Let's discuss three printing technologies: toner-based color copiers, digital duplicators, and high-speed inkjet printers. Each has its advantages and trade-offs.

Digital copiers are the most common device used in offices today. Generally, copiers use a technology called electrophotography (EP). EP technology utilizes a heat fusing process to melt toner particles on a page at about 350+ degrees Fahrenheit. These devices are simple to use, producing high quality color images on glossy paper. Depending on your requirements for volume, speed, and other features, the operating costs range from about four and a half to nine cents per page for full color and about one cent per page for monochrome. Leading manufacturers of digital color copiers include Xerox, Ricoh, Canon, Konica Minolta, Toshiba, and Sharp.

A second option is a digital duplicator, which uses an ink-and-master process to reproduce monochrome or highlight color documents quickly and inexpensively. Designed for longer run print jobs of 25+ copies per original, digital duplicators are not designed to print variable data, glossy paper stock, or single copies. They are extremely fast (up to 180 ppm) and are great for highlight color printing of bulletins, newsletters, flyers, envelopes, and post cards. Operating costs average about a half-cent per page for either monochrome or highlight color, with no capability for process color. Using no heat process, these devices run completely cool, often lasting for 10-15 years and reliably producing multiple millions of copies. Digital duplicators don’t replace the need for digital copiers, but rather these two technologies complement one another. The inventor and leading manufacturer of digital duplicators is RISO, with more than 60% of the market share.

A third (and newest) option is the high-speed inkjet printer/MFP. Here, we are not referring to the common inkjet printer that sits on your desktop and handles low-volume personal printing applications. Recent innovative breakthroughs in inkjet technologies now allow for very high speeds and very low running costs for volume color. Print speeds currently reach 120 full color pages per minute, a feature that is unparalleled by most digital color copiers. With no heat, fuser, toner, or complicated optics, these high-speed inkjet printers are extremely reliable, even for the most demanding print volumes. They also have the versatility of being able to print variable data full color envelopes on demand. No other digital color device available can match inkjet’s ability to produce fast, personalized envelopes in volume. Depending upon the graphics you use and the ink coverage on the page, the operating costs for high-speed inkjet printers can average one to four cents per page for full color and about less than one cent per page for monochrome.

If you would like to get more info about the differences between these technologies, call 1.800.876.7476

For most copiers and MFPs, output speed is directly related to duty cycle, hardware costs, and operating costs. Higher speed toner-based copiers can handle much heavier volume, but hardware acquisition costs increase proportionately. The trade-off is that high-speed copiers usually have a lower operating cost than slower copiers. For example, one copier manufacturer offers a 45-ppm color copier with a $21,000 purchase price and an operating cost of about eight cents per color page. The same company offers a 65-ppm color copier with a $45,000 purchase price and an operating cost of about six cents per color page. Here higher speed costs more upfront but costs less to operate.

Digital duplicators and high-speed inkjet printers are different. Higher speed doesn’t directly relate to variations in operating costs. Most all digital duplicator models can print 120 or 130 pages per minute, with some printing up to 180 ppm, and the operating costs all hover at around a half-cent for each highlight-color impression. Hardware costs of higher-speed models due tend to cost more, but you are mostly paying for value-added features like paper size, paper capacity, connectivity, higher image resolution, and other functions.

So with RISO duplicators and high-speed inkjet printers, high speed doesn't cost you more than slow speed. So why not get all the print speed you need?

Just for fun: PAPERCRAFT

Papercraft, (sometimes called paper or card models), are models constructed from sheets of heavy paper or card stock as a hobby. Scale models are created from sheets of card on which the parts were printed, usually in full color, for one to cut out, fold, score and glue together.

Get 1001FreeFonts for Windows and Mac. Find new fonts based on categories or search thru the site alphabetically to find what you want. The site also contains a neat "Custom Font Preview". User can experiment with up twenty characters at a time in the selected type face.

