Frequently Asked Questions

CONTENTS

1. Icons & Drops Curation FAQ

2. Collaboration Reserves FAQ

3. Prints Service FAQ

1. ICONS & DROPS CURATION

Q: What is the purpose of the Icons list?

Foremost, we want to capture interest in generative art as a movement and in particular works – whether from someone new to the space, or from an existing collector (of whatever level of dedication). We also believe in stimulating market activity through a compelling presentation and easy-to-use collector experience – and acknowledge that this is one of the primary means for growing the space, and therefore further empowering collectors and artists.

To work towards these goals, the Icon list is carefully selected and ordered. The ordering should be viewed as a presentation to collectors, showing the attraction, merit, interest, and value of these artworks. Some collectors will be familiar with most projects and should feel a comfort in the list’s order… new collectors should be enticed by what they see in quality and by various aspects that grab their attention.

In a curated presentation there should be spans of natural-feeling progression, and familial relationships in groupings… there should also be some moments of surprise that gently stop the flow and make the viewer think twice. Like a museum presentation or gallery show, the order is chosen for display and storytelling, and not as a ranking. Also similar to these traditional ‘houses of art’, we use these curatorial devices to achieve a range of objectives – perpetuating the arts, providing historical context, entertaining visitors, attracting members, and yes, helping artwork sell.

Q: How are projects selected for the Icons list?

There are no mechanical rules for adding projects to the icons list. They are not added by an objective metric like sales volume, they are not added following a consensus vote of a certain group of collectors, and they are not even added by a single quality like how they look. The Icons are added following a completely subjective but highly considered array of considerations, including variables such as originality, craftsmanship, beauty, conceptual intrigue, community response, market value, and other such attributes. These characteristics are mentally evaluated by Tender founder @ajberni and added to the Icons list as he sees fit.

Q: Why isn’t there a committee for selecting Icons?

The Icons are not selected in a vacuum – the voices of founding Tenders, Pass holders, and the greater community are all heavily considered in the always-evolving assessment of a given artwork. For anyone to deny the influence of outside sources is to unknowingly succumb to an abundance of their influence – instead they are acknowledged and considered by Tender as important but subordinate to true personal conviction. Ultimately, we strongly believe that one person has to make the decision for curation, in general - that voting consensus often adds watered down perspectives and missed opportunities. There are times when a committee is necessary and more effective, but it would be an unneeded impediment to nimbleness and decisiveness for Tender. The objective is for the list to have value intrinsic to itself – not because a certain person said so or because the list used a certain metric - but because the consolidation and presentation have proven to be useful, familiar, surprising at times, and hopefully attractive (meaning: attracting people to collect). The success of the list in its first six months has proven the hypothesis that subjective curation without a known personality can have impact and acceptance from the community, and so we will continue with this practice.

Q: How often are Icons updated?

Updates don’t follow a set schedule, but usually occur every week or two… sometimes twice in a week. Typically they are added four at a time, often with the four having some thematic resemblance to each other.

Q: Wait seriously, you don’t have Jardin on the Icons list?!

While we try to add projects in an order that is neither rushed nor too far from its release, there have been occasions when a project is added to the Icons list many months after it drops – either because of shifting sentiment, or even because we simply made a mistake (ahem, Gossamer, always meant to have you). Maybe it’s just human nature for opinionated people, but somehow strong requests and heckling us for not having a certain project tends to decrease the chances of it ever being added to the list : ). Our curation is meant to be inclusive and broad and inspirational – though not perfect or exhaustive or agreed with by everyone. There are many projects not on the Icons list that are deemed to be great by others – that’s okay!

Q: Why don’t I see all fxhash projects when I visit Drops?

You can see all of the recently released projects by tapping the ALL checkbox, but we’ve found that collectors usingtender.art prefer to start with a more streamlined view of generative projects. For this reason, we curate a subset of projects for initial display in the Latest Drops section, displaying only those that still have Mints available to you. Unlike the Coming Soon drops, this curated view is available and defaulted for everyone that visits the site, even without connecting a wallet.

Q: How are Latest Drops curated?

