My experience has proven that unless the first time customer learns immediately that digital art files are a necessity, those files will have a tendency not to materialize in a timely manner while a looming press date rapidly approaches.
Digital art files are a firm requirement for embossing tool preparation. These embossing art files should be prepared with the embossing image and the dieline in the same file as different layers. Such art files should show the embossed image as a solid black shape. If the art file only shows a black line around the area to be embossed, the end result could be an embossed outline around that area on the package. Only after a customer understands that the having a digital art file is a firm requirement will I consider providing rough pre-quotes on projects.