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.

---

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

---

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.

Submit Your Own Coke Bottle Design

Coca-Cola is following Pepsi’s winter promotion by allowing anyone to design and submit their own Coke bottle, all in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

It’s really fun to watch your own bottle come alive, so I recommend you spend a few minutes at Design the World a Coke.

There are some awesome submissions already, so be sure and check out the gallery. Here’s a recent submission that I really like.

There are commissioned designs as well at http://we8.coca-cola.com/index.jsp.

Behold a Better Online Pic Viewer

Imageshack, Photobucket, Flickr, MySpace... The list of online photo galleries goes on and on. Forget clunky, unintuitive searching through those pic sites and use PicLens. PicLens is a great add-on for Mozilla Firefox (it runs inside your Firefox browser). Just click the PicLens arrow inside a pic of your photo library and PicLens takes you away to a better world of online image navigation.

PicLens
A Tip-of-the-Hat to PicLens and cooliris.

Fun with Photoshop

Here's a couple of fun and interesting-looking photoshop tutorials I found while browsing the web recently, instead of doing my work.

How to Make a Color Photo Look Like a Black and White Sketch

This one is quick and easy (two of my favorite things). I used it to make the picture for my blog profile, transforming this handsome visage...

...into this!

Excellent! I am now ready to be in that video by A-Ha.

The tutorial for this was provided by the fine folks at wikihow.com:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Color-Image-Look-Like-a-Sketch-in-Photoshop


The second tutorial is a bit more labor-intensive, and I haven't actually tried it out myself, but it sure looks cool.

How to Create a Spectacular Grass Text Effect

Here's the final product: And, the tutorial can be found at the psdtuts.com website:
http://psdtuts.com/text-effects-tutorials/create-a-spectacular-grass-text-effect-in-photoshop/

Digital Print for 1¢

I know it sounds too good to be true, but as Drupa opens today, we will be hearing about new advances that will provide printers a way to increase profits.

One release that caught my eye is Kodak’s new Stream, a digital printer that will give offset a run for the money. Kodak stated the per page cost could be a penny or less.

Just one more thing to put on my must see list for Graph Expo.

Love Fonts? Hate Fonts? Indifferent? Test your Font IQ

Think you know fonts? Quantify your skills with this fun little online Font Identifying game. Rack up the highest score you can and then challenge your friends to best you. Be sure to check out the Hall of Fame as well. We'll see you there. By the way, we can't do any better than 17/34. Good luck.
Test Your Font Knowledge

A Tip-of-the-Hat to ilovetypography and Kari Patila.

Summertime = Backyard BBQ!

We love smoked salmon and pork, but don't want to pony up for an actual smoker...here's how we did it: A DIY Smoker!

Save some scratch, be resourceful, and make your own. Be sure to save some grub for us, please.

A Tip-of-the-Hat to Make Magazine's Blog Contributors and backyard BBQ pros, everywhere.

Off with their heads

The immortal yearbook photo… brings back ugly memories for many of us. That awkward age captured in perpetuity. The hair-do you’ll never live down.

But here’s one you wouldn’t expect: head switching.

A Texas high school requested that the heads on all student photos be made the same size with the eyes at the same level.

Can’t you just hear the prepress staff’s muffled screams of agony? People come in different shapes and sizes, so why shouldn’t their heads?

I guess the prepress staff found a way to escape the boredom and have some laughs.

But it was, "an unfortunate lapse in judgment by an employee” that landed them all in the unemployment line.

How’s that saying go? He who laughs first…...

Firefox: Fantastically Fantastic

I can't say enough good things about Mozilla's Firefox. In fact, I enjoy and use both Firefox and Thunderbird; Mozilla's seemingly limitlessly customizable web-browser and e-mail client. In the coming posts, I will likely do small features on certain aspects or neat tricks I enjoy about both of them. For, now... I've got one to share with you that's easy and a time-saver.