When researching your next digital color MFP purchase, look closely at the manufacturer’s recommended maximum monthly volume or duty cycle. These terms are interchangeable, but they offer a guideline for the maximum copy volume you would ever want to produce in a month (but not every month). A copier/MFP brochure may show a duty cycle of 100,000 copies, but you probably don't want to approach that volume on a continual basis as downtime and reliability issues can result. Beaverton School District's purchasing department states that "a consistent monthly volume at the high end of the volume is not recommended for peak equipment performance." This is true for most toner-based copiers on the market, but not so much for RISO high-speed digital duplicators (more on that later).

So if your average monthly copy volume is 50k, what published duty cycle should you shoot for? 75k, 100k, 150k? There is no MFP industry standard that says you should multiply by a certain number so there are numerous opinions among vendors and buyers. For example, Columbia University's print services department states that the "average month should be about 50% of the machine's duty cycle." Is this the right ratio for you?

Tomorrow, I will discuss the concept of "optimum monthly volume" and we will cover some recommendations from an unbiased independent testing lab. You may be surprised at what you learn. Stay tuned...

Wendy Boswell breaks down where to find free images on the net.



I found this image of a Heildburg press on www.morguefile.com

Check out the full list on About.com

The complete method is explained in the paper Fingerprinting Blank Paper Using Commodity Scanners. Here's the abstract:

This paper presents a novel technique for authenticating physical documents based on random, naturally occurring imperfections in paper texture. We introduce a new method for measuring the three-dimensional surface of a page using only a commodity scanner and without modifying the document in any way. From this physical feature, we generate a concise fingerprint that uniquely identifies the document. Our technique is secure against counterfeiting and robust to harsh handling; it can be used even before any content is printed on a page. It has a wide range of applications, including detecting forged currency and tickets, authenticating passports, and halting counterfeit goods. Document identification could also be applied maliciously to de-anonymize printed surveys and to compromise the secrecy of paper ballots.

Basically the process involves selecting just a tiny section of the paper and scanning, then rotating the paper and scanning the area again. The inherent color at each point will remain the same, but the shadows will differ due to the change in angle of the light source. These differences allow researchers to map out the tiny hills and valleys on the surface of the paper.

Download the paper and read the full story here.

This year's TransPromo Summit takes place August 13-14 at the Boston Hyatt Regency Hotel. As part of this educational conference, David Murphy, RISO's VP of Marketing, will deliver a presentation on the topic of transpromo applications in the SMB market. This session will explore the various ways for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to get their feet wet with transpromo printing. The discussion will center on hardware and software alternatives, as well as real-life examples of how organizations are implementing low-cost color transpromo communications on a limited budget.

Mike Beard, Director of Sales for Objectif Lune, will accompany David in this presentation, as they explain why transpromo does not need to be a huge capital investment. SMBs typically can't afford large color heavy production printers and expensive software. Budget-conscious organizations should know that they can add transpromo to their marketing mix for just a few hundred dollars per month - and without large investments in human capital.

For the past three years, RISO has sponsored the TransPromo Summit and this will be the second consecutive year that the company has served as a Platinum Sponsor for the event. RISO will also participate in the Summit's keynote panel, speaking on the topic of "Choosing the Right Hardware Technologies for Your TransPromo Implementation."

For more info, go to www.transpromosummit.com

VunkySearch.net is a search engine for specifically for PhotoShop tutorial.
You can search by text, pick a content label, click on an interesting image or just hit the 'random' button and see what you get.

Tutorials can be view directly on Vunky or you can follow a link to the site of origin.

Which ever you choose, Vunky Search is a great way to hone your PhotoShop chops.

See what Walter Silva, founder of Conceptual Product Development Inc. and Pro Cad, Inc. has to say about the impact and versatility of the ComColor system on his business.



To see more video's like this head on back to us.riso.com

Related links:
What are the trends in digital book printing?
Create Books From Wikipedia
Free Books!

MakeUsOf has a great tutorial on how to get your feet wet in Photoshop.
The focus of the piece is layers which is really one of the most important facets of Photoshop.



Check it out adobe-photoshop-how-layers-work