CD's. Searchable Archives. Royalty-free stock. These elements have changed the face of communication design forever. The quality, quantity, affordability and accessibility of stock imagery have made it the resource of choice for many organizations.

The advantages of instantaneous access to searchable archives of good images are numerous.

• Speed :: We can never have enough of it. Search. Download. Import. It's remarkable.
• Choice :: Searching "stock photography" on Google delivers 1,470,000 results.

  You can find pretty much anything out there.

• Price :: While there are free resources, unless you are doing a school report, you may need something slightly more exclusive. Also, many of the free images are only good enough for online display and the selection is very limited. Royalty-free images are reasonably priced, you pay for only the size you'll use and images can be used as needed with no extra charges.
• Flexibility :: Image selections can be grouped, saved and emailed to others in the review cycle. People in different locations can simultaneously review ideas.
• Archiving :: Some companies even keep a record of your buys that you can re-download whenever you need them. To use this resource effectively, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
• Plan ahead :: Will you ever need the picture to be printed? The low cost of "low resolution" images can lure you into costly mistakes.

  Images need to be 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the size they will be printed.

• Low-cost tradeoff :: Pictures are now so affordable, everyone's buying them. That means your image could show up in your competitor's brochure. Some projects call for more exclusive imagery.
• Image-enhancement :: When you need something totally unique, such as your product in the shot, it may be more economical to hire a photographer than to have your designer spend countless hours in Photoshop trying to get it just right.
• Availability :: Good images still cost money. While many firms have images on file, don't expect your designer to have a database full of images right for your project.

Google returns all images from the web -- including those that are the property of others and not legally usable..

Don't forget, if all else fails ? read the instruction booklet! Once safely on your computer hard drive, you can erase the memory of the camera and start taking new photos all over again. However do check that the images have been successfully downloaded to your computer before you erase them!3 Burn your images onto a CDRomMany home computers are now equipped with a CDRom writer. This is probably the preferred way of archiving your images for years to come. One word of warning though. Do not buy cheap recordable CDs ? CDRs.

Cheap discs are less reliable and we have found some to be problematic. We have also found that rewritable disks ? those that can be written once and then overwritten ? do not work well in certain CD Drives. Best to use good quality write once CDRs and carefully label them, storing them in cases for protection. In due course CDs will be replaced by DVDs providing greater memory capacity as image files increase in size.4 Store your images on a public web siteIf you are connected to the internet you will be able to find sites on the world wide web which will store your images for posterity. Furthermore, they may let others view your images, or restrict access to them by a password.

Some sites charge for this service. What the long term prognosis is for any of these sites is ? well ? who knows. But they might be useful in the short term.5 Print your images at home for viewingYou might want to put your images in an album to keep for yourself and to show family and friends. Photo printers are available for home use ? either from the manufacturer of your camera or from another. The convenience of being able to print your own images at home immediately will be offset by the cost of consumables, which can be high, and the slow print speed of many home printers.

Further there has been discussion regarding the longevity of the prints made at home compared with conventional prints made on photographic paper.6 Use a professional laboratory to make photographic prints.A more practical way of printing your images is to take your camera memory card or a CDRom to you local film processor for prints. You will be able to collect your printed images either the same or the next day and they will be photographic prints with a very long life expectancy. The laboratory will be able to crop your images or enlarge the full image or a section of it to further enhance your photo.7 Put your pictures on to a photo giftFor a lasting memento, why not put your pictures into a frame or even get your laboratory to put them on a gist such as a mug or mouse mat. Such object will have a long life and attract interest and attention. To see some of the possibilities when it comes to photo gifts feel free to visit http://www.view-link.com/photogifts.htmlChristopher ThomasViewlink Ltd.

Webb were: -- The print business owner's "to do" list (imperative things that must be done in the new print economy), -- What drupa's events may mean for GraphExpo, including a discussion about the role of trade shows in the B2B media mix-- Dr. Joe's Summer Reading List"The economy's momentum is clear to everyone except the printing business and the media," said Dr. Webb, "but advertising is starting to pick up and so are printers' profits. This is a good sign for the months ahead, and perhaps the worst is over for the restructuring of the printing industry. Though demand may still be headed down, we may have found a way to be more profitable with cost management and smart investment."Both new jobs and net new businesses are on the rise, and Dr.

Webb forecasted GDP to remain on a +4% to +4.5% growth path for the balance of 2004, and still holding strong at +3.5% to +4% for 2005. Dr. Webb also projected that the Fed would raise rates at least twice during the balance of 2004, ultimately ending 2005 at 3.5%. And he pointed out that CEO enthusiasm is still somewhat constrained by the uncertainty of world events, stating that small businesses and outsourcers?including printers?can benefit from their unwillingness to step up infrastructure investments. While recovery in the printing industry in terms of print shipments is not as strong as much of the rest of the economy, Dr.

