Business cards are still alive and well

I recently attended a large trade show in Florida. Hundreds of vendors, thousands of attendees, acres of floor space.

I was amazed at how powerful the simple business card was at this convention and how it has maintained its relevance in the world in the world of trade shows. etc.  Most people had a stack of them in their pocket or briefcase.  Very few scanned mine with their smart phone (even though mine was sporting a QR code!).  Most people were happy to take a copy of one of mine. 

You would think in a place like Orlando, in 2014, I would be laughed at for even thinking of having business cards with me!

Then the other day I found this very interesting story posted in the Wall Street Journal.  As the author states “the only thing worse than handing over business cards is not having any to hand over.”

Here is a link that can help you navigate the VERY CONFUSING world of a very tiny piece of paper:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304626804579362852421452152

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Paper Truth

It is time to learn about the foundation of a typical sheet of paper used in offset printing.  Here is a quick study of paper, its coating and how it deals with ink.  Matte through Gloss and even uncoated, this addresses the what and why of ink hold out…an important reality in the world of resolution and print clarity.

There is a ton of information on this image….click on the image to enlarge it.  THEN read it..first to yourself and then to others.  Read it aloud at dinner tonight or on the bus tomorrow.  Most people will probably think you are a little odd but that is because most won’t know ANY of this stuff. Soon their fear will turn into fascination. But before you get TOO ahead of yourself, please familiarize yourself with the posting on this blog at this link as that post goes hand in hand with this post! CLICK HERE

Here is a page from Sappi that describes a few more of these details.

Have fun!  Call if you have any questions!

Your very own, DIY laptop stand (made from CARDBOARD)

How often have you wished you knew how to make stuff out of cardboard?  If you are like me, these thoughts haunt you deep into the night.

The other day I saw a post on MASHABLE and could not help but re posting it here.  I actually copied it from their post to my post so it would not go away.

It uses paper…one of our favorite elements…and imagination…another favorite element.  Make one and send me photos!

Here you go!

Lifestyle DIY: Create Your Own Cardboard Laptop Stand
October 13, 2012 by Jeremy Cabalona

This easy-to-create do-it-yourself (DIY) laptop stand will add some extra height to your screen, improve your computing posture and save you money. Building your own cardboard stand is simple.

Download, print and cut out this template sheet. Next, trace the designs onto some cardboard. Once you’ve cut out your pieces, assemble them as shown to create your own stand.

Once assembled, you’re ready to decorate your laptop stand any way you’d like. Send us your completed project photos using the photo widget below – we may even share it to our Pinterest boards. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

http://mashable.com/2012/10/13/cardboard-laptop-stand-diy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

What is this thing??

WINNER!  WE HAVE A WINNER!
(see below)

Think you know?  Email me at deanrickman@yahoo.com and tell me what you think!  You are SO SMART!  You MIGHT win a cool prize!  When we award the prize I will post the correct answer in this blob post.  Careful!  The correct answer may also give away your AGE!

WINNER!  WE HAVE A WINNER!

Donna M has won the contest and a copy of THIS book:

The correct answer is a BURNISHER (from Letraset).

You see…back in the OLD DAYS (1980’s), just after MOLTEN LEAD and before DIGITAL, letters (for lay out) were transferred from a sheet of plastic to paper.  This tool was the burnisher used for this sort of thing…it was made by Letraset (as were the sheets of letters).  To learn more about this historic technology, visit this site:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letraset

or this site: http://www.letraset.com/

What the heck is an Uncompahgre??

Fresh off one of our Heidelbers!  

A very nice book:

This is a book by Jeff Burch and Don Paulson and features beautiful images from the Uncompahgre (un . come . PA . gray) region and features the many peaks that are in the headwaters of the Uncompahgre River and all around Ouray, Colorado.  Many of these images are labeled and there are many great stories in the book that explain the origins of these peaks’ names.

Typical labeled page. There are ten crossover pages similar to this with accurate labels of the peaks in each vista!

The book is a 52 page, landscape, 11″ x 8.5″ perfect bound limited edition.  The cover features our soft touch aqueous finish.  The entire book is printed at Stochastic 18 Micron V-2 (375 linescreen) on our Heidleberg 8 color perfecting press.  The book is printed on our (award winning) House matte paper stock and the interior pages each have a flood aqueous coating.

Learn more about the book at Jeff’s web site, where you can also purchase your own copy!

One of many images featured in the work.

Round That Corner!

A cool, inexpensive and quick way to enhance a project is to add a round corner here or there.  Here are some examples that were used on some business cards (thank you, Erica of ELK Media! Visit the ELK Media portfolio here: http://www.elkmedia.com/ELKMedia/Portfolio.html )

Round cornering is available on many sorts of projects…magazines, note cards, business cards, etc.  They are available in these sizes:

Here is a sample that shows the relative size to a business card:

Remember to include your BLEEDS and also keep your important copy AWAY from that radius cut!

Call me if you need to know more about this very affordable method of getting ATTENTION with your printed work!

Catch the Dry Trap Gloss Varnish Vibe

Here is a great example of a great application of a dry trap gloss varnish.  This is what dry trap is all about!  Easy to do with instant impact!

Call me if you need to know more about this very affordable method of getting ATTENTION with your printed work!

What does that K mean in CMYK??

 

oK!  Here, koncise and korrect answer as kopied from a kontestant’s entry: the truth about the K in CMYK:

The ‘K‘ stands for “key,” as in key plate. The three primary inks, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, are aligned with the press’s key plate, which produces the fine details, outlines, and contrast with black ink.

Some thought it stood for the K at the end of the word “Black” and others thought the K was thrown in so that Blue would not be confused with Black if the letters were CMYB.  Good effort but not true!

And the winner is Mr. Steve H. of Western Colorado!  Steve, you win 100 free business cards for having the 15th correct answer!!

Congratulations and thank you for playing!

A simple light lesson

The other day we had a bulb replaced in the office:

The above image was taken just after we had a new bulb replaced.  Both pillars are painted the SAME COLOR yet the two different fluorescent bulbs totally tweaked the color of the paint…one looks almost white and the other (closer one) is more of a tan.

Remember this when you consider and examine your print projects.  Usually you have no idea what light the project will use when being viewed.  Daylight to incandescent lighting is a HUGE jump in reflective color.  Not everyone will look at that brochure under ideal conditions (and some are color blind too…).

Font-tastic information

I am not sure if you have ever visited CreativePro.com but, if you have not…you should!  Go get a cup of coffee and poke around the site…there you will find a TON of information specifically for the graphic arts world.

Ilene's Book

One article in particular caught my eye that was written by Ilene Strizver.  Ilene is an expert on fonts and it you may want to check out her columns at CreativePro.com and maybe even get her book, Type Rules.

But first, please read this post by her and inventory your font world and find deep meaning in these truths!  TypeTalk: Five Typographic No-Nos

Sign up for Ilene’s e-newsletter at www.thetypestudio.com.