Moving Text from Word into Composer

There are several ways to get text only or text AND formatting from other programs such as Word into Composer:

The easiest way to transfer text and formatting is to copy from Word and paste into Composer.
- You should be in regular shape pointer mode when pasting into Composer.
- Composer will put up a font substitution dialog box. Click OK to accept the defaults.
- Paragraphs of text with automatic line breaks come through as individual lines of small text
- If you have different fonts, sizes and bullets, it will bring those over but each text style becomes its own separate block of small text. You might have to slightly adjust the location or point size of the lines of small text.
- If you want to change fonts or bullets for volumes of text, it is easier to do so in Word and re-paste into Composer.
- If you have text in a table, it will bring the text and table from Word into Composer but you will have to select the text and move it down slightly to get it back into the table. But it sure beats re-entering and reformatting the text!

If you want to get text only with no formatting, copy the text from Word and bring up the small text or Composer text dialog box and paste the text into the dialog box. The text will be generated using the settings from the dialog box. You will get messages about missing characters but the text itself will come through.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

We are in the sign business, so we all know that showing pictures only enhances the overall message we are try to communicate. Extending that a bit, we come to the concept of display pieces and samples to sell your output. Here are some extremely easy ways to make your sales approach extremely easy:

1. Take a picture of every job you sell. Put the best pictures or pictures of the types of jobs you want to sell in your shop near the entrance. Keep some of the pictures with you in your vehicle for mobile selling opportunities.

2. If you are printing a job, use some of the extra material space to print some sample decals at a smaller scale. These can be used as display samples for your shop or to give to your customers as a small thank you gift.

3. Create a simple "before and after" or "job upgrade" sample to show how a blend, fade, shadow or photo can improve the impact a sign has. Be sure to get a higher price for the extra effect!

4. Be sure your own vehicle graphic and company sign make customers want what you have.

5. Check with equipment and material manufacturers/suppliers and Sign Associations for marketing tools and publications. For example, GSP sell printed brochures at cost to aid in the sales from sign shop to sign shop customer. Call GSP customer service at 1-800-222-7446 for ordering details and see an example at http://www.gspinc.com/literature/pdf/End%20User%20Literature/EDGE-VehicleGraphics.pdf . The United States Sign Council (USSC) http://www.ussc.org/publications.html sells two brochures that explain the value of "signs" as an advertising medium.

These ideas may sound basic, but they really can make a difference in your sales efforts.

For more information on this same topic see http://www.gspinc.com/customercorner/mtsfyi/pdf/Vol3-FiveSellEDGEGraphics.pdf

A Helpful Tip from my Blog Mentor

Since JD Iles got us started on blogging, I feel no compunction about using this tip that he discussed when we recently visited Lincoln Sign Company http://www.signsneversleep.blogspot.com/ .

From JD Iles:
We use the EDGE, Spectratone and Gerber Foils to print out proof colors or paint matches for a customers approval.

Using the real materials allows us to control the color reference material and ensures that we will always be able to get a reference color match. Plus, it looks nicer than cutting a hunk of vinyl or a PANTONE(R) chip.


Print and use for color proofs

I just printed this out, trimmed it, cut it in half, and sent it away in the mail

My How the Network Grows!

I am simply amazed by the number of people who have mentioned this blog to me already. I am even getting feedback from end users. Maybe this blog stuff is on to something!

Helpful Clipart

I am always looking for a quick way to add a graphic element or replace a logo. As I am no artist, I certainly cannot draw, so I rely on clipart. Two of my favorite sites are listed below:

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/
http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/

http://www.brandsoftheworld.com has thousands of searchable company and other logos in scalable eps vector format. To get these logos into Composer, I find the log I want, download it, then import into OMEGA using the GSP eps import filter.

http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/ is a quick way to add scalable wmf files to my designs. I have rarely been disappointed at this site even when looking for stranger clipart. To get the clipart into Composer, I find the clipart piece I want, then copy the piece and paste into Composer. Sometimes I reassign the colors because these WMF files use non-color-managed RGB colors that convert strangely once they get into Composer, but the color assignment only takes a moment.

As is always the case, be sure to read the licensing agreements to be sure you are using the artwork legally and can resell the output. You may need to get additional permissions. Of course that gets into another discussion about copyright laws, but we'll leave that for another blog!

These sites are great timesavers that I truly enjoy using!

Welcome to Visitors from Far Away

We were fortunate enough to have had a visit last week from Stephen Woolley and his son Shane from Computastyle Signs (Tauranga, New Zealand). They were in CT last week on vacation and visited GSP.

They spent time with Chaz from and got an overview of Omega 2.0. They are current 1.56 users and saw the benefit of the upgrade. They are a Gerber shop dating back to the 4B and currently operate an Edge/plotter and Omega software. Stephen started as a hand painter and incorporated GSP equipment as he has built his business.

