A PostScript RIP is the brain behind your large format printer. RIP software processes images and tells the printer how to organize the image and where to spray those millions of ink droplets. It's critical in serious color management. In many respects, the RIP is as important a decision as the printer itself. There are many companies that develop RIPs, but you're best to stick to the larger ones such as Bestcolor, Epson, Onyx and Wasatch. If the company isn't international, they may disappear and leave you without software upgrades.
I define burnout as “the sum of the demands on you, multiplied by your lack of confidence in your ability to get everything done.” That may not be a scientific definition, but I think it sums it up. Burnout is the inability to function normally – out of disinterest, detachment and emotional exhaustion.
Where do you spend most of your time? Most of us spend the better part of our waking hours in the office, so it's very important to make sure that we have comfortable surroundings. Creating a pleasant working environment is fun and easy. I have compiled some tips for making your office a comfortable space and if you (and others) feel comfortable, you'll focus more on the things that matter. So, declare this Friday Comfy Work Space Day, and get down to the business of creating a great working space!
You probably had the same reaction as I did when I first read those words! Mark Stevens' new book, Your Marketing Sucks, rebukes the conventional attitudes towards marketing as being a vague, business activity with little understanding of how it works. He's right of course. Most businesses waste their money on marketing. Just look at the dollars spent on advertising – just one component of marketing – without any clue as to whether it produces results. And if you're a small business, you can't afford to spend money on an activity that does not serve your bottom line.
The day before Graph Expo and Converting Expo started, the sixth annual NPES' sponsored Executive Outlook Conference drew its largest crowd ever. One hundred and fifty attendees gathered at McCormick Place in Chicago to get a review of the “must see em's” products and technologies that would be on the show floor for the ensuing four days. Additionally, a series of rapid-fire treatises on pertinent technology trends impacting the full breadth of the graphic communications industry were presented. The acknowledged growing impact of this meeting may well be the fact that eighteen international visitors, the largest proportion yet, were in attendance despite DRUPA being barely eight months off.
In past months we've discussed the command line on Mac OS X. This month we're going to look at connecting to other computers and connecting the Mac from another workstation. The Mac OS X system is, at its heart, built on the UNIX operating system so there are built-in tools for controlling the computer remotely from the command line interface. In the early days of UNIX systems, the expensive resources of a computer were designed to be shared.
OAQP's National Conference, slated for November 15th and sponsored by Xerox, will provide insight on how the world is changing and the resulting impact on our values, aspirations and buying habits. OAQP's objective is to provide delegates with the information and resources so they can favourably position their business during these changing times.
The telephone is a basic communication tool but lacks the body language cues that are obvious in face-to-face conversations. This article will help you understand that difficulty and provide tips on using the phone effectively.
Trade and consumer shows are probably the oldest form of marketing and selling, dating back to the camel caravans of the far east and extending to the trade and consumer shows of today. Although the modern day trade or consumer show may be larger in area and more sophisticated in its' look, the fundamental philosophy remains essentially the same.
Establishing profitable, predictable and repeatable business is a common business goal. The more creative and influential you are at solving customer's problems, the more likely you'll achieve that goal. But no matter what you sell and how successful you are at selling, pricing and positioning your goods and services can be a challenge. Structure and simplicity are needed to help overcome the pricing challenge. Most digital press owners use a grid system to automate pricing. An Excel spreadsheet program may be all that's needed. The key to creating pricing structure is to determine your direct costs. Once you can quantify your direct costs, then you can calculate the markups that will produce your desired profit margin. Your direct costs can be divided into fixed, variable and indirect costs such as rent, heat, insurance, etc.
Marketing a business is like any game. If you know the rules you are more likely to win. All to often, businesses spend their limited time and money on advertising, making calls, mailings and meeting with prospects, only to achieve mediocre results. It's not that managers don't know their business or provide quality products or services; they lack understanding of the rules of marketing. To win the marketing game, you need to know the rules. The key rules to getting the clients you want are:
Ever since Apple made the switch to LCD monitors, those involved in digital imaging and creative work have questioned if LCD's are up to the task of displaying images as accurately as high-end CRT's. This article will discuss the strengths and weakness of Apple's new 20” and 23” Cinema Displays. The focus will be on using these monitors to accurately predict how a job will print on the press.
Gamut: