Full Color Sticker Printing Provides Complete Communication And Signage Solutions

Digital technology has made possible to add full color printing on any surface. Daily use objects having printed logo, slogan of any company work as best marketing tools. Promotional materials are gaining popularity because they spread the message of your company to the public. Printing done with special colors garners more attention and can make the promotional materials more attractive. Promotional printed materials advertise the prowess of your business in style. Business organizations are reaching online printing companies to fulfill their present day business marketing needs.

Colors help consumers to accept or reject a shopping item. Colors offer a deep impact on human minds. If a person has a liking towards some color, the special color of an item can increase purchase motivation. Your full sticker stickers increase willingness to read and understand corporate messages. You can successfully implement your marketing campaigns by using promotional stickers that are printed by using full color printing technology. You may place your special and favorite stickers at strategic locations so that they attain the attention of potential clients. Stickers play a great role in influencing kids, youngsters, teenagers and middle age people.

Although, the design is an integral part of your sticker but again, it can appear only with custom colors. Advanced technology of full color CMYK/PMS printing process is used for printing a full color sticker. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black colors give a deep impression and help in building a positive relation with the customer. These colors are reliable and directly effect on your business performance and productivity. Your printing signage can be the most cost effective method of fulfilling your on demand retail requirements. Printed stickers get noticed at once and spread your word in a short period of time. You may also place them on your automobile for mobile advertisement reasons. You may either hand them to your friends, partners, colleagues, and associates for introducing your business. You can improve your business identity by using highly shocking color content. You may use of full color sticker printing for increasing sales and alluring new potential clients.

The campaigning power of business printed products is immense. You may use full colored stickers to enable your products to become more responsive in the competitive business market. Stickers facilitate your business in these days of competitive pricing and offer a positive change in your inventory as well as customer requests. Colors offer a great bang on your general business products. Government sector, industries, financial organizations, advertisement agencies, fashion industry, education, retail and healthcare sector take advantage from full color stickers printing to exploit their business potential. If you are interested in purchasing stickers of any sort then you may communicate with the 24/7 friendly customer support representatives of an online printing company. They offer affordable business development solutions. They assist you during the whole printing process. Highly skilled graphic designers create magnificent designs that are beyond your innovations. Using the latest technology of full color CMYK/PMS (Pantone Matching System) printing process they print your stickers. They offer the most clear and attractive color stickers printing solutions. Free shipping facility can be availed by all clients worldwide.

How to Print a Label for a CD or DVD

Do you burn CDs or DVDs and put them aside for later labeling? I'm sure we can all answer this question with a clear Yes. The usual reason for not printing a label right away is because we think it is a time-consuming, expensive task. That is not necessarily true. Here, we'll use MicroVision Development's SureThing CD/DVD Labeler to make professional-looking CD and DVD labels without making a big investment in specialized equipment.

What You Need

• SureThing CD/DVD Labeler
• An inkjet printer
• CD/DVD labels designed to be used with an inkjet printer.

Step by Step: Designing Your Label Using the SureThing CD Labeler

1. Click the SureThing icon to open the application and select New Design to open the New Design Wizard.
2. In the New Design Wizard, select CD/DVD Labels from the Product Types list. From the Labels Product list, choose the label type you are using. A preview of the label is displayed as you select it. Click Next.
3. In the Smart Designs screen, choose the type of label you wish to print. Select CD Face from the drop-down list. Click Browse Backgrounds to select from a variety of backgrounds. Click Next.
4. To add text to the label, select Go straight to the Label Designer; click Finish to return to the Design screen.
5. Use the Text box to create the main content of the CD/DVD label. Select Create Text Frame to enter your text. Click Text Effect to choose a shape, font, and color for your text that will complement the background. When finished with your design, click Finish.
6. Place your label in the printer's paper feed, following the instructions on the label. You may want to print on a blank sheet first to make certain that the layout and colors are correct.

Step by Step: Printing Your Label

1. When you are ready to print your creation, from the File menu select Print to open the SureThing
2. Print dialog box.
3. The software defaults to printing one label. The Sample window shows the label to be printed in cyan.
4. Use the up/down arrows to select the number of labels to print.
5. Selecting Printer displays the default printer for your labels. If you wish to use another printer, click the down arrow and select one from the list.
6. Paper Source displays the current paper feed. Click the down arrow to select another source.
7. The Option button opens the Printer Properties dialog box.
8. Select the appropriate Media Type--for example, Matte, or Glossy--from the drop-down list.
9. Under Print Quality, select the High radio button for best quality.
10. After you apply all appropriate settings, click OK to return to the Print dialog box.

