Printing & Copying

Making copies of images is sometimes a concern for artists or photographers wanting to display their work online. If you are one of these people, protecting your intellectual property rights is very important but do not let this fear prevent you from promoting your work on the Internet. The simple fact is the only way for you to get the exposure you want, is to be willing to show your work. I say this because there are literally artists and photographers that are so protective of their work they only reluctantly display their work.

People should not be afraid to do this. The images displayed on most web sites are too small and low a resolution to yield a decent print. Based upon this premise, most of the artists or photographers using our Members Gallery at FinerWorks dismiss the fear of people trying to make "bootleg" copies.

Sure, people can copy your work if they are determined to, resize in a program like Photoshop, and send it to a printer. The end results is a print will be very grainy or pixilated. If the intent is to sell the bootleg copy then to that person, I cynically say "good luck". If their intent is too savea pixelated image for just themselves, it just shows they do not have good taste.

As a web site consultant and someone that has helped photo studios build online proofing and ordering systems for their client's prints, I have researched a handful of technical safeguards that can be put in place. Some of them work okay for a person with little technical skills but none are totally without fault or are without a work around. Many times photographers are not as concerned because they know the images are not going to be good quality anyway if printed from the web page displaying them. If someone is determines to get the image then my previous comments of "good luck" and "they do not have good taste" still applies.

The bottom line is anyone can download any image off the internet, resize it and then order. The key is just make sure that if you have a web site and display your work, do not provide access to your high resolution copies.

Keen observers of this blog may have noticed my penchant for quoting that Douglas Adams masterpiece, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in reference to real-world events. Today, I will take the time-honoured sentiment that 'truth is stranger than fiction' and amend it ever so. Because sometimes, truth is exactly as strange as fiction.

In the Hitchhiker's Guide, a ship from Golgafrincham - containing an entire useless third of that planet's population - crash lands on prehistoric Earth. Being composed of morons, the crew adopts the leaf as currency, but as mass availability means that three major deciduous forests purchase one ship's biscuit, they take steps to combat inflation. Bold, visionary steps, viz: burning down all the forests.

Fast forward to Zimbabwe and today's news: the paper company on which Robert Mugabe has been printing his ever-rising currency denominations has severed its ties to the government. Which means, in practical terms, that in addition to being worthless - the largest note is $50 billion, with a street value of one American dollar - the money will now be scarce. So scarce, in fact, that within two weeks, printing more will be impossible. Mugabe won't be able to pay his thugs. In all probability, the country will collapse. And Fidelity Printers, whose principled withdrawal over the recent election has precipitated the crisis, will effectively become the first corporation to deliberately and visibly destroy a government.    

It's almost on par with Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility, or Wreck of the Titan - published fourteen years prior to the sinking of the Titanic - in which the world's largest, unsinkable ocean liner hits an iceberg and sinks in the North Atlantic. Seriously.

Which, on many levels, is just plain weird - but arguably no weirder than a beer that costs $150 billion and isn't brewed from unicorn giggles.

Truth and fiction? Let's blur dem lines.

Always will there be work papers left in the printer that was printed from the stone age. I have seen an Outlook message sent to Jesus:

"Son, it's Dad. Tell your mother I'm going to be late. Mad traffic. Crap my iPhone 2G is conking out- hope you get this. Can you make me some of that awesome wine for dinner? Pe@ce."

But when it comes time for printing sensitive documents- like personal bills, personal e-mails, personal pictures, personal lame jokes from even lamer friends- you see people bolt up from their seat the minute the printer starts making its printing noises. Ooo and how about when you're printing your resume or cover letters: Speedy Gonzales has NOTHING on you as you fly faster than the downward unzipping of a man's jeans for boning.

A study last August commissioned by iProspect.com, Inc. and conducted by JupiterResearch examined the influence of offline marketing channels, such as television, print, radio, and word-of-mouth on Internet search and purchase behavior. Over 2,300 consumers answered questions about behaviors, attitudes, and preferences as related to new media and devices.

Results:

• Offline channels have a clear influence in driving consumer to • search the Internet for more information -- 67% of online search users are driven to perform a search based on company name, product or service name, or slogan because of an offline message
• Exposure to offline advertising results in online purchases – nearly • 40% of online searchers influenced by offline channels ultimately make a purchase.  This impressive conversion rate demonstrates the synergistic relationship between offline and online channels.
• Consumers report that magazine/newspaper ads (30%) and • word-of-mouth (30%) were most effective in generating online purchases.

