How would you guys..

[dburgessjr]

handle the attached artwork?
This would be customer supplied artwork to us; which gives me the impression they paid for this to be created and its in vector format.  To get them to adjust it or pay again probably will be out of the questions.  Also, they are not budging on a six color design.  If you can zoom in you can tell its a really crappy auto trace of their company vehicle and they went nuts with the gradients.

So what would be the best way to handle printing this?  Should I clean the vector artwork up and print the six colors?  Should I raster the image and export as CMYK; four color process?  Something else?

Thanks!

[Frog]

handle the attached artwork?

To get them to adjust it or pay again probably will be out of the questions.  Also, they are not budging on a six color design. 

A few questions;

Did they just essentially say "here is our work, go with it"

How many colors were discussed?

Have you quoted a price?
Before or after receiving the art?

Are you in habit of throwing in art time for nothing?

Big run, long standing customer who you treat special?

[3Deep]

For me spot color all the way with halftones here and there...you'll be able to hit the colors dead on cymk will work allso, but why go thru that pain, SPOT color brother!!

Darryl

[dburgessjr]

Yes, they emailed me a the vector files and said, "how much to print this".  I went through the artwork and pulled out the six colors (my limit) I could use to print the job.  I told them six colors and if they wanted to save, I could reduce the design down to maybe 4 colors.  They replied back, wanting a firm quote on six colors.  No price has been quoted yet as I'm still trying to figure out the fastest (for me) and least expensive (for them) way to accomplish this job.  I'm not normally in the habit of doing artwork for free, that's why I dont feel they will pay a second time to have their artwork created.

Its not a huge order, only 48 shirts - Ash Grey.  I would consider them to be a long standing customer.  I've been printing their orders for the past 6-8 years; but this is their first order with their new design.  Their normal shirt design was only a 2 color back and they were good for 3-5 orders a year.

[Frog]

I am still concerned with your rightful concern of low quality. After all, your name and reputation goes on this.
I'd spell it out. If it is good enough for you, but less than you'd like, tell them. Perhaps their artist can talk to you and improve it.
If, you or someone else could improve it, give them that option as well.

But don't sell your art time and skills short!

[JBLUE]

I am still concerned with your rightful concern of low quality. After all, your name and reputation goes on this.
I'd spell it out. If it is good enough for you, but less than you'd like, tell them. Perhaps their artist can talk to you and improve it.
If, you or someone else could improve it, give them that option as well.

But don't sell your art time and skills short!

Follow Frog's advice and be up front and honest with them. Crap in crap out usually is a good explanation.

[Sbrem]

How about if you send it Dan for a quote on the seps... tell him you have a 6 color press. I see it as a 6 color that would work, but what color shirts?

Steve

[3Deep]

Boy you jokers still haddn't answered the mans question, if they sent you vector art do a spot colo job and be done with it.  Now if you don't know how to do your seps thats another thing.

Darryl, Oh you fellers

[Frog]

Darryl, His main question was "How do I handle this artwork"?

Two of the things that he brought up were that they hadn't budgeted for a six color job, and it was crappy, and should he clean it up?

1. Those issues must be addressed
2. I also still stand by statement of his reputation is being judged on this no matter who did the art.

Now, it's a matter of if he can make it look good by virtually doing nothing more than hitting "Print as separations" making screens and running it, or if he or someone else needs to work on it (with compensation)

[jason-23]

Looks to be five colors and a under base, 6 if you want a high lite white. If it was me I would just fix the art, sep it out, films, shoot screens and print dat bitch. What's the freaking problem, I get this kind of crap every day and in a lot worse condition to start with. At least you have vector files to start with, all my nightmare jobs are web images or pictures of some ones friend uncles brothers truck in Texas...lol. You are a screen printer right, this is what we do. send me the files

[3Deep]

Darryl, His main question was "How do I handle this artwork"?

Two of the things that he brought up were that they hadn't budgeted for a six color job, and it was crappy, and should he clean it up?

1. Those issues must be addressed
2. I also still stand by statement of his reputation is being judged on this no matter who did the art.

Now, it's a matter of if he can make it look good by virtually doing nothing more than hitting "Print as separations" making screens and running it, or if he or someone else needs to work on it (with compensation)

Dam Andy your right I missed that, sorry guys my bad, but I agree with Jason I get 1x1 inch jpegs to work from at 72 dpi thats a bitch.  Alls I can say is make it happen Captain

[Chadwick]

Nice one Andy.
 
First things first.

As for the ' after that gets sorted ', part of the question,
I would rasterize and sep spot colors that way, as, just looking at the jpeg,
the vector file is not built proper, or print-ready,

*but, with a raster in a few colors, you can adjust it quicker than fighting with fubar vectors
( I hate typing thoughts, sorry )

* and then, you can start fixing, if you care about what you print, and the money is there.
Even if it isn't it'll make your life easier.
Vectorize the mess after, if you feel the need, because it'll be less of a mess than if the vector file is fubar from the start.

I hate printing cr*p, it's too much work for a product that sucks at the end of it all.
so fix what you can.

There's many steps after this, but that's a start, after the start.