The projects selected for the curated display of Latest Drops is broader than the Coming Soon curation presented only to TENDER Pass holders, providing a range of interesting projects still available to mint. As with all display of projects on tender.art, the selection of these works is subjective and does not suggest any particular future value of mints from these projects.

Q: What happened to Mintables?

We previously had a section of the website called ‘Mintables’ that displayed notable projects that have not minted out yet, providing an always-available list of minting opportunities for some potentially underappreciated artworks. This section has been replaced by the default curated state of Latest Drops, that’s available to everyone. The resulting list displays what would essentially be the same works shown in Mintables, except that they are now shown in reverse chronological order, instead of a curated order.

Q: Do you curate Coming Soon Drops?

As a special service to TENDER Pass holders, we curate the display of particularly notable upcoming releases for display in the Coming Soon section – including works that have not yet been minted on fxhash (either by way of artist submission, or by our team finding information through twitter and adding it). This keeps our community of strong collectors informed about special projects minting soon, provides updated details about each drop, helps them plan their upcoming minting activity, and reduces their need to scour the deluge of information on various threads of discord and social platforms. For these Pass holders, the Coming Soon section is filtered upon first view to show only curated projects, providing an at-a-glance view of a much smaller selection of exciting upcoming releases, and is also the basis for the Curated Drops Google calendar that Pass holders can subscribe to, syncing the calendar of their choice to these selections and allowing for notification alerts.

Q: How are Coming Soon Drops curated?

We are selecting projects that look like future Icons, or may be from artists with projects on the Icons list, or they just catch our eye as something new and exciting. As usual, the curation is subjective – there are projects that we should have curated but didn’t, and there will be projects that were curated but don’t mint out. We encourage all Pass holders to also tap the ALL checkbox to see other upcoming drops

Q: Why isn’t this particular project included in the curated view of Drops? Can you add my project, or my friend’s project to the Icons list or curated Drops sections?

We’re pretty good and seeing what comes to the platform, but if you feel that we may have missed a project, go ahead and bring it to our attention as something worth checking out and assume that we will take a look. Additional requests and direct pleas are not effective ways of getting attention for a particular project.

2. COLLABORATION RESERVES

Q: Quick, give me the TLDR;

1. All of Tender collab mints will be reserved for Pass holders (less, any reserved for artists, up to 10%).
2. A snapshot of Pass-associated addresses is taken ~72h prior to each collab release and randomized to assign reserves and waitlist ranking.
3. Pass holders MUST opt-in to claim their reserve OR waitlist spot by connecting a Pass-holding wallet to tender.art and visiting their profile. This must be done more than 2h before project release. Grail Passes are exempt from this process.
4. The final allowlist of reserves, based on opt-ins, will be shown on the project on tender.art and fxhash.xyz.
5. The releases will be set to a fixed price, and the initial allowlist has 1h to mint their reserve, after which all remaining Passes will receive a reserve spot for 1h. If any mints remain after that hour, they will be opened to the public.

Q: How does the reserve system work?

100% of every TENDER x Collab project is reserved for TENDER Pass Holders in an allowlist, minus any mints reserved for artists. Spots from this allowlist will first be assigned to each Founding member of TENDER (28), each TENDER Bonus Pass holder (14), and 2 reserves for each TENDER Grail Pass holder that will be assigned to Tender for minting and airdropping to those holders (12 total). At the time of the TENDER Pass Mint, this totaled 54 pre-assigned reserve spots. The other spots are assigned randomly across the remaining TENDER Pass holders by a new random ordering for each release. Pass holders must then opt-in to claim their reserve or waitlist spot. This process will be repeated for each and every TENDER x Collab project to create new, randomly generated reserve lists.

Example: 500 mints - 54 guaranteed spots - 5 artist reserves = 441 reserve spots assigned randomly to Pass holding wallets.

Q: Do I need to do anything to be eligible for a potential reserve?

