Production file release for "mock-ups"

[Raghaus]

Just the opposite - she was extremely happy with the finished product, hence me being so perplexed by this whole thing.

Heck, I might be the one overthinking it.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Maybe she's being nice?

 

[Raghaus]

Hmmm. No.

 

[signage]

On the bottom of my estimate, proof etc. states I own artwork!

 

[Stacey K]

The discussion is as old as stone and I generally give my customers files if a.) a good, i.e returning, customer b.) it's good practice and I generally charge a design fee anyways...

Here's the new-to-me (34 years in this industry FYI) scenario... A new customer had a fairly involved t-shirt design, I charge my usual design fee and a production fee. Customer pays and is happy, with the prospect of coming back for more of the same and sending new inquiries all the while.
I sense a little tire-kickin', as she seemed to work in an agency prior or has some marketing background. So far so good & you never know what comes out of these things.
Next she asks for png files of said t-shirt design for mock-ups. No problem – I make her a few versions to mess around with, transparent background, texture, no texture that kind of thing.
The pngs are definitely high quality and definitely great for mock-ups. They are even suitable for a good sized print, F do I know!?

Now she's requesting –almost pressuring me– for the AI files, as that's easier to make mock-ups from, in her mind, and she needs them to go ahead with product pics for her WEBSITE. I call capital BS on this one.
What would you do? Just trying to get a gauge here, as she's clearly trying to pull a fast one on me. The truth is, I don't even care about the customer and her business, but her unabridged nerve irks me and I'd like to come up with an appropriate response.
Thank you!

I'm just re-reading this. Did she actually place an order for tshirts or did you just do the design? If she didn't place a shirt order then she's going to take your artwork to Joe Blow down the road. It's pretty standard that most apparel places only charge a small design fee or no fee at all as long as there is a decent order attached and the customer does not get the artwork. My assumption is she knows that and this is what you did so she's getting a shirt design for cheap and will take it down the road for printing. Maybe you can say something like - when you order apparel the design fee is mostly included with the order and only minimal upfront and does not include any files. If you want the files then you have to pay for the standard "logo design" package which includes the files.

The exception to this is when a customer sends me a jpeg of their logo and I charge them to vectorize it so I can put it on a shirt. IF they ask for the vector file I only send the logo as a PDF, I don't send anything else. They have to pay if they want more than that.

 

[Raghaus]

I like your suggestion. That's truly the best explanation to a customer so far.

She did place an order for shirts and was thrilled with the result & I also charged a design fee. It's actually a pretty involved design, and she had indicated that she's coming back for more - that's why it's all so puzzling.

 

[Stacey K]

I like your suggestion. That's truly the best explanation to a customer so far.

She did place an order for shirts and was thrilled with the result & I also charged a design fee. It's actually a pretty involved design, and she had indicated that she's coming back for more - that's why it's all so puzzling.

Hmmm, maybe ask her where she's getting stuck on the website and tell her if it's just a background she should it to you, you can place in the artwork and send it back...for free, because she's such a good customer and you really enjoy working with her because you hate to charge her for the production files.

 

[unclebun]

I actually like this idea. Never occurred to me to just embed the PNG file I sent her already.

This is what customers always do to us...just send the same crappy jpg we rejected saved as an ai or pdf file.

 

[Big Rice Field]

On the opposite side of the coin, I cannot stand when sign shop owners release mockup drawings for production. The guys in production need shop drawings and not artsy fartsy printouts. Just my two bits worth as a drafting school trained sign designer.

 

[SignEST]

On the opposite side of the coin, I cannot stand when sign shop owners release mockup drawings for production. The guys in production need shop drawings and not artsy fartsy printouts. Just my two bits worth as a drafting school trained sign designer.

This is why most sign shop designers aren't all that. The mockup drawing in their eyes is the hard part finished. I loved giving my customers my drawings so they could go elsewhere to realize that they already got the best product from me. Seems a bit insecure to worry about useless sign designs that aren't patented or proprietary.