1)Getting Started With Artboom

Content Management

Q: How can I put images in the website’s gallery?

A: The first thing you have to do is to log in to your account. Look at the left side of the screen and you’ll see the ‘My Artwork’ button. Simply click on this and you’ll be redirected to the upload page. From that page, you can post your image and add a description, tags, and assign it to a movement, subject, medium and colour.
If you don’t want to upload your images yourself, you can also send them via snail mail in a CD or DVD. Processing charges may apply for this particular option.

Q: What are the most important things I should know about making print-ready image? A: You can find out everything you need to know about uploading your image files by following this link: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx That page also specifies the file formats that our site accepts.

Q: I’m having a problem uploading my high resolution files. An error window keeps on popping up. What can I do?

A: It’s normal for you to experience errors while you’re uploading a high resolution image file because these uploads are more prone to timeouts. If your image file is bigger than 200MB will most likely fail to upload completely. These are usually files in TIF format with resolutions bigger than 10,000 x 10,000.

You don’t really have to upload an image that’s this big. 10,000 pixels on a 40” x 60” print (which is our largest print size) would have a resolution of 1.66.66ppi. The website’s minimum resolution for the largest print size is only 100ppi, so it’s alright to resize and make it a bit smaller.
Another option is to convert the image to a JPEG file in the highest quality setting. If you’re using Photoshop, this is 12, and it has the smallest compression rate so your image’s resolution is still good. We won’t edit or change the format of your file once it’s uploaded, so you can be sure that the quality of the image won’t degrade on print. To know more about Printing Basics on Artboom, please go to this page.
An added note: If you’ve saved PNG files as 16bit or 32 bit, these images cannot be uploaded properly, either. Please convert them to 8bit, or change the file format altogether to JPEG. If you really prefer to send us the highest resolution of your images, you can mail them to us in a disk or use FTP. We can assure you, though, that these resolutions don’t always produce stellar results. For the largest print size, a JPEG image with 100ppi would do.

Q: I have copyrighted images. If I upload them on Artboom, will they be safe?

A: You can rest assured that all copyrighted images you upload on our website are very safe. When you upload your high resolutions images to our website, only a preview, web-ready image will appear on the screen. Your high resolution images will stay offline, and only our team will be able to access it to process ordered prints.
We’re also bound by a contract not to distribute copies of your high resolution prints unless a customer purchases them. All copyright laws will apply to every image that you upload to our website, and when people buy prints from our shop, it’s also as if they’ve bought prints from a brick-and-mortar shop. The Artboom team is also not allowed to distribute high resolution digital copies of your art form, and we can only sell them in their printed forms.

Q: Are there different types of account?

A: Artboom has three types of account. One for Artists, Galleries and Collectors. A membership allows you to benefit from all the features which are available. These include print-on-demand services, high quality mats, and a huge selection of frames to accompany the prints of your artworks. The free membership account allows you as many galleries as you please.
The number of tags and categories you can use for your upload will also be unlimited.
The accounts also allow you to upload an unlimited number of images to your galleries.
The accounts allow you to earn commission with frames, mats and glazing sold with your artwork’s print. All members get 10% commission for the products.
If you you’re a commercial photographer, digital artist, illustrator, painter, or the owner of a brick-and-mortar gallery, these accounts would give you more exposure than your competition and so giving you more opportunity for sales.

Q: Are all my uploaded images included in the Online Art Gallery?

A: Your images will be included in the Online Art Gallery as long as you put them in a gallery, and as soon as Artboom approves of them. Your images will have to meet the website’s content guidelines first. If they don’t, Artboom has the discretion to remove these images from the public Online Art Gallery, make the gallery where it’s stored private, or ask you to rate the image Private yourself.

Q: What are tags for?

A: It’s recommended that you include tags when you upload your work because these keywords allow your images to be more easily searched by shoppers. When you’re putting your tags, put yourself in the shopper’s shoes. You can use actual words to describe your artwork. These would act like magnets that would track down the image of your artwork and include it in the Artboom search results. It can be anything: from the focal point of your artwork, or a dominant colour you’ve used to complete the painting.
You should use generic words that someone else would most likely encode on a search box to look for paintings or images similar to yours. If your tag is too specific and is least likely to be used by people as a keyword, shoppers who might be interested in buying your artwork won’t find it. You should also avoid using hyphens in your tags because this limits the chances that your image will place well on searches. When you’re placing tags, you should go for single words. That is, unless you really need to use two words (for example, Los Angeles) to categorize your artwork.