All eligible passes will be automatically entered into the random selection for reserve spots, after which each Pass holder must 'opt-in' on our website to claim a reserve or waitlist spot they were assigned. This opt-in process evolved from the desire to have a greater percentage of reserves used during the initial mint – this benefits our collaborating artists, the artwork's performance on secondary, and helps get mints into wanting Pass holder hands. Please opt-in if you expect to mint with your reserve spot, or waitlist spot that may turn into a reserve. See below for more information on opting-in.

Q: Are the Special Passes or Founding Tender Passes accounted for in the random reserve assignment?

No, passes that receive guaranteed reserves or mints sit outside the random ordering and are not eligible for additional reserves.

Q: What if I hold multiple Passes?

Holders can keep all TENDER Passes in the same wallet at no disadvantage to their reserve chances – reserve eligibility is on a per-pass basis, not per-account basis. If you hold multiple passes, each pass will participate in the random ordering process, providing accounts with multiple passes the chance of securing multiple reserves.

Q: When are the reserves assigned?

A snapshot of all TENDER Passes and associated wallets will be taken approximately 72 hours prior to each TENDER x Collab mint or other eligible mint. This ranking of reserve and waitlist spots are based on the data capture in this snapshot and cannot be changed.

Q: What is the randomization process?

The eligible TENDER Passes (1000 - 48 = 952 minus the passes held by the ‘TENDER Pass’ account for future use) are set in a new random order for each release by a consistent, transparent, and blind process using a PRNG algorithm. A future Tezos block will be announced for each project before it occurs, and used as the random seed for the consistent algorithm (stripping out letters, per the algo requirements). This randomization process sets the order of Pass-associated wallets in our standard Google Sheets that will be available for any Pass holder to view. Reserves will be assigned in the random order shown (top to bottom) until all available reserves are filled. The corresponding wallet addresses will be added to the 54 guaranteed addresses and will form the potential allowlist csv for that project. The remaining Pass-associated wallets listed immediately after the reserve-assigned wallets will be ranked on the waitlist. This process happens approximately 72h before project release.

Q: How will I know if I have a potential reserve?

Following the randomization process for each project, we will update tender.art to show your Passes' status for the upcoming collab release. To see your potential reserve or waitlist status and opt-in to receive that status, connect your wallet to tender.art and you will see a button labeled COLLAB OPT-IN at the top of your profile, and in your avatar's fly-out menu. The Google sheet containing the randomization process and a list of addresses with potential reserve spots can be shared upon request.

Q: How does the opt-in process work?

We describe reserve spots following the snapshot randomization process as 'potential' because they must be claimed with an opt-in, including Bonus and Founding Tender Passes. First, connect your wallet to tender.art and you will see a button labeled COLLAB OPT-IN at the top of your profile, and in your avatar's fly-out menu. Clicking this button will display a modal with a list of your passes and their status. Check the box for each Pass you want to claim a reserve or waitlist spot for. About 2h prior to the project's release we will then apply all opt-in claims, fill unclaimed reserves with the top-ranked claimed waitlist addresses, and upload the official allowlist to the project on fxhash.xyz and tender.art. The remaining opted-in waitlist spots define the ranked list of reserve-eligible addresses if any mints remain unclaimed following the first 24h of minting.

This opt-in process ensures that reserves go to active collectors, and also gives collectors an opportunity to let their potential reserve spot go to a fellow Tender who wants it. Sometimes a collector may not need all of their given reserves/waitlist spots, or may just be low on tez – whatever the reason for passing up a spot, there is always another community member who will be excited for a chance to mint.

Q: How long will the reserves last? What happens next?

If there are reserve spots that remain unminted 1 hour after project release, all remaining Passes that didn’t initially receive a reserve, are given reserve spots for the next hour. After this period, any remaining mints will be opened to the public. The allowlist ‘waves’ work like this:

1. Exact number of reserves allocated at release
2. After 1h, all other Passes' wallets are added to the remaining reserves from wave (1), for 1h
3. Allowlist removed if any mints remain after 2h

Q: What if I sell my TENDER Pass after the snapshot, but before the project mint?

If a Pass is sold after the snapshot and before the mint takes place, any assigned reserves are still associated with the wallet that held the Pass at the time of the snapshot. This means that while you no longer own that Pass, you maintain the reserve associated with the wallet that held the Pass at the time of the snapshot.

