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With hundreds of available paper stocks, the decision of which paper to use for your print run can be overwhelming. Most of all, it’s a decision determined by the type of book you are printing. A children’s or coffee table book? You’ll need a thick glossy sheet to help your color images stand out. A novel? Go cheap.

Let’s start by clearing up a point of confusion among many looking to print their first book: the difference between bond and offset paper weights. When you purchase paper for your copy machine or home printer, you’ll note paper is listed as something like 20# bond. What that means is that when the paper is manufactured at 17 x 22″, 500 sheets of that paper weighs 20 pounds. However, offset paper for printing plants is manufactured in 25 x 38″ sheets, which is 2.5 times larger than bond paper. So 500 sheets of that same paper stock now weigh 50 pounds. Thus, 20# bond is the same as 50# offset.

That 50# offset paper proves to be fine for many books. If your book has no or few images and no color inside, there is little reason to print on a much thicker paper. Save your money. You may want to check the pricing for 60# offset, but I usually don’t recommend printing on paper much thicker than that for most novels, etc.

Don’t assume that the 20# bond paper you saw at Office Depot is going to be identical to the 50# offset paper you asked your printer to use. It won’t be. Different paper manufacturers produce their papers with different brightness, different opacity, etc. So always ask for paper samples from your printer.

Children’s books or coffee table books that are printed in full color need a different paper stock than black & white books. You’ll want to think about whether to bump up to a glossy stock to make your pictures really shine on the paper. If you don’t like the glare of a glossy sheet, ask your printer if they have any matte coated stocks that would bring out the color of your images without the extra sheen.

Also, if your book is full color, a thicker paper may be necessary to make your book have a nicer feel to it and justify your sale price. If printing in the U.S., I usually recommend no lighter than a 70# or 80# gloss. If printing overseas, don’t go lighter than 120 gsm.

I can’t say it often enough: No matter which paper stock you think you want, ask your printer for some samples first.

When it comes to cover stock, for a paperback book a 10 pt. C1S cover is standard. However, it is usually very inexpensive to upgrade to a 12 pt. C1S cover. People do judge a book by its cover, so this might be a cost-effective upgrade.

Many people think about sending cards on birthdays and anniversaries, to friends who are sick, or to say “Hey!” occasionally. Usually, the thought is short. While sending a card is not really that challenging or anything, it does demand a certain amount of forethought and several steps to execute. And yes, you do have to get up off your duff to complete the task.

You have to drive to the store and take the time to browse through and select out the best card. You have to obtain a stamp, and then you have to dig through all the loose papers on your desk to find (hopefully) the address book, copy the person’s address on the envelope, and go mailbox and mail it. Quite a lot of hassle! Consequently, most cards just remain in the “fleeting thoughts” phase.

There is another way to send greetings and well wishes: e cards. It really is a magnificent idea, and you never have to leave the house. Say you have the aforementioned card epiphany. You go online to the website, laugh yourself senseless browsing all the outlandish little video e cards, choose the one that made your sides hurt the most, and then email it off into cyberspace!

It is that effortless, and since email is speedy, you never have to have that instant of guilt when you realize that TODAY is your brother’s birthday and you neglected to send a card! With email, there is still time to send a video e card and get it there on time!

Sending e cards can become addictive. For one thing, they are fun to browse through, and there are so many occasions to note with a card?weddings, Valentine?s Day, anniversaries, new jobs, baby arrivals, etc. There are also cards to flirt, say thanks for a remarkable evening, hook up with someone, or invite people to a party. There is always an excuse to send a good e card! Once you discover e cards, you will want to start sharing the outlandishness with everyone!

With hundreds of available paper stocks, the decision of which paper to use for your print run can be overwhelming. Most of all, it’s a decision determined by the type of book you are printing. A children’s or coffee table book? You’ll need a thick glossy sheet to help your color images stand out. A novel? Go cheap.

First-time publishers need to understand the difference between the paper they purchase at an office supply store versus what is used by a professional printing plant. While paper weights at an office supply store are measured as “bond,” printing plants use a different measurement called “offset.” I won’t get into the details of why bond and offset weights are different for the same type of paper, but just know that if you multiply a bond weight by 2.5, you get the offset weight. For example, the 24# bond paper you purchase at Office Max is the same thickness as a 60# offset sheet used by your printer.

Typically, I would recommend that for a standard book with just black text (no color) and not a lot of images, 50# offset is just fine. If there are a lot of graphics in the book, you might want to bump up to 60# offset to eliminate some see-through from one side of the page to the other.