Click OK again to close the Print dialog box and start printing your label.

Step by Step: Attaching the Label

1. Remove the label from the sheet by turning the label sheet upside down and slowly peeling the sheet
2. away from the label.
3. Carefully place the label on the CD or DVD. Some software comes with an applicator that you can use to attach the label to the CD or DVD.

That's it; you're done!

Printing Business Cards Online Can Save Money

Some organizations are reticent to deal with print materials, with time and expense being a deterrent. As website News Blaze points out, "the words ‘fast’ and ‘cheap’ were never associated with the printing industry." However, the news source points out that online printing resources have helped make the process easier and more viable for many needs. "The online business model has reshaped people’s perception by reducing the sizeable cost and time demanded by the process," the website attests. "As such, business professionals now have more time and money to spend on more important pursuits, be they business or personal." 

Though an online printer is the place to turn for many services, News Blaze emphasizes their use as a source of business cards. "Serious business professionals," the article says, "understand that a business card is one of the most effective communication tools in introducing one’s product or services to prospects and in providing contact information to clients for future reference."

From an online printer, the standard turnaround time is five days to a week, similar to traditional local printers. However, when facing a sudden opportunity or shortage, a rush fee can get orders out as quickly as in two business days. The website adds that an online printer, as compared to a traditional source, can yield average savings of 30 to 60 percent.

Business cards may be one of the oldest forms of marketing, but they are hardly obsolete. A quick, convenient way to make connections and turn any interaction into a potential business transaction, they are widely considered an invaluable asset by business experts.

A recent survey of readers of technology and lifestyle website Lifehacker found 87 percent of respondents saying that they had business cards. Though the website is popular among followers of technological trends, 70 percent said they carried the cards with them either all the time or in business contexts.

A recent article at MediaPost emphasized the point in an article about conducting effective marketing interactions. "Business cards perform basic utility, but they are also accessories that say a lot about you, signals that promote or detract from your company or personal brand," the site said. "Whether you’re a free agent or an employee, in good economic times or bad, business cards are like oxygen for your ability to do better business."

3-D Printing Whole Buildings in Stone...in Space: This Printer Rocks

Enrico Dini's brilliant-or-crazy (or both) prototype machine prints entire buildings in solid rock... On the MOON!
In Pisa, Italy, mad genius Enrico Dini is building sandcastles on the moon. His giant 3-D printer is the first of its kind with the potential to print whole buildings, and it makes them out of solid rock, cutting down a thousand-year-long process into a few minutes. It uses sand, but someday it'll use moon dust.

The machine, called D-Shape, sprays a thin layer of sand with a magnesium-based glue from hundreds of nozzles--its resolution is about 25 dpi, not bad for printing on this scale. The glue binds the sand into solid rock, which builds up, layer after layer, into a sculpture, or a piece of furniture or, someday, into a cathedral. "What I really want to do is to use the machine to complete the Sagrada Familia," Dini says. Okay, it seems a little crazy, but not much.

Dini claims the d-shape process is four times faster than conventional building, costs a third to a half as much as using Portland cement, creates little waste and is better for the environment. But its chief selling point may simply be that it makes creating Gaudiesque, curvy structures simple.

It's not enough for D-Shape to be the missing link between the tiny 3-D printers of today, which never really caught on beyond gimmicky jewelry and model-making, and bigger printers capable of making full-size structures. No, Dini wants the moon. As part of the European Space Agency's Aurora program, he's talking with La Scuola Normale Superiore, Alta Space, and Norman Foster to modify D-Shape to build with moon dust. Voila: instant moonbase.

15 Creative Event Poster Design Samples

Event poster designs need to shoulder three different responsibilities. They need to communicate information clearly, reflect the nature of the event, and look smashing to attract and keep people’s attention. I’ve compiled 15 event poster design samples that have done just that and more. I hope they inspire your imagination and creativity when it’s your turn to produce posters for your next event!

Event Poster Design


















If you need to produce promotional posters for your next event, do your event poster printing at UPrinting.com. We’re running a 10% discount promo on posters until March 15, 2010, so take advantage of this great opportunity by visiting our website today!

Brother's HL-3070CW Features Fast Color Printing, Wireless Networking

Brother is well known for their high quality printers and the company's HL-3070CW is no exception. The HL-3070CW is a compact color printer with built-in wireless networking, making it easy to share with others in your small office or at home.