Q: What if I buy a TENDER Pass after the snapshot, but before the project mint?

If you purchase a Pass within this timeframe, you are not eligible for any reserve associated with that particular Pass on this specific mint, but you will be eligible for all following mints for as long as you are a holder of the TENDER Pass.

Q: How do the mints work?

TENDER reserves the right to design the pricing of each mint in a manner that best reflects the current market trends, artist’s intent, and overall access. If / when Dutch Auction mints are employed, the mint will be stopped at the lowest publicly minted tier, whether manually or by a future fxhash mechanism. This is intended to allow the market to set the price for each project and not allow a dramatically unfair advantage for reserve holders, thus protecting the collaborating artists and collectors themselves from market dynamics skewed by very low-priced mints. Currently, the approach in place is to sell Collaborations at a fixed price entirely to Tenders.

3. PRINTS SERVICE

Q: Why did you make the Tender Prints service?

We believe that artworks hanging on walls are one of the best ways to maximize appreciation of collectors’ favorite pieces and increase the likelihood of further collecting – whether by them, or others who get to enjoy their presence. Prints are often the most detailed, largest, most consistent way to display extraordinary generative artworks in a home or workplace. There is a ‘realness’ and tactility to prints that even the most devout digital native cannot deny, and they also serve as a great conversation starter for anyone that may be new to generative art. With that said, we advocate selecting works that print well and printing at the highest quality possible. This is why we set up Tender Prints in partnership with one of the best printers in the world.

Q: Which pieces can I print through Tender?

When connected to tender.art, you will see a printer icon next to any piece you own that is eligible for printing. Printing requires downloading a full-resolution file of the artwork (see the following question) and then pressing the printer button to start the process of ordering a fine print.

Q: How do I get a printable file, and why doesn’t Tender automate this?

Each project has unique code and means of generating high-resolution files, or perhaps no system for doing so – automating these various methods is not feasible. The first place to check for instructions on outputting a printable file is in the project description or the project info, where we often note or link-to specific instructions. This process frequently involves opening the Live link of the piece and pressing some combination of keys. Once you have saved the file associated with the piece you want to print from your collection, you will then upload this file when ordering your print. The system accepts .jpg, .png, or .svg files, and we recommend at least 300dpi for the size of print you want to order, when using jpg or png files. If a project exports, say, a maximum of 3000x3000 pixel images, then the max recommended print size is 10”x10” (25.4cm x 25.4cm).

Q: An artwork I own doesn’t have a print button – is there any way I can still get a print?

If a project’s pieces have not been ‘Allowed’ for printing by the artist, there will be no Print button on those pieces. There are various reasons that an artist may not have Allowed printing, most of them including:

• The artist isnot aware of the need to connect and Allow Printing for their projects, or hasn’t made the time to do so
• The artist does not have an adequate way of supplying high resolution files, and therefore has not approved printing
• The artist has their own printing service that they prefer collectors to use (we are happy for those cases, and always link directly from the project page to those services when we have the appropriate link)

In a case where the artist has not approved the artwork, it may help for a collector to respectfully request that they Approve Printing throughtender.art. Feel free to link them to this FAQ and toprints.tender.art for an overview of the print quality. Tender is regularly reaching out to artists as well. In some cases where there may not be adequate printable files available, some artists may elect to create their own system for generating high-res files from their source code. In those cases where the artist offers to assemble such a repository of outputs, please have them send us a link to the google drive (or similar) where these files are stored, and we will link to it from the corresponding project page on tender.art

Q: But couldn't I just upload whatever file I want, even if I don’t own the piece?

Yes, you can… but we manually check every file against the token that was linked-from in your wallet. If they don’t match, the print will be denied and we will reach out to you about issuing a refund.

Q: What kind of quality should I expect?

The prints are amongst the highest quality pigment prints in the world, printed by lead innovators in printing technology. The printing studio we have partnered with is an independent company passing on their lowest prices to Tender for their best quality prints. For more details on their approach and experience, please go to prints.tender.art.

