printing with watermark

I’m taking picture for a church directory, I’m giving them the option to buy pictures for 25 dollars each printed or on a CD with limited printing writes. One of the people wanted wallet size prints I used a local family owned company to get them printed. The watermark was clipped from the bottom. Will this happen with most places the pictures are printed. My question is if I want my watermark to stay on the picture for those that buy there picture on a CD do I need to resize the picture to each size and put all sizes on the CD. When I print them at home I don’t have this issue.

On wallets, the print area is the same as your image but when the cut is made, it cuts into the image some. So some print area is lost.

You should use a template for wallets that shows the "safe" zone and will let you see what area is in danger of being clipped off.

A good print lab would have called and said your wallets need sone work before printing.

The problem with giving out CD's is that you don't know what print size the people will be printing. If you have a 2x3 crop aspect and they want to print an 8x10, you will lose your brand and a lot of the picture. The print will look different than the original. It's just a mess.

pbisfun wrote in post #12332010
I’m taking picture for a church directory, I’m giving them the option to buy pictures for 25 dollars each printed or on a CD with limited printing writes.

What do you mean when you say limited rights [writes]. What are you limiting them to. If this is simply one or even a few pictures it is not that hard of a job to make custom files for each image and put them in a folder on the CD. I do this for some customers and will have a folder for 5x7, 8x10, etc. Your wallets are the same aspect ratio as your sensor unless you have cropped it.

It sounds like you used a commercial printing service and not a lab to get your printing done. There is always a bleed area around the print that you should be prepared to lose and if your watermark is in that area you are likely to lose it. Why don't you offer to have the prints done for the church and supply them to. Personally I don't agree with giving a customer a print with a watermark on it unless it is a huge print (16x20) or larger in which case I hand sign in gold foil (available at any decent photo supply house). If you print (via a lab or at home if you can do good prints) you can assure that your name is visible, if they do it they can elect to re-crop to get rid of it.

thanks for the feedback, that answered that question. I have been Working with lights and trying to get the picture right, and I thought I was good to go, but when I started printing, I learned there is a nother side. some of my pictures wont crop to a 8x10 and keep all the picture I want. there sure is a lot to learn.