ALERT: Internet Scam Targeting Printers

This is an actual email we received, today.

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RE: Flyers Orders

Dear Customer Service
My Name Donald Baker and i will like you to email me back with a total cost of these Quantity of these Flyers
8.5 x 11 brochures
1/1 on 100# gloss text
Text: God Bless Africa
Quantity:150,000 pcs
Colour-Black Ink /White Paper
front and back
tri foled

And also i will like to know if you accept credit card for payment ?

Thank You
Don Baker
Baker and Company

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Now, since we don’t offer printing, I would have typically replied that they had reached the wrong company. However, since I’d recently seen an article from PII about this, I found some blog posts referencing a similar Printing Scam. Please take a moment and read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

There’s even a follow-up post that shows the same email I received a few weeks ago from the same good “Reverend” requesting flyers for “Feed the Children.”

Here’s how the scam works:

1. Receive incoming email from overseas requesting price quote with request for credit card payment.


2. You provide a quote and they graciously accept it.


3. They request that you use their shipping company.


4. You contact their shipping company and request a shipping quote, which is provided.


5. You send the revised total with shipping to original requester.


6. The original requester emails you their credit card info and you process it for the total amount.


7. You wire the shipping money overseas and never hear from either of the two parties involved, again.


8. The true owner of credit card disputes their charge, they win, and that money is automatically deducted from your account.

Please, take the time to read these resources and don’t get caught in the scam.

Photoshop Anywhere. Photoshop Express.

Adobe has done it once again. Now, with Photoshop Express beta, you can use many of the powerful photo manipulation tools from any computer with the internet. Upload your images from a digital camera or access any of your galleries from your favorite online photo albums. When you’re done editing a photo, e-mail it to a friend or generate HTML code for your Myspace page. All off this comes to you through a clean and powerful flash interface. You can even join the Photoshop Express community and vote on other peoples photo albums.

This is a great tool to use on the fly for anyone who enjoys keeping pictures online. The Flickr integration creates an easy workflow for any computer user to get their pictures off of their camera and out to the web.

Yippee – an Audit !!!

As many companies enter a new fiscal year, hearing the word Audit can stir up feelings of anxiety, fear and panic. But in this context, an Audit is just what the doctor ordered.

No, we won’t dig through mounds of your accounting records, but we will – at NO RISK – complete a workflow audit for qualified companies.

There are so many processes and procedures that must be adhered to daily, the task of monitoring them can seem overwhelming. There are ways to make your LEAN efforts more effective and identify processes that can be improved in any area of your operation. It’s guaranteed to improve your bottom line by $50,000 or you pay nothing.

Happy Fourth of July!

I don't know about all of you, but my favorite part of the festivities surrounding the fourth of July are the fireworks. Perhaps there's a smidge of pyromaniac in me, but there's also the sheer delight of watching the sky light up in a multitude of colors, preceded and accompanied by whizzings and bangs!

One of the more important things that we should be celebrating, but often neglect, is something the chairman and CEO of Kodak wrote an article on -- Our Founding Printers. So, when you're out there, lighting your fireworks on the night of the fourth (and some nights before and after), be sure to send out a barrage of sparkly thanks to our nation's founding printers!


Here is a list of links related to the fourth of July festivities and fireworks, to aid you in further enjoyment of our nation's freedom-day celebration:

Fireworks Safety

AssociatedContent's Fireworks Do and Don'ts

The Fireworks Alliance's Glossary of Firework Terms

Pyrotechnic Product Demo Videos

2008 Cake (non-edible) of the Year

MSNBC's The Inner Workings of Fireworks

AllRecipe's Fourth of July Favorites

Independence Day Quiz

I Can Sing a Rainbow…

Okay, I might not be able to actually sing a rainbow too well, but what about printing one? I just wanted to share a great article by Stephen Beals, one of our course authors, on the Keys to Color Management. Stephen presents twelve critical factors in implementing a successful color strategy.



Enjoy and may Roy G. Biv live on, forever!

Got Muda?

I don’t think anyone can argue against the concept of Lean Manufacturing, given today’s economy. Lean is about doing more with less: less time, inventory, space, people, and money.

Lean is about speed and getting it right the first time. It is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste – or Muda – through continuous improvement – making training a necessary component.

I want to share a comment I recently received from a medium-sized commercial printer embracing Lean: “One of my primary responsibilities is to ensure that operating procedures are documented and our prepress employees are sufficiently trained in all applicable software. We are just now starting to embrace Lean Manufacturing, which puts a huge emphasis on investing in our employees through training so they are more efficient and produce error free work… Quite an overwhelming task without seeking the help of a company such as yours.”

If you company is still deciding whether or not to implement Lean, check out this guide.

Then, know that this Lean Green Training Machine stands by your side to make your efforts a success.

Take On Me, Take Me On

...we are not responsible for your painful 80's flashbacks...


OK, you've seen how to make your own sketch images quickly and easily in Photoshop. Now, check out the original inspiration from the 80's: A-Ha's "Take on Me".


A Tip-of-the-Hat to Warner Bros. Music and Members Only Jackets.