As software developers of Adobe InDesign Plug-ins, Quark XTensions and stand-alone applications for graphic designers, publishers and prepress operators, we are always giving demonstrations on what products we offer and how our software works. Thus, this new business and professional networking site, myBrainshark, (Thanks Celeste!) adds a twist by helping you add life to your PowerPoint presentations and other documents. Here is our first upload, a Flash version of our new PageZephyr search engine video:

http://my.brainshark.com/PageZephyr-Index-View-Search-Extract-Adobe-InDesign-Content-13045036

One bummer was; it appears the embed code HTML does not sit well with WordPress. I had to manually mock up that this video was embedded. For the rest, really neat how you can add voice to your Microsoft Power Point presentations and other documents. Feel free to share your myBrainShark content links in the comment section below (Trying embedding there, often it works in the comments section for some reason!)…

On Apple’s web page under Mac OS X productivity tools, you can see the new and exciting tool from Markzware, PageZephyr- perfect for publishers of all sorts (Book, magazine and newspaper publishing houses) or of course anyone with archives of DTP files which need to be easily searchable. This Macintosh application allows you to search your entire drive or network full of Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress documents, WITHOUT opening them.. and so much more, like extraction:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/productivity_tools/pagezephyr.html

—> Do not forget to preflight and then check again your application print files with Markzware’s FlightCheck Professional v6.5. Supporting more than 50 file formats, it takes quality control in the publishing workflow to the next level…

Since ICANN, approved the use of non-Latin characters in domain names today, I thought we would stick on the Internet side with this post. Jörg Oyen, the publishing, Adobe and Quark QPS expert friend of ours over in Germany at Oyen.de, sent me a rather ominous Instant message on Skype the other day, “Do you like balls”? he asked. For some reason, I thought, “oh, must be Google Balls” for it sounds very Googlish (sp?) No, he meant Tagul balls or Tagul meta clouds. Here, you can see Jörg’s meta ball from his site here:

Here is the Markzware meta data cloud (no mystery here):

Beware! This Markzware cloud is not complete and this is limitation of Tagul only getting the first 350 keywords or something to that effect. We see FlightCheck in there, but no Q2ID or ID2Q, our popular Quark-to-InDesign and the other way around as well, conversion tools.

Want to see how we made this? Watch the video here, for good control over your meta data, keywords and general SEO is very important for graphic designers, publishers and printers alike (Yes, print-shops included!):

How do you plan on profiting from your online content? Here is an interesting development:

Wikipedia founder ties with HP to add magazine printing platform to Wikia site

Tim Sheahan, printweek.com, 26 October 2009

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has revealed a new tie-up between user-generated information site Wikia and HP’s MagCloud service that will allow users to create and print magazines.

“We are doing all kinds of things like that to think about ways to sustain this idea of participatory culture. We have no idea if this will be popular,” Wales told news agency Reuters.

Users can source content to print from the 3m web pages and more than 50,000 communities presently on Wikia, which is now making a profit for the first time since it was founded five years ago.

MagCloud enables user to produce bespoke glossy, full-bleed, full color magazine printing through a web interface that allows them to select content and do online magazine printing.

HP has also announced it is using its BookPrep digitizing and printing service with the University of Michigan Library to make 500,000 out-of-print books available for on demand digital printing.  Read more... (304 words, estimated 1:13 mins reading time)

While reading, “Symbols: the alphabet of human thought” I came across an interesting one regarding printers and publishers from hundreds of years ago. The orb and cross was the symbol most used by them to leave their mark (aka a “printers mark”* or logotype*; as in the colophon), in the days just after Johannes Gutenberg founded moving type and the modern printing press:

This semester we will be looking at printer’s devices (symbols) used to identify the printer or publisher of a book. Many early printers use the orb and the cross which signified the earth and Christianity, shown above left. This particular version is the mark of Joannes de Colonia of Venice, 1481. Image source orb

On the right is a contemporary printer’s mark by Paul Moxon for his Fameorshame press. He explains, “A related sign the orb and cross, ‹literally the earth surmounted by the cross› is also the alchemical symbol for antimony an ingredient in type metal. Long before the development of printing, the 4 had been a mark of merchants to identify their wares. … 20th century master bookmen who have adapted the orb and four include: Warren Chappell and Fritz Kredel, Koch, & Giovanni Mardersteig, among others, chose the orb and cross. Moxon quote and image source
Source: http://www.designhistory.org/symbols.html  Read more... (415 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

“I see more and more people using lo res images more then ever and they don’t care about the results once the job prints” says “Prepress_Online” via their Twitter account to “Markzware.”