Did you know that you can quickly and easily open your favorite or most-frequented websites without having to type in the entire URL or selecting its bookmark? Again, this is a really simple, little-known feature (among the many) that Firefox affords its users! If you're interested, I'll give you a step-by-step (there are only two) example:

Say you want to make it easy to get to Gmail. Firstly, you'd make a bookmark of the sign-in page and, from there, you would go into your Bookmarks drop-down option at the top of your Firefox browser.

1.) Hovering your cursor over the bookmark for Gmail, you right-click on it and select 'Properties.'
2.) In the field named 'keywords,' you enter your shortcut for the site. Let's say you chose the letter 'g' to represent Gmail. Click OK and you're done!

Then, to make use of your handy-dandy shortcut for Gmail, in any tab, in the URL field, type the letter 'g' and press . Viola! Gmail begins to load, automagically!


Hope this little tip makes things a bit more fun and streamlined for you! More to come, in the future. Have a great weekend!

Minority Report, anyone?

Steven Spielberg's movie Minority Report was a fun, exciting flick that pushed the ideas of the future. After Apple came out with the multi-touch surface for the iPhone, it would be expected that other companies would release similar technology.

Without further adieu, here is Microsoft's take on touch interface control.



Read the entire article at Engadget.com.

Can it be true? File > Export > Flash?

Will all your InD files become fodder for Flash? Supposedly, Macromedia is working on incorporating a Flash export setting for InDesign, making it easy for every Joe Schmoe layout artist/designer to easily transform their InDesign files into functional Flash pieces. We'd love to see this become a reality. Sooner rather than later, please.

InDesign's Future Flash Export Function

A tip-of-the-hat to Creativepro.com and Terri Stone.

Training Online vs. Face to Face

A recent Graphic Arts Online article caught my attention, Online vs. Face to Face Training by NAPL expert Howie Fenton. I think Howie brings up a good point-– too often online education is disguised as online training, leaving the learner frustrated. Corporate education is important, but is not ideally delivered via e-learning. So, I agree with Howie’s comments, from that standpoint.

However, work flow, or process training is best delivered through a consistent, repetitive environment, which often cannot be accomplished one-on-one, and if it is, it is typically not cost effective.

The important thing, no matter what type of training delivery you are using, is that the training program should meet certain criteria. We’ve created a couple to tools to help you out, if you are considering implementing a training program or if you want to evaluate your current training efforts:

The Ideal Training Program

Management Decision Maker Checklist

If you are leaning toward an online delivery, here’s a great evaluation tool I found: Measuring the Total Cost of e-Learning by Kevin Kruse.

We also offer an ROI calculation specific to your company. Just contact us at info@prepresstraining.com to get yours.

Training is extremely important as the economy tightens, so no matter what type of training you do – just do it!

What in the World?

Surely, you have heard about Google Maps "satellite feature", by now. Maybe you have even flown across the world with Google Earth. Thanks to the folks over at MapOfStrange.com you can now surf the globe for the weirder things out there captured by the satellite!

Be sure to check out some of our personal favorites:

1. Hot Air Balloon


2. Another Tipped Truck


3. Burning Field


4. Superbowl Corn Maze

What do these companies have in common?

Crescent Printing Company, Onalaska, WI
CRW Graphics, Pennsauken, NJ
McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, MI
Midland Information Resources, Davenport, IA
Royle Printing, Sun Prairie, WI
PrintingForLess.com, Livingston, MT
Schawk, Inc., Des Plaines, IL
Source4, Chicago, IL
St Ives Inc USA, Hollywood, FL
The Sheridan Press, Hanover, PA
Communicorp Inc., Columbus, GA

1. Each of them won a 2007 Best Workplace in the Americas Award.
2. Each of them has utilized Prepress Training Solution.

Now, you might ask yourself what the big deal is, but if you think about it, happy employees make loyal employees and that is generally good for your business. Employee attitudes ARE conveyed to your customers and DO effect the bottom line.

