Whether you are sprucing up an office newsletter, designing a Web site, creating an invoice for a client or helping with a child’s book report, you can always find uses for quality clip art. The question is where is the best place to find clip art?

Clip art subscriptions are offered as a monthly or yearly membership and offer several important advantages over clunky CD-ROM clip art packages. Not only do they have a wider selection of clip art with unlimited downloads, but offer items that are constantly updated and so are newer and more modern-looking compared to those on the CD-ROM packages.

Most clip art subscriptions also include downloadable animations, web graphics, special fonts, and pictures which are not always available on CD-ROM clip art packages.

Clip Art Online is Easier to Find and Use
Online clip art sites make finding clip art many times easier and faster than the take-home clip art packages you find in the store. There’s no need to have a CD-ROM with you or get it out of its case and load it every time you need artwork. Clip art memberships online are accessible from anywhere you have access to the Internet and is as easy to access as typing in a web address.

There’s also no longer a requirement to laboriously look up the clip art you need in an accompanying book. Clipart online provides an advanced image search engine to help you find exactly what you’re looking for in seconds.

By using clip art memberships online you will also save hard drive space on your computer. Store bought clip art packages like to install thousands of images you don’t even want on your hard drive, but with online clip art memberships you can find and download the images you want all within a fraction of the time it would take using store bought CD-ROMs.

Clip Art Online is a More Enjoyable Experience

For an affordable subscription fee, you can download thousands of clip art images, all available at the click of a button. You usually get unlimited downloads to fun and useful images, which are updated often with new selections.

Clip art offered online are also royalty-free and copyright safe (be sure to read the sites usage rights before joining), meaning you can use them for commercial purposes and any other purpose for a one-time fee.

It seems like we are becoming a template-driven society where everything is 99% pre-made, leaving some room for customization. This goes for everything from cars on the sales lot to web page designs and graphics. That is because for most of us, pre-made, pre-designed items are perfect for us! For the average person, small business owner, and web site owner, pre-made graphics for a small fee are the best option. Here’s why!

Reason #1 Less Stress
Using pre-made web templates and graphics (in some cases you can find whole sets with a theme) is much easier than trying to create your own from scratch. You need to be a graphic designer, web developer and programmer to create one that can compete in today’s market, so if you don’t have advanced skills, you’ll save a lot of time and stress buy using pre-made graphics.

Yes, you can find free templates, but you will spend hours, if not day and weeks trying to find a set of free graphics that fit your theme and are to the standard you require. Additionally, many free clipart and graphic sites are jungles of links that get you no where but lost in a parallel universe full of pop-up windows. It is much easier to buy an inexpensive subscription to a graphics library.

Reason #2 Less Expensive Than a Custom Graphic Designs
Many people say that pre-made graphics for a small fee are better than graphic designers, but who do they think made those free graphics in the first place? That is the great, and often overlooked fact about pre-made graphics-they were created by a pro. Graphic designers are worth their weight in gold, but their custom graphic design services (and fees) are not practical for everyone. Unless you need a custom logo, or original artwork, you may find pre-made graphics suit your needs.

Reason #3 Pre-Made Graphics are Better than No Graphics
Studies show that the easiest way to increase sales is by adding images to your website and sales material. Images reinforce your sales pitch and potential buyers, with dozens of options at their fingertips, are going to judge your website by its appeal. Honestly, what website doesn’t have graphics on it? Graphics increase sales and add credibility to your site and with inexpensive graphics available online, there is no excuse not to have them.

Reason #4 You’ll be Cool With “The Man”
Was the last free graphic you downloaded really copyright free? Was it really created by the website owner? Are you using it on your website or sales documents with permission? Are you sure? With paid subscriptions you have the confidence of knowing that the images are legal to use.

Often free sites are actually a gathering of graphics from various sites and sources where the images are labeled “freely distributable” or do not have a copyright. If you used the images in a direct mail piece, or a client project, it would be a little embarrassing if that client was contacted by the owner of the image and learned it was NOT freely distributed.

So, now that you know why to use a graphics subscription service, which ones are available? The following is a short list of the sites with a long-standing record of customer satisfaction.

Clipart by GraphicsFactory.com
Graphics factory has over 1 Million ready-to-use clip art images, photos, animations, backgrounds, templates, and more. You can use their graphics to create and resell web templates, Shirts, books, digital kits and much more! They have the best selection, quality and prices on the Web.

TemplateMonster.com
Template Monster website templates, flash templates and other products are ready-made web designs, that can be used as a basis for fast and high-quality website. Our website templates, flash templates and all other products are completely customizable and ready for immediate download.

Steves-Templates.com
Free and pay web page templates which are nice looking, professional and can be used free for personal and business websites. Whether you don’t know how to design a web page or are in a hurry to get a site up, these templates are a perfect solution.

Have you ever seen an ad in a publication that was just text? Just a big block of words. I’m sure you have, and wasn’t it boring? If you’re scanning quickly through ad sheets, your eye won’t stop at a block of gray text. It’ll skip right over. To make your ad interesting and eye-catching use ready-made graphics called CLIP ART.

Clip-Arts are ready-to-use pictures, borders, headlines and other little pieces of art, printed in groups on a page, that you can clip out and use in your ads and publications. Clip art can be found at office supply stores, and from mail order dealers. Here’s how you can get into the business of selling clip art.

First, you need a source of clip art. If you, or a friend, are artistically inclined, draw your own. Don’t worry about having to draw it small enough, you can reduce whatever you’ve drawn with a photocopier. It’s a good idea to make your art relatively free of small details, since they’ll get lost when you photocopy the picture. Draw items that would be useful in mail order ads (business related pictures, money, mail, etc.). Then, reduce them and assemble them on one page. You now have a product you can sell!

Another source of clip art is other dealers. Many dealers sell copyright-free clip art packages that you can resell, either for 100% profit or for a commission. The only drawback is it will be the same clip art that others are selling. That’s OK, though, if you make sure to advertise it in places where other dealers aren’t.

Finally, if you own a computer, you have a wealth of clip art at your fingertips. Many graphics and sign-making software packages allow you to create your own graphics. These can be printed out and used as clip arts. A laser printer will produce the best, professional quality clip art you’ll ever see.