters that need to be wrapped by tomorrow." You would think if your paying $20 - $150k for a project, you would make sure your artwork is in-order.....

I don't know if they just don't teach this stuff in school or what, but their files suck. They don't give a $hit about deadlines, and they only know one aspect of design. (Web vs offset printing vs digital printing, etc.)


I want to drive a truck into each one of their buildings full of herpe-infested rats.

F$@$*@$%#&)@#%)*!#%*)@#%)*#@)*#@%)*#@%)*#@%)* Them all!




So, in response to your post: Unless people have worked in digital printing previously or have been trained by you, their files will always suck. It sucks, costs money, time, etc. But, that's what we like to call "Job Security".

Sorry for the rant team

 

[JoeBoomer]

Access granted. And think, I'm actually having a pretty good day. Just need to change customer art files for like 5 of 10 kiosks that I printed and installed already. Apparently it takes the road-crew for the marketing program to decide they want different artwork. (the day before they leave) But in the grand scheme of things, this is cake-walk next to most of the projects I deal with.

It's all good mon'.

And I though I was having a rough morning....! :Big Laugh

Can I use this as my signature?

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

We do a lot of printing besides signage and vehicle graphics and we are always dealing with "designers" who send files with no bleed. I cant count how many conversations ive had since i started here explaining not only WHAT bleed is, but WHY we need to to print. Problem i see is anyone who can afford the software calls themselves designers, when most don't have a clue.
Since i've started here we now charge to fix peoples art, they never used to until i told them this was unacceptable. We still get people who think we don't know what we are talking about when we are fighting with their designers for decent art, they always think we are the bad guy...

 

[FireSprint.com]

We're a trade only printer, so we don't deal with all that many artwork issues (as a percent of the total work) but fonts not being converted to outlines is probably the most common reason why we need an artwork file corrected BY FAR.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

What you are describing is a Tuesday over here. Even though I tell them that if they send a vector file (.ai, eps, svg, cdr, pdf, etc, etc) ALL typefaces must be converted to curves along with strokes, effects and what have you and work MUST be actual vector work (not photoshop shapes, not vexels, not a power point or fricken xcel art, NOT a cell phone image of your pencil doodle of a pig flying through the air propelled by what is obviously a cloud of flatulence ... VECTOR) ... I get stuff that comes out far from prepared. Only a few have amazed me with their skill, but only a few. Those who do know who they are, since I tell them. All others send over the most basic of files with art that is so bad or with 34 objects to do the same thing that 6 can do if you actually take the 2 minutes while your working to weld or simplify the shapes. But NOOOO you need to make something so convoluted that most people will take a few hours to decipher all your hokey back woods **** I get it. Some of the worst offenders are the ones that should know better, but don't. Oh, and I truly do love the attitude you get when you get sent something that is complete garbage (cause yeah, a 200x400 pixel tif export from bad clipart with a side of hokey gradient work in a christmas border that is only lacking the red balls is the same damn thing as a completely vectored file) ... but I'm the moron because you don't understand this.

Oh, and for the love of all that is unholy, why do people not understand you won't see black on navy, black on black, or black on dark maroon ... let alone black on tinted glass. It's almost as bad as people wanting a bright yellow logo on a white panel van ... not athletic or sun yellow ... that bright lemon yellow. kills me that 'designers' don't understand this.

 

[ddubia]

Originally Posted by JoeBoomer
I want to drive a truck into each one of their buildings full of herpe-infested rats.

Can I use this as my signature?

That sentence reads to me like the building is full of herpes infested rats.

Don't drive your truck in there!

 

[Billct2]

I had a simple little A frame to do and the client had her friend the bigtime Madison Ave marketing genius do the design.

He could not understand why I wanted him to convert the fonts to outlines, "After all it's only helvetica ther most popular font in the world" and to which I said yes, that's true and there are about 10,000 versions of it and I don't have them all.
The time spent on the discussion was longer than it takes to convert the file, way longer.

So I looked him up, and yep, he is a big shot with lots of awards, but apparently his business went south and he is now working out of his apartment. No more minions to deal with the reality of design files.

 

[Baz]

I don't care anymore .....

Lots of effects and placed artwork ... Off to photoshop for a flattening.
Lots of masks and gradients ... Off to photoshop for a flattening.
Lots of type that i don't have ... Off to photoshop for a flattening.
You used your Helvetica and kept it as a font in your file .. You bet, i will be using my Helvetica.

You don't have any problems with other shops? Just me? That's to bad 'cause that's how it works in my shop. So next time you know what to do.

The older i get the less i care about other people's problems. I'll explain it to you once ... If it doesn't work out ... Oh well ....