Ron Davis, PIA/GATF Chief Economist, named specific areas in which profit leaders outspend profit challengers, and one of those key areas is training.

As the list above proves, employee training and development IS a key factor in making your company successful.

Deadline for 2008 entries is September 30, 2008.

Color Me Aquarius

We admit it; we're geeks for cool tips and tricks. These are some we've been checking out, recently.

Here's a fun site sponsored by PANTONE that allows you to explore the color palette of your birthdate and astrological sign. Astrology may not be a true science, but PANTONE knows their color science. Pick the proper color for your sign.



A tip-of-the-hat to PANTONE and Colorstrology.com!

FIGHT DEMENTIA: DO IT DIFFERENT & EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN

Okay, I’ve hit my afternoon slump when I need to do something different or I’ll run screaming through the office. It is amazing how a little thing like a few moments of doing something different will rejuvenate my brain before I go back to what had just been driving me nuts. I think it is the process of changing gears and reengaging again that makes me refocus with a new perspective and energy.

I read somewhere that as we age we need to continuously exercise our brains, just like the rest of our body. Some workshop I went to suggested we try doing something we do every day and don’t think about in a different way, a different order, or with a different hand. You know, like if you get dressed, putting your clothes on in the same order everyday, mix up the order in which you put on your clothing. It’s not much, but it will make you notice something you do probably without thinking about it.

I’ve worked so many places with such a variety of work spaces that I’ve learned to use my mouse with either hand. Well, I switched to a roller ball mouse with clickers at work and at home, but I have them on different sides of my desk in each place. I changed the settings on one, so they are opposite each other. Well, for me it doesn’t really seem opposite since I use my thumb to do the same things on both. Yes, my brain works in strange ways! My work mouse is on the left and I use it left-handed (duh) because I can, and the settings are reverse of what most people do. (Yes, I do have to respond to the “I didn’t know you were left handed?” a lot, but it lets me use the word ambidextrous, which I like, and don’t often get to use otherwise). I don’t have any problem going from one mouse to the other, unless I’ve been away from both for a few days. Even then, it only takes a conscious second to adjust my brain and again start clicking away on either mouse. Well, the IT guys at work are great, but every time they come to my desk to assist me they go nuts because that’s the mouse on the left with the button settings changed. Thankfully they don’t have to deal with my mouse settings very often.

So am I rambling for the sake of rambling? A little, because it means a little longer before I go back to the usual tasks. But, this got me thinking about how many tasks do I do daily that I just do, but might be done differently. Probably lots! And how many of those other ways would save me time? That’s what learning is all about – finding different ways to do things and having an arsenal of choices so we can choose the best, most efficient means to an end. Sometimes we save time, sometimes we just find a way that is more satisfying, and sometimes both. Oh, sometimes we reduce waste (a biggie for those efficiency experts and environmentalists).

Try doing something you do everyday, in a different way, and let me know how it goes…

Going Green

Every trade magazine I’ve looked at recently has an article about being “Green,” covering issues from FSC Certification to the Do Not Mail legislation. Heck, I even got an email the other day with a PS reminding me not to print the email and save a tree.

Course, I’d have to not print 8,333 emails to save a tree, according to the facts presented by a software company specializing in environmental conservation. (Lots of cool facts there so check it out.)

So I want to introduce another issue in the mix – Green Training. That’s right. As part of your company’s efforts to “Go Green,” consider your training efforts. Are they green?

I’ve often referred to our company as a Lean, Mean Training Machine, as we are able to leverage technology to create and produce efficient and effective training. But we’re now going to refer to ourselves as a Lean, GREEN Training Machine. Why?

Our online training does not utilize paper, reducing paper consumption.

Our online training does not require travel, reducing fuel consumption and
travel related carbon emissions.

Our training teaches best practices concentrating on fewer output errors,
ultimately reducing waste.

