Great Artists Know How to Ship
Steve Jobs was famously quoted as saying “real artists ship.” With that in mind, my friend and colleague Rick Caughman is truly an artist in every sense of the word. Great ideas come to many of us frequently; fewer have the ability to turn them into something real.
Nothing could be more real than Rick’s inventive [...]
Wait! Don’t Print Those Business Cards
They are boring!
They’re printed on that standard paper, using standard process inks, just like every other card you’ve seen lately.
The text is lackluster, the result of software defaults.
The logo doesn’t look quite right, and it’s lost in the cluttered layout.
Worst of all, there’s no memorable message or emotional appeal to the reader. I mean, now [...]
Ending a Decade
Here are the thoughts I shared with a friend and colleague upon leaving my office for the last time this decade.
Just spending a few hours in my office cleaning up the remaining tasks for 2009. The last decade has been a wild ride, to be sure. Hope it’s ending on a positive note for you, [...]
Holiday Hours
Copies&Ink business offices will be closed between noon December 24 until Monday January 4. Best wishes to all of our friends and customers for a wonderful Holiday season and a New Year filled with good health and good fortune. See you in 2010!
Are you in a bind?
Jargon can be so confusing! After working a lifetime in the printing industry the terms I take for granted can mean absolutely nothing to folks who haven’t lived in my world.
I just had a phone conversation with a prospective customer during which I tried to explain the various methods and of binding a book. It’s [...]
Adobe Workshop a Hit
Kelly McCathran from Adobe Systems leads workshop at Copies&Ink
A word of thanks to everyone who participated at the recent Adobe PDF workshop at Copies&Ink. It certainly was a busy, informative session. Rave reviews abounded from everyone.
Kelly has once again shared her personal list of links and free resources. Here they are, for those who attended, [...]
Is your universe C-M-Y-K?
Technology marches on, and so has the push toward process color printing. It’s pretty much standard fare these days.
Still, plenty of folks like the richness of Pantone colors, and I’m among them. Ever try building 8 point serif text out of a process mix? Can’t get just the shade you need using the CMYK tables? [...]
Adobe Event at C&I
Building the Perfect PDF–Proof in the Pudding
I looked it up; the actual saying is “The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating.” You’ll quickly be cooking up some tasty PDFs with the help of Adobe’s ace presenter/trainer, Kelly McCathran. Those that attended her last program at Copies&Ink were riveted by her wealth of knowledge [...]
Can’t Photoshop? It’s OK, REALLY!
by Bill Alpert
Ever since Photoshop became a verb, a tacit expectation rose that (regardless of your background, training, interests, job title or schedule) you should have a working knowledge of most all current graphics software. Still using Corel Draw? Good heavens, you’re a relic! Not sure if you own Adobe Acrobat or Adobe InDesign? What, [...]
Writers of Short Sentences
by Bill Alpert
Perhaps you’re old enough to remember video of John Cameron Swayze delivering the iconic Timex slogan: Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking. Fans of the recent TV series Mad Men were recently reminded of the classic Think Small print ad campaign for Volkswagen. Both ads were conceived and penned by the legendary [...]
William Alpert is a seasoned entrepreneur and 35 year business veteran. His California based companies design and create printed and electronic marketing materials for Fortune 500s, entrepreneurs as well as advertising and graphic design professionals. He is the author of InkBlot, a weekly journal on business marketing in the internet era. 
