In the past few weeks we’ve had a number of print jobs come in with images that were low resolution and or copyright protected. So… here are a few key things to know if you are creating your own flyers, brochures, business card, and logos.
:: Images in Microsoft Publisher are low resolution meaning the quality is ok for your home printer but not for print.
:: Secondly, Microsoft Clipart is not for commercial use. There is a disclaimer and truth is, the clipart is not presenting a professional image for your business.
:: Taking an image off Google Images is not a wise choice. Proper credit needs to be given to these images and or licenses purchased.
:: Even stock photo sites have disclaimers about usage. You can select from royalty free images, images with royalty and more.
:: In addition to royalty issues you need to look into the number of usages you have upon purchasing an image. It might allow you to use the image for one type of collateral. If you want to use it in a brochure, poster and postcard you may need to purchase the image for each use.
Though clipart may be accessible and easy to place, think about the image you present. For relatively little, you can access stock images that project a professional image.
We’ll explore the con’s to using clipart as part of your logo in another post.
A few sites to look at:
www.istockphoto.com
www.gettyimages.com
www.bigstockphotos.com
www.jupitarimages.com
Please share the photo sites when you can. Some of the photo sites listed in the original post have merged or are no longer around. We’ve also used Bigstockphoto.com a few times.