Will instant downloaded posters have a No resale restriction?

[Susang6]

I have 2500 photographs on my computer and like the instant poster download for these photographs however, I would not like it if the purchaser could turn around and resell the photo prints.  I am assuming that the customer can share the poster on Facebook to their website, as blog banners and I am fine with that.  But reselling the photo printed posters... would be a conflict of interest for Zazzle and for the creator of the instant downloaded posters.  Just let me know if there are any restrictions on the poster downloads or if the purchaser is free to use them commercially.

Thank you

[Harmony]

Once someone purchases something you have no control over what they do with it. They can resell it or claim the art is theirs etc. Its not legal and it violates the personal use license but i think we all know that not everyone honors those sorts of things... 

[Susang6]

As I said I am familiar with stock photos, but even there they have restrictions on the downloads...might be better to do the instant download so that it looks like a poster, download it with a frame on it...and restrict the size so that it's not a banner...or maybe if the resolution is not the best.  just saying

[KeegansCreation]

The license is personal use only but inevitably somebody will violate those terms. I am approaching this with the assumption that somebody will violate the license at some point and therefore not putting up anything that is a labor of love that took me a long time to make.

[Susang6]

and where does it inform the customer that the license if for personal use?  Know that I am well aware of the theft and violation of copyright and if people wanted to do that they certainly could take a screenshot of my product image now.  I have sold a few posters and canvas prints, and think that overall people would prefer a download to share with family and friends...I thought it would be good to download the poster in a frame so that it actually looks like a poster rather than a banner.  What do you think of this suggestion?

[plumb4me]

"and where does it inform the customer that the license if for personal use?"

It tells the customer on the product page, where the customer will order the instant download, that it is for personal use only.

[KC]

I really feel this should be explained more without someone having to click through. Such as "For personal use only and digital and printed works using this artwork MAY NOT BE RESOLD IN ANY WAY."

It's too easy for someone who is not familiar with licensing to think "It is for my personal use to sell in my business."

[Harmony]

the likelihood of someone reading through the licensing details based on how it presents there is slim to none

[Susang6]

Thanks for sharing the Lic information...you must have the Beta of the download.  I am okay with that personal license...but would like it to go one step further to state no resale on other websites like Shutterstock... doesn't hurt to reiterate. 

[Brite]

Your concerns are mine as I am a painter, artist, and do not want my artwork available for download. There are so many art and photo thieves as it is! I belong to a site that provides legal assistance and goes out through the internet and pulls up illegal use of my artwork. You would be amazed. If you believe people who steal art or photos care about the wording, you are wrong. I have even found a woman who took several of my floral prints and bunched together, claiming they were her own. It's maddening, and I am so disappointed in Zazzle for doing this. I' removed about 75% of my products with more to go. This is not worth it to me. 

[plumb4me]

When you click on the "See details" next to the License, For personal use only, this is the page https://help.zazzle.com/hc/en-us/articles/11605407951639-What-am-I-allowed-to-do-with-my-Instant-Dow... that has "What am I allowed to do with my Instant Download"

[Barbara]

Reading the terms for instant downloads and then reading the refund policy made my hair stand on end, particularly in the realm of posters. I'd rather not sell them at all than put them so easily into the hands of thieves. Even without the possibility of refunds, there are groups out there in the wild who can buy one poster and share it, and then it's spread all over the place. I witnessed this on a small scale when selling video effects--small because it required those same people to get the necessary software illegally. Which they did. Combining this experience with the knowledge that ethics on the internet aren't all that good, I've decided to take all my posters off the downloadable list.

Colorwash's Home

[plumb4me]

I took all my posters and some cards off yesterday, from the instant download. I'm gonna start with a small amount of cards and see what happens.

[Barbara]

As soon as I was done with my post above yours, I disabled downloads for all my posters. As for cards, I left all of them enabled.

