An adroit mixture of everyday settings and extraordinary events.
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The world of business and finance gets skewered, as Bottom Liners tackles subjects such as foreign takeovers, office policies, getting a raise, and the fast-paced world of Wall Street.
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With a daily readership of more than 95 million, Dear Abby is the symbol of a caring heart for millions of people around the world.
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In today's complex world of family issues, learn from Dr. Dobson's lifetime of practical experience in dealing with family problems.
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Extraordinary Typography
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Reach Them Direct
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Zap-Free Tips
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Pass the Word
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Idea of the Week |
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Fine Tuning Typography
The fine line between ordinary and extraordinary design lies in the details. While great attention to detail is placed on layout, often overlooked in document creation is the text itself. In the days of yore, professional typographers would peer over the printing press to ensure that the typeset was truly a work of art. Typographers would, quite literally, make certain that the “i”s were dotted and the “t”s were crossed.
While Typographers in the print shop may have fallen to the wayside, typographers at digital foundries take special care to craft highly functional pieces of digital type that can truly sparkle in the right hands. However, unless you know where they have hidden their tools, your electronic documents may be missing their finery. In QuarkXpress 8, the ability to bring out the best of typography are just a few quick clicks away.
Working With Special Characters.
 What you see on your keyboard is just the start of what lays hidden within many fonts. Bullets, accented characters, monetary symbols, and much more lurk just beneath the surface. Some special characters even include multiple shapes for you to chose from to bring out the best in your document. These special characters can be found in the Glyphs pallet of the Windows Menu.
To add a special character, open up the Glyphs pallet in the Window menu, and then scroll to locate the character you would like to use. Double-click the glyph and it will be placed in your document. If you have a few glyphs you find yourself favoring, you may wish to save them in the Favorite Glyphs area at the bottom of the Glyph Pallet by dragging and dropping them into the open boxes.
Creating Fractions
 While you can easily create fractions using numbers and a slash, the results can lack the refinement that actual fractions lend to a document. For a more polished approach, you can utilize QuarkXpress' built in functionality to give your fractions the detail they so highly deserve.
To create your fraction, simply highlight your text, and chose Style > Type Style > Make Fraction. This will convert those unsightly displays of 1/ 2 and 1/ 4 into more elegant ½ and ¼. Even complex fractions can be expressed with a more refined appearance with just a few quick clicks of the mouse.
Applying Ligatures
Often times, certain combinations of letters can cause your type to look a bit more shabby then it could. Notoriously, “fl”s and “fi”s can become crowded with some typefaces. Ligatures are special glyphs that represent a character pair, and can help remove the awkwardness to those type combinations. Fonts can easily be substituted with ligatures automatically in QuarkXpress if you know where to look. Simply click on Enable Ligatures in the Character tab of the Measurements pallet.
Typography may no longer be the first thing you think of in document creation. But thanks to QuarkXpress 8, your documents can still have the look of "hands on" craftsmanship like that of the typesetters of old. With a little attention to detail and a little knowledge of QuarkXpress' powerful tools, you can bring back the fine art of typography to your documents.
See more great ideas like this!
Click here to visit the Spinner Printing Company Ideas Collection.
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Marketing Tip |
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Tips to Increase Response Rate
Creative direct mail is a great way to break through the overload of electronic marketing. Direct mailings can range from postcards, self-mailing brochures, letters, lumpy mailers, etc. Here are a few tips on how to increase your response rate and be remembered:
- Create a series campaign to create front of mind awareness.
- Feature testimonials from happy customers, including a quote, review, or link to read more.
- Include a coupon or promotion with a timely expiration to entice recipients to move on your offer.
- Promote upcoming free events, white papers, or training sessions of interest.
- Celebrate special occasions by sending coupons or discount cards for anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, etc.
- Send a monthly newsletter featuring new products, helpful tips, and upcoming events and sales.
- Hold a monthly contest where recipients submit their mailing for a chance to win. Not only does this increase store traffic, but it can also help build your mailing list for future promotions.
- Throw an open house. Give customers a chance to meet new staff, learn more about new products, enjoy a snack, win give-away items, etc.
