sending or receiving artwork

[petepaz]

I am getting so tired of getting art work from customers and they send you one type of file and if you can’t open it or you don’t have a font they get all pissy.
They tell you I never had this problem before or you’re doing the job you should fix it (well then you are going to pay for it)
You charge them a price based on taking their artwork and putting trim marks or a cut line then running the job. If I knew I had to do
Extra work or prep to get the file to work then I would have charged a prep charge.
Whenever I have to send a file for reproduction, like for a subcontract job. I send the original, eps, pdf with fonts created to outlines.
How hard is that?

 

[Marlene]

I feel your pain! I get crap from "designers" that makes me want to scream. letters crunched together and overlapping "ready to be cut" but they didn't weld them so I have to. layers covering squiggley lines that look OK if all you are going to do is look at it but they want it routed so do they want all hidden crap? no, but they don't think, they just keep on sending this junk. then there's the average customer who has "art work", a nice .png at 20 dpi and .003" high they want made into a 500 foot high sign...errrrrr

 

[WildWestDesigns]

If these are the end customers sending you files, I'm not surprised. For those that want embroidery work from me (even some of the embroidery professionals that I get artwork from to digitize) they are really not good. And you are right, they do get pissy about it.

Not many end customers understand the term "production-ready". Especially if they are the cheapo customers. I try to educate the ones around here and they just gloss over.

 

[Kevin-shopVOX]

Have you tried sending them a document specifying your art submital guidelines? Outline the requirements and costs if they can't meet them.

 

[genericname]

Have you tried sending them a document specifying your art submital guidelines? Outline the requirements and costs if they can't meet them.

You're assuming clients read the guidelines. Major fallacy.

 

[Marlene]

Not many end customers understand the term "production-ready".

anyone remember "camera ready art"? the worst camera ready art I got from a customer was a napkin with their logo printed on it.

 

[SAR.Summerlin]

One of the problems I have been complaining about for years is that "designers" even real ones who have experience and education still don't know or understand the production process. So they design things that look good but are not appropriate for out put in certain formats like cut vinyl without major file modification. I saw this when I worked in print and still see it now that I am in signs

 

[WildWestDesigns]

One of the problems I have been complaining about for years is that "designers" even real ones who have experience and education still don't know or understand the production process. So they design things that look good but are not appropriate for out put in certain formats like cut vinyl without major file modification.

Oh don't even get me started on that. The double contour outline is the bane of my existence for embroidered logo crests. Might look good in print, but depending on how wide those outlines are, it won't look good.

Doesn't matter if you are using industry standard programs that doesn't mean that mean it will magically work.

 

[Marlene]

this is a file I called "eeek" and sent a screen shot to a customer so they could see why I was charging them to fix the production ready artwork their designer sent to me. the think gray lines are the edges of the piece. the designer hid the areas that extended out from the edges but in the real world where I actually had to make this, all the junk had to stop at the edges. I had to go into edit and clip all the crap that extend past the edges...yes, it was a real mess as you can see and a ton of work.

 

[petepaz]

Have you tried sending them a document specifying your art submital guidelines? Outline the requirements and costs if they can't meet them.

yes it is on our website and one of the main problems i have is with brokers doing this and we have told them many times but still they are confused when this happens

You're assuming clients read the guidelines. Major fallacy.

no doubt! look at all the issues you have with proofs when they are approved with a mistake

 

[fresh]

When you quote a job, make sure to include "CUSTOMER-SUPPLIED PRINT-READY ARTWORK" somewhere. You can also put a little note on the bottom somewhere that says there is a minimum fee if the supplied artwork is not acceptable, and then it is harder for them to argue with you.

I've avoided this problem by not giving any prices out without seeing the artwork files first. Or giving an insane range "Oh, it will be between $200 and $800, I just have to see what we exactly we are doing before I can give you an accurate price." This method really does work, try it!

 

[genericname]

One of the problems I have been complaining about for years is that "designers" even real ones who have experience and education still don't know or understand the production process. So they design things that look good but are not appropriate for out put in certain formats like cut vinyl without major file modification. I saw this when I worked in print and still see it now that I am in signs

My favourite is the "use a hojillion small white shapes to mask the edges of the image" trick.

Or better still, when you're supplied with an image with a white background, and you can tell the customer just used the eraser tool, because there are all kinds of small islands where they didn't overlap.

 

[JaySignsNowCinci]

Been in graphic design for 20 years...i did design and print for CD's for 17 years and the same problem from customers....they never give you the linked files....outlined fonts....or the fonts you need to complete the job....the list can go on but this problem with always be there as long as there are dumb *** designers who never touched a print machine or ever messed with bleed...i mean its a never ending story.....Patience..lol

 

[rjssigns]

I get all the same things everyone has listed. Sad part is no matter how we try to educate the clients things will continue this way.
Seems a lot of designers are drop and run. Clients have no idea the bag of poop they bought from the so called creative genius.

One bright spot is the designer that taught me when he was an adjunct professor. When he sends us files they are flawless. Banner files have the correct bleed and hem allowance, even have micro crosshairs where the grommets go. Almost brings a tear to the eye...

 

[Gino]

We have a line item which states artwork not included. Provided by others.
If need be we have another one which explains the ways we can accept it or we'll have to add artwork time to the project for an additional charge.

If it's easy, we don't enforce it, but if someone wants to be a d!ckhead, we just point to it and show them where it's written and it's at $145 per hour.

Had a guy about a month ago, insisted he had vector artwork. He sent it to us every-which-way. Told him repeatedly, either you provide us with vector or we have to create it. He finally broke down when he came in and saw it on our monitor blown up to where it was gonna be for his job. We ended up charging an additional $360.

Then he said.... can I have that artwork since I just paid for it ??

I gave it to him.