Q: What about other paper options?

With consultation from the printers, we have selected two fine art papers that serve most printing scenarios very well. They are both heavy full white papers, one with a coated ‘photo’ baryta surface, and the other with a smooth ‘printmakers’ uncoated surface. As Tender Prints grow in volume, we may offer more options, and even the ability for artists to select which papers may be used for a given project.

Q: Can I print multiple images together as one print?

You may combine multiple source files of artwork into a single image using basic image editing software and upload it while ordering a print of one of the tokens pictured. Please include tender.art links to the other pieces that were assembled into the file within the Special Requests field when ordering.

Q: How fast will my prints arrive?

The time estimates are calculated directly from the carrier, but please allow up to 2 weeks for printing and packaging turnaround. Most orders are processed within a few days, but the printers are occasionally unavailable for a week, so this timeframe is a conservative estimate.

Q: Why is the shipping cost higher than I’m used to? Why is packaging / handling added to the order?

Shipping costs are calculated directly from the carrier, and estimated on the size and weight of the package. Nearly all print orders will be shipped flat, with prints carefully taped between many layers of sandwiched corrugated cardboard. This is the safest and sturdiest way to ship fine artworks outside of crating, but does yield a larger and heavier package than a typical print parcel. The time and materials needed to construct these packages and carefully handle your prints in an archival-safe manner necessitates the flat $25 handling and packaging fee on every order.

Q: Do you handle Customs and VAT outside of the US?

Our services do not include any costs or paperwork associated with international shipping other than the inclusion of a standard order form. The receiving country will handle any customs requirements and contact you if needed.

Q: Can I arrange to have my print signed by the artist?

The collector may arrange for the artist to receive the print shipment, open it and sign the print, re-close the package, and ship it to the collector – but any associated costs and facilitation (including shipping from artist to collector) are not covered by your Tender Print order. To start this process, you must obtain the receiving artist’s address and permission, and set your shipping address accordingly during checkout.

Q: Is my information safe?

The Tender Prints checkout experience is run by Shopify, the world’s leading e-commerce platform. We rely on their best-in-class security and reliability for protecting your information and ensuring a successful transaction.

Q: What currency do you accept?

We currently accept fiat orders only, and Shopify will convert the underlying USD cost to your local currency at checkout. There is presently no Tezos payment gateway / wallet integration for Shopify, so we cannot accept orders in Tez… if anyone wants to build a custom Shopify app for this purpose, please reach out to us on Twitter and we can help facilitate : )

Q: How does Tender have permission to print these works, and how much profit are they taking?

Any token, technically, can be printed by anyone, anywhere, at any time. We’ve added measures to protect artists and collectors, ensuring that a) the token is being printed by its owner, and b) the artist has Allowed the works from their projects to be printed by Tender Prints. These artist-approved prints are priced with a very slim margin above the printer’s cost to Tender, in hopes of recouping setup costs for this service sometime in 2023, and to protect from a loss to Tender when applying any discounts.

Q: What discounts do you offer?

Every piece from every TENDER x Collab and Tender creative partnership project will receive 20% off of prints. Additionally, every Tender Pass holder will receive 20% off prints of any and all prints. Other than this, we will do no more than one short [holiday-season] sale each year for the general public. At a 20% discount, Tender has no margin on any prints – our objective is to help get prints into the homes and workplaces of as many collectors as possible.

Q: What’s in it for the artist?

On top of the high-level benefits for artists and the greater community described in the first question of this FAQ, our service removes the burden from artists of handling printing or sourcing a high quality printer, from managing the logistics of fulfillment and shipping, and from having to take currency (whether tez or fiat) and manage personally identifiable information.

Q: I’m an artist – how do I allow my projects to be printed?

We would love to get your artworks printed and into the hands of collectors. After discussing with the artist community, we built an opt-in system where artists can elect to Allow each of their projects to be printed by Tender Prints, before any prints may be ordered from their project. The artist must connect their wallet (we use the same connecting contract as fxhash), and go to their profile/projects page. There they will see a simple checkbox above each project, reading “Allow Printing”. Check that box!