Low Res Logos from Customers -- To recreate or not....that is the question...

[Stephenedwardgraphic]

Seems like I'm always receiving artwork from customers such as business logos that are low res 2" x 3" jpeg images that they want blown up big on banners. Of course the customer designed the logo themselves in some paint program and doesn't have a vector image or high res version. How do you guys handle? Do you recreate in Illustrator or Corel and charge them accordingly or do you just print what they give you? Do you ever recreate for free knowing that they will continue to order from you because they know the quality will be good vs. the guy down the street that just prints and forgets?

Just curious

 

[J Hill Designs]

art charge. always.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Seems like I'm always receiving artwork from customers such as business logos that are low res 2" x 3" jpeg images that they want blown up big on banners. Of course the customer designed the logo themselves in some paint program and doesn't have a vector image or high res version. How do you guys handle? Do you recreate in Illustrator or Corel and charge them accordingly or do you just print what they give you? Do you ever recreate for free knowing that they will continue to order from you because they know the quality will be good vs. the guy down the street that just prints and forgets?

Just curious

i will let them know that the image will not print very well, sometimes I will print a small sample of it on scrap material to show them how bad it will look. I let them know that I can recreate it in a format that they can use for all their advertizing for $xxx, most don't pay it so i print what they give me.

I would never spend the time to recreate it for free, on the hope that they MIGHT give me more work, I learned many moons ago that it doesn't work that way.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

i will let them know that the image will not print very well, sometimes I will print a small sample of it on scrap material to show them how bad it will look. I let them know that I can recreate it in a format that they can use for all their advertizing for $xxx, most don't pay it so i print what they give me.

I would never spend the time to recreate it for free, on the hope that they MIGHT give me more work, I learned many moons ago that it doesn't work that way.

This. +1.

Customers that do that, don't care to begin with as long as it's readable.

Print and move on if they don't want to crack open the pocket book for a $50 art fee on a $500 sign.

 

[Stephenedwardgraphic]

What about a $50 art fee on a $100 banner -- but you know that they won't be happy with the finished banner...

 

[J Hill Designs]

What about a $50 art fee on a $100 banner -- but you know that they won't be happy with the finished banner...

"The banner will cost $100 - however, the artwork you have provided is not of high enough resolution for this size. Therefore, unless you can furnish me with either a (insert needed resolution here) image, or a vector file, there will be a $50 art charge"

 

[Mosh]

"Vista print and Got print don't charge art fees" I have heard this 1,000 times...I always e-mail the logo back full size to show the customer.....most don't care.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

See, I normally have 15 minutes of design time built into all my pricing so I don't have to worry about the $100 banner guys not wanting to pay for art. I will show them a 15 minute design as opposed to trying to get people to pay an art fee. Some go for it, some don't. If they don't, I print and move on because there is no judging on taste. Considering a 15 minute design normally looks 500 times better than what they give me to start ... most go with that. ... pick your battles.

Besides, how many of us get a business card that is just a stock photo background and 4 lines of text with a clipart graphic for a logo? that just doesn't look good as a banner, as the sales person you should be able to verbally convince them you know your mojo and they should go with a banner design instead of a business card design for a banner. The rest is not throwing more garbage design work out into the world like you have intestinal distress from going to a $5 all you can eat sushi buffet and only have your customers signs/graphics/storefonts/vehicles to expel it onto.

 

[Signed Out]

Try 24hourartwork.com. Pay $13 per vector, I charge my customers $25-$50. Website is easy to use and takes about 2 minutes to place an order. Vectors are turned around in less than 24 hours.

I used to use vector doctor. But having to email, wait for an email with a quote back, and then have to email approval, just takes too long, and you have to monitor your email. I found 24hourartwork's website to be much easier and less involved then emailing, although vector doctor would charge less than $13 for simple vectors, more than $13 for detailed ones.

I find $13 easy to swallow and don't always charge the customer on decent size orders.

