Printing & Copying

For years now trends have trickled down from the catwalk onto the high street but lately they seem to be taking their inspirations from the catwalk a little too literally. In fact they seem to be getting away with just blatently copying them stitch for stitch.

So what's in it for the designer, do they get a share of this profit? who knows. If not it doesn't seem very fair, after all the huge chain stores are making money on the back of the designers creative originality. Perhaps however it is flattering to the designer and of course they will recieve more attention and publicity as it shows that joe public wants a piece of the action too. Or could it be that once the high street start copying their garments it de-values the status of the piece and makes customers think twice about paying through their nose for something they can pick up in Topshop??

Here is an example of blatent catwalk copying. Topshop is my favourite example as they seem to be replicating the whole Luella range this Spring/Summer. Some may argue that they pay for the quality of designer clothing however surely a t-shirt is just a t-shirt, right?

Luella Original V.S Topshop remake for £18.

chattanooga-ex-officer-turns-entrepreneur

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We've come a long way since the very beginning of printing. In the days of the hand-scribed documents, the ink used was water-based inks that didn't hold up for very long. By the time when Gutenberg came along with his cool new printing press, he also started using an oil-based ink that would be much more durable.

Fast forward almost 600 years. As you can imagine, ink technology has changed as much as the printing presses that apply the stuff. They've been formulated in labs to figure out exact drying times, effortless applications and near perfect results.

They've also gotten greener too. Not until a few years ago, consumers started demanding soy-based inks for environmental concern. It's a welcomed change not only for the obvious use of petroleum, but also because of less volatile organic compounds (VOCs) seeping into the air. This makes breathing a whole lot easier for everyone near a printing press and better overall quality of air for all of us.

The newest of these is vegetable-based inks. This is what Independent Printing currently uses standard. You may ask, "Well, what's the difference, isn't soybean a vegetable?" Truth be told, soy-based inks are made with soybean oil, and vegetable-based inks are made with vegetable oil. They're 2 different substances. But vegetable-based is that much better yet than soy inks. So those requesting soy inks as a green solution probably don't know there is a greener solution out there.

In fact, being vegetable inks as the newest technology, they emit less VOCs than soy-based. The ink Independent Printing uses contains a percentage of alternative vegetable oil, ranging from 14% to 27%. It's formulated with organic materials that do not contain any animal-based byproducts. We also use a hybrid UV-cured ink. It contains no vegetable oils and is dried (cured) with UV energy. UV inks do not contain any volatile organic compounds (VOC) making them a very green choice.

So there's more to it than just printing on recycled paper. It's only half the story. You also have to be aware of what you're putting on it to be eco-conscious.

Hi everyone - I've begun my first few drafts for the project and so far it's been a difficult but very educational process.

For tree references I used a lot of banyan tree photos since they have a great viney texture. To impose it onto the model, courtesy of some tasteful porn site, I used layers and tuned down the opacity. Even though I spent a long time trying to figure out how to use masks, it turned down I didn't even need them. I also went to the Digital Output Centre for help with printing my proof - the lab tech being is indeed very knowledgeable. I will be going back, for sure.

After struggling with the texture I'm gonna have to work on lighting. Gah. So much work.

In other news, I fell off my bike yesterday. I was going down Broadway whilst trying to talk on my cellphone at the same time.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" asked the person I was talking to.

"Yeah," I said. "So if you hear a crash and it cuts off, that means I've fallen over."

And BAM. Within 5 seconds, I was sprawled on the sidewalk, and my cellphone was strewn in pieces next to me. This is a photo of the raw skin peeled off my left hand:

After realizing what had happened, the first thing I did was sit up and burst into laughter. I didn't really expect to fall off.

 

Este artículo va destinado a profesionales de IT. Las imágenes que ven son de una conexión generada desde un N95 a un Windows XP mediante Remote Desktop y a un Linux mediante Putty S60 sobre SSH. 

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Facing problems printing Adobe files? First, check what version of Adobe Reader is being used. It is advisable to download the latest and most current version. This is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html?promoid=BUIGO.

 

For printing PDF files or Adobe Portable Document Format files, a lot depends on the type of printer that is being used. A number of PDF files may not print correctly, until you select the Print as Image option (this is in the printer dialog box). Using this option, the document may take a couple of minutes to print.

 

PDF documents take up a considerable amount of printer memory. To illustrate this, if a printer has just 1 MB of total memory, and the printer has been set up for high quality printing, reversed text blocks might print with no message given by the printer, in solid black. If extra memory is not on-hand, download the entire file and then print just a few pages at a time. If the PDF document is still not printing properly, use the 'shrink to fit' option.

 

To be brand specific, if problems persist with an HP LaserJet, change the settings to the following:

 

-         Instead of vector graphics, use raster graphics. This should fix the problem of reversed text, among others.

-         To remove the overlapping of text on printed document, use bitmap fonts as against graphics or outline.

-         To improve the quality of images in your document, use course or graphics dithering, instead of using none.

 

Finally, it's advisable to save the file to the disk and then proceed to open it in Adobe Reader. By doing this, bug can be avoided that the Reader may cause while trying to access the PDF file directly from the internet.

 

Check out ProjectCenter’s services at www.makepapereasy.com.

