Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions...
1. My internet connection is too slow... Do I have any
options?
2. Will the colors on my monitor match my printed output?
3. Do you sell "JUST THE ART?"
4. This must be too expensive... Or is it?
5. How well does it work?
6. What about going Offshore?
1. My internet connection is too slow... Do I have
any options?
The internet is a fabulous medium. However, a lot of your satisfaction
with our site will depend on how long it takes to use it. If you connect
to the internet via a modem; particularly an older modem operating at
28.8, you may decide you're spending a lot of time "browsing". In addition, a lot of the new technology we've
incorporated into this site may not give you very satisfactory results. If this
is the case, you should try to get a faster connection, usually dsl or a "share"
of your neighbor's T1. We've designed our site to provide access to our company
and personnel as well as information about our company and personnel. As a result,
you will need a fast connection to make the most out of your experience with this
site. If you don't have a fast connection, we think it will be worth your time to
get one.
2. Will the colors on my monitor match my printed
output?
It is highly unlikely that any image you view on your computer will
match an original hard copy exactly. This is important when the task
involves fine distinctions in color and explains why such things as
computerized framing hasn't been more successful.
The reason for this is fairly straight forward. Almost no one has taken
the time to carefully calibrate their computer monitor. And even if they
did, differences in such things as the color temperature and intensity
of ambient illumination would render direct comparisons between computer
installations difficult.
The purpose of this site is to give you a good idea of what the art
will look like. Once you've decided on a general look and some general
idea of color and treatment, we'll put together an electronic version of
the art you've designed and get that to you either via email or simply post it to your viewing area on your
Art Dallas space. When you've
approved that, we'll start generating hard copy for you to evaluate.
Only in this way can we be sure we're all on the same page regarding
your art.
3. Do you sell "JUST THE ART?"
Since our inception, our mission has been to provide "Art and Framing Services
to the Trade". Every so often, when we've bid a job that includes both
art and framing, someone asks us if we'll sell "just the art" at the
stated (component) price. So far, we've resisted the temptation, since
in a bid situation, the art we produce is priced as a package with the
framing. Offered this way, the framed package is much less expensive for
the end user .
We know that sooner or later we'll sell "just the art" so if that's
what
you want, we'll figure out how to price it for you. When we're
discussing large jobs, all art prices will presume that we'll be doing
the framing.
4. This must be too expensive... Or is it?
No. Companies that publish posters spend an enormous amount of money
generating inventory, shipping inventory, storing inventory and
marketing their inventory.
Our process is inventory-free. We have the images on CD and we've
purchased publication rights to them. We have NOT gone out and published
them in volume. And we haven't had to ship them in from somewhere. Nor
are we storing them somewhere.
So as long as we make reasonable progress toward a finished product, we
can afford to spend some time making sure our designers get exactly the
image they want with just the right "look". We can put some extra time
into making sure the image is on a terrific medium. And we can spend
some extra time making sure the art is just the right size. We can do
this while still keeping the product competitive with commercial sources
of published art which cannot provide these services.
Generally, for a job involving 200 or more copies of the same image, the
art component of a framed art package totaling $35.00 to $65.00 per
framed image will be in the neighborhood of $8.00 to $25.00. This is
less than a poster and the product can be printed on 100% rag with a
deckled edge and floated on a good-looking mat.
Our "SYSTEM" allows us to spend money where you can see it, not on the
business of making, shipping and marketing inventory.
Additionally, our "SYSTEM" is perfectly geared to the needs of SMALLER
"BOUTIQUE" HOTELS having 80 or fewer rooms. Our price points are NEARLY
INDEPENDENT of run size.
5. How well does it work?
HOW WELL IT WORKS IS A MATTER OF ATTITUDE.
As in all aspects of the modern world, there are limits.
Art Dallas is not open to the general public for several reasons. One of
these is that our art and framing services are priced assuming that
we're dealing with a professional in the design trade. Our prices do not
anticipate endless changes of direction on minor points. That's retail
and it's why you have a password to this area of the artdallas.com web
site. You're a professional. You have a pretty good idea of what you
want and our job is to help you realize your vision, even when it's a
little cloudy.
Our system works well when we make "reasonable progress" to an
acceptable solution to an art problem. It does not work well with
unlimited scope applied to an increasingly obscure objective. Our customer care employees are trained to help you achieve an art solution quickly with
as little or as much assistance as you'd like. They are trained in all
aspects of the art and framing business and, most importantly, when they
don't know, they're trained to ask.
It's been said that there are hundreds of solutions to any but the most
complex design problem --- any one of which will work as well as most of
the others. Our system works as long as our designers understand and
accept that concept. It's a matter of attitude.
6. What about going Offshore?
Art Dallas shops the world for materials to keep your prices as low as
possible, consistent with the level of quality needed. That said, it’s
becoming increasingly popular to work collaboratively with factories in
a variety of countries, most recently China, where, for one reason or
another, they are able to produce volumes of product at extremely low
prices. There are many factors to consider when deciding on whether to
specify a domestically made product or a product manufactured offshore.
Art Dallas will be happy to provide either. In fact, we will be happy to
bid volume jobs both ways and let you decide on which alternative best
suits your needs. Obviously, we have more control over every phase of
manufacture, packing and shipping when we do it in our facilities here
in Dallas,
so there will be no surprises with the product we manufacture, pack and
ship. While we’ve had generally good results from China, there’s a
greater risk of “surprises” at the last minute. Also, unless special
arrangements are made, offshore manufacture usually results in
containers of goods shipped directly to the customer’s site. Sometimes
this is what’s needed and sometimes, it’s not. But, if price is the
major concern, offshore can be the way to go and we have both the
ability and inclination to minimize the risks normally associated with
it.