Don’t assume that the 20# bond paper you saw at Office Depot is going to be identical to the 50# offset paper you asked your printer to use. It won’t be. Different paper manufacturers produce their papers with different brightness, different opacity, etc. So always ask for paper samples from your printer.

Choosing paper stock for a book printed in full color is sometimes a little trickier. You may want to go with a glossy paper stock to make any images “pop” a little more. However, glossy stock often feels thinner than standard paper stock.

Most full color books are printed overseas, where a different standard of paper measurement is used - grams per square meter (gsm). To calculate gsm, multiply the offset weight by approximately 1.5. So an 80# gloss sheet in the U.S. would be the same as a 120 gsm sheet overseas. You’ll definitely want a thicker paper stock for your color book versus a black & white book.

I’ll say it again: Samples, samples, samples. Don’t be shy about asking your printer for paper samples. It’s probably the most expensive choice you’ll make when printing your book; make sure you get it right!

Paperback covers overseas are usually printed using 250 gsm or 300 gsm cover stock. In the U.S. that translates to a 10 pt. C1S or 12 pt. C1S sheet. Also be sure to add gloss lamination to give your cover that extra pop!

Most people don’t think of the layout design of their book as an area that can impact the printing cost, but it can have an effect.

A 32-page signature is standard among most offset printing presses. Printers can easily print full signatures, half signatures, and even quarter signatures. So if the press you are using has 32-page signatures, you’ll want to have your page count divisible by 8 (a quarter signature). Anything other than that will just end up costing you more money as it will result in wasted paper.

How can you get an economical page count? Check your margins. Sometimes just widening them by a touch or narrowing them a little can adjust your page count by 2-4 pages or more. That could be the difference between needing to print with an extra signature or not.

Adjust the leading (space between lines). A very small adjustment might be barely visible to the average reader, but it could result in dropping a few pages from your book — saving you money on your print run.

Note: There are a couple exceptions to the 32-page signature rule. Digital printers don’t print with signatures, so page counts only need to be divisible by 2. Also, every once in a while you’ll run into a sheetfed printer that uses 12-page signatures. Be sure to always ask your printer if there is a more economical page count that might save you money.

Be sure, too, that you are printing at a standard trim size. Some standard sizes include 5.5 x 8.5″, 6 x 9″, and 8.5 x 11″. Deviate too much from a standard size and you will generate paper waste on the press. That’s paper the printer has to just throw away, but you still pay for it.

Don’t assume that the trim size you are using for your book will work just fine. Ask your printer’s sales rep for recommendations for your trim size. Maybe they will recommend that you drop your size by just 1/8″ or 1/4″. Wouldn’t it be worth it to do that to save money on the print run? Almost certainly!

A revolution has taken place in the photography world. That revolution is of course digital photography. Digital photography has totally changed the way professionals and amateurs alike go about photography. This is thanks to the numerous advantages and options digital photography gives us. One of the most important of all has to be the ability to edit digital photographs with digital photography software on your PC.

Nowadays there are lots of different photography editing software packages available. Each software package attempts to fit the needs and wants of a particular demographic of people. For this reason deciding on which digital photography software to use is harder than ever.

With so many different photography software programs available, you will need to determine what features are important to you and what features are not so important. Quite a lot of the amateurs out there are quite happy to have simple basic and functional software where as the more professional or advanced photographers want more advanced controls for their editing.

One kind of photography editing software available focuses on providing tools specifically created with the artistically minded photographers in mind. These software programmes are generally not sophisticated enough for most professionals, but there tools can prove very useful to a lot of the more artistically minded amateur photographers out there.

The basic photography software

Most people buy digital photography editing software of a more basic nature. It is common for these basic programmes to include options such as redeye removal, resizing and cropping options, your general printing options and some other photo editing effects.

Additionally these basic programmes will also quite often include options to add filters to your photographs and the ability to make your photographs black-and-white etc.

The key difference about these options in basic digital photography software as opposed to these options in professional digital photography software, is that in the basic photography software these options will give you limited control and will be more automated, making it easier for you, but at the same time limiting what you can do with the software.

If you just want to get started with some really basic editing software, by doing a Google search for something like “free digital photography software” you will find there are a number of free applications available. If you are just starting out, these programmes may well be perfect for you, but if you have any editing experience you are more than likely to find these applications too basic.

If on the other hand you have already been using some basic photography software for some time now, and are starting to get a bit fed up with the very basic functionality of your software, you need to make a point of taking note of what features you need more control over and what features you would like to have that you currently don’t.