So as Earth Day approaches on April 22nd, hug a tree and know that your training solution is the Greenest it can possibly be. Be sure to check out Earth Day activities in your area.

I Can Taste the Colors, Man

We. Love. Color.

There, I said it. Being business types, not creative types, we don't always get to flex our color muscle like we wish we could (which is a good thing, trust me.) But, watching others flex their color muscles is great fun. Want to see color palettes created by some of the best and brightest? Want to submit your own color schemes? Check out the kuler project at Adobe Labs. For those of you with color deficiency, use this as inspiration!

See tons of color schemes at kuler.adobe.com.

A tip-of-the-hat to Adobe.com and kuler.

Managing a Training Program with a Carrot or a Stick

Okay, so you’ve made the decision to offer some training, and you’ve gotten the bean counter’s blessing, so now what? How do you manage the training initiative and still get your job done?

Get out the proverbial carrot or stick? Luckily it’s much simpler than that.

Have a plan. It can be as simple as a written note, or it can be formal plan. The important part is having a plan. Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

1. What results do you expect from the training program?

     Reduced time spent on preparing files?
     Reduced waste?

2. How will you measure it beyond test scores?

     Line items on your financial statement?
     Labor dollars? Over-time? Waste?

3. How will you use these results?

     Will employees be rewarded for successes such as incentive programs?
     Will results be included in performance reviews?

4. Develop a schedule.

     Dedicate specific timeframes for training.
          (Interestingly enough, our peak training time is the lunch hour.)
     Run usage reports periodically to monitor overall and individual progress.
     Send system-generated reminder emails if needed.

Feel better now? It’s really not that complicated, so jump in, and know that we are here to help you. However, we do not recommend you use this method.

Happy Training!

You are Granted One Wish

If could fix one problem that repeatedly occurs in your operation, what would it be?

Maybe, how to load the paper right in the folding machine? Or, how to get the CSRs to fill out job tickets correctly?

Every operation has areas it can improve upon. Consistent quality and productivity improvement, or Kaizen, is what separates profit leaders from profit challengers. Think Toyota versus Ford or GM.

So if you could fix just one problem, what would it be? Take a moment and build your “wish list.”

What if I told you I could grant one of your wishes? You’d probably say, OK, what’s the catch – what’s it going to cost me?

I’d tell you NOTHING… that’s right… FREE.

Now being a sensible and sane person, you would probably doubt me. So I challenge you. See for yourself:

http://www.braincable.com/freeprocess.php

Be sure and leave a comment and let me know what’s on your wish list.

Pandora: radio from the Music Genome Project

I'm sure that many of you have heard of the Human Genome Project, which is incredibly fascinating to a lot of people. However, what if we could do a 'genome project' for other things? Well, strides have been made to do just that...for music! What a wide, varied and infinitely un-pin-down-able (if you'll allow me to make up a word) subject!

Excerpt from Music Genome Project @ Wikipedia.com:

The Music Genome Project, created in January 2000, is an effort founded by Will Glaser, Jon Kraft, and Tim Westergren to "capture the essence of music at the fundamental level" using over 400 attributes to describe songs and a complex mathematical algorithm to organize them.

Speaking as someone who's used Pandora for the last half-year or so, I can tell you that it is amazing. It's a free service, first of all--which, as fantastic as it is, is a real treat! Secondly, it's customizable. Thirdly, it's user-friendly and has a comprehensive FAQ, in case of confusion.

First, you create what's called a 'station,' which is based on a single artist or song and, based on that artist or song, the station will play songs with similar genome markers. The customization begins almost immediately with a tab helpfully labeled "Guide Us." If you click on it, you're given a choice of five options to use:

I really like this song - play more like it! (Thumbs-up)

I don't like this song - it's not what this station should play. (Thumbs-down)

I'm tired of this song - don't play it for a month. (Zzz)

Why is this song playing? (?)

