Some transportable media, if dropped or passed through certain magnetic fields, may become corrupted or unusable. These files may have to be copied or recreated by the client in order to be usable.

Some graphic or business software applications should only be used for desktop or low resolution creative or design work. A written specification of the programs intended to be used for a project should be agreed upon.

Programs such as PowerPoint are difficult to use for high-end creative work. Additional time and resources may be needed to repurpose these programs for other than their specific use. It is customary in the industry to charge for these services. Programs such as MS Word, WordPerfect or Excel are essentially word processing or spreadsheet programs and should not be used for sophisticated design or high resolution printing or output work. They are not readily able to be used for printing impositions and their font and image management tools are limited.

Resolution: Different image file resolutions are needed for proper use with different media. All participants in the production workflow should be aware of file sizes as delivered and expected with regards to anticipated use.

A 72 dpi photographic image will be acceptable for use on a video monitor or internet uses.

A 150-dpi image will be acceptable for use in a newspaper ad.

A 250-dpi image may be acceptable for a magazine ad.

A 300 - 600 dpi image may be acceptable for use in a traditional printed brochure or outdoor billboard.

Enlargements: A "high resolution file" remains high resolution only if it is used at close to the same size in which it was created.

A 600 dpi scanned image at 4" x 5" becomes 300 dpi if used at 8" x 10". That image would "look better" if it had been scanned at 300 dpi for 8" x 10".

Some graphic files, if not compressed properly for transmission, may output only as text files.

Some graphic files if compressed using the latest version of a compression program may not expand or open if that latest version is not used by the recipient of that file. Some compressions may also lose data.

Designs or illustrations created electronically can only be proofed properly by using some form of high resolution output and proof devices.

Illustrations created by Adobe Illustrator and similar programs can only be proved for color accuracy and fidelity by outputting the file and creating a high resolution digital or analog proof. Desktop or low resolution proof or laser devices may not show accurate colors and details.