Once you have a list of what you want and don’t want in your editing software, you will be able to easily compare different photography software applications to see which one best suits your interests.

Remember that with the more complex and complete software packages you may have to put some time aside to learn how to use them and you will also have to pay a lot more for them.

Sometimes the most difficult part is knowing where to start. Have you ever had someone show you just how to do some something. They go click, click, and click - Done! And you’re none the wiser; You see everything is easy once you know how. That’s my purpose here. It is to help you see it as easy. So let’s look at these four steps.

Step 1. Begin

After opening up Photoshop click on “File” and then “New”. Now choose the size of the new graphic. Usually this is determined by what you plan to do, what is the purpose of the graphic. In this case we are going to create a web page header. Header sizes are determined by the size of the page they are to be applied to. In this case we are creating a header for a sales page. These are usually about 700 pixels by 120 pixels.

Step 2. The Background.

There are 3 options. The background can be a solid color, a gradient, or a picture.

To insert a solid color, these are the steps we must follow. On the left of the work area is a floating toolbox. Towards the bottom of this box are two small squares, one over the other. Click the top one and a color picker comes up. Click the mouse on the color required for the background and click OK. The color of the top square is now your chosen color. From this floating tool box choose the bucket tool. If you don’t see it, move the mouse over each tool until you find the gradient tool. Right click it and choose bucket.

Once you have chosen the bucket tool, move your mouse over the new graphic you are creating. You will see the mouse pointer turn into the bucket tool. Just one click and you have your chosen color as your background.

If you decide that you want a gradient as your background, you will need to turn the bucket tool into the gradient tool. Once again you will need to choose a color. This time you will need to use both boxes. The gradient starts with the top color and finishes with the bottom color you have chosen.

Having chosen the gradient tool you will notice on the top of the work area new choices have appeared. This will allow you to choose the style of the gradient.

The third choice of a background is to import a picture. To do this just open a picture file that you wish to use. Make sure this picture is equal or larger in size to the new graphic you are making. With the mouse just drag and drop the picture into the new graphic. Move it around to where you want it and you’re done.

Please note: this does not work with Gif Files.

Third Step: Working With Layers

Photoshop works with layers. Each time you add something new to the graphic you are working with you add a layer. On the right hand side of the work area you should see “Layers”. Click on it and a whole list of the layers of the active graphic will be shown. You can click on any of these to make them the active layer.

To import a picture is exactly the same as what you did in dragging and dropping the background into the graphic. When you drag in a picture you always have some background with the picture. If the background is mostly one color you can easily remove the background and thus expose the background you want seen. To do this you will need to use the eraser.

If your background is all one color, let’s say white, you can use the magic eraser. Right click on the eraser. Three options will appear. Choose “Magic Eraser”. Move your mouse to the part of the picture you want to get rid of and click. In one click it will remove the unwanted background of the picture you dragged in. While you are in that layer you can move this picture to where you want it by picking it up with your mouse.

Step 4: Add Text

In Photoshop your text is also a layer. Each time you insert new text you create a new layer. You are able to move the text around as you can any other layer.

On the left hand tool box click the “T”. Move the mouse to the area where the text is to go. Click the mouse and start typing. You can choose the font, size and style as in any other Windows program.

Now that your text is in place it can be enhanced and made to stand out. Make sure the text you want to work with is the active layer. On the top bar of the work area is “Layer”. Click it and choose “Layer Style”. This will open up numerous options. To get an idea of what each of these does just play and experiment with it. As you choose an option it will instantly be seen before you commit it.

You have now created a simple but professional looking graphic you can use on a web page.

You will need to save the graphic in Photoshop format so that you can always edit it without having to start from scratch again. If you want to save it for a web page you can do so by going to “File” from the drop-down box choose “Save For Web And Devices” this will produce a smaller file suitable for a web page.

People new to Adobe Illustrator often say that they find the program complex and hard work. When we hold Adobe Illustrator classes in London, we acknowledge the need to help delegates get rid of the belief that Illustrator is a difficult piece of software to use. We have found that there are three main aspects to showing users that Illustrator is no harder or more annoying than any other application.

To start with, we show them how to read and understand the extensive visual clues provided by the software as you perform various operations. Next, we keep reminding new users how easy it is to revert your drawing back to the way it was before things started going wrong. And, finally, we keep telling our students that they have to highlight the right tool to be able to perform a give operation.

New users to Illustrator will often attempt to manipulate elements within their drawing without first activating the Selection tool. For example, they will create a shape with, say, the Ellipse tool and then, while the Ellipse tool is still active, they try to move or resize the shape they have just drawn or click on the page to attempt to deselect the shape. They then get puzzled and annoyed when little ellipses keep appearing in their drawing or Illustrator’s shape dimension dialogue box keeps on appearing.