It's probably a wait-and-see situation. I hope my instincts on this are wrong and that there will be little in the way of theft. Maybe I'll do some small poster designs to test the waters later.

Colorwash's Home

[GLS]

 I am so curious what your results were. Am so confused re the Downloadable option on my Holiday Cards. I generally follow the advice re 10-15% on reg cards. but digital is different! Seems when enabled - at Zazzle's default setting, people can spend under $3 and get a digital download of my art that they can send to 1000 people - for free. !? Should I be setting those digital download numbers waaaaay higher [max being 99% right now] or opting out of digital downloads altogether? Do we have stats on this? I just had a customer kindly message me and ask HOW she can pay me MORE for the digital card artwork that she downloaded to send to all her congregants because the price she paid just didn't seem fair to her. If this is an old discussion, can you please advise me where to look for info. Thanks all ! !

[GLS]

 I am so curious what your results were. Am so confused re the Downloadable option on my Holiday Cards. I generally follow the advice re 10-15% on reg cards. but digital is different! Seems when enabled - at Zazzle's default setting, people can spend under $3 and get a digital download of my art that they can send to 1000 people - for free. !? Should I be setting those digital download numbers waaaaay higher [max being 99% right now] or opting out of digital downloads altogether? Do we have stats on this? I just had a customer kindly message me and ask HOW she can pay me MORE for the digital card artwork that she downloaded to send to all her congregants because the price she paid just didn't seem fair to her. If this is an old discussion, can you please advise me where to look for info. Thanks all ! !

[Susang6]

I suppose you could delete all of your posters from your store to prevent screenshot theft and possible commercial use download theft.

I think thieves want products that are easy and that they would rather not edit them. So the white border that is left is good for framing and maybe a deterrent for a  thief since they would have to edit the download.

I think if the customer intends on violating the personal license they would have to edit the download, will they take the time to do that? I don't know.  I figure if thieves want my poster, they are going to take it no matter what so I might as well get paid for it.

[Barbara]

 I've come across some exceedingly clever thieves, and each time I was burned, I became five times shyer.

Certain posters of mine sell really well, so even if I were to make some downloadable, the top sellers will remain just as they are.

Colorwash's Home

[WolfMoonArt]

A digital art thief is not put off by having to edit the file he/she is stealing. Many people are under the impression that putting watermarks on their designs will reduce theft, but most thieves are well versed in the removal of watermarks. Removing a white border would be no problem at all.

[Karen]

I put off reading the January email because I was just busy. Had I realized we had a cutoff day to disable DD i would have. The default should have been DISABLED and let us enable automatically by a certain date. You have no control over what someone does with your hi res file. It doesn't matter what it says about licensing uses, etc. I have just disabled them all. I am on a few PODs and the forums are full of examples of artist's work being ripped off. Someone said that they can do that by taking a screenshot of your item. 

Yes, but that doesn't not give them access to the hi res file needed for posters and some products. You are enabling that access when you allow DD. 

[Windy]

I never read the emails. This is why I read every new post in the forums!

[JustJayne]

Apparently I missed the emails.  Which is why, in July, I just noticed that some of my items have "digital download" available.  I disabled them in one of my stores.  Will go through and disable the others too.  I'd rather have someone buy 10 cards from me than buy one digital download and print out 100 cards of their own.

[Karen]

Exactly! I found one of mine on the site that I did not even enable as a poster. it came up in a search but it is not listed in my store. i contacted support and they are trying to figure it out. if they sell it as a download I will be really upset. 

[KeegansCreation]

The statement that the image is for personal use only is on the product page in the Instant Downloads section. It has License bolded so it shouldn't be missed.

I don't think making a frame around the poster is a good idea. It won't stop misuse because it can be easily cropped out. But it will make the image look worse and less saleable.

[Susang6]

Since the posters are offered in paper and the customer will frame it I find it's best to leave a minimum of ¼ cut off on each side of the print.  It makes it easier when you frame the poster. The overlap helps you avoid gaps and the frame does not cover your poster.  Agree it does not look good in the download. But the poster is a template and the customer can edit out the white frame.