Is a low-resolution image pandemic sweeping the world of printing?

• Are creatives, graphic designers and print-buyers preflighting less than ever?
• Is quality assurance taking a back-seat to price?
• Do you use an electronic method of preflighting on your brochures, color graphics and other posters & cards heading to print?

Would love to see, via the comments section below, some answers to these general preflight and prepress problems. Hearing from both designers, publishers and printers would also be great.

You can follow Markzware’s and Prepress Online’s tweets here:
http://twitter.com/Markzware
http://twitter.com/Prepress_Online/

Testimonials (video)  -

Graphic artists, designers, publishers and printers giving their feedback and experience on the power and advantages of using Markzware’s software tools for the graphic arts industry. Video testimonials on Markzware’s Adobe Plug-ins, QuarkXPress XTensions and stand-alone Macintosh and Windows applications:

To view the rest of the non-video testimonials on Markzware’s FlightCheck, Q2ID, ID2Q, PUB2ID, MarkzTools or our service to fix bad Adobe InDesign files, see:

http://www.markzware.com/marketing/testimonials/

Just about everyday in PrintWeek UK’s newsletter, you read of another printer going into bankruptcy. And it is no secret that publishers, especially newspapers, are having a tough go at it. (Even though I still think there are many opportunities, just takes getting with the times and trying new things, like this, for instance: Design can save the newspaper)

For those graphics and media companies in America, the auto-industry getting hit so hard, on top of an already down economy, makes for some extra challenges. As we read in this PrintCEO blog post:

A recent report at autoblog states, Obama administration’s auto task force slashed Chrysler ad budget by 50%
Source: http://printceo.com/2009/06/auto-industry-media-spending-during-bankruptcy

Not to mention all of the dealers (almost 2,000) that will not be out there advertising anymore or picking up their brochure prints, for their right to sell GM or Chrysler cars has been revoked, effective in many cases next week. The AutoBlog.com report stated this:

Chrysler is nearly two weeks into its bankruptcy, and the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based automaker is already getting an idea of just how engaged the Obama administration plans to be in the process. Chrysler planned to spend $134 million dollars on advertising during its supposed nine weeks of bankruptcy, but the Auto Task Force has reportedly cut the figure in half.  Read more... (569 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

I was only kinda kidding and not expecting to become part of the United States bail-out when I said, like many others, “hey, where is my bailout.” Yet it looks as if things are coming closer to home after all, as we read in this report:

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today approved a 40% tax cut for that state’s newspaper printers and publishers.

The Seattle Times buried the news in a tiny, seven-line item on its local news page. It’s not prudent to gloat, after all.

The Washington law follows a hearing held by Senator Kerry on the “Future Of Journalism” and the President’s remarks during the annual White House correspondent’s dinner that “a government without newspapers, a government without a tough and vibrant media of all sorts is not an option for the United States of America.”
Source: http://newsusa.myfeedportal.com/item.php?&itemid=1058640

Although we may be in the print, publishing, web and graphic design sector, these sort of “rewards” cannot be good for true innovation nor the reality of what the future may hold. I personally think print newspapers will be here; If they innovate and reduce newspaper printing cost. (Give me a bar-code after each article and by each advert, you know real small like and let my iPhone camera scan that puppy in and LINK me to the real-time, online content for that story- or to the advertisers web page/ landing page. Etc, etc.)  Read more... (294 words, 1 image, estimated 1:11 mins reading time)

Here was an excellent and very detailed article on Markzware’s new version of MarkzTools 8 titled “…my hero! (sigh)!” from X-Ray magazine, which prints magazine articles, specializing in design and production. I loved Tami Stodghill’s intro to this 2-pager:

“I remember working side-by-side with a friend of mine a number of years ago. We were both working separately on portions of a large catalog, using QuarkXPress. Intermittently we would chat, but both of us pretty much were lost in our own worlds, putting together our respective portions of the document. Then — out of nowhere — comes this sound the likes of which I never care to hear again. My friend looked to be on the verge of tears as well, stood up and left the room without so much as a word. Needless to say, I was freaked out; and a quick trip over to her computer screen gave me the explanation I was looking for. There it was — the terrifying bad file format error.

…  Read more... (282 words, 1 image, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)