Sunday Mailbag- Sending Large Files?

Q: Since you work digitally these days, what method do you use to send large files to your clients?

A: Back in the mid to late 90’s when digital really took off, trying to get large images files to a client was a problem. There was no broadband internet or wifi, and Internet connections were very slow. Uploading a 30 mb file (roughly a full page magazine illustration in CMYK) would have taken forever, and other than email there was no real consumer options for large file transfers. I Fed Exed CDs with the images on them to clients back then… “Sneaker net” on a cross country scale. Today almost everyone has Internet connections that uploads or downloads a 30 mb in just a few seconds. So there are many options available. 

I don’t use any one method because it’s usually the client who has a method they prefer. Many have their own FTP transfer centers where I am given log in access and I simply upload my images directly to them. MAD has one of those. I have my own FTP folder for client art, and can give an art director a username and password that gives them access to only that folder. Most website hosts offer that free with hosting. Dropbox is handy for some clients, although many seem to regard it as unsecure and won’t use it. Transfer services like Hightail and WeTransfer are simple and easy and, up to a point, free.

Thanks to Richard Griffin for the question. If you have a question you want answered for the mailbag about cartooning, illustration, MAD Magazine, caricature or similar, e-mail me and I’ll try and answer it here!