[PenguinPower]

It would defeat the purpose of allowing a poster download if it wasn’t poster sized…. If you opt in for this, yes you are relying on the scruples of the purchaser to abide with the personal use license you are giving them. 

[Susang6]

I am editing all my downloadable posters to the extra small size. The customer has the option to change the size since it's a template.  

[Roxie716]

I reread the Digital Download information, this is stated in the download information from Zazzle: (When a customer purchases an Instant Download, they will receive a Download License (see our User Agreement) to your content allowing them to edit the template, download the file to their device, share, and print). --  If a person wanted to purchase the poster there wouldn't be a reason to download the poster. If a person wanted to share a poster from Zazzle they could use the link. Being able to edit a poster, the poster can be posted on a website or blog and resold. I waited to late to opt out of 'Instant Downloads'. I received an email from Zazzle a few days ago, I would need to go to each individual poster and click 'Disable Instant Download' if I see downloadable at the bottom of it.

[Barbara]

@Roxie716  You don't have to disable the posters one at a time. You can do them in bulk using Edit Details.

Colorwash's Home

[Roxie716]

Thank you.

[ThankYouAlways]

I think each individual will need to carefully decide whether to enable or disable. I for one have enabled some products for DD and left others for print only. I have created artwork that has taken hours and had to make the decision. Anything that takes a lot of time and is invaluable to me then I think twice about it.

[Roxie716]

Thank you.

[mylittleeden]

Absolutely I am just enabling those items like simple graphics information posters, wedding poster etc, BUT NOT my detailed art, drawings and watercolors. I didn't enable anything to start with but I really fell in the marketplace so have had to rethink and even now not really recovered my sales where less than half that of last year 😪. But my artwork is all original and I have had so much stolen in the past and put up on Amazon (that almost broke me and made me stop completely creating) that I don't want that situation to happen again. Unfortunately some people don't care about the affects on already struggling creators, it can be a nasty world out there. But if you find artwork that is yours being sold illegally it is important to get it removed and reported.

[Barbara]

I've been puzzling over the inclusion of posters in digital downloads. Most people don't have printers that can handle them, so what will the customer do with them?

Colorwash's Home

[Windy]

Good point. Unless they are going to take it to an office supply store and get it printed more cheaply and not have to pay shipping. But I don't think anyone would save enough on one poster to make that whole rigamarole worthwhile. It takes TIME to drive to an office supply store and find parking, and try to find someone in the store who will wait on you and choose a sunny day so you are not bringing your poster to the car in the pouring rain.  So I too am confused as to why posters are being offered for digital download.

[Susang6]

They may use the poster download for fracture pictures, or the other place “send me your photos we make stick-on-the-wall art.” Then they may just share the poster on social media, as a banner on their page or they may use the downloaded poster on their blog…as a review to brag about their awesome Zazzle downloads find.

[Barbara]

I went to one of your stores to see why you're creating a white border on posters, and now I understand. You're using a lot of photography, which means the image has a predetermined ratio. My posters are generally artwork and so I can make sure the "blank" area is large enough to accommodate framing and even a mat and are also easily transferred to other products, thus leaving them more open to abuse.

Colorwash's Home

[angelafuller729]

I think there's a real benefit for poster downloads. To use an example: A neon cafe "pay here" 8x10 print is purchased and downloaded, then used in digital form on a tablet / phone where customers can scan a QR code, same item is then also printed either on a home computer or print shop (which could be as cheap as $2 ea), then take  those and slide them into pedestal style frames (again, super cheap) and use for mobile carts, counter tops etc.    It's an expensive option for small businesses, events, etc.

[Karen]

They can have it printed in large sizes on line. There are many photo sites like Shutterfly, etc.

[CrazyMermaid]

Wedding seating charts and signs are made on poster paper. These are brought to professional printers.