Avoiding this problem is simple. Always ensure that you are on the right tool. So, if you wish to manipulate an existing element, you must have the Selection tool highlighted. One of the first shortcuts that we teach people who attend our Illustrator training courses is that you can temporarily activate the Selection tool by simply holding down the Control key (or Command on a Mac).

Another thing that new users do is attempt to modify elements in their drawing without clicking on the Selection tool first. One example might be they draw a shape using, say, the Polygon tool and then, with the Polygon tool still active, they attempt to move or resize the polygon they have just drawn or click on the page to deselect the polygon. They then get annoyed and puzzled when tiny polygons keep appearing in their drawing or Illustrator’s shape dimension window keeps on popping up.

Avoiding this problem is not hard. You just have to make sure that you have the right tool selected. So, if you want to manipulate an existing object, you just ensure that you have the Selection tool highlighted. One of the first shortcuts that we teach people who come on our Illustrator training courses is that you can temporarily activate the Selection tool by just pressing the Control key (or Command for Mac users).

If you a new user to a program like Illustrator, it is inevitable that you will make errors: things may go slightly wrong or even get completely messed up. The key thing here is to learn the Undo habit. For example, if you accidentally move an object don’t try to manually put it back where it was, simply choose Edit - Undo or use the shortcut Control-Z (Command-Z on a Mac). If you Undo too far back, you can use the Redo command to come forward again. (The shortcut for Redo is Control-Shift-Z.)

This problem is easy to avoid. Always make sure that you are on the right tool. Thus, if you wish to manipulate an existing object, you have to ensure that the Selection tool is highlighted. One of the first keyboard shortcuts that we teach delegates who attend our Illustrator training courses is that you can temporarily activate the Selection tool by just pressing the Control key (or the Command key if you are using a Mac).

If you are thinking about using Hispanic stock photos, you certainly do not need to be educated on the importance of images that are culturally relevant. You know that business communities, constituencies, and opportunities are frequently being redefined. You also know that you have to make use of images that are not attached to stereotypes rooted in the past, but to images that accurately portray how individuals live now as well how they visualize themselves living in the future.

If you have thought about all these things but are anxious about the quality of Hispanic stock photos that are at this time available, you need to stop. The quality of stock photography has increased noticeably from the past, when stock photos consisted almost entirely of outtakes or “seconds” from commercial magazine assignments. Now, quite a few of the most talented and accomplished photographers constantly create wonderful, new material to be used by stock photography agencies.

Once the image has been placed with the agency, you can go on-line and browse through a seemingly endless supply of Hispanic stock photos. The finest agencies are not only very selective, which means you get to choose from great images, but they also use market research to amplify the effectiveness of the image. For instance, knowing that Hispanic businesses have expanded three times faster than U. S. businesses as a whole, or that African-, Hispanic- and Asian-Americans total approximately one-third of the U.S. population helps the agency offer you the finest content.

Also, when you acquire a stock photo, the price that you pay depends on many factors. You can pay a one-time-fee to for infinite use of the image, you can pay to have sole use of an image so that no one else can use that photo, and you can pay various prices depending on whether or not the image is used in print, as outdoor advertising, indoor display, low resolution for the Web as well as a large number of other factors.

Since ease of use, flexibility and quality best describe the current state of stock photography, what are you waiting for?

Japanese dragon tattoos are popular. The dragon is definitely hands down one of the most beautiful and powerful of all the mythic beasts. The sheer beauty and power of these mythical beasts alone warrant there attention as tattoo designs. Then being combined with a long and rich history of tattooing as an art form such as in the Japanese culture and you have a winning combination. If you are contemplating getting a Japanese dragon tattoo then you should spend a little time learning about the deep history and symbolism of the beautiful and mystical beast.

Great Ideas For Dragon Tattoo Designs

Dragon tattoos are amazingly flexible and the look, feel, and design choices you make an give a totally different symbolism and feel to the dragon. A fierce fiery red dragon with a red body wrapped around a large samurai sword will symbolize strength and power. Whereas if the dragon where high in the sky flying above some beautiful mountain lake then the design might represent freedom and peacefulness. So the symbolism and what the dragon design portrays is really dependent on the stylistic choices you make when designing the tattoo such as look, feel, location and etc.