Q: What kind of file formats can I upload to my Artboom gallery?

A: Artboom currently accepts jpeg, tiff, psd, eps and pdf formats. If you have several files to upload, it would be faster to transfer them in a compressed RAR or ZIP file through FTP. The recommended file format for online uploads is JPEG because the file sizes of this format is generally smaller compared to TIFF, yet the compression is small enough so that the resolution is not compromised. You may experience uploading problems (because of connection limitations on your part) when you’re using TIFF formats. Instead of uploading them online, we suggest that you either convert them to JPEG or send them to us via an optical media.
The processing and uploading fees are very minimal. We only charge $5 per CD, and $15 per DVD. If you prefer this option, simply contact us through info@artboom.com

Q: What are your limitations for file sizes per upload?

A: Both our web and desktop uploaders can only handle 10000 x 10000 pixels at a time. This pixilation is already enough for even the biggest print size we’re offering to customers, so there’s no need to give us an image with a higher resolution than that. If you’re uploading a JPEG or TIFF file, it’s safe to keep it a little under 200MB.

Q: I want to upload more than one file at a time. Will your system allow me to do this?

A: Artboom has a lot of members, and to ensure stability in uploading, we have to limit our web-based uploader to upload only 1 file at a time.
Q: What do you mean by a “print-ready” image?

A: Print-ready images are images of fine art that have been captured by either professional photography or drum scanning. They may have been digitally manipulated to be cropped or color corrected. Each of these images has been examined for unwanted particles which may appear only in close magnification. These also include digital art, high resolution photographs, and even vector art.
Artboom is not simply a photo sharing site or an online website profiling an artist. The community also sells art reproduction via prints. For the satisfaction of customers who may want to purchase these prints, the community asks artists to upload only the highest resolutions of their art work. To find out more about how to upload the best print-ready image, please go to xxxxxxxxxxxx.

Q: How do I know what print sizes my artwork will be available in?

A: Once you upload your artwork’s image, the team will use predetermined image sizes and quality guidelines to assess the biggest allowable print size for it. This is usually gauged through the dimensions of the pixel, and the general quality of the image you have uploaded. It’s also important to note that we will not print any image that has a resolution lower than 100ppi. Once these rules are applied, you will see which print sizes have been activated or deactivated.
For example, if you have uploaded an image with a 600 x 800 pixel resolution at 100dpi, this file can only be rendered as a 6” x 8” print. The upload client will then warn you that the image you’ve uploaded is too small. On the other hand, if you’ve uploaded an image that’s 4400 x 6000 pixels with 100 dpi, provided that it’s free from artifacts and is in-focus, then your image will be available for printing in all sizes up to 44’’ x 60’’.
Artboom recommends artists to upload the biggest files they have with a cap of 1000 x 1000 pixels to allow users to buy their artwork’s images in all print size options. To know more on how to make your images print-ready, please go to xxxxxxxxx.
Q: What else do I need to know about image resolution?

A: Put simply, your image’s resolution states how much information can be found in 1 inch of your digital image at your chosen print size. The digital images you’re going to be uploading will be measured in pixels, so the resolution indicates the number of pixels your image has per inch. This is what is meant by “ppi” or pixels per inch. An image with 300ppi would therefore have 300 pixels per inch.
300ppi is the recommended resolution for print-ready images uploaded to our website. This is because the number of pixels per inch controls the sharpness of the image and the general quality of it in print. PPI is not to be confused with DPI which translates to “dots per inch”. DPI measured the drops of ink applied on the image per square inch. The Epson 9800 delivers an astonishing resolution of 2880 x 1440 dpi 1400 dpi to ensure the quality of your images.
To find out more about output resolution, simply refer to xxxxxxxxxx.

Q: I’m not seeing my images on my gallery. What seems to be wrong?

