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Is Scale really that difficult?

C

CanuckSigns

Active Member
I didn't think the concept of scale would be that difficult for people to grasp, I have a marketing company client who sent me a bunch of images to print, along with the required finished sizes, the images are not even remotely close to the correct aspect ratio, one is currently 120"x36" and they want it 96"x12" and are not understanding that I can't scale the image to that size without cutting the head off the woman in the photo...

I can't be the only one with this issue, it seems to pop up on a fairly regular basis around here, i'm trying to think of a way to explain ratio and scale to someone with no experience in graphics or fabrication.

Anyone have any ideas?
 
Stacey K

Stacey K

I like making signs
Send them the photo back as 96x12...and send a cropped one, they should be able to see it then
 
myront

myront

Dammit, make it faster!!
Ha, I deal with this on a daily basis! Lady brings in a "flyer" 8.5 x 11 portrait, wants to make it into a popup banner. "do you have it in digital format"? Yes, I'll email it to you. It's a freakin jpg! What the......! Answer is NO!
 
Notarealsignguy

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
All of the time. it also annoys me when you go looking for a good picture to use on something like a wall wrap and realize the photographers leave no room to crop or scale it into anything except a square. You'd figure a professional photographer would be smarter than that.
Another thing people do is send a picture of a rectangle sign saying they want the same exact thing, then tell you it's 12x12.
 
Geneva Olson

Geneva Olson

Expert Storyteller
As a former middle school math teacher, I can verify that "to scale" is in fact a difficult concept for many people to grasp.

We recently had a customer come in who wanted their graphics across the side of their vehicle really big. Like they wanted it to fill the bed space and back door of their truck. When we pulled in a scaled version of their vehicle and then their graphic to show them, the suddenly understood why they couldn't accomplish what they were trying to accomplish.

These kinds of issues are really short lived in our shop because we actually visually show them what it will look like by mocking things up in front of them. They leave with an idea in their head of what their graphics are going to look like when they are done.
 
Craig Keller

Craig Keller

New Member
myront said:
Ha, I deal with this on a daily basis! Lady brings in a "flyer" 8.5 x 11 portrait, wants to make it into a popup banner. "do you have it in digital format"? Yes, I'll email it to you. It's a freakin jpg! What the......! Answer is NO!
Click to expand...
lol when u ask for vector and they say whats that. Theres ur sign. Or they say is that the same size lettering. I say its six hundred and 25 thousands. Then I say I measured your logo with a dial caliper and then I say I am within a thousands and your hair is 3 to 4 thousands thick, so Im pretty close. This is being asked from a person that can't even read a tape measure!!
 
Pauly

Pauly

Printrade.com.au
Always,
But we practically solved this issue with our ecommerce. Customers need to upload files, then crop with in our specs. if it doesn't fit in in the crop box, they can visually see it's not going to work.
 
Boudica

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
Notarealsignguy said:
Huh?
Click to expand...
This is one of those discussions about supplied artwork, that will go all over the place. The topic at hand is SCALE. And, Canuck, sadly, most people don't get it. It's fascinating (and frustrating, depending on my blood sugar level), for someone who does get it.
Pauly - not everyone is set up for that. Some of us just receive artwork for projects/orders via email, or an ftp upload, but no fancy software to let the customer crop/scale.
 
Notarealsignguy

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
Boudica said:
This is one of those discussions about supplied artwork, that will go all over the place. The topic at hand is SCALE. And, Canuck, sadly, most people don't get it. It's fascinating (and frustrating, depending on my blood sugar level), for someone who does get it.
Pauly - not everyone is set up for that. Some of us just receive artwork for projects/orders via email, or an ftp upload, but no fancy software to let the customer crop/scale.
Click to expand...
I get that but that last reply? Hairs and calipers? I guess I should have quoted it for context.
 
D

DeadDoc

New Member
CanuckSigns said:
I didn't think the concept of scale would be that difficult for people to grasp, I have a marketing company client who sent me a bunch of images to print, along with the required finished sizes, the images are not even remotely close to the correct aspect ratio, one is currently 120"x36" and they want it 96"x12" and are not understanding that I can't scale the image to that size without cutting the head off the woman in the photo...

I can't be the only one with this issue, it seems to pop up on a fairly regular basis around here, i'm trying to think of a way to explain ratio and scale to someone with no experience in graphics or fabrication.

Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Welcome to my world but instead of customers its my project managers. I am constantly going crazy over here rejecting jobs for 12000% scales and or with weird ratios. I mean, I'm sure it is the customers causing this but still. If anyone finds a way to fix this, let me know as well, sadly though, these people have been in the industry long enough.
 
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