Thanks for stopping by!

May we help you? No thanks, just "BROWSING"

How many times have we been out shopping and a kind, or not so kind, store employee ask us this question? Countless. The reason is because we all know shopping can be more than overwhelming at times. So many choices with usually so little time. But does it mean we're lost? Absolutely not. We just need a minute to sort things out and find the perfect item we're looking for. So many choices!

Now, we have that luxury with web browsers.

I'm not going to get into the heated discussions that take place regarding free, open-source, and anti or pro Microsoft loyalists, but I will say this, take a look at all of them and make a decision based on your own opinions. We're not talking hundreds of browsers here, just the ones that have the ability to continue enhancing their products to fit the customers needs.

Currently, Microsoft's Internet Explorer controls around 90% of the market. Slowly, other browsers like Netscape's Navigator, Mozilla FireFox, and Opera have gained some market share. Now, several browsers are making noise in the industry and are offering some impressive features.

In case you were not aware of them, or if this blog caught your curiosity, learn more about the big players from their web sites:

Internet Explorer

Netscape Navigator

Mozilla

Opera


Happy shopping... or surfing!

File Size Overkill!

I received a file from a GERBER MAXX 2 prospect today. I need to print a sample and send it back to the prospect. The 6 Mb file seemed innocuous enough for our high-speed email connection. Once I saved it to my hard drive and attempted to open it, the 6 Mb file was a .jpg that ballooned into a 208 Mb uncompressed file that took 50 minutes to open in PhotoShop. Yikes!

Voila! My second blog post: What IMAGE file size do I need to print to a GERBER MAXX or EDGE?

I use two simple ways to determine the file size I need to print to an EDGE or MAXX:

1. In my scan program, scale the image to its intended output size and set the scanner resolution to 100 dpi. So if I want to scan in a 3 x 5 photo at 21x35 inches, I will use the scale factor to set the scan size to 21 x 35 inches and set my dpi to 100 dpi.
OR
2. I use a rough estimate of about 10 megabytes of file size per square foot of EDGE or MAXX output. So if I want to output something at 2 feet by 2 feet, I would set my scan resolution and or scale factor to get my final file size to about 40 MB.

These are quick estimates, but they seem to serve me well for outputting for customer samples, tradeshow and other jobs I output here at GSP.
I ended up resampling the 208 MB file down to about 40 MB (since it needs to be about 4 square feet in output size. I used my #2 method to calculate the size.) Once I had the smaller size I was able to save in about 30 seconds and render it in a fraction of the time I would have needed for the 208 MB monster.

I will show some output comparisons in a future post once I print the large and small files to allay any fears about lost output quality from the smaller file.

Blogging Grows at GSP!

8 "Gerbs" (GSP employees) visited J.D. Iles at Lincoln Sign Company (Lincoln, NH , www.lincolnsign.com) earlier this week as part of Greg Wolf's initiative to get to know our customers. BTW, Greg Wolf is the President of GSP. The trip was lots of fun and we learned a lot about J.D.'s business. Greg Wolf, smart man!

One of J.D.'s past times is blogging (www.signsneversleep.blogspot.com). He encouraged us to start one too. He said it's fun and informative and helps others to get to know an organization on a more personal level. So, here we are!

I hope to keep this informal and informative, with people posts as well as staid corporate stuff. This is different for me and certainly different for GSP. Wish us luck!

GERBER SOLARA™

The GERBER SOLARA is a roll-to-roll, large format ultraviolet (UV) inkjet printer that accommodates a variety of affordable, uncoated materials with widths from 15" up to 60" and at maximum speeds up to 75 square feet per hour. SOARA is ideal for shops specializing in durable outdoor signs, producing prints that are instantly dry and ready to cut and apply. The unique properties of the UV inks also allow easy maintenance with low odor and no ventilation requirements. Gerber's exclusive CMYKVG inks and multi-drop technology allow SOLARA to produce beautiful and vibrant colors. Click Here for product details!

GERBER P2C™ Plotters

Gerber's new P2C plotter line features three distinct formats to more readily meet the needs of today's sign professional. Whether you choose the class-leading, ultra wide-format P2C 1600, or any one of the other P2C formats - from the moment you cut your first job, you'll be very glad you did. Click Here for product details!

GERBER XRT2500™

The GERBER XRT2500 is a compact, grand format solvent inkjet printer that features state-of-the-art technology and components. Designed for sign shops with big ideas as well as production powerhouses, the XRT2500 is an affordable way to print flexible, durable outdoor graphics such as banners, building wraps, and fleet graphics. Click Here for product details!