A: As soon as you’ve uploaded your image files you should be able to see them in your gallery. If you don’t, this means you’ve encountered uploading errors due to slow connections, corrupted data, or files that are too large. If you’ve uploaded an image that is too small to be printed (those that have less than 800 x 800 pixels) you will receive an error image which says “file too small”.
On occasion, some users also mistake their public view from their logged in account. This happens when they’re not logged in to their accounts, which is a must if they want to upload files to their own galleries. To ensure that you’re actually uploading the image to your gallery, check if you’re logged in and use the upload client that’s in the gallery itself. If you’re worried, on the other hand, that your images are not listed in the public art gallery of Artboom, check your gallery’s settings because it might be set to private. Just change it to “public” and your images will be listed shortly.
Take note that if your image was tagged as adult”, it will only be visible to a select number of users who have chosen to view adult content.
Is your upload taking longer than usual? This may be an upload failure. Just try it again. If it still doesn’t work, and if you experience repeated uploading errors, you can simply quote the error message in your report or take a screen captured image of the errors. Send your report to info@artboom.com.
For file errors saying that your image is too small, refer to xxxxx to fix the problem.

Q: I’ve uploaded my image, but some of the print-sizes have been grayed out or deactivated. What does this mean?

A: Once you’ve uploaded your images, Artboom will automatically assess the quality of the file. You might find that some of the print sizes are grayed-out and could not be clicked on. This means that they have been deactivated because the image that you’ve uploaded is not big enough to render a good quality print in these sizes. This usually happens when you’ve taken photographs or scanned the artwork yourself.
To activate all print sizes, you may want to hire a professional to scan or photograph your artworks for you.

Q: What color profiles does Artboom use?

A: You don’t have to worry about tiny discrepancies between the color appearance on-screen and in-print because Artboom has a fully color-managed environment and the team’s output devices (monitors, print media and printers) are all maintained and profiled by reliable technicians. For example, if you’ve specifically embedded an ICC profile to all of your images, the effects will be precisely reproduced to the print versions. You can also work on either sRGB or AdobeRGB(1998) as long as your file contains the profile information.

Our Printers: Artboom is committed to providing the utmost in service, quality, and quick delivery. Rather than the time and cost involved with lithographs or serigraphs, the print on demand of giclee printing, has never been easier, Reproductions of your original art, digital photography, and computer graphics can be printed on the media of your choice. You will see how cost effective it is to have all your print work done by professionals who care and who are trained in the nuances of subtle color management and other fine art details. There is much to know in the world of digital reproduction for artists and photographers. We strive to make the process easy for you, by offering personalized service, quick turn around, and whenever possible going the extra mile for your unique situation. We use the new Epson 9800 printers with ground breaking K-3 ink technology. If it is your desire to have reproductions of either original art or photography that in and of themselves are a work of art and state of the art quality then we look forward to being of service. Our Media:
We use fine art conservation grade giclee paper and canvas. The highest quality finish and materials available. I would recommend the following two substrates:
PAPER – 280gsm Soft Textured Fine Art Giclee Paper
Canvas – 300gsm Cottom Canvas

Q: I’m interested in looking at the kinds of paper you use for the prints. Are there samples available?

A: All members of Artboom can purchase the Artboom Sample Paper Kit. This kit includes sample prints on every paper type we have for sale, as well as a detailed description of the media. To order one now, simply phone our printers Riviere Publishing on (00 44) (0) 1449 722981. The cost is £5 including post and packing.

Q: I want to proof my own images. Can I ask you to print them for me at the base prices?

A: We would be more than happy to help you proof your images by printing them on the media of your preference. To look at the base prices of our prints, you can refer to xxxxxxx. To purchase your own work, log in to your account first and then purchase them through the public galleries. If you’re logged in to your account and you purchase prints of your own artwork, the base prices will automatically be applied. However, if you do not log in to your account, the marked up price will be applied to your purchases.

Q: I would like to send you the original copy of my art. Can I do this?

A: No. Artboom will only accept digital images of your artwork in the allowed digital formats. To make a digital copy of your artwork, read the passage below.

Q: How do I render my (non-digital) artwork as a digital file?