The HL-3070CW can print beautiful presentations, color brochures and other documents at up to 17ppm in both color and black. It features a 250-sheet capacity paper tray and a manual feed slot for envelopes. Thanks to its built-in wireless 802.11b/g connectivity, you can place the printer where you want and share it with others on your network. The HL-3070CW also features a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface allowing you to print from your USB flash memory drive or PictBridge-enabled camera.

Features:

* Flexible connectivity with built-in wireless and Ethernet network interfaces, also includes Hi-Speed USB 2.0
* High-quality output at up to 600x2400dpi using Brother's Digital LED print technology
* 250-sheet capacity paper tray; single-sheet bypass slot
* USB Direct Interface – print from a USB Flash memory drive; also supports printing from PictBridge-enabled digital cameras
* Easy to set up – for users with wireless access points that support SecureEasySetup, Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or AOSS, you can automatically configure your wireless settings by simply pressing a button on your router.

The Brother HL-3070CW is available now for $349.99.

Offset printing, to reduce costs while maintaining quality

Offset, also called lithography, uses the four basic colors, the CMYK or cyan, magenta, yellow and black or the color of the buttons. These colors together form templates are defined, it is an illusion that the person who looks sees it create so many different colors.



This kind of pressure is beneficial for those who are on a tight budget, because it is convenient and the products for a long time to use last year. With these benefits, you get more from lower costs, so you can allocate a budget for your other promotional needs.

The process of offset

Unlike the method of ink jet printing, where colors are applied directly onto the paper through the printer, offset is the concept that oil and water do not mix. These are the plates are used, so you do not get the card in direct contact with the inks. The colors go through the logs and a blanket and the part of the document, there were The colors should be covered with water.

With this procedure, the card is not damaged so easily, because the colors, even if the tire is flat and will be checked.

The characteristics of offset printing

This method provides its customers with the quality and convenience in one. Still thinking if everything is set up to do? Here are some of the reasons why you should opt for a company to use this process.

1. And 'cheap, but not in quality. The price is affordable used than other methods because it is processed and printing ink produced in large quantities.

2. You can use creative combination of color, because most of the companies that are open to these suggestions, what colors you want to see the finished product.

3. The dimensions for your projects can be tailored to your needs

4. You can choose from a variety of actions, will be printed on your projects. One can stock as thick as Boxes or paper thin. It just depends on what you want and what are the printers that are available to deal with.

5. Once you have your choice, you can also ask the company to add to your coating materials for greater protection, with an additional cost.
This method of printing, you should set up and start-up, even for professionals, their services. With this method, you can create different kinds of promotional tools, which optimize the budget for such.



And with the quality of the printing company that will provide you with your needs, you can be sure that every product through the process that will be noticed and stand out in any case.

If you opt for the accessibility and quality, offset printing is definitely for you. This procedure is the product for a longer period in order to maximize the chance of your products and services to market.

Local printing firm using green machine

When people go on an international business trip, most bring back an art print, coffee mug or snow globe as a memento.

When Renate Spilger, vice president of Large Format Printers, returned from a trade show in Germany last year, she came back with a $130,000 large-format Hewlett-Packard Designjet L65500 printer.

Spilger's Phoenix company is one of the few in the Western United States to own the new eco-friendly machine that uses "green" ink that emits no ozone or solvent pollutants and prints on recyclable materials.

For Spilger, it was practically love at first sight.

"It was absolutely stunning. It was a step forward in the right direction with the environment in mind . . . it completely floored me," she said.

Previously in the printer-resale business, Spilger and husband Peter started Large Format Printers in 2000.

Over the years, they saw a lot of different prototypes introduced, but this HP machine created the biggest buzz. After some research, the pair believed this printer was the wave of the future.

The Spilgers have used the machine since April and said it produces a quality of colors and sharpness that exceeds that of traditional large-format printers. The new printer uses ink that is 75 percent water and 25 percent latex, making it more eco-friendly by producing pollutant-free banners and other large-scale commercial products.

"Every printer can print pretty with solvent-based machines. But compared to the green machine, I just had to push the button and it looks stunning. The colors are a lot richer and deeper," Spilger said. "We knew that would be the horse to bet on. That machine just absolutely rocks."

Traditional materials used for graphic projects have PVC and plastics, which cannot be recycled.