I've always wanted to try screen printing my own images onto fabric, I've heard of other Etsy sellers that do this not only to fabric, but also to paper. Wouldn't it be SO COOL to have your own art work on your product? With my bags, I have to feature another persons work on the fabric...I just sew it together. I just think it'd be so cool to say "This is my bag, and yes, this is my fabric too!".

I know what you're thinking "Another project Kj??". Yep, they just don't stop!

I was reading another blog where the author had hand painted the art on t-shirts...hand painted, no screens. She really inspired me to try it (which I have yet to do) but also reminded me about screen-printing.

The more I read about the process of screenprinting, the more I see how easy it is! At first, I was a bit overwhelmed with the steps you need to take to make a screen and imprint your image on it. But now, I think it's something I want (aka: need) to try out. Etsy has a great video on how the process works, and I just stumbled across this How-To article that helped a bit too. Oh, and this Etsy video too!

I'll be searching for a frame and the proper mesh...I'll slowly build up my screen-printing supplies, I think. Boy, it's sure good I'm selling my bags at the Farmers Market now, otherwise I'd be broke!

Have you ever heard of ThreadBanger? I found them through their videos on YouTube. It's a great site for easy ways to decorate or new projects to start on (yeah, just what I need). They have great videos, forums, links and GREAT contests (the last one was for a Janome {!} sewing machine), if you're a crafter, visiting this site is a m.u.s.t.

Now that word just looks wrong.

If you haven’t created a poster for a trade show, or haven’t thought about creating a poster, you should read on to pick up some pointers on how to create a great poster.

Trade show posters work well because the colors and the text draw people in. You can draw people in to your booth in other ways – hosting a game or giveaway, or showing a video demonstration of your product in action – but these options take time. Posters don’t take up a lot of time – people can look them over at their leisure and then move further into your booth to find out more info.

Here are some pointers for your next trade show poster:

The title of the poster should be at the top of the poster – don’t try to get too creative and put the title across the bottom or down the sides. By putting it at the top, in a simple font, it’s easier to read. Make sure it’s big enough to be read from 15 to 20 feet away.

Create an intro and a conclusion for your poster(s). If you have multiple posters, or if your poster contains a lot of text information, consider adding intro and conclusion sheets. These can flank both sides of your poster so that people can decide if they want to read the rest of your poster(s) and if they don’t have enough time, they can just read the conclusion to get the important parts. The conclusion should be a bulleted list of takeaway points that you want people to remember from your poster(s).

Number your poster sections. You should always design your posters so that the information flows in a logical sequence. However, not all people are logical, so to help those people out, use large numbers to number each section. I think it’s safe to assume that people will know how to follow the numbers (at least I hope so)!

Design the poster to be self-explanatory. The main points of the poster should stick out even when you are not there to point them out to people. Don’t get too detailed though – just give people enough info to understand the concept you’re trying to get across. People can ask questions when you are at the booth, or you can leave a pile of business cards by the poster (or even in a pocket on the poster) so that people can contact you later with questions.

Whatever photos or illustrations you have should be explained. Each graphic on your poster should have a caption that explains it or labels it.

Practice a 2 to 5 minute poster presentation. When people come up to you and your poster, don’t just read the poster to them. That’s like being in a bad high school class all over again! Instead, figure out what you’re going to say about the poster ahead of time – what points you need to clarify or expand upon and try to anticipate questions and answers to those questions. Practice your presentation in front of colleagues or family members. Keep it short and sweet so people don’t get bored.

By following these few tips, your trade show posters will earn its cost back through all your new sales and leads!

I haven’t blogged about Britney for a long time. All I was seeing was her ever bulging belly, her adventures with the paparazzi, her unusual driving stunts or her now you have it fuzzy, now you don’t hair days. I still don’t have any update on this has been superstar who had the chance to redeem herself but let it slip away.

Oh Britney, if you only knew how lucky you were.  All together now!

“She’s so lucky, she’s a star
But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking
If there’s nothing missing in my life
Then why do these tears come at night.”

But are you happy now that you’ve lost the stardom? I don’t think so. She’s a mess. But I recently saw her pictures with a new do. She seems to be shaping up. She’s blonde and seems to be losing the excess pounds. Just continue doing that and she’ll soon be prepped up to model for ads, even vinyl signs. The latest about her is that she will be shooting a video to be shown on Madonna’s concert tour, ala virtual Britney.

Her kid sister, or the sister, Jamie Lynn, has given birth last June 19 to a baby girl. The girl was named Maddie Briann. Jaime is now raising her in the Mississippi home she shares with boyfriend Casey Aldridge.

So what’s next with the Spears? Maybe it will be better if we’ll just wait for their kids to grow and redeem their parents’ lost careers. But for now, we should just hope that these kids will be guided accordingly so that they won’t follow their parents’ footsteps.

As for Britney, I think that this girl still has the chance to make it. She’s still young and she’s talented. If only she will learn to put her talents and charm into something good and where she will excel. If only she will learn to prioritize her loved ones before she thinks about herself. Oh well, I think that she knows what to do to straighten out. I just hope that she realizes all these before it’s too late. Come on, Britney. Look at where Justin is now. Isn’t that enough inspiration to strive harder?