I want to add more kinds of music to this station. (+)

Most of the options, of course, are fairly self-explanatory. The first two choices can be done without the aid of the 'Guide Us' tab by hovering over the song's tab in your 'radio.' A thumbs-up image and a thumbs-down image give you the option of marking a song as favorable or unfavorable and, in the middle of those is an up-arrow of sorts which, when clicked upon, give you even more options!

I won't go into too much more detail, as playing around with it is part of the fun. But, there are profile pages for artists which usually give you some measure of information about them and three artists with whom they share similar qualities. You can view abbreviated versions of these at the bottom of your 'radio' in the Pandora Extras section by clicking on 'Now Playing.'

Additionally, in Pandora Extras below your 'radio', you can choose to simply listen to pre-generated 'Genre Stations,' which include a bevvy of options. If you're not sure where to start with your own stations, this is a wonderful thing to use. Say you're a fan of Nirvana, but prefer to listen to a genre station. You could select 'Alternative' and, from the options for further customization, you would select 'Grunge / Seattle Sound.'

There is truly no limit to what types of music this wondrous radio will play for you. All that's required is that you tell it what you like and it'll do its best to play it for you. It's tailored specifically to your tastes and, even better, it'll skip songs you don't like--to an extent. If it sounds confusing, it's only because the system is so simplistic and does so much that it takes more words to describe. Seriously, give it a shot! You may find new music you like or you can settle down to listen to some favorites you may not have heard in a long time.

With the travesty of Clear Channel's strangle-hold on the majority of radio stations, these days, we need to fight for good music. Plus, Pandora's great to have on in the background while you're at work or at home. It's great for parties and almost any other situation you can think of, so don't hesitate to visit it and re-discover the world of music--tailored to your tastes.

I'm in Love with a Munki

We admit it, we're geeks for cool tips and tricks. Here are some we've been checking out recently.

Remember the days when you had several expensive pieces of difficult to use equipment just to keep your colors the same for your monitor, printer, and mind? Say goodbye to all that nonsense. PANTONE and X-Rite have finally provided all of us color geeks with a great little pocket tool that does everything from snag the color that inspired us, import it into a swatch, share it, view it, and even print it right. We want one for home, work, the car, and even the shower. You never know when a great color will find you.

ColorMunki
A Tip-of-the-Hat to PANTONE and X-Rite

Ya’ got Trouble, with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P" and that stands for “Prepress”

I just read an editorial entitled “Trouble in Prepress.”

Click to read article.

Bob Neubauer’s comments echoed the sentiments of so many of you I have talked with over the years. The underlying cause of almost every prepress problem was CUSTOMERS.

That’s right; the silent majority has finally gotten its say. In fact, it mirrors our survey findings from attendees at Graph Expo both in 2006 and 2007:

86% of graphics and prepress software users admitted spending up to an hour each day trying to figure out how to do or fix something in a file.

http://www.prepresstraining.com/pr/measureprod.html

So I just want to let you know that your training team here at PTS will be creating a bank of tips and tricks just for your customers. We want to make your life easier and your company more profitable.

Stayed tuned, as we return to your regularly scheduled program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI_Oe-jtgdI

(I Has) Hum-Drum Day Battle Plan!

Everyone has a bad day from time to time...or moments when they're bored and just aren't sure what to do about it. For instance, the other day was pretty gloomy. Normally, I enjoy a bit of gloom, but with the cold, (semi-)torrential winds and the icy splooshes of rain that insisted on chilling me to the bone...even I can get a little down. So, I found myself seeking "comfort food" (if you'll pardon the pun) during my lunch break. Not to knock CuteOverload.com, which is definitely one of my favorite haunts...it just wasn't what I needed, at that moment. To make a long story short...if you need some entertainment, I suggest you dive into the wonderful world of ICanHasCheezburger.com--you won't regret it.

