posted
How do I simply explain to a customer the difference between ESP (Jpeg) and Vector art? They don't get it.I want to devise a email to potential customers that if they supply artwork, it's needs to be "Vector". Or I gonna have to redraw it and they get charged extra. I don't wanna hear, "But can't you just scan it?'.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3820 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Jpg files are RASTER images, made up of pixels of color. VECTOR graphics are PATHS that have had a color fill or gradient applied to them. Plotters can interpret these vector paths as X and y coordinates to cut the letter or shape or whatever.
Raster graphics don't have paths that the plotter can see. That is why the art must be vectorized in Jpg and bitmap files.
posted
Alicia, the way I explain it is, a photo needs lines on the artwork in order for the plotter to know where to cut, like in a coloring book. And the lines can't cross over each other if they're the same color, they have to be joined.
I generally also ensure they are prepared for me to tweek it from some to alot. Not everyone knows how to draw well in vector format and I refuse to cut bad artwork.
posted
"I want to devise a email to potential customers that if they supply artwork, it's needs to be "Vector"."
Tuff one...
Most people think just about anything can be copied by a computer in 2 seconds, mostly because they think all art on a computer is universally usable on every computer.
In layman's terms...
Jpegs, bitmaps and other raster images are made up of lots of little dots, the same way your television makes colors. Since they are so small, you eyes "mix" them together to get all kinds of colors.
"Vector" is when each color is made with a solid shape. Think of a puzzle of the United States. Each one has a solid shape, usually in different colors. When they are all put together, the whole country is shown. Vector art is like that puzzle...put all the pieces of color together and you get the whole design.
Hope this helps... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I gave up wasting my time explaining and just hit them with a setup charge whether they supply vector artwork or not, with one very very rare exception which I will get to later in this post.
You've got two types of customers.
The first one won't understand what you're talking about, and that's fine because it's NOT their job to know.
The other one will, by shear dumb luck, know what you're talking about or *gasp* even have their vector artwork on file (hey someone already educated them for you!). The caveat is, now you gotta waste even more time trying to import their artwork because of issues with program versions/compatibility. Once you get it opened up you find there's missing fonts or the artwork is such a rat's nest it needs 30-60 minutes of rework to make it plotter-friendly.
There's also the extremely rare case of customer-supplied artwork actually being ready for production, ie: "Blow-n-Go" which might take 5 minutes to setup, so forgoing a setup fee is up to you. I think in the last 8 years I can count on one hand the number of customers that have given me vector artwork that required no additional setup time to run the job.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
This is one reason I like to do work for other sign companies. That headache, along with many others, is already taken care of. Saves me a lot of money for aspirin.
posted
One analogy that I've use that seems to work is this.
Vector art is like the blueprint to a house. From the blueprint every detail of the house can be determined and the house may easily be constructed from the ground up. It will be perfect in every detail.
JPGs, Scans, TIFs...etc. are all Raster images that are roughly equivalent to a photograph of the house. While the photo may show what the house looks like from a particular angle at a particular point in time, it does not provide the necesarry information to recreate the house. From the picture can you tell how many bedrooms it has? The number of bathooms? How large is the kitchen? What size is the living room? Etc. Etc. Many important details are lost in the photo.
I'm constructing a brand new sign with your logo and I need the blueprint so that I may accurately and completely reproduce your logo.
You can then go on to tell them that raster/Photo images are made with photo editing programs, scanners and cameras. Vector/blueprint images are made with drawing or CAD programs.
This usually gets the message across.
-------------------- Jim McLain McLain Studios 1203 Main Street Asbury Park, NJ 07712 jlm@mclainstudios.com Posts: 42 | From: New Jersey | Registered: Aug 2004
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I explain it this way: A jpg file, scanned, memorises every dot, and what colour it is, and where it is. It can be a huge file, and fuzzy, depending on the resolution, ie the number of dots.
A vector file is a mathematical formula for the outline of the shape, and a formula for the internal colour-two items which are small, and precise. This can be enlarged or shrunk without loss, nor filesize growth, nor fuzziness. That's quality, and that's the difference!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
When I had a retail store front, I would just ask them for the secret password. First I'd ask the question, "Do you have your logo saved in a vector format with no crossing lines?" to which they had to reply within 5 seconds, "Yes, I have vinyl-ready artwork."