Webb indicated that printing profits are on the rise, which is good news for the industry. Overall printing profits have risen to an annualized $4.5 billion level, a level not seen since late 2002. "The key to maintaining this increased profitability," according to Dr. Webb, "is to aggressively manage capacity utilization inside the plant. It is also important to offer the right product mix and to maintain control of the sales process?getting beyond the order taker stage to gain a better understanding of how you can solve business problems for your customers?a much different approach than simply selling print."???Dr.

Webb continued, "Management matters. It almost doesn't make a difference what the industry is doing?individual companies that are well-managed can do well even in tough economic times."Other advice Dr. Webb shared with the graphic arts community included:-- Revisit your business goals. Doing things differently but having the same goals will not change the nature of your business. Sometimes this may mean walking away from business that no longer fits within the current strategy.-- Be part of the "outsourcing" movement, helping your customers reduce their total cost of business communications-- Call on customers?where the demand originates.

And call your own business as a customer to see how customer-friendly your organization is.The presentation, including audio, can be accessed at no charge by visiting: http://members.whattheythink.com/home/webinar062304.cfmDr. Webb will be presenting quarterly updates through the balance of the year, hosted by WhatTheyThink.com. He also provides commentary in his weekly WhatTheyThink columns, available to Premium Access members.About EFI:EFI is the world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial and enterprise printing. EFI's award-winning technologies offer document management tools from creation to print, including high fidelity color and black and white Fiery? print servers that can output up to 2000 pages per minute; powerful production workflow and print management information software solutions for increased performance and cost efficiency; and an array of business-critical enterprise and mobile printing solutions. EFI stock trades on the NASDAQ under symbol EFII.

Their web site is www.efi.com.About WhatTheyThink.com:WhatTheyThink.com is the print and publishing industry's leading online community. The company offers a mixture of free and subscription-based content for industry executives. Additionally, WhatTheyThink.com provides a robust content syndication program serving related web sites. About Dr. Joe WebbIndustry commentator and forecaster Dr.

Joe Webb is a 26+ year veteran of the graphic arts industry. He has served the industry as a consultant, executive, and the founder of the TrendWatch surveys. His academic background is a combination of business, computer technologies, and graphic arts. His doctoral work was completed at the NYU Center for Graphic Arts Management and Technology. Dr.

Webb has worked with industry suppliers of all types, including those marketing capital equipment such as presses, software developers, computer and peripheral manufacturers and developers, national and multinational organizations, associations, and others. A frequent speaker at industry events, Dr. Webb's weekly column "Fridays with Dr. Joe" appears at www.WhatTheyThink.com where it has become a must-read feature for the entire printing industry. (Photos of Dr.

Webb for editorial purposes can be downloaded at www.drjoewebb.com/press )Dr. Webb is the author of "Renewing the Print Industry: A Contrarian's Constructive Perspective." A sample of that report can be downloaded from http://www.ContentDesk.com/prfiles/2004/06/03/131251/renew_ind_toc&chap1.pdf.

Usage, maintenance, expansion and security issues also need consideration.Hardware requirementsOnce the planning has been done, the next stage involves understanding what hardware will be required and what hardware your network will support. These can include back-up devices, uninterruptible power supplies, network printers, etc. Once this is determined you need to understand how many network points will be required. Hubs and switches should have sufficient ports for the various connections. Also there should be enough scope for growth and expansion in the future.

Network designHere various aspects like the kind of topology, network operating system, the right network interface cards and cabling needs to be considered. If the network is small, a basic topology like ring, bus, mesh or star may be used. But if the network is complex, a hybrid of two or more technologies may need to be implemented. The location of the network cables, various devices, hubs, switches, servers, printers, firewalls, routers and modems needs consideration. Building or leasing regulations that may affect the cabling also need to be kept in mind.

Security issues, both within the organization and on the Internet also need consideration.Support servicesHere you need to consider resources like consultants, support staff, other in-house staff and where they are located. You will need to consider the staff for management, security, maintenance and training. Employees will require to adopt new habits while using the network and sufficient training needs to be provided in this regard.Networks can help people share information, efficiently access the Internet, and work collaboratively. As networks become necessary, it is important to know which technologies will work for your organization. To help make an informed choice on what technologies, hardware and support systems to use, Vipersystems offers its turnkey solutions.

Our services enable your organizations to install suitable networks that are easy to upgrade and expand..

