Your artwork is precious. It is one of a kind, and often irreplaceable. It gives your customers their first impression of your brand and helps establish your business as a unique entity. Just like any other valuable document, it is very important that you back-up the created artwork. When you submit your art to Louisville Label, we then will have a copy of your artwork. Though we typically will still have a copy here even after your labels have been printed, it is the customer’s responsibility to keep a copy (or even multiple) of their artwork. Here are the reasons why:
Files Can be Lost at Anytime
That dreaded moment. The screen goes black, no amount of troubleshooting will turn it back on. Panic sets in and your mind fills with all of the irreplaceable documents, photos and information that are gone forever. A computer crash or program malfunctions can happen to anyone. If you’ve ever experienced that awful moment, you probably know the importance of backing up your work on a USB, external drive or even a disc. Though we go to great effort to safe guard our digital files, we are just as vulnerable as anyone else to a random digital loss. Machines often malfunction for no apparent cause. For this reason, having your artwork in two places is especially critical.
We Clean House Regularly
When printing art on the Flexo Press, we use custom printing plates. Almost every year, we go through and clean out the plates that have not been used recently. Anything that has not been used in five or more years runs the risk of being tossed. This is another reason why it is essential you backup your artwork. If Louisville Label does not have the plates OR art, we can no longer print the labels without having to recreate the art first. If we happen to still have the art files still, Louisville Label is able to recreate the plate.
Recreating Artwork is not an Easy Process
What would it mean if you have to recreate the art? It means more money spent having artwork created, more time for printing and often a lot of difficulties trying to recreate something of the same quality and specifications. Though we do some in-house art creation, we don’t typically create major projects here, so there would also be a need for an outside company to create the artwork for you. Even if one day you would like to change your label, it’s always important to have your original artwork to work from. We want to set you up for success so you don’t have to face the daunting task of recreating your artwork.
In the Event That You do Need to Recreate Your Artwork, Here are Some Helpful Tips.
- Creating art is not as simple as one would think. It is very easy to run into problems when you have someone create art for you. Art creation can seem like an easy, no-brainer, but there are definitely guidelines to follow. Because of this, having someone who has been trained and is knowledgeable in creating art for printing purposes is very important. Additionally, we are only able to accept specific types of fine. We recently discussed this in our blog, you can read about it here.
- It is not wise to create an art file with an everyday program like Microsoft Word. While this is convenient and cheap, the quality is likely to not be what is needed for something as important as your labels.
- Don’t ask just anyone to do it. So often we hear, “My Aunt Sue’s best friend from her knitting club down the street might be able to create my logo because, well, she is just a very creative soul and if she can knit, why can’t she do that?” This might seem like an inexpensive solution in the beginning but often that person is not aware of the professional details needed to set up the artwork correctly. Once it’s incorrectly created, more time and money will be required fixing the art.
- Beware of companies who offer to create art for free. Do your research and always go with a reputable source. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Some companies will create art for their customers but, because they created it, will not give over the actual files for the art. Once this happens, switching to a different printing company becomes very difficult. We have had several customers who have unfortunately found themselves in this predicament. The creating company makes the file inaccessible while also increasing costs for even poor quality work and longer lead times. It is very important to know what your rights are to your art prior to having someone create it for you.
Printing and Proofing
We want your labels to be outstanding. For this reason, we are very specific about what quality of artwork file is being used. We will not print unless it is the correct file type that will print well and provide a high-quality product. We want you to have only the best!
It is also extremely important for you, as the customer, to always physically print your proof you receive from us. The print out will give you a better idea of what the art will look like in size, layout, and quality. The computer screen often does not always show how small and how well parts of labels will print. Also, you can typically look at the art in a larger version on the screen, which can be deceiving. When you print your label, be sure to do so at 100% so it is true to size. In the event you do not have access to a printer, we are happy to send a printed copy for your approval.
Have questions about your artwork or want to get started creating your labels? We would love to hear from you! Give us a call or fill-out our “Quick Quote” today!