This printer can print on recyclable materials that are turned into playground equipment, furniture and other usable products. Hewlett-Packard provides customers with a pre-paid UPS box that they can use to mail back the banner when they are done, and HP takes care of the recycling process.

"From a financial standpoint, we believe the green aspect of the printing will start seeping in when people have to replace equipment and look to separate themselves from the masses," Spilger said.

Caliber Signs partnered with the Spilgers to use their printer for a variety of projects. The businesses have worked together for seven years but when word got out that Caliber had access to this eco-friendly machine, its client list grew, attracting orders from colleges, the construction industry, museums, and Phoenix and Tempe city governments.

"The fact that it was so exclusive, we thought we could carve a new niche in the market. It's showing very good signs of developing into something very strong," said Mike LaPorte, director of business development for Caliber, which has been in business for 14 years.

LaPorte said the lack of toxins and odors credited to the water-based formula is an immediate plus to employees, who no longer have to accept headaches and watery eyes as part of a typical workday. The recycling factor and trueness of the colors are other benefits.

LaPorte said he is not charging customers extra for this new technology.

"We don't feel like you have to spend more money to take advantage of the green approach. We want businesses to be able to support their policies and make a mark for themselves," LaPorte said. "We're seeing it really, really catch fire."

Printing & Framing: A Learning Experience

Checklist I figured I needed

16 x 20 frame - Check!
16 x 20 pre-cut mat - Check!
16 x 20 pre-cut foam board - Check!
Picture - Check!

Products I got

16 x 20 frame - Check!
16 x 20 pre-cut mat - Check!
16 x 20 pre-cut foam board - Check!

How it went down

16 x 20 pre-cut mat w/ opening for "8 x 10" turned out to have an opening for a 7.5 x 9.5 image. I don't know if that's normal or not as I've never done this but if it says it's pre-cut for an 8 x 10 image and the opening is actually 7.5 x 9.5, that's not pre-cut for an 8 x 10...is it?

Printing my picture

No matter what I did, I could not get the entire image to print as an 8 x 10. No matter what I did, it just wasn't happening.

Changing printer preferences - nada.
Changing printer paper size - nada.
Changing photo size - nada.

Hence the white borders on the top and bottom of the photo itself - it was the only way I could get my printer to print the entire image, and not crop off the far left trolley or the far right trolley completely out of the image while printing.

But this is a learning experience and besides, I was doing this for Elliott and he likes it so that's all that matters in the end.

Except for when I really do need to print an image at an exact size and need a mat pre-cut for an exact size image.

Best Photo Printing Site?

Digital cameras may have taken the market by storm, and even though they do a great job taking pictures, digital picture frames haven't done much to replace actual photos. So when you want a physical print, where do you get it?

This week we want to hear about your favorite sites for getting your photos printed. What site do you use? What features does it have that keep you coming back? Best quality? Best price? Let's hear all about it in the comments below. We realize there are plenty of places to get digital images printed, but for the purpose of this Hive, let's stick to web sites where you can upload and order prints, then have them delivered to your door.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: Best Photo Printing Site. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: "Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's

Mac Lab ends free printing

The Computer Science Lab, commonly known as Mac Lab, terminated its popular free printing service last week. It was the last such service available on campus.

Mac Lab is now integrated with the unified campus printing system, which charges 10 cents per black-and-white page. Until this quarter, Mac Lab provided up to 30 pages of free black-and-white printing per student each week, but only for user-created documents.



Terminating free printing is one of several measures taken to curb the University’s printing costs. “It had to be stopped because it was bankrupting the University,” said William Sterner, director of the computer science department and Mac Lab.

Sterner sympathized with students’ frustration over the disappearance of the service, but said the widespread flouting of the Mac Lab’s rules played a role in precipitating the change.

“I don’t think anybody involved here...wants to make this difficult for students,” he said, adding “we constantly found students trying to push the limits that we were setting. It’s clear that we could have a very large expense if we just let that happen.”

To Sterner, this activity suggested a misunderstanding of the Mac Lab’s purpose. “We’re here to provide space for computer science courses,” he said. “We’re not a print service.”

Sterner said the “explosion of printing” coincided with many course documents being placed online in 2000. “NSIT was confronted with the problem of people printing thousands of pages, where before they printed 15.”

While other parts of the University began to charge for printing, Mac Lab developed the policy that allowed students to print content they had created, which was considered responsible and practical.

