How to send finished commission art to a client

What to send

Send what your terms promise. If you never wrote that down, this set works for most digital pieces:

Add a short note with the files. Say thank you. Say how they can credit you. Remind them what they can and can't do with the art, like personal use only. Tell them how long the download link works. If you'd like a review, ask for it here.

Name your files so they make sense

"final_final_v3.png" means nothing to your client. A month later, it means nothing to you either.

Put the client, the piece, and the size in the name. For example: sam_half-body_final_2400px.png and sam_half-body_final_web.jpg.

If you send more than a few files, put them in a folder with the same name. Zip the folder so nothing goes missing on the way.

Send a preview first, then the finals

When to send the finals depends on how the client pays.

1. Paid in full up front. Send the finals as soon as they're done.
2. Half now, half later. Send a watermarked or small preview first. Send the full-size files once the rest is paid.
3. Paid at the end. Send only previews until the money arrives.

Put the watermark across the middle of the art. A watermark in a corner is easy to crop off. A small preview, like 800 pixels wide, also works.

Previews are a good time for the last round of changes, too. Fixes are much easier before you export ten files.

Ways to send the files

There's no single best way. Pick the one that fits the file size and where the client already is.

Drive and Dropbox are great if you already pay for space. Just remember your client's files fill up your own storage. WeTransfer is easy, but the link runs out fast. Tell the client to download right away.

Delivering on VGen or Ko-fi

VGen has delivery built in. Upload the files in the Final Delivery tab of the commission. VGen tells your client, and they can then download the files and leave a review. Its help page says each file can be up to 100 MB, and the files stay available after the job. For a bigger file, you can add a link to your own cloud storage as part of the delivery.

Ko-fi works differently for commissions. Its help page says to send the work the way you agreed with the buyer. That could be a Ko-fi message, an email, or a file sharing site. Then mark the commission as complete in your orders. Ko-fi also suggests that your terms say how you deliver, so pick a way before your first order.

If you sell on either one, keep using it for orders and payment. A separate delivery tool is only for the files. For how VGen compares to other places to sell, see VGen alternatives.

Sending big files like PSDs

Layered files can get big fast. A PSD with lots of layers at print size can be hundreds of megabytes. Here's how to send one without trouble.

1. Open it once before you send it. A file that won't open is worse than a late file.
2. Send a flat PNG with it. Not every client has Photoshop. The PNG means they can see the art today.
3. Check the limit of your method. It won't fit as an email attachment. VGen needs a link above 100 MB a file. A free WeTransfer counts toward your 3 GB for the next 30 days.
4. Use one folder, or one zip. Put the PSD, the PNG, and any extras together, so the client gets everything at once.
5. Ask them to say when it's downloaded. Then you know it worked before the link expires.

How refDrop does delivery

refDrop is a drop box for commissions. You make one box per commission and send your client one private link. They don't need an account. Here's how delivery works in it:

1. References come in first. Your client drops in references and notes through the link. Any file type works, except programs and scripts. (Here's how to ask clients for references.)
2. Previews go in as updates. Post a work-in-progress update, like your watermarked preview. The client approves it or asks for changes, once per update, in writing.
3. Finals go in the same box. Upload your finished files as a delivery. They keep their full size. Nothing is compressed. PSD, Clip Studio, and Procreate files all work.
4. Your client gets an email. If they left their email in the box, they get an email when the delivery arrives.
5. They download it all at once. "Download all" gets every file as one zip, sorted into References and Deliveries. Each upload can also be downloaded on its own.
6. The files stay after you close the box. Closing stops new uploads and frees the slot. The files stay for 3 months. You get an email 30 days and 7 days before they're removed, and so does your client if they left an email. Then the box becomes an archive with image previews.

On the free plan, a box holds 2 GB and 1,000 files. That's room for a big PSD plus all the references.

refDrop never handles money. Keep your PayPal, Ko-fi, Stripe, or VGen for payment. You can add your payment links as buttons on your box pages if you like. If you sold on VGen and your files are small, its Final Delivery tab is a fine choice. It's tied to the order and the review. refDrop helps most when files are big, or when the client found you on Discord, email, or your own site.

refDrop is free to start. During the beta there's a set number of free spots, then a waitlist. See pricing for every plan, and the help page for how links and file limits work.

How long to keep the files

Your client will lose their copy one day. Phones break, and downloads get cleaned out. Plan for the resend.

• Tell them the date. Say how long your link works, and ask them to save the files somewhere safe.
• Keep your own copy. Keep the finals and the layered file for as long as your terms promise a resend. A year is a good place to start.
• Back up off your computer. An external drive or a cloud folder you pay for both work. One copy on one laptop isn't a backup.
• Write it in your terms. For example: "I keep your files for one year. After that, I can't promise a resend."

A clean delivery is the last thing your client remembers about the job. Good file names, a short note, and a link that works make them want to come back.