She has also assisted with several mentor series photo treks for "American Photo Magazine" and "Popular Photography Magazine". She won first place for the landscape category in the Assignment America Photo Contest in January 2004 and will have her work displayed on the Kodarama screen in Times Square.Artifunk.com president, Elena Baca, said "I met Tina in London this March and was immediately attracted to her work. Her series depicting doors from Tunisia and North Africa, where she uses a Polaroid lift off technique, caught my eye. I have never seen anything quite like it and I knew I wanted to work with her."Artifunk Inc. operates an online art gallery specializing in contemporary art.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Artifunk represents artists from Europe, South America and the United States. Artwork purchased on their website is shipped to the consumer directly from the artists' studios. Artifunk currently offers paintings, sculptures, jewelry, furniture, fine art prints, art photography and home accents with plans to expand these categories. The company can be found on the Web at www.artifunk.com. Contact Information:Bill Breedlove214-942-2101e-mail protected from spam bots ARTIFUNK INC..

Check your yard and garden for blooms in keeping with your color scheme (and next year, consider planting accordingly). You also have an array of decorating materials available in the produce department of your grocery. All those squashes lend themselves beautifully to the fall color scheme. It's nature's way. Go for it! Arrange some greenery branches across the mantle and place fruits and vegetables around and there you have it.

We're celebrating the harvest, after all. Now here's the trick. We have two major celebrations coming up: Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Here at my house I need to make a quick transition and I'm short on time, like everyone else. I'm having guests for Thanksgiving, but then my grandchildren will be coming here the Friday after.

I'm giving a Christmas Cookie Baking Party for Kids on Friday, and will need to switch rapidly from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so I've planned my decorating accordingly. I'll be using only greens, yellows, golds and whites for Thanksgiving. Then, for instance, I can remove the white, green and yellow gourds and squashes from the greenery on the mantle, add some white lights and gold stars, gold jingle bells, and gold ornaments and I'm set to go.The white, yellow and gold candles and tealights for Thanksgiving can remain. See how easy it can be!Cheap tip for a real glow? Buy a fair-sized mirror, place it on your dining room table, buffet or mantel and cover it with tea lights. Beautiful!You could achieve this same easy transition keeping green and brown for basic background and using accents of burgundy and rust.

This is a more subtle look for Christmas than the bright primary red, but it works just as well.Also make some trips to your local Goodwill and Thrift Stores and visit some garage sales. People give away the most amazing holiday decorations that can be yours for pennies. I've found everything ? hand towels, wreaths, pillows, stuffed animals, wall pictures, water globes and statuettes. Since they're used only for a short time, you hate to spend too much on them.And here's a neat tip. My Goodwill store has a selection of lamp shades and I have the lamps, don't you? You can change out your lampshades to fit your decorating scheme.

Did you ever think of that? It only takes a minute. Just make sure before you go that you know which kind of lampshades you have, and match them. Oh and don't forget to check out the picture frames at the resale shop. You could move a favorite photo to a holiday frame and place that up on the mantel as well. In fact if you don't already have some great holiday photos, take some this year.

I have a great photo of my grand-daughter sitting with a pumpkin I move to a central location at Thanksgiving, and then a collage of my own children at former Christmases I bring out in December. I bought an ugly print at a garage sale that had a beautiful forest green frame, threw away the print and substituted with the collage. It's such a dear reminder. And while you're decorating, don't forget yourself! Most thrift stores set up displays of holiday apparel you'll want to take advantage of for you and the kids. Some planning ahead can help you save time and money and still allow for a festively decorated home for the holidays..

Have them, what? Walls thathave stuff they want to happen, pasted up there!We allow children to paste stuff up on our doors and walls,and successful businesses have their desires, goals andintentions pasted up on their walls and doors, but what aboutthe rest of us?What about the rest of real life? What do our families want?What do we as individuals want for our lives and lifestyles.Are we just supposed to help our employers reach theirbusiness goals and desires, of which we may or may notreceive direct benefit from?What about our own personal lives? What about our dreamscoming true? Do you have a personal story board or MagicWall on your door or wall at your home, or in your own officethat pertains to your life and lifestyle?On my door, I have my life. I have it glued and pasted. It is mylife. A section of it I'll tell you about, because this is the partof me that shows up in my writing. I have a Magic Wall too!Over a year ago, Vanity Fair did a huge article on SuccessfulWomen Authors and Publishers.

Annie Lebowitz took thesegreat pictures of these women, and one of the pictures was ofabout 15 of them in a warehouse sitting.Writers, Authors Publishers, non-fiction, fiction. You wouldknow them. A great photo shoot !For a while I had this 4 page spread in a binder with some ofmy other intentions. But I kept setting stuff on top of thebinder and would forget to look at it.So up on my door it went.What has my Magic Wall and Magic Door brought me?Over 30 writing products and extensions and the opportunitiesattached to my writing just keep flowing to me.Point? Act as a child. Dare to put your dreams up where youcan see them.

There is a true "Mechanics" at work, and itsimply works! You're Dreams just might come true. Mineare and have been..

I had to open the lid and point a ceramic space heater inside to thaw it out. There were times that it drove me crazy. Sometimes when I asked it to print something for me it would sit there and clean itself for what seemed like an eternity. Whirr - click- pop - pop - whirr - click etc, etc, etc. I could pull my hair out sometimes.

