Barker Specialty Company
Guidelines for using e-mail to deliver electronic artwork.
E-mail Guidelines
If your artwork is too large for e-mail (over 5MB), please contact your sales representative and register for use of our art file uploader. If you use e-mail to deliver electronic artwork, please follow these recommended guidelines:
Subject
Every e-mail message has a “subject” that should contain your distributor company name and the purchase order number associated with your artwork file attachment. For example:
“artwork for Barker Specialty Promotions PO#3825”
Signatures
Don’t be anonymous! Suppliers need to know who is sending the artwork and the e-mail reply address is often misleading or insufficient. Be sure you sign your e-mail message with all these details.
• The full name of the sender or contact regarding the artwork
• Your company name
• The physical address of your company and/or the sender, if different from your company (for shipment of proofs, return of disks, etc.)
• Your e-mail address (for any reply message)
• Telephone and fax numbers
• Your industry ID numbers, e.g., UPIC, ASI, PPAI, etc.
Most e-mail software programs allow you to create one or more “signatures” that will automatically appear at the bottom of every message you send. Take the time to create a signature that includes all the elements listed above, so that you need not type it manually every time you dispatch an artwork file by e-mail.
Message body
Take the time to make your e-mail message as detailed as possible to avoid confusion and delays. It helps to state the number of attached files, as in these examples:
“Enclosed are two artwork files, one for each side of the mug”
“Enclosed is one ZIP archive containing three font files, one Photoshop image, two CorelDraw illustrations and my Quark document”
Compression
Before sending any artwork file, you should use compression software to protect it from damage in transit. Compression can make large files smaller to decrease the online time,
but the more important benefit is the way it encloses the delicate artwork files inside a file type that was designed for proper transmittal.
The two most popular compression formats are “zip” and “sit.” (Do not confuse “zip” with the popular Iomega-brand disks of the same name.) Each compression format is also capable of creating “self-expanding” editions with the file extensions “exe” (for Windows only) and “sea”
(for Macintosh only).
Compression software varies in price and is frequently updated to keep pace with evolving operating systems. A convenient Web site you can
use to obtain these utilities is where you can read
user reviews, compare prices and features, and select the version most suitable for your use. Another popular site is Aladdin Systems found
at
Suppliers are strongly encouraged to stay equipped with current versions of software to handle both compression formats.
Dedicated e-mail address
Suppliers should create a unique e-mail address for receipt of artwork file attachments. This practice helps implement auto-responses (see below) and can avoid delivery problems resulting from personnel changes.
Acknowledgement
Suppliers are encouraged to acknowledge e-mail receipt of electronic artwork by following the guidelines and making theses polices known to their customers.
Auto-responses should only be sent if the suppliers system is capable of discerning that a file attachment was actually received. Otherwise, the supplier should acknowledge the receipt of artwork file attachments before the end of the next business day.
Third-party considerations (ad agencies, designers, clients, etc.)
Suppliers, distributors and salespeople should all recognize the potential security (confidentiality) issues that may arise from direct communications between suppliers
and parties other than distributor personnel.
Distributors should be aware that there are potential hazards that can occur when they “relay” artwork from an author to a supplier. Even if they do not actually “open” the artwork files, the process of forwarding can inadvertently decompress files resulting in subsequent damage in transit. Therefore, whenever possible, artwork should travel directly from its author to the supplier.
Distributors should be included in all direct communications with “CC” e-mail messages, including reply messages from the supplier to the sender of the artwork.
Suppliers should take precautions to insure that third-party e-mail addresses will not appear on business documents such as invoices or packing slips. Third-party e-mail addresses should not become recipients of supplier bulletins, pricing information or
other confidential information that may be distributed via e-mail.
Choosing your ISP is a business decision
When selecting a service provider, consider the way you will be using the Internet in your business. The service provider’s job is to connect you…once connected, you could find that you encounter unexpected problems. Some are minor and only affect personal use of the Internet, but those that have consequences for your business are worth avoiding.
Many people are attracted by the simplicity and attractive price of companies like America Online, Prodigy, and Compuserve (among others). These companies provide more than just a connection to the Internet; they also offer content. Other service providers, e.g., Hotmail and Juno, offer free or low-cost e-mail to customers who tolerate ads and limited World Wide Web access. Some providers also impose limitations on the size of file attachments or the format they permit to travel through their systems.
Using anything less than a full-service ISP could cause frustration, especially with attachments such as artwork files. Distributors are urged to graduate to a full service Internet service provider to avoid the delivery problems that are often associated with content service providers.
Select e-mail software that fits your needs
Many computer users are not aware that they have a choice of e-mail software programs; they use the one that came pre-installed on their computer or was included with another Internet program, such as Netscape or America Online.
Yes, there is a choice, and many of them are available free. If your computer uses Windows operating system, you can choose from Outlook Express or Outlook, both from Microsoft. Netscape Communicator and Eudora Pro are also available. Macintosh users can use Outlook Express, Entourage, or Outlook (all from Microsoft) or Netscape Communicator or Eudora Pro. And, there are others.
When choosing an e-mail “client” program, you might focus on the way it helps you organize, schedule, and manage your e-mail. Most programs allow you to create folders and “rules” (automated actions that free you from repetitive tasks). Another important feature is the setting that governs the way attachments (both incoming and outgoing) are handled “behind the scenes” because this can greatly influence your success with the delivery of artwork files to your suppliers.