If you're unfamiliar with one of the newer social memes/pop culture trends, LOLspeak, the idea is to take pictures of animals (or otherwise) and, based on what they're doing in the image, create an amusing caption to go along with it. On top of that, there is a very thematic brand of 'chat speak' known as 'LOLspeak' that is used when captioning these images. It's very cute, pidgin English...as we might imagine animals' understanding of the language.

Not only does ICanHasCheezburger.com have tons of archived pages full of these LOLimages, it also has an interactive portion where you can create your own LOLimages with their provided system. To top it off, there are active commenters/forumers who chat and have a grand old time around this very subject, discussing certain images and jokes found therein.

It's a new type of community and, if you love animals and should you find yourself in need of a giggle, look no further than ICanHasCheezburger.com! ((Again, don't completely discredit CuteOverload.com. Though they may not have LOLspeak images, they do have so much cute there that you can't help but smile.))

That said, it bears mentioning that, thanks to 4chan and their very popular Caturday, LOLcats and all the various types of 'LOL'images you can imagine have exploded through the internet and into the social subconscious. Without a doubt, you've seen one, at some point, in some variation. Unless you live under a rock--which is a-ok by me, but I think you're missing out on some decidedly del.icio.us fun!

Easy as 1-2-3

The instructions said so. But we all know – they lie.

I was trying to hook up a wireless router to get my son’s Xbox online last night after dinner. We went through the step-by-step CD and of course on the last step the connection failed. Try again, same thing. Reconfigure the set-up, try again, lo and behold we have internet connection on the laptop. Granted it was a wired connection, but Google was still alive in the world of cyberspace. (It’s a scary feeling not being connected, even for a few minutes.)

Okay, now to make it work with the Xbox. Plug the wireless adapter in, scroll through the set-up screens. No connection, cannot find the router. Try repeatedly, still nothing. The Xbox instructions were totally useless, so I get on the phone to the router tech support – which actually went fairly well. (I know… the stars must have been shining on us.) Got him connected – Yeah!!!! He starts going through the various updates required and loses connection. Boo!!!!

As it is now approaching 11 PM, we shut the whole thing down and give up frustrated. In fact, he boxed it all back up with intentions on returning the whole lot today.

How often does technology do that to you? We try to muddle our way through it – fail – get frustrated – and shelve it. An owner once told me they had bought PitStop, couldn’t figure it out, and now it sits on a shelf gathering dust. A sad (and expensive) but true story.

That’s why we create the training we do. So you don’t have to muddle your way through it. So if your not one of our clients already, make sure you check out our free tips and tricks at http://www.prepresstraining.com/tips.html and make sure you opt into our newsletter to get even more great info.

To learn more about PitStop: http://www.enfocus.com/product.php?id=855

To learn more about PitStop training: http://www.prepresstraining.com/courses/pitstop7.html

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

The crew at Prepress Training Solution would like to wish you and yours a fantastic St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide by the Irish and increasingly by non-Irish (usually in Australia, North America, Ireland) as well. Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the color green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the secular version of the holiday by wearing green or orange, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Guinness) and attending parades.

Some Popular American Traditions

Corned beef and cabbage is the most common meal eaten in the United States for St. Patrick's Day.

Although the baseball season is still in the spring training phase when St. Patrick's Day rolls around, some teams celebrate by wearing St. Patrick's Day themed uniforms. The Cincinnati Reds were the first team to ever wear St. Patrick's Day hats in 1978. The Boston Red Sox were the second team to start wearing St. Patrick's Day hats in 1990. Many teams have since wearing St. Patrick's day themed jerseys, including the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1980s and Boston Red Sox in 2004. Since then it has become a tradition of many sports teams to also wear special uniforms to celebrate the holiday.

And of course our buddies at Google observe St. Patties Day.


So wear some green, avoid getting pinched, and head down to the local pub for a drink with your friends or family.

Customer Service: the Ultimate Pipe Dream

We’ve all been through it and suffered the rage-inducing frustrations that result from it: bad customer service. In a day and age that’s been so keen to ensure that the customer is happy, it seems as though there’s been a shift of paradigm, lately. These days, companies’ mottoes have mutated to some debased code of conduct that’s more along the lines of the following: do as little as you can to sate the crybaby customers.

