Desktop publishing software came free with my computer… Why should I spend money to have you design my materials?

How do I know if my image/video is "copyright-free"?

Desktop publishing software came free with my computer… Why should I spend money to have you design my materials?

This is the big question and, therefore, it has many answers:

-- Hiring a professional brings knowledge and expertise that you may not already have. A software program is simply a tool (like paintbrush, oils and canvas)... having it doesn’t instill the talent to create a masterpiece.

-- Of course, many programs include templates which allow the user to fill in text and images and present a more professional look. This may be acceptable to some people and accomplishes their design goals. The down-side of this practice is that many others will be using those same templates and your materials will not stand out and may even look just like your competition. Additionally, the way the content (text, images, etc.) is presented is at least as important to the design of a piece as the framework into which it is placed.

-- When the design you see on the screen has to be translated to a printed product (whether it is printed from your own printer or by a commercial printer), it is important that the person doing the design understand both “languages”. This is because “what you see is what you get” is not a guarantee since the screen can only show a reasonable facsimile of what will print.

-- Understanding the “language” of digital files/imagery for internet use and broadcast is also necessary. Monitors and televisions show colors differently and browsers have limits depending on their versions and platforms (for example).

How do I know if my image/video is "copyright-free"?

-- A copyright-free image, or video, is one that you personally photographed or created. Any image, or video, that is taken by a professional photographer remains the property of the photographer (unless you arrange otherwise). The same applies to commercial artists and their creations.

-- It can also be an image that you purchased as a royalty-free product. Always read the terms of use to be sure you are not violating the law.

-- Clip art and photographic images are often available free of charge on the internet… there are also many that are so only if those images are not used for a commercial venture; and if they are, you are expected to pay for the image (on your honor). Always read the terms of use to be sure you are not violating the law.

The image I copied from the internet prints very tiny even though it fills my computer screen… how can I make it bigger?

-- There are two issues that need to be considered before answering this question. 1) Copying images from the internet may violate copyright laws. Before you copy an image, make sure that it is not copyright protected. There are many sites that provide images available free of charge… there are also many that do so only if those images are not used for a commercial venture; and if they are, you are expected to pay for the image (on your honor). Always read the terms of use to be sure you are not violating the law. 2) Images presented on screen are measured in pixels and the larger the number of pixels the larger the file size. To reduce the amount of time it takes to see an image via the internet, it is necessary to keep the file sizes as small as possible. When the same image is printed, the software used to translate it assigns a “dots per inch” value depending on the kind of printer it is. For example, if the printer assigns a 150 dpi then a 300 pixel wide image will print about 2 inches wide. But, depending on the size of your monitor and the resolution you have assigned to it, that same image may fill your screen.

-- Assuming that the image is not copyrighted, you can use a photo manipulation software to change the size of the image. You should take into consideration that enlarging an image means adding information to it arbitrarily and will affect the quality of the results. We do not recommend using screen acquired images for print projects unless they are specifically made for that purpose. There are many internet sites that sell digital images for print use.