Tis the Season of Change & the Office Marathon to Graph Expo

The weather is crisp and the pace is frenetic as we ready for Graph Expo, which begins in a couple of days. I know that the colors in the Midwest that we will see on the drive to Chicago will pale next to the sensory overload one experiences at the start of the show. Like a marathon runner, we are planning our strategy and pacing ourselves until the last minute sprint known as “booth setup.” As we prepare everything that must come with us, it is like a zillion mini-races that add up to a marathon. Write this, copy that, collate this, order that, pack it and position it. Creative juices are flowing and decision after decision is made.

This year is particularly exciting because, for the first time in our booth, we will have both Prepress Training Solution and our parent company: Brain Cable, Inc..

If you are at Graph Expo, stop by to see our new products being rolled out at the show. Along with the usual focus on prepress and graphic training and testing, you will be able to sign up for the following SHOW SPECIAL online training :

VDP (Variable Data Printing) Starter Kit – what you need to know to save time and money prepping your contact information so that it is formatted the way you need it to be to use for VDP.

Dr. Del’s Kitchen Table Math – learn the basic math skills used in everyday life (real numbers, fractions, calculator basics, percentages, algebra, geometry and trigonometry).

Stop by BOOTH# 5159 to discuss what Brain Cable custom training can do for your organization.

See you in Chicago!

A Print Wiki for All

Here's a great resource for anyone interested in printing: PrintWiki.org - a free Encyclopedia for print.

PrintWiki is an open-source knowledge base of information on the printing and graphic communication industry. The project aims to foster an environment in which everyone can contribute and edit content.

Add a bookmark to your Quick Searches for a industry specific resource.

Adobe Illustrator CS2 Security Advisory

From the Adobe website... Adobe is aware of recently published security issues in the Illustrator CS2 Macintosh version that could potentially cause code execution. An attacker would need to convince a user to open a malicious AI file in Illustrator to successfully exploit the issue. Read more about this critical issue.

Complimentary Graph Expo Tickets

Graph Expo is rapidly approaching, October 26–29, and I’d like to invite you to attend on us. That’s right… FREE entrance into the exhibits.

To get your complimentary exhibits-only registration badge:

1. Click here to register.

2. Under Attendee Registration, click Register Online.

3. Enter Registration Code: PTS6948

4. Click Continue.

5. Complete the required registration process. There will be no charge for the exhibits-only pass.

6. Registration badges will be mailed to you directly from the show company.

Don't delay... tickets are limited to the first 500 requests and the deadline is October 10th.

Oh… and please plan to visit us at Booth #5159.

What the Font?

Ever see a cool font you wanted to use, but didn't know just what font it was? Well now to the rescue is WhatTheFont

Simply upload an image or scan of the font in question, and WhatTheFont will give you the closest matches in its database. If that's not good enough, head over to the WhatTheFont Forums where Font Geeks sit eagerly waiting to help you identify that special font. If you are a Font Geek, check out the 'unsolved' section of the forum to see if you can help identify fonts that have so far stumped everybody.

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Ever wonder what Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft was like? Wonder no longer courtesy of this video featuring Mr. Gates and a host of celebrity cameos.

Summertime Cool-Down with Splashup!

This just in! Web 2.0 applications are here to stay.



With the popularity of photo sharing communities, there are now multiple choices of places to edit pictures with just an internet connection and a web browser. Earlier, we previewed the new beta from Adobe, Photoshop Express. Splashup is an alternative to online picture editing that gives you more control than just using presets. This flash application is very powerful and allows layer control, filters, and image resizing. You can even grab files that are already posted to an online gallery without putting the files on the computer that you are using.

Check it out here.
With web applications on the rise, this certainly will not be the last photo editing program. However, it is certainly one of the best available as of now!

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.