In today’s business world, we consumers have a tough job of it. First, there’re the pains of trying to get what we want from companies and, discovering that be nearly impossible, finding a company that offers something that will suffice. Then, of course, there’s the considerable task of making sure that the companies on which we rely don’t slap us around.

Heaven forfend we have troubles that a company needs to rectify, because the everyday customer simply isn’t prepared for that kind of battle. One must gird their proverbial loin with BS-resistant armor; wield a heavy Shield of Factual Evidence in one hand and the No-Nonsense Machete of Customer Rights and Justice in the other. Show no fear on your face, nor a tremble in your voice, because the CSRs of today are like sharks in the water—if they smell blood, they’ll seize upon it and bowl you over with their “company’s policies.”

Firstly, as has been touched upon in a previous blog entry, there are the mystifying and treacherous jungles of companies’ phone-trees. Not only can’t you get to the correct person to speak to with any real ease, you’re often bounced around from department to department by inept or ill-trained employees, wasting valuable chunks of your time. Of course, once you’ve hacked your way through the purposefully difficult phone-tree o’ doom and reached the correct department, you’re still only a quarter of the way to victory.

As an experienced upholder of Customer Rights and Justice, a disturbing fact I’ve come to realize is that companies have redefined ‘customer service representative’ jobs to be something more like the first troops to the line of skirmish. Their job is to field inane customer questions, give them information on minor things and, depending on the company, take payments or other, lesser tasks with which the other tiers can’t be bothered. They can’t actually help you, in most cases, except to give you the time honored 'runaround.' To sweeten the pot, they're usually rude and condescending. Therefore, you must fend them off with your Shield of Factual Evidence, wave your No-Nonsense Machete of Customer Rights and Justice and demand to speak to their superior.

After waiting interminably on hold with the spirit-crushing, mind-numbing muzak, their superior comes on the line and, once again, you must go through the Dance of Initial Contact, during which you must state your case, show them your evidence and hunker down for a long, drawn out round of fighting for your rights, as a customer. I could go on for days about this subject, as it's one with which I'm exceedingly familiar. Being that I have been and am in customer service, I pride myself in the fact that I provide the best, most helpful assistance I can to anyone who calls—and the fact that I work for a company who doesn't hogtie me as a CSR. It's also the reason that the so-called "customer service representatives" and the strictures that companies of today enforce on them infuriate me to no end.

Unfortunately, there just aren't that many companies left that provide actual, true customer service and have a real desire to please their clientèle. It makes for bad business, but they only care about the quote-unquote "bottom line." As long as they don't take too big a hit in the money they rake in, they won't bat an eye. We, as consumers—the people to whom these 'bad business' companies are supposed to be appealing—should be standing up and demanding to be treated fairly more regularly. If we did, perhaps the ripple-effect would get the message through to the people who have the power to work with things on a level that actually effects change.

In the mean time, the best I can do, as an old-school customer service representative, is provide others with knowledge on how to deal with bad CSRs and ensure that I never perpetrate the transgressions that bad CSRs do on a daily basis. To my great relief, where I work, the CSRs are friendly, listen to your problems and are eager to assist in resolving those problems in every conceivable way possible. If only the other companies of the world would catch up!

Listed in no particular order, the links below provide access to tips for CSRs and examples of bad customer service. Unfortunately, I've yet to find anything that outlines aid for customers dealing with bad customer service. Everything I've been able to dig up has been written to appeal to people who are in management positions over CSRs or to CSRs, themselves. However, take the examples given and know that they're talking points you, as a consumer, may address with a CSR and/or their superior, should they happen to you.