“That carried forward until very recently—until the library and the dorms and the college offices were revamped—and now they have a relatively uniform system. When that came up the library asked us to stop our free printing and switch to a pay-for-print [model],” Sterner said.

He added: “Basically, we decided that our alternative solution simply wasn’t working anymore and that we would throw in with the University system to help the University and make that as cost-effective as possible,” he added.

When the unified print system was implemented this year in libraries and dorms, traffic to the Mac Lab increased, Sterner said. “Once the unified print system got into place, students were very quick to identify that some free printing could be gotten in CS Lab. We saw a significant increase in printing.”

Second-year Jason Rowley expressed frustration at the decision to charge for printing. A frequent Mac Lab user, he said that while the change would not likely diminish the amount of time he spends there, he would be less likely to print at the Library in the future.

“I’m still going to use [the Mac Lab], but it’s definitely more prudent...printing at home,” Rowley said. Rowley added he used the Mac Lab to print PDFs he hadn’t created.

Sterner said the Lab is expecting similar reactions from other students. “It’s likely that we’ll see fewer people coming to the Mac Lab just to print,” he said. “As far as support for coursework and other things, I think we’ll see just the usage we’ve seen before.”

Free Printable Valentine's Day Coloring Pages

The internet is packed full of free coloring pages and other no-cost activities to print for Valentine's Day or February parties. Young children will enjoy making special gifts for Valentines, party invitations, and party decorations using easy and free designs.

Once printed, sweet, cute, and pretty outline drawings may be used as-is, colored with Crayons, filled in with paint or markers, or even fancied-up with glitter.
How to Make Valentine Party Invitations

For special invitations to a preschool, home, or elementary school Valentine party, nothing is sweeter than those made by kids themselves.

* Some free printable invitations may be found online (links below), ready to fold and color.
* Another idea is to use designs and reduce them in size. These can then be placed via computer into invitations, or cut out and glued into place for homemade invites..
* Valentine cards may be easily transformed into invites by simply adding party information.

Free Printable Valentine’s Day Fun Party Activities for Kids

One can find no-cost February Valentine’s Day pages to print at DLTK's Growing Together printables website. Some of those available to print for free include:

* Valentine’s Day coloring pages (or posters) - These include cute drawings of animals, Cupid, and other designs kids will enjoy, as well as Happy Valentine's wording for holiday fun. They may be printed in color or as b&w line art.
* Valentine cards - flat or custom folded cards to print. Designs include Sponge Bob Squarepants, Scooby Doo, Powerpuff Girls, Pokemon, animals, cards for teacher, and hearts.
* Free printable crafts for Valentine’s Day – These are more complex printable pages to color, print, and/or glue to make Valentine’s Day party decorations. These include a sweet candy and paper dragonfly card, lots of heart shape crafts, toilet paper roll crafts, napkin rings, and flower pot table decorations or gifts to make.
* Games to print – Look for hangman, Valentine’s Day bingo, dominoes, and cut-out puzzles. These are great fun for playing at parties!
* Other goodies to print on DLTK include awards, doorknob hangers, and party treat bags.

More Free Valentine’s Day Printable Activities for Children

The abcteach website is another great resource for parents, teachers, and kids looking for easy paper activities. They offer a large Valentine’s Day collection of printable pages.

Printing money is a game with potentially dangerous results

If you were one of the 12 million people who reportedly went to the sales on Boxing Day, then you might be thinking this recession has not been so bad after all. Unemployment is not rising as fast as expected, interest rates remain low and the stock market is up by more than half since March.

The truth is, though, that we have been living in an economic La La Land, induced by perhaps the biggest policy undertaken during the Labour Government's period in office: printing money, or quantitative easing, to use its economically correct but unlovely name.

Judging by the staggering lack of interest shown in QE by Parliament, the Opposition and the public at large, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a mere technical adjustment, which can only be properly understood by gowned economists in the cloisters of academe. But the truth is that it is quite simple to understand and something which any sensible person should take an interest in. Furthermore, there are several historical precedents for it.

In just a few weeks, at its meeting in February, the Bank of England's monetary policy committee has to decide whether to continue with QE. It must walk a fine line between continuing the policy and potentially setting off a surge in inflation; and halting it too quickly and plunging us all back into a financial panic. What a difficult act to perform in an election year.

The way QE works is like this. The Bank of England is owned by Her Majesty's Government and the Chancellor has given it permission to create £200 billion of what is known as "central bank money". Rather than physically print the notes at its works in Debden in Essex, it has simply been buying up Government bonds, or gilts, from investors and crediting electronically the accounts of their bankers.

