Purchasing Clip Art

In all likelihood you have already visited my free clip art page. And, perhaps you were lucky and found some freebie files that fit the job you have at hand. But perhaps you were not? That is why you are back? And you feel resigned to have to fork out some cash in order to buy some clip art online? I know, I know - it shouldn't be so difficult to just find a fun picture of a feline online. But fear not: purchasing clip art need not be an expensive proposition.

My advice: pay the minimal fees associated with a subscription-based service. You will find what you need faster, it will come in multiple file formats and you'll be spared from the endless litany of advertising, pop-ups, pop-unders and other problems associated with the "free" sites. 'Nuff said!

Subscription-Based Clip Art Services:

1.) Clipart.com
It's fast, easy and affordable. ClipArt.com has been online longer than I have. Seriously, with your subscription you get access to clipart, photos, fonts, animations and sounds! ClipArt.com is owned by the same company as Photos.com, so the quality of what you download is high and you can obtain files in multiple formats. Last time I looked, there were 6 million downloadable files! That's ... a lot!

2.) GraphicsFactory
GraphicsFactory used to be called GifArt. An impressive collection, there are over 1 million clipart, graphics, animations and fonts available for download. The site is clean and easy to use, and easily searchable (once you sign up.) The price is less than ClipArt.com, but the trade-off is that you get fewer files. But if you're working under a tight budget, GraphicsFactory could be exactly what you need.

3.) PlanetCDRom
Planet CDRom has lots of various clipart CD's, font CD's and even photo CD's available online for free. That's right, I said free - you just pay the shipping and handling for them to ship to you. You don't have to sign up or anything, and they send out no newsletters. I have bought several CD's through this company over the years and the quality of what I've received has been generally very good. Be sure to check them out occasionally; it's a great way to enhance your stock collection.

And don't forget about:

4.) iStockPhoto
One of my very, very favorite websites, more and more vector art is uploaded every day. Which means, you can easily make your very own clip-art and customize it to your heart's content! This site is best suited to those who have software such as Adobe Illustrator in order to edit vector-art files and use the downloads. But if you need high quality custom vector artwork, and like spending less than $10 a file, you are totally in the right place!