Why does it always do that when I'm in a hurry?My old Epson and me became pretty good friends though. It always treated me good with sharp, detailed prints. I never had to worry about going broke with ink cartridges because the generics I used in her were really cheap and since I bought them from myself I got the VIP discount. :-) But that's the way it goes with inkjet printers. They are kinda like dogs.

You know they have a short life span and you know that once you get one you'll fall in love with it. And when the time comes to have to part your ways it's a difficult and emotional experience. Yes, it's painful and I'm sure I'll get through it somehow but I can't stop thinking of all the fond memories that I have collected throughout the years. It's like loosing a part of me.Ok, time to snap out of it and get a new printer. It was a daunting task to pick out a new printer.

I noticed that there must be 30 new models come out this month. Holy cow, this is going to take some time. I think I like the Epson R300M because it has that monitor thingy. Rats, it's discontinued. Already??? I just saw an advertisement for it.

Oh well, I guess I'll go with the R320, that has a nifty little color monitor too.The first thing I better do is go to atlascopy.com and see if they carry the cartridges, bulk ink and refilling stuff for my new printer. Oh, and I can't forget to email myself and ask if my old ink will work with this new printer. Darn, I don't see my new printer listed on the web site. Why don't they keep their site up to date?Finally got an answer back from myself. Seems that they have all my stuff but I didn't think to look for cartridge numbers instead of printer models.

I really think they should get on the ball and list all those new printers when they come out every day. What would it take, two, three hours a day? You can't tell me they are that busy!.

So I do a keyword search. Products Found = 0. All I can do is wonder why they wasted my time and their money, and move on to the next ad. Close, but no cigar. Clicking on the second ad takes me to a home page with a "Shades" tab.

I click on that and arrive on a page with information about sizes and a link to the lamp shade collection. I start browsing and find one I'm interested in. The text instructs me to "Click on lamp image for detail." I guess they mean lamp shade image. I click, and to my surprise, I see the exact same thumbnail I was looking at, but now I have four color choices and an "ad to cart" button. OK, I'm a designer.

I can appreciate subtlety. But what's the difference between White, Off-White, Beige and Coffee? All this site shows me is a little grey photo-- but "Dirty" isn't one of the color choices. I see the toll-free phone number at the top of the page. I call (during their normal business hours) and get voicemail. They say my call is very important to them, but I'm not so sure...

Third time's the charm? Back to Google, click on another ad which takes me to a page with lamp shades (YAY!). I can sort by nine different criteria, but even so, I don't see exactly what I want. There's a link to talk to a lighting consultant. I'm skeptical, but I call. Someone answers the phone! I explain what I want and I'm told I need a custom shade.

This company doesn't make them, but the consultant refers me to two other sites where I can order custom-made shades. Even though I didn't find what I was searching for, I really appreciate this experience. I'd be happy to return to this site and do business with this company in the future. The moral of this story. Have some respect for your customers.

Think about their needs and do everything you can to meet them. If you're advertising a product for sale it should be available on your site. If you expect people to make a choice, provide the information and pictures they need to feel comfortable making a decision. And even if you can't make the sale today, you can and should offer a good customer experience because there's always tomorrow..

When you blow it or enlarge it, the color will fade and the image will look unclear.Resolution is defined as the number of pixels contained in the monitor. Pixel, from the words "picture element", is the basic unit of programmable color in a computer image. The resolution is measured by the number of dots per inch (dpi), which is equal to the numbers of squares of color in an inch. A standard resolution for an image should be 300dpi and 400dpi for images containing text.The resolution of an image is inversely proportional to the size of the image. In other words, when you increase the size of the image the resolution decreases, and vice versa.

For example, if you enlarge an image, the size, of course, increases. But the quality or sharpness of the image decreases, giving you a blurred image.When you extract images from the internet, most probably, you will have a poor quality image. Internet images are mostly saved in GIF or JPEG file format, which only consumes 72dpi. The purpose of saving image files on this resolution is to make the image easy to extract. Meaning, these images are not for print use.Scanners, digital camera, computer monitor and other display devices use the RGB (red, green, blue) color mode, while in the printing process CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) color mode is used.

Meaning, you have to expect change in the color of the image when you print it. To reduce the problem, you must convert your image from RGB to CMYK. There are image editing programs that offer color conversion, such as Photoshop or Corel PhotoPaint.Do not expect to get good images from the internet. You must resort to other sources like real photos or pictures from magazines. When you scan, compare the size of the photo to the size of your layout.

If the photo is larger than your layout, scanning at 300dpi is enough. If it is smaller, adjust your scanner's resolution setting and percentage size. If there are texts over the image, lighten the image so the text will be readable. If you do not know how create good prints, you can resort to a printing press..