If they said "huh?", shook their head, paused, looked funny, wrinkled their forehead, got a blank look, scratched their head, or even just blinked... I'd immediately say... "I'm sorry, that was a silly question.... anyway, to set your logo up to cut will be a minimum of $40 to $80 depending on how long it takes"
Then if they said "OK" it was at least $80, but if they'd act like it was a deal killer... I'd maybe try to charge around $40...
-------------------- Jon Jantz Snappysign.com jjantz21@gmail.com http://www.allcw.com Posts: 3395 | From: Atmore, AL | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I think Mike Pipes has it right. I don't spend a lot of time explaining vector art because customers rarely have it anyway. We usually just build the computer tweaking into the price of the sign.
I do at least try to get better artwork by asking for something from Illustrator or CorelDraw, but that usually yields a low-quality jpeg stuffed inside a PDF.
Since when did PDF become the universal wrapper for TIFF, GIF, and JPEG images? It wastes the customer's time to put it in PDF, and it wastes my time to extract it. It's the same thing when people embed their images in Word docs. I guess they don't understand that the photo can be sent by itself.
Like Mike said, even the vector art is often a nightmare. I remember trying to unravel a customer's artwork that had about 150 clipping paths all sitting on top of each other. In cases like that it's easier to just use that image as a template to trace from.
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
A lot of times I get a business card to scan..
Hell with that!!
Someone designed the artwork for the business card in the first place.
Find out who...give em a call and go from there
-------------------- Dave Grundy retired in Chelem,Yucatan,Mexico/Hensall,Ontario,Canada 1-519-262-3651 Canada 011-52-1-999-102-2923 Mexico cell 1-226-785-8957 Canada/Mexico home
Vector Art is for cutting or printing. Jpeg.gif.tiff.pdf.psd. and on and on and ...................................... is simply and only for printing. To fix a file (redraw) will cost millions.
Just go away please.
_No.1___________Best Answer.......
Jack
-------------------- Jack Wills Studio Design Works 1465 E.Hidalgo Circle Nye Beach / Newport, OR Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Mud-Flap-Senorita ! kayy-pashhhha ?-is that how it's spelled ? oh well here's my suggestion:
i also have "wasted" my time explaining the same issue to customers-with little effect.
i kinda like Jack's perspective, but they won't work with these locals.
we handle this in 2 ways, usually depending on how the customer has approached us for work,
email inquiries, via our website i guess, we have a microsft doc with this explained ( by someone else....say like Barry's above ) already to copy & paste, then send to "customer" ....cuss-to-me---r ! that is.
second if they walk in, we have a really crummy scanned logo that we weeded in vinyl & the one we spend time on cleaning up-before & after sorta.
thirdly, if they call in we get them to do the above 2 actions or....we say" EVEN signs by Lunchtime will have to spend time to design & clean up this art "... & therefore cost to you to do this job.
the bonus to them.... ( most folks listen to WiFi radio, right....What's in it for ME )
is we will have it on file for the next sign "need".
but your so sweet you could just wisper something in e`spanol while sliding the credit card device across your office counter @ them !
no`shh-vemousshhh MFS ! Z.....the southern Maryland Wallslopper....senior that is.
-------------------- mark zilliox mark z signs 8425 pushaw station rd. owings md. 20736 301-855-5407 thezs@earthlink.net http://www.markzsigns.com Posts: 348 | From: maryland | Registered: May 2003
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My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Russ, not once. However, they have paid for the time to clean up, and or create a vector file. so...........you gotta tell them something,without being rude or non-professional.
-------------------- mark zilliox mark z signs 8425 pushaw station rd. owings md. 20736 301-855-5407 thezs@earthlink.net http://www.markzsigns.com Posts: 348 | From: maryland | Registered: May 2003
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quote:Originally posted by David Harding: Never... but I don't know if I have ever successfully explained vectors to anyone yet.
I guess my point is, I'm not sure it's important for them to know all the technical details. I usually ask for the best artwork they have. If it's not what I need, I might tell them it doesn't have the instructions the vinyl cutter needs to cut shapes. If the amount of computer work is significant, we tell them it's going to be billed out at our hourly shop rate. If it's a small amount (15 minutes or less) we just figure it in to the price of the sign and the customer may never know we had to convert their artwork.
My mind wanders. And that's not a good thing, 'cause it's too small to be out there alone. Posts: 3129 | From: Tooele, UT | Registered: Mar 2005
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