Licensing Art to Coaster Manufacturers

There are many companies that make coasters to protect furniture from drink containers. They are made of various materials such as paper/cardboard, stone, ceramic, cork and plastic. Coasters are considered not only useful items but also used in home decor. Thus, manufacturers are dependent on artists to create licensed art to help sell their products. All kind of themes are used on coasters from flowers, birds, butterflies, seashells to seasonal and holiday images. Some manufacturers licensed a variety of art styles while others stick to traditional fine art. Also, some manufacturers only use one design for a set of coasters, while others use two or four or even 24 designs. And some produce round or square or both shapes of coasters. Thus, artists MUST do their homework and learn what each manufacturer requires before submitting their work for licensing consideration.

Below is a check list when sending art to coaster manufacturers.
Does the art
1. have themes that the manufacture shows on their website or in retail stores or e-store websites? The themes shown normally are the themes that are good sellers and an artist has a better chance in getting a deal. Besides, the list of themes listed above, manufacturers may also periodically license trendy themes such as high heels or images for a niche market such as lodge or South West Indian.
2. belong with a collection of several images or is it a single image? If the manufacture uses four images in a set of coasters, the artist has a better chance in getting a deal if four images that go together are submitted.
3. use a style that the manufacturer licenses for their coasters? If the artist's style is illustrative and the manufacturer does not use that style on their coasters, the likely hood in getting a deal is slim. An exception might be when a new art style is emerging such as the current chalkboard style. It may be too new and not yet shown on the manufacturer's website.
4. have the proper format for the manufacturers coasters? An artist has a better chance in getting a deal, if the images are already formatted to the shape of the manufacturers products. For instance, If their coasters are round, then submit the art in a round format.

And, when submitting art to any manufacturer, you have a better chance in getting deals if you are easy to work with. Thus, mention in the Email or correspondence that you are willing to edit (change colors, remove icons, reformat) the art to their specifications. Below is a list of some manufacturers that produce coasters.

Manufacturers that Produce Coasters
• Evergreen Enterprises / Cypress Home

• Highland Graphics

• Lang

• Legacy

• Magnet Works Ltd.

• Thirstystone Coaster Company

Read more articles about manufacturers under the Topics section (on the side bar) by clicking on Manufacturers.

Your comments are welcome. Click on the comments section (below) to write your comment. Note: Some people have a problem in leaving a comment. The most successful method is to comment as Name/URL (your name and website or blog with a "complete" URL address).