How do I send my website material?
I accept materials on CD, through email or through traditional mail. If you send paper materials through the post office, I'll convert them into electronic format for you. You'll be billed for this service at the current hourly service rate. (See Pricing) If you need this kind of service, ask for it specifically ahead of time to avoid unexpected delays and expenses in completing your project.
Tips for sending your material
Text
Spell-check and review your text for accuracy before sending. It may not be possible to preserve formatting in Microsoft Word documents. However, if requested, I will make a reasonable effort to retain the appearance of Word documents.
Other Preformatted Documents
If you like to use Adobe PDF, or other document types like Excel, Quark or Publisher, we'll discuss how best to use them on your website.
Photos / Artwork
Digital images or scanned artwork are best at FULL quality (not web optimized.)
Logos are easier to work with when a source file is supplied. "Source file" means the original editable file, whether it was created with Photoshop, Print Shop, Microsoft Word, etc. If you don't have a source file and your logo needs to be edited or recreated, try to find out what font(s) was used for the lettering.
Some of the image formats I accept are: PNG, GIF, JPG, eps, bmp, wbmp, psd, tiff, tga, Adobe Illustrator (ai and art), pic and pct, sgi, MacPaint, FlashPix, and FreeHand documents.
Audio
Most popular file formats are accepted including wav, mp3, ogg, xac, aiff, afc, iff, au, vox, mat, voc, snd, and more.
Video
I can work with most video formats, including DVDs, mpeg, and avi files. Professional quality, pre-edited videos are best.
Windows Media Video, RealPlayer, Quicktime, and Flash video formats are also accepted. These formats can be placed directly on your web site. You should edit your video beforehand so it appears exactly as you want it.
Product Listings / Catalogs
If you have a small number of product listings, it's okay to send individual photos and descriptions by email. For larger catalogs, Excel format is preferred but a comma-delimited file may be acceptable if properly formatted.
Many clients enjoy the added convenience of having their own online administration area so they can manage their product listings. The initial web development cost is higher, but will save you time and money in the long run. Ask about adding this feature when you request a quote.
What to do when your files are large
Video and audio files are often too large to send through email. Files larger than 2 or 3 MB tend to get swallowed up (lost) by mail servers. If you'd like to try something other than sending them on CD (or maybe you don't have a CD burner), I can set up an FTP account for you.
Once you receive your FTP address, username and password, follow the instructions below to access your FTP account. Once there, you can transfer your files to our server.
How to log into FTP in Windows XP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a simple way to exchange files over the Internet. To send your files using FTP, just follow these instructions for Windows XP*:
- Click on this link (it will open in a new browser window, so you won't lose this page):
ftp://ftp.foxglovewebsitedesigns.com - You'll be taken to a page that looks like an empty folder on your computer.
- A box might pop up asking for your username and password.
- If a box doesn't pop up, you can right-click in the empty window to see a menu. Click on the option to "Login As..." This will give you the username and password box.
- Enter your username and password exactly as I've given it to you. Leave the "Log On Anonymously" box unchecked. Then click "Log On".
(If you don't have a username yet, contact me and I'll set one up for you.) - Once logged in, you can copy and paste, or drag and drop, your files into the FTP folder. You can even create and delete subfolders, just like you would on your own computer.
- After you transfer your files, we can log in and retrieve them.
Logging into your FTP account in Windows XP
Click on a thumbnail to see a screenshot.
* If you have a non-Windows Operating System installed on your computer, contact us for assistance using FTP.