A: For the very best results artwork should be scanned on a flat bed scanner. Good results can be achieved however by using digital photography. You can also hire a professional to do this for you and either have it rendered it in high resolution digital format or you can scan the prints of the photos yourself. If you’re a pretty good photographer but you don’t have a digital camera, you can use your normal camera and ask the shop to have the images put in a CD instead of printing them on paper.
If you’re actually a digital photographer, then you can move on to the next FAQ because this does not apply to your artwork. However, painters, traditional illustrators and printmakers would have to provide Artboom with digital images of their artworks with high resolution. If you wish to avail of professional services, you can refer to xxxxxxxxx for Artboom’s most recommended digital capture providers.
Are you a professional photographer? You can also be included in the list so you can offer your services to fellow artists and members. Just contact info@artboom.com and state your concern and your business details.

For members who prefer to digitalize their artworks themselves, the simple tips below should help make things more manageable:
• Use a camera with at least 6MP quality or higher. as the higher the camera resolution the larger size of picture we will be able to print for you. Many digital cameras capture images with a pixel dimension of 2000 pixels x 1500 pixels (3 Mega pixel to 14 Mega pixel cameras.)

With digital reproduction, more is always better and there are limits as to how large you can print from one mega pixel size to the next. Ideally the size range would be about an 8 x 10 for a 3 Mega pixel, 16" x 20" for 4 Mega pixel, 20" x 30" for 5 ,Mega pixel 24" x 36" for 6 Mega pixel and so on and so forth.

In real life however, you can easily not follow this scheme, although image quality does dictate what is acceptable and not, and it is a personal choice.

• Set up a spacious studio for yourself
• Practice first. Given that you’re not a professional photographer, you’ll have to try out and refine several techniques.
• To capture a good image of your artwork, you need to hang it on a flat wall or an easel.
• Use a tripod for your camera. The center of your artwork should be parallel to the height of the camera.
• Fit your artwork into the focal square of your camera. Again, don’t hold the camera with your hand. Use a tripod.
• Make sure that the light you’re using is natural light, so your studio should be well lit. If you’re using artificial lighting, make sure it has the full spectrum so your colors appear right.
• The lighting should be even, so eliminate shadows and glares. Shadows and glares will distort your artwork and this won’t make for a very good print.
• To dodge the possibility of focal distortions, don’t shoot too closely to the artwork. Move away so that the image has enough depth.
• Polish the image with a professional digital image editor like Photoshop and Fireworks.
• Crop out the background and frame images. When you upload your artworks image, only the artwork should be included.
• In the professional photo editor, place the cropped out image on a blank canvass that is slightly bigger. The canvass should have a white, not a transparent, background. This will give the image of your artwork a white space border. Flatten the image and crop out extra white spaces. Try to make the white spacing even. Do this only if you want your artwork printed with a white border.
• Correct the color of your artwork if there are any imperfections.
• Print a sample of your work using a high quality printer.
• Proof your image and once you’re satisfied, upload it to Artboom.

Q: I would like to render the services of a digital capture professional. Can you recommend any? You can visit the shop of these professionals if you don’t want to digitalize your artwork yourself:

Name Area Website City State Phone

Riviere Publishing www.rivierepublishing.com Great Britain (00 44) (0) 1449 722981
Digital Image West www.jl-digital-image.com
Seattle WA 206-667-9757
Iridio - Seattle West www.iridio.com
Seattle WA 206-587-0800
Iridio - Los Angeles West www.iridio.com
Torrance CA 310-516-5331
Iridio - San Francisco West www.iridio.com
San Francisco CA 415-318-8030
Color One West www.coloroneinc.com
Seattle WA 206-6227107
Color Chrome East www.colorchrome.com
Atlanta GA 800-241-2545
Irvine Photo Graphics West www.ipgdigital.com
Lake Forest CA 949-261-8777
Cushing Photo Graphis Central www.cushingco.com
Chicago IL 312-266-8228
Pro Color Central www.procolor.com
Minneapolis MN 800-328-7154
Chromatics East www.chromatics.com
Nashville TN 888-254-0063
Rieger Imaging East www.rieger.com
Clarksburg MD 301-869-8300
FLM Graphics East www.flmgraphics.com
New York NY 212-279-6392
FLM Graphics East www.flmgraphics.com
Fairfield NJ 973-5759450
FLM Graphics East www.flmgraphics.com
Princeton NJ 609-987-0666
Color Reflections East www.coloreflections.com Hollywood FL 877-305-7945
Color Reflections East www.coloreflections.com Philadelphia PA 215-627-4686
Color Reflections East www.coloreflections.com Atlanta GA 404-352-0352
Color Reflections Central www.coloreflections.com Houston TX 713-626-4045
Color Reflections West www.coloreflections.com Las Vegas NV 702-262-9300
TreeTowns Central www.treetowns.com
Elmhurst IL 630-832-8631
MouseGraphics West www.mousegraphics.com
Tempe AZ 480-894-1992
Thomas Reprographics Central www.thomasrepro.com
Dallas TX 214-880-0022
Thomas Reprographics West www.thomasrepro.com
Phoenix AZ 602-264-6871
Tri-Color Central www.tricolorphoto.com
Royal Oak MI 248-554-9453