- Mail reminder postcards for upcoming appointments - time for a new haircut, time for your dog’s annual vaccinations, you’re due for an oil change, etc.
- Include a postage paid return envelope whenever a written response is requested.
- Increase excitement by including a scratch-off discount offer.
- Establish prestige and add appeal with foil stamping.
- Attract attention with die-cut promotional materials.
- Entice readers to open your envelope with teaser promotions that increase curiosity or urgency on the outside.
- Oversize your mailings to create impact. This includes oversized envelopes, postcards, packages, etc.
- Consider external lists from list brokers, trade associations, or retails that fit your desired customer profile to expand your direct mail audience.
For more ideas on how to increase your customer base with direct mail, stop by today. Creative printing solutions are our specialty!
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Tech Tips |
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Office Electrical Safety
Even though we are living in a wireless age, most computer desks have hidden nightmare of wires, cables and power cords underneath. Because your computer and most other technical gadgets run on electricity (or batteries), here are a few tips on electrical safety in the workplace:
- Always pull power cords, wires, and cables out by grasping the plug, not the wire. You can severely damage the interconnect that way.
- Inspect all power cords, since damaged cords are hazardous and can create fire or shock. If the cord appears pinched, stretched or cracked, throw it away and get a new one.
- When using a laptop, if you sit outside by the pool, or anywhere that is damp or has concrete, abandon the power supply and run off the battery. Sitting in a pair of shorts on an aluminum chair or even just with bare feet on the concrete and a computer in your lap connected to the power lines is an invitation for trouble.
- Test your hard wires in the wall receptacle with an electrical circuit tester to ensure they are properly wired.
- Clean up the clutter. Messy offices can cause an increase in accidents, spills, leaks, and other potential hazards.
- Keep liquid away from all equipment connected to the electricity supply and dispose of any old cups or cans that may be near your electrical equipment. Electrically powered machines may become live to the touch after having liquid spilled on them.
- When clearing jams in office machines, don’t insert fingers or metal objects into working parts, and do not open the machine while the power is on.
- Never overload circuits. Too many cords plugged into a socket or extension cord is an easy way to start a fire.
- Flickering lights are a good indicator that there could be electrical problems. Check it out as soon as possible if this occurs.
- Plugs should fit securely into outlets. Never force a plug into an outlet if it doesn’t fit, and also be aware that outlets with loose-fitting plugs can easily overheat and lead to fire.
We know there are endless details to worry about on a daily basis, so don’t let your print materials be one of them. Our printing experts will handle your projects from start to finish so you can cross them off your list of worries.
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Uncommon Product |
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Referral Cards
Referral cards are a great way to stay on the mind of your top customers, and reward them for promoting your company to their friends, family, and colleagues. Here are a few ideas on how to grow your business through referral cards:
- Referral cards are a great way to introduce organizations that recruit members (a club, church, or professional group) and invite a prospect to your next meeting. Provide a place to fill in the date, time and location of the next meeting, as well as your contact information.
- Create a memorable, well designed referral card that portrays your corporate or organization’s image, including your logo, address, web site, e-mail, and other contact information. Utilize both sides of the card to maximize the information you can include.
- Encourage recipients to keep your referral card by offering an exclusive discount or free item upon receipt of their card. This is also a great way to track the origination of your referral program sales.
- Reward happy customers for recruiting friends and colleagues. For example, a photography business can give out referral cards to customers. If they refer five people under their name, their next photo package is free.
- Keep a handful of referral cards with you at all times and distribute them any chance you have the opportunity.
- For businesses with various specialties, direct referral card recipients to a custom URL or microsite that highlights specific information of interest. For example, if you run a veterinary business and give a card to a bird owner, direct them to your "bird" Q&A or health tips section.
- Consider holding an internal referral contest by including a custom URL linking to personal web portals. Once the recipient types in the specific URL and enters their contact information, the referral source is notified and can begin contact with the interested party.
Give us a call if you'd like other ideas for recruiting new customers or members. We'll help you develop creative marketing materials to get you noticed and remembered.
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