Go Make Something » FAQ

What kind of paper should I use to print my printables?

Lisa Vollrath — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:02:53 +0000

Think of printers and printer paper as paints and canvas. The better the paints, and the better the canvas, the better the finished result.

If you’re using a cheapo home inkjet printer, and printing 20lb. bond with a 90 brightness, your printed images will look terrible. They’ll be grainy and faded.

However, if you have your images printed on a color laser printer, on 28lb. or 32lb. stock with a 98 brightness, your prints will sing.

Trust me. It’s how I make my living.

When will the printables from the last holiday countdown be available here?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:28:35 +0000

Assume that the printables made available from the various holiday countdowns will never be available here. If you want those images, you’ll just have to grab them during the countdowns. I don’t have any set timetable for uploading them to Go Make Something—maybe I will, and maybe I won’t.

Is it OK to alter the printables when I use them in my work?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:27:37 +0000

If you’re using printables in your work, and they need adjusting to suit your project, of course you should feel free to alter them.

If you colorize anything, and manage to recolor the entire sheet, get in touch—maybe we can make the colorized version available to the whole community.

Can I share printables from Go Make Something with my online groups?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:25:43 +0000

You may share images by posting links to them and encouraging other members to visit the site.

You may not upload images from Go Make Something to any online group, or email them to anyone else. This is considered redistribution, which violates the Terms of Service, and the copyright notice attached to each image.

Is it OK to post my finished work using images from GMS in my blog or on my site?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:23:17 +0000

The TOS prohibits the posting of the actual images that have been downloaded, because we don’t allow anyone to make the images themselves available on other sites. If those images have been incorporated into a new work of art, and that art has been photographed, those photos represent your art, and not our images. There’s not a serious possibility that someone will try to download the photo of your work simply to obtain our printable images.

So, yes, you may post images of your original artwork that uses images from GMS. If you’d like to help spread the word about GMS, use the words Go Make Something in your post, or link back to us if you know how.

Can I put images from GMS into my blog?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:21:49 +0000

No. Under no circumstances may any images from Go Make Something be used on any web site or blog for any reason. If you do this, you are violating the Terms of Service of this site, and the copyright notice attached to each image. You are not allowed to repost images for any reason.

Can I use printables in items I make for swaps?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:19:35 +0000

Yes, you can use the printables to make things to swap. However, you cannot use the printables themselves as swap materials. Sending your swap partner sheets of printables is against the site’s Terms of Service, and violates the copyright notice printed on each sheet of printables. They must be made into a finished item in order to comply with the policy against redistribution.

Why can’t I get the printables to print as full pages?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:17:11 +0000

The majority of the full page printables are sized at 7-1/2 x 10 inches to fit on standard inkjet printers. If you’re not getting full-sized images, the problem is on your end.

Since every printer and computer is configured differently, this is also something you’ll have to work out on your end—we can’t help you with printing issues. Consult your computer and printer manuals to learn about how they’re configured, or call your local geek to help you out.

One thing that might help: don’t print from your browser. Save the images to your hard drive, and print them using graphics software.

How do I save the full-sized printable file?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:15:40 +0000

Click on the thumbnail of the image you want. A grey screen with a dial on it will appear—this is fondly known as a lightbox. Wait a second, and the lightbox will expand to show you the full sized image.

Point your cursor at the image, right click on it, and choose Save Picture As. Save the image to your hard drive.

When you’re finished, either click the little Close sign at the right of the lightbox, or click in the grey area outside the image. Either one will return you to the thumbnail view.

These instructions are for those of you using Internet Explorer on Windows. Those using other browsers or Macs, you’re on your own.

Why are your answers to these questions so rude?

Lisa Vollrath — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 03:09:24 +0000

If you think the answers are rude, well, you should read the emails I get. They’re mean and nasty, and I get tired of dealing with them—especially since I don’t ask for a single dime from anyone for using all this lovely information.

Here’s the deal: access to this site is not your constitutional right. It’s a gift, given out of the goodness of my tiny little heart. A heart which is stomped on with monotonous regularity by people who generally don’t even bother to say hello or thank you—they just go directly to the complaining and the name calling.

Try putting up with that for the nine years I’ve been writing online, and see if your answers are all sweetness and light!