Q: How can I send Artboom copies of my images in DVDs or CDs?

A: Extremely large files can be difficult to upload, especially if you have a slow internet connection. To send your high resolution image files to us stored in optical devices like DVDs or CDs, just secure the media in a hard case, enclose a check for the processing fee ($15.00 per DVD and $5 per CD), and send it to:

Artboom
56 The Spinnings
Waterside Rd
Bury
UK
BL9 5QW

Don’t forget to include your personal details i.e. your username/screen name, the number of files you’ve enclosed, and the gallery assignment for each image. Artboom will not be correcting your image files anymore. Take note that when we asked you to upload “print-ready” images, we assumed that you’ve already proofed them yourself.

Please allow us 5 to 10 business days (upon receipt of the media) to upload your images to the Artboom system. If you have a deadline to meet, you can also enclose that information with the media so that we can post the images in time. Usually, it takes us shorter than 5 days upon receipt of the optical media to upload files. The allowance is for instances we can’t do anything about, e.g. a global internet interruption or an unexpected influx of upload requests from other members.

Q: When will my images go live on my galleries?

A: If you’re using the web-based upload client the images should be available for viewing in your galleries as soon as the upload is completed. If you’re mailing an optical media containing all of your images, they will be posted to your galleries after 5 to 10 business days upon receipt of the optical media.

Q: Am I losing ownership of my artwork when I upload images of them to Artboom?

A: Not at all. You are in no way transferring the rights to your artwork to Artboom when you post them to the website. You get to keep full rights of these artworks, providing us only non-exclusive license to print your images with other Artboom products. For more information about the Artboom community, please look at our website’s Terms of Use .

Q: What does Artboom consider as acceptable content?

A: Anything obscene, harmful, discriminatory, violent, offensive or illegal is considered inacceptable content. The team has the right to gauge the appropriateness of the images you upload to our system. Any images that do not comply with our terms will be removed without notice, or at the very least, asked to be rated as adult. For the full details of the Etiquette Policy of Artboom, please refer to our Terms of Use. There is also a more comprehensive description there of what can be considered acceptable content.

Q: How do I know if I need to rate my artwork under “adult” content?

A: Generally speaking, buttocks and breasts are allowed to be listed in the public Art Gallery. However, images which show the genitalia and pubic hair, whether they were painted, drawn or photographed must also be given rates as “adult”. Artboom does not allow images explicitly showing sexual acts and invoking arousal. Members are also not allowed to include titillating descriptions of the sexual act in their titles or the descriptive sections of the image.
Since Artboom is a community of artists and art aficionados, we trust that our members will rate their images appropriately. For those who are unsure about what rating to give their artworks, they can send the image to info@artboom.com and ask for advice. They can also just rate it adult if the image is really leaning that way.
An adult rating is not synonymous to offensive art, or images that were rendered in poor taste. The community is only too well-aware of the gray lines that exist between art, pornography and erotica. The ratings are there only to make sure that all members, spanning quite a broad range of age groups, are comfortable while they’re viewing the artworks. They ratings also ensure the safety of innocent, younger members of the community who browse the website.
The Artboom team does its best to monitor all uploads, but due to the overwhelming growth of our community, we might have overlooked a few images. If you think that a particular image needs to be rated differently, simply click on the “Report this image” button and a link will be automatically sent to the staff for referral. Other members will not be able to know if you’ve reported them or not. Only the Artboom team will see these details.

Q: What else do I need to know about Trademarks and Copyrights?