Dragon History In Japan

Dragons are one of the most important of all the mythological beats in Japanese culture. The Japanese of course have their own word for the dragon, they call them “Ryu” or “Tatsu”. They are typically depicted as very long, skinny and full of scales very similar to a serpent. They also frequently are believed to live around large bodies of water. These creatures are so powerful that they are a god and to be revered. In fact the Japanese believed that their first emporer had descended from a dragon and therefore is partially a god and infallible.

The dragon is not only popular in Japan but throughout all of Asia including China, Korea and numerous other Asian countries. You can find dragon designs throughout the sculpture, architecture and art in Japan even to this day the dragon is still a very popular design.

One can see the improtant role that dragons play in Japanese culture through their extensive sculptures. It is common to see statues of dragons at an alter, temple and other places of worship. For example at the Sonsoji Temple in Asakusa Japan the dragon statue is one of the most predominate features. An even more famous spot is at Miyajima also know as The Isles Of The Temple. This temple is a famous spot for travelers, tourist and religious. They all come here to pray to the dragon and ask for good fortune and good luck in the up and coming year.

Each spring the dragon is taken and paraded around the grounds of the Sensoji temple. During this festival thousands of people come from all over Japan to drop coins into a wooden box as a donation and gift to the temple and an offering to the dragon in hopes that the dragon will give them good luck. This festival is done each spring to commemorate the finding of the gold Kannon, an image of the goddess of mercy. It is believed that in 628 AD two brothers were fishing in the Sumida river at the time they discovered this beautiful statue of the Goddess of Mercy Kanon. At the time they discovered this legend states that gold dragons flew up out of the river and in to the sky to celebrate the discovery.

In both Buddhist and Taoist religious traditions the dragon is seen to also represent the hardships that a spiritual pilgrim will have to face in their journey towards enlightenment.

Not only can the dragon be found in the sculptural and architectural works done by the Japanese but it can also be found in the literary works. For example there is the famous story os an eight headed serpent like that eats young women whole. Susanoo (the hero) is able to trick the serpent. He offers the serpent some sake to drink and then proceeds to get the serpent drunk. He then slays the evil eight headed beast, Yamata-No-Orochi.

As you can see form above the dragon is prevalent throughout the Japanese culture and their are many examples of this mythical beast in the art and architecture. The dragon can also be found throughout many of the more traditional tattoo designs. Thus gives you a wide variety of options to choose from and can help in getting the perfect tattoo you want. The most common location for a large dragon tattoo of course is the back. This makes a great back piece and the design can be done very large and therefore with a lot of detail. However you are not locked into only getting a back tattoo. If you want something a little smaller or for whatever reason don’t want a back piece a dragon can easily be done on your shoulder, calf, and even a sleeve tattoo design.

There is an old saying in life that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is true in personal relationships like dating, business relationships like job interviews, and also in surfing the web as well. The first impression in a face to face meeting, whether personal or business related, is the moment when two people see eachother for the very first time.

With that much importance riding on the look and feel of the top header image of a weblog, it is puzzling then why some websites pay such little attention to making sure their weblog’s top header image projects a positive and exciting Jpg. A poorly designed, or amateurish looking, weblog top header image is one of the fastest ways to lose the traffic that has come to the weblog.

When someone opens up the 1st page of the weblog, if they see something that looks unprofessional then they may look at going to another site that may take the material they’re looking for a little more seriously. The last thing any weblog should want to do is turn male and women away that come to visit it because from the looks of their top header image they appear to be an unprofessional or amateurish site.

The best way to insure that the 1st impression that a Blog makes is a positive one is to have a professionally designed header graphic graphic. While this may cost more than a do-it-yourself header graphic graphic picture or just going with a total text header graphic, the investment should be worth it in terms of how much credibility the Blog gains.

The best way to insure that the first impression that a website makes is a positive one is to have a professionally designed header graphic. While this may cost more than a do-it-yourself header graphic image or just going with a total text header, the investment should be worth it in terms of how much credibility the website gains.

With a professionally designed top header image Jpg added to the top of a weblog, 1st time viewers of that weblog assume that they have come to a site that is better than some of the sites out there that appear to be hobby sites. A top header image design that gives off the feeling that it was professionally done can add to the legitimacy of the overall weblog.

With a professionally designed header image added to the top of a website, first time viewers of that website assume that they have come to a site that is better than some of the sites out there that appear to be hobby sites. A header design that gives off the feeling that it was professionally done can add to the legitimacy of the overall website.

With that in mind, a professionally designed image Jpg at the top of every page in a weblog means that no matter what page someone surfs to as a result of what came up in search engine results, their 1st impression will be a good one.