Which Clip Art is Best—Membership or Disc?

By Joshua Johnson

If you're serious about clip art, then you already know free clip art can take you only so far. You've probably also discovered you can purchase clip art two distinct ways—online or on disc.

Online Clip Art Memberships

Many clip art websites offer memberships, which require either a one-time fee or an annual fee.

The advantage to buying a membership to an online clip art database is that you always have access to up-to-date content. Membership sites turn out new clip art regularly, and this clip art will reflect current events.

For example, if you are working on an election campaign, you'll want clip art specifically created for the current year.

Another advantage is convenience. As long as the website has a good search tool that allows you to search for clip art several ways, finding the right clip art is less burdensome and less time consuming than flipping through a bunch of discs to find the right image.

The disadvantage of most clip art websites is, of course, the reoccurring cost of membership.

Clip Art Disc Packages

The alternative to retrieving your clip art from the web is buying it in a set of discs. By physically owning the clip art, you have the assurance that the clip art will always be there for you, without yearly fees, for as long as the technology lasts. One disadvantage to owning a clip art disc set is that you can't receive updates. If you need clip art that includes current events and trends, you'll have to buy new packages. Also, many people see disc sets as inconvenient, since you must regularly switch discs to get to the image you need.

Which Clip Art Option is Best?

Choosing between online or disc clip art comes down to personal preference and need—does your situation require a frequently updated or more permanent pool of clip art? Do you mind paying a monthly fee or do you want to own the clip art?

Within these two categories, clip art products vary in selection and convenience. Make sure to research each option to be sure the database thoroughly covers your subjects of interest and that it has powerful, versatile search tools. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find that one-in-a-million image right when you need it.

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