For those of you who outsource your album design, how do you handle paying the designer for additional copies? Do you pay a flat fee? Do you pay a percentage of the duplicate album sales, or do you pay for the design only once?

David

I don't outsource my album design but I know many of the major album binding companies also offer an album design service. Once they have done one design for you I believe you just order as many copies of that design as you need.

Pay for design only once.

Just curious as to why you would think you would pay for a design more than once? When they design the layout they send the files to you, or they submit it to the album company for you. Either way you probably will have a copy of it to do as you wish.

cordellwillis wrote:
Just curious as to why you would think you would pay for a design more than once? When they design the layout they send the files to you, or they submit it to the album company for you. Either way you probably will have a copy of it to do as you wish.

That's a good point, but I charge the same $15 for the first 4x6 as I do for the 2nd. The photograph was already taken and processed, but I get paid for my work for each sale. If your point were true for photographers we'd charge $15 for the first 4x6 and $0.35 for each 4x6 after. Certainly your point would be more profitable for me.

David

As a graphic designer, I charge differently from a one-time design, to one being used as a template. I rarely give the native files to the client (pdf's are usually sent for proofs) unless it's written in the contract with an agreed upon fee. This would be like giving the high res images to your client and should be marked up accordingly.

Most album designers will give you the unflattened Adobe PSD files of the final design. I wouldn't work with any designer that didn't give those to me.

32067dlm wrote:
cordellwillis wrote:
Just curious as to why you would think you would pay for a design more than once? When they design the layout they send the files to you, or they submit it to the album company for you. Either way you probably will have a copy of it to do as you wish.

That's a good point, but I charge the same $15 for the first 4x6 as I do for the 2nd. The photograph was already taken and processed, but I get paid for my work for each sale. If your point were true for photographers we'd charge $15 for the first 4x6 and $0.35 for each 4x6 after. Certainly your point would be more profitable for me.

David

But that scenario is a bit different because a physical product is being delivered. Yes, it's paper, but it is viewed differently. Though you do make a very good point

cordellwillis wrote:
32067dlm wrote:
cordellwillis wrote:
Just curious as to why you would think you would pay for a design more than once? When they design the layout they send the files to you, or they submit it to the album company for you. Either way you probably will have a copy of it to do as you wish.

That's a good point, but I charge the same $15 for the first 4x6 as I do for the 2nd. The photograph was already taken and processed, but I get paid for my work for each sale. If your point were true for photographers we'd charge $15 for the first 4x6 and $0.35 for each 4x6 after. Certainly your point would be more profitable for me.

David

But that scenario is a bit different because a physical product is being delivered. Yes, it's paper, but it is viewed differently. Though you do make a very good point

I think someone above made good point about the high resolution file. I only get a chance to sell it once, then the customer has the right to print 2 times or 200 times. If the designer was managing the orders, I would expect her to charge accordingly. The problem is, she's designing a 12x12 Leather Craftsmen, and the parents albums will be 10x10 Asukabooks. The Asukabooks get a printed jacket that she'll be designing too.

I figure if I pay her for the Asukabook design (including jacket) then pay her a little over ($25) for each additional book we should be even.