A: In this kind of community, Intellectual Property Rights will always be an issue. The copyright law allows you to upload only works which you have created yourself, using original elements from your own imagination. If your work is too similar to someone else’s work, your image may be removed from the website without prior notice. Even if certain images didn’t come with copyright notices, most of the time they are still protected by the copyright law. If you need to use any material online for our website, make sure that you get the permission of the content owners first.

Below is a list of images you shouldn’t use:

• Images of celebrities
• Images of corporate products
• Images of logos pertaining to commercial products
• Text and designs copied online without permission from the original content’s owner

While they’re very similar, a trademark is slightly different from a copyright. Trademarks refer to slogans, distinctive words, logos, catchphrases, symbols and other devices used to brand a product or differentiate one manufacturer from another. You’ll be accused of infringement if you cause public confusion because your design was too similar (whether this is done consciously or unconsciously) to someone else’s trademark.

1. You may learn more about copyrights and trademarks by visiting the website of the United States Copyright Office or the Intellectual Property Office in the UK: www.ipo.gov.uk.

2. Q: I am having problems with my image uploads, what should I do?

A: Your problems with image uploading may be cause by incorrect file format, size, or type. If you’ve checked all three of these and you’re still not able to upload your image, you may contact our customer support team through info@artboom.com.

Q: How do I change the price or information about my art work?

A: Log In to your account and click on My Artwork in the left hand column. Just to the right of the image of your work you can see edit, delete and add tags. Click on edit and you will be taken to a page where you can change the image, set a new price, alter the searchable catagories and description of your artwork.

Q: I want to delete images from my gallery. How do I do this?

A: To delete an image, log in to your account and click on My Artwork in the left hand column then click delete which is just to the right of the image you wish to remove. You have to remember, though, that once you have deleted an image, there is no way for you to recover it. You will have to repeat the uploading process if you want it in your gallery again.

Q: I want to remove tags from more than one image. How do I do this?

A: To remove tags from several images at once, just add images to your selection folder. Do this by clicking on the “add to selection” button found at the bottom of each of these images. Next, click on the “tag” button at the bottom of the selection page and choose “Remove tags” from the scroll down menu. This will redirect you to the Remove Tags page wherein all tags will be listed with a “remove tag” button beside each of them. You can remove the tags one by one or you can remove all tags by clicking on the “Remove all tags” button at the bottom of the page.

Q: How can I add subjects to the images I’ve uploaded?

A: Artboom recommends its members to add subjects to their images because the classification helps shoppers find their art works faster. To add a subject to a specific image you’ve uploaded, click on ’My Art’ from the main menu. Your image will appear on the left and you will see just to the right of each image the words edit, delete and apply tags. Click on the word edit and you will be taken to a page where you can assign a subject for your art ( as well as movement, colour, what medium the art is in and a description ).

Q: I want to remove subjects from my images. How do I do this? A: You can still remove subjects from your images by clicking on ’My Art’ from the main menu. Your image will appear on the left and you will see just to the right of each image the words edit, delete and apply tags. Click on the word edit and you will be taken to a page where you can set the subject to blank or change to another subject for your artwork the same can be done for movement, colour, what medium the art is in and the description.

Q: I want to edit the medium, movement, and colour information on my images. How do I do this?

A: To apply the changes on the medium, movement subject and colour information on your images, simply log in to your account then click on the My Artwork tab from the left hand menu. To the right of the image which you want to edit the information for click the word ‘edit’ . This will take you to the page where you can change the catagories as you see fit. Once you have made a change all the existing information of the image that you have selected will be overridden.

Q: I want to go back to “My Account ” from the ‘Public’ Pages

A: To return to “My Account” either use your backbutton on your browser or navigate to Artboom’s home page using the ‘Home’ button on the top left and then clicking the My Account text in the Welcome Box which is located below the Shopping Cart box in the top right of the page.

Q: I see some images with watermarks and I think I want to apply it on my own images. How to I add and remove them from my files?

A: To remove or add watermarks to your images, select the “Edit Images Info” on your “Images” tab. You will be redirected to the Edit Images Info page. To add a watermark to your image, put a check on the box that says “Watermark Large Image” and click the “Save Watermark” button after that. To remove the watermark from your image, click on the box where the check mark is un-check it and click on the “Save Watermark” button to confirm the changes.