Offline Channel Exposure Driving Online Searches

Offline Channel                       % of Online Searches
TV ad                                                             37%
Word-of-mouth                                            36%
Magazine/Newspaper ad                               30%
Store location                                                20%
Radio ad                                                        17%
Billboard, indoor or sports venue sign           9%
Company name/ad on vehicle                       10%
None of these prompted a search                  33%

Take Aways:

• With two-thirds of study respondents driven by offline messages to • perform online searches for more information on a company, service, or product and for four out of ten of those respondents to then make a purchase, demonstrates the growing importance of integration and synergy between offline and online campaigns.
• Marketers need to ensure that offline advertising contains easy to • remember website addresses and memorable keywords so potential customers can go on to successfully search online for additional information—with the goal being a resulting purchase.

Yes, according to recent research, but they don't neccessarily know what constitutes fair use of other people's work. The research has been reported by IWR.

I am dreaming of a feature that can give people the ability to see how many printed pages an email or an Internet page will take and give them the option to select which one to print. I absolutely hate it when I print out something only to discover that the last page has just the date on it, an ad, or some other crap like that. Or when I only want a section of an email, not the entire exchange, but have to print out everything anyway. IT. DRIVES. ME. NUTS.

With all the technological prowess there is, nobody has thought about this until now? How come no one is screaming for this kind of solution to wasting paper? I'm not even talking about printing less. Let's say I'm ok with printing whatever you want (I'm not). But printing something that's of zero value and that wastes paper and toner???

How hard can this be to code? It's moments like this when I regret not being a geek.

Recuerdan el artículo que escribí Actualización de firmware: 28 aplicaciones en 1 hora sobre como re-instalar todas las aplicaciones luego de una actualización de un firmware, reseteo o cambio de teléfono?

Ahora pueden hacerlo en 5 MINUTOS de forma muy fácil con AutoSisInstaller de Thinkchange.cn.

Read the rest of this entry »

With practical applications from political rallies to informational pamphlets, brochure printing can be a realistic idea for just about anyone. With a limitless range of possibilities, colors, styles, and ideas, an eye-catching and attractive brochure for your company will certainly increase your sales. From printing tri-fold brochures to pamphlets, you can make any sort of brochure you want.  Once captivated by the brochure, the target audience will listen to your information, thus giving you the chance to turn a few heads, maybe change a few opinions, draw a few new clients, or spread awareness of your products.

Hillview Printing are printers in San Jose CA and they are offer a variety of commercial printing services including 4 color brochure printing, bindery, apparel printing, printing party favors, invitations and announcements, flyer printing, envelope printing, copying services, graphic design services, postcard printing, and many others. Hillview Printing works with both offset printing and digital printing. You can place your printing order online, ask for an estimate, and the whole project will be done and delivered to you at the click of a mouse!

Possibilities to raise awareness for your cause or draw a newer, fresher client base, increase exponentially with a well-written and designed brochure. Brochures are a great way to gain exposure for a cause or business, while still remaining cost effective. Hillview Printing will be a one-stop answer to all your printing requirements. Contact them at 408-779-6960 or mail@hillviewprinting.com today!

This is a pretty cool option from a 2D social network meetings a 3D social network sort of way. Google Lively gives you the code to add your room(s) to your website. I tested it out on one of my Ning sites and not only could you have one running but multible Lively rooms running at the same time.

I can see this option as a nice customer service tool for many companies websites. It works very well from the social network stand point and with more than one room option it can be a blast for those multitaskers like me.

Check it out here - CLICK ME

This is your business card. This is a physical representation of you people will look at long after your actual meeting with them is over. This is something people will need to use to remember who you are and will quite likely help to shape their opinion of you when they happen to pick that card back up maybe years after you spoke to them.

So why do so many people put so little thought into their business card? Make it something interesting. Make yourself a personal business card that lets people get a feel for who you are as a person.

There’s no reason not to design your own business card. Any design software will do. Pick up a copy of QuarkXpress, just to name one, and you can start making a business card that says something about who you are.

What do you put on the business card? How am I supposed to tell you what is supposed to be something personal to you? What I can mention are the different areas to think about when making business cards.

The big two are you and your businesses. How exactly you go about representing yourself and your business are for you to decide. You might want to have a quote that fits your company or maybe you want to have a picture of you or the building you work in on the front of the card.

You could put a piece if advice or tidbit of information pertaining to your industry most people wouldn’t know about. I can guarantee that there is something interesting about the market you work in that most people aren’t aware of, and mentioning it on your card can be a way of both showing that you have experience in your field and give people trivia they’ll easily remember.

There are also a number of different styles of business cards for you to peruse if you want something beyond the basic format. Ever tried for a double-sided business card before? Put twice as much information on your card and use it as an effective marketing device.

Maybe you want to have a different kind of material for your card, or maybe you might want to have a card that opens like a small folder. There are so many different styles out there for you to choose from if you just go looking for them.

There aren’t enough people who take a business card seriously. The potential it has if you just put the needed time and energy into it is amazing as a form of powerful marketing. But all too often the business card is regulated to a necessary thing that isn’t focused on much beyond the need to have one.

Make a card unlike anybody else, and you can be sure when you hand it to someone for the first time they’ll notice.