 

[Speedsterbeast]

This seems to be the biggest challenge for me as well. All I do now is tell the customer that the logo their nephew designed in Photoshop or their jpeg is no good, and it will be x amount to do it up properly. Eric at the Vector Doctor is so reasonable that I can't see doing any of it myself. Then I mark it up a bit and offer their logo back to them as a finished vector that they can use for future use for their business for countless other things. They are usually very appreciative and have no problem with the extra charge. The challenge in this business is not sounding angry or frustrated when explaining something that we have to do every day such as this or how proportional expansion of graphics work etc.
Some days it's hard though

 

[nikdoobs]

The challenge in this business is not sounding angry or frustrated when explaining something that we have to do every day such as this or how proportional expansion of graphics work etc.
Some days it's hard though

^This.

 

[Mosh]

"what do you mean you can't just get it off my website?"

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

[SUB]I print an 8.5x11 off our copier of a section of their art to scale and show them how rough it will look. I then print out a vector logo, show them the difference and explain we can re-create it for them for $XXX and we will give them the file to hold onto for the future.
We often end up re-creating it for people once they see the difference in quality and they are thrilled to pay to re-create it.


[/SUB]

 

[rjssigns]

Tip 'O' the Day when faced with sub standard "art". LOL

Found myself in a bind with the annual church picnic. Got a last minute sponsor. Like 1p.m. on Saturday and the picnic is Sunday morning.

Got the typical crinkled low res biz card and knew I'd be in trouble if I scanned it.(too much of the wrong kind of detail)

So I took a macro shot of the art with my D7000 and dropped that into Ps. Worked a treat! Just a matter of typing in some text along with a couple strokes.

I was printing by 1:30 and delivered at 5:30.(I let the print dry several hours)

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Try 24hourartwork.com. Pay $13 per vector, I charge my customers $25-$50. Website is easy to use and takes about 2 minutes to place an order. Vectors are turned around in less than 24 hours.

I used to use vector doctor. But having to email, wait for an email with a quote back, and then have to email approval, just takes too long, and you have to monitor your email. I found 24hourartwork's website to be much easier and less involved then emailing, although vector doctor would charge less than $13 for simple vectors, more than $13 for detailed ones.

I find $13 easy to swallow and don't always charge the customer on decent size orders.

Sorry to hear that I lost you. Some of my customers tell me to just automatically do the jobs if under $xx. That way there is less back and forth.

I think emailing back and forth is important even though it takes a bit of time. I can tell you that about 25-30% of my customers give me little or no specifics when they place orders. Had I not asked the right questions they would have either over or underpaid for a job or the vector would have been done wrong and resulted in more delays

 

[dale911]

I let them know that there will be a $15 charge for the artwork to be made "print-ready" and then I send it off to a guy I sue on Fiverr so it only costs me $5 plus the time to email them the file and wait for it to get done. I do this 2-3 times a week.

 

[Speedsterbeast]

Sorry to hear that I lost you. Some of my customers tell me to just automatically do the jobs if under $xx. That way there is less back and forth.

I think emailing back and forth is important even though it takes a bit of time. I can tell you that about 25-30% of my customers give me little or no specifics when they place orders. Had I not asked the right questions they would have either over or underpaid for a job or the vector would have been done wrong and resulted in more delays

I agree Eric. And your prices always seem to be consistent, so I have no problem making as estimate based on past jobs from you if I need to give a customer a rough cost. You've done nothing but make my life easier and made me money.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

I agree Eric. And your prices always seem to be consistent, so I have no problem making as estimate based on past jobs from you if I need to give a customer a rough cost. You've done nothing but make my life easier and made me money.

Thanks for your support and understanding.

Here are some examples of why communication is important. I get jobs like this on a daily basis that require multiple emails because customers are not always specific

https://www.facebook.com/TheVectorD...7364042690818/608279172599300/?type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/TheVectorD...7364042690818/612007872226430/?type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/TheVectorD...7364042690818/493205067440045/?type=1&theater

 

[GVP]

I agree Eric. And your prices always seem to be consistent, so I have no problem making as estimate based on past jobs from you if I need to give a customer a rough cost. You've done nothing but make my life easier and made me money.

Absolutely +1 Eric is always there when we need him, and I wouldn't go to anyone else.