Helpful Links:

• Customer Service Tips and Techniques
• The Ten Great Commandments of Customer Service
• 15 Customer Service No-Nos
• Customer Disservice
• Tips for Curing Bad Customer Service
• Bad Customer Service
  

Conversation with an Automated Attendant

Did you ever feel like you were talking to a tree – a phone tree?? Here’s the way it went for me this morning.

Attendant: Thank you for calling Bob’s Big Tents. This call may be recorded for quality assurance. You can say place order, check status, returns, or request catalogue. If none of these apply, say more options.
Me: More options
Attendant: I’m sorry I didn’t get that. You can say place order, check status, returns, or request catalogue. If none of these apply, say more options.
Me: M-o-r-e O-p-t-i-o-n-s (Maybe saying it slower would help.)
Attendant: Okay, here are some more options. You can say product information, find a location, internet help, mailing list, or agent.
Me: Agent
Attendant: I’m sorry I didn’t get that. You can say product information, find a location, internet help, mailing list, or agent.
Me: AGENT (Maybe saying it louder would help.)
Attendant: I’m sorry I didn’t get that. You can say product information, find a location, internet help, mailing list, or agent.
Me: A-G-E-N-T (Maybe screaming it slowly would work.)
Attendant: I’m sorry I didn’t get that. You can say product information, find a location, internet help, mailing list, or agent.
Me: HELP
Attendant: I’m sorry I didn’t get that. I will transfer your call for assistance.
Click….followed by dial tone.
Me: #$%?*@!!!

Now - I understand the need for businesses to streamline their customer service to better direct incoming calls, but at the cost of customer dissatisfaction?

In fact, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_attendant states:

Many auto-attendants are programmed very poorly by their owners, leading to what has frequently been called "voicemail hell" (though the name is a misnomer). Large companies often try to force callers through a seemingly endless series of questions and menus before anyone will actually answer the phone to give a simple answer. Some are even recursive leaving users stuck in an infinite loop. This is now a major source of frustration for many consumers, who have also felt a decline in customer service in general.

Go figure. One thing you can count on, if you call us here at Prepress Training Solution, you get to speak to a REAL PERSON without doing or saying anything. Oh yeah, and there’s no reason to scream.

Fireside Chats and Comments from the Peanut Gallery

I’ve been following a couple of interesting forum threads recently on real conversations with customers. Then I took a call from a nice gentleman who described the EXACT same scenario as one of the posts.

The dreaded assistant turned designer… tried to show her how to work with InDesign… about to pull your hair out over this woman… don’t want this to cost you a good customer.

I know you all have a “story” so leave me a comment and tell me yours.

Maybe these posts will inspire you and remind you of how great your “good” customers are.

http://www.b4print.com/forums/index.php?topic=1199.0
http://www.b4print.com/forums/index.php?topic=1184.0

MARCH MADNESS!

Our home office is based in Bloomington, Indiana. Home of Indiana University and onetime home to "The General," Bobby Knight.

Needless to say, the town's abuzz and we're all excited about the NCAA basketball tournament. Things are heating up around here.

Here's a few links to help keep you basketball fans up to date:

Empty Bracket:
http://images.sportsline.com/images/ncaasports/brackets/d1_mbk_bracket_2008.pdf

Current Standings:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

Let's keep it clean and have some fun. Good luck to all your favorite teams.

PPTS doesn't endorse gambling, but we're not going to stop you anways...are we?

The Guesswork of Hiring

I wanted to share an email I got from a production manager…

“…I just spent all morning repairing some files from someone who left our employment 7 months ago. The person only lasted 3 months. Not only was she incapable, but she had a lousy work ethic. Yes, we are interested in some sort of pre-hire testing…”

I hear this sad but true story often. Candidates claim they are expert and experienced in the software, but needless to say, not all of them can “walk the walk.”

Here’s a solution one company found:
http://www.prepresstraining.com/pr/09_09_07_semper.html


WARNING: When hiring, make sure you are EEOC compliant. Here’s a great Fact Sheet: http://www.tgassociates.com/downloads/factsheets.htm