Investors, mostly pension funds but also international players, have used the resulting cash to buy up shares, gold, oil and even sugar. In fact, QE, as practised here and in America, has set off yet another wave of speculation in financial markets. We often talk of a licence to print money, but in the case of QE this is literally true.



There has been positive impact on the real economy. Companies have used the benign financial market conditions to refinance. Even that sickly old elephant Lloyds Bank has managed to get away the world's biggest ever rights issue, just before Christmas. With their finances in some sort of order and their debts reduced, companies have therefore not felt the need to have as many mass layoffs as forecast earlier in the year. When you look at it like that, QE has been a success. Although one should also recognise that it has come at a cost, such as the continued weakness of the pound. The Bank has also been effectively subsidising Labour's profligate spending programme.

What happens now? At times like these, history can be a useful guide and I am afraid the precedents are rather scary. Printing money has been used before as an emergency monetary policy: during the Napoleonic Wars; in the 1820s; and during the First World War. On two out of three of those occasions the authorities overdid it and the result was inflation, followed by a second crash, when the printing presses were turned off rather clumsily.

The worst of these was the so-called Restriction Period, when William Pitt the Younger ordered the Bank of England to print money after a run on the banks was set off by the last invasion of Britain (a brigade of motley Frenchmen attacked Pembrokeshire in 1797). Inflation hit a record 36 per cent at one point.

The most relevant comparison to our own era, however, is in 1931, an incident so traumatic as to permanently alter the genetic make-up of the Labour Party and presumably, Gordon Brown. The First World War policy of printing money had been abandoned more than a decade earlier. But two years after the Wall Street crash the effects of the policy were still evident and there was a series of bank failures which began in Austria and Germany. The City of London was cruelly exposed.

Ramsay MacDonald, the Labour prime minister, accepted the advice of Sir George May, the former company secretary of the Prudential, who recommended that the deficit of 2.5 per cent of GDP in the public finances (it is 12 per cent now) was far too high, and that public spending should be cut dramatically, including unemployment benefits. The Cabinet consequently split in great acrimony, and MacDonald decided to form a national government with the Tories. Labour has never forgiven him for his betrayal, although the evidence is that May was right and the British economy recovered quite well from 1933 onwards.

In our own time, Gordon Brown is evidently determined not to do a Ramsay MacDonald and to cut public spending. As for the Bank of England, we must pray it has learnt the right lessons from history and will neither print so much money that it sets off inflation, nor withdraw it so fast as to trigger another market panic.

H-P's Web Savvy Printer

After Thanksgiving dinner I saw the Hewlett-Packard commercial for this product and was hooked: A touch screen Wi-Fi device that prints out Web-based content through "apps." I was intrigued by the idea of printing out a Google map without turning on my computer.

The H-P Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web was originally announced back in June, but became widely available for retail in September. The all-in-one (fax, scan, copy and print) device costs $399.99.

The first thing I noticed was how bulky the product was. At 19.4 pounds, the printer is not portable, despite coming with a bag to carry it in. This printer is at best a main printer for a family or home office with Wi-Fi connection on several laptops. Make sure to carry the cables separate from the bag; I cracked the end of the power cord by carrying them with the printer.

Connecting to the Internet wirelessly was difficult at first. I had to update the firmware before I could connect to a free Wi-Fi network while at the office. Even then, the Internet connection was not consistent because the Wi-Fi signal wasn't strong. At home, I still had to troubleshoot before getting onto the network.

Once online, I found that you can only access the Internet via "apps" – programs clearly modeled on Apple's successful app store.

The quality of the prints were great, particularly photos which came out crisp and bright. I also appreciated that photos could be printed from a variety of sources, including memory cards, an iPhone app or from the printer's Snapfish app.

But some of the apps were lacking. The Google maps application prints maps but not directions. H-P says that will be changed within the first half of the year. And there weren't any apps to let me print out concert or airline tickets. H-P says they will be adding more applications in the future; for example apps for banking as well as for printing out boarding passes.

Other apps weren't that useful to me, such as the news apps that let you print out newspaper articles. I prefer to read the news on my iPhone.

And some apps, such as the Fandango app, were extremely slow. I encountered delays while entering letters or numbers into search boxes, and pressing various buttons on the screen. H-P says there will be an update to the software that displays and allows control of items on the touch screen in February, which should solve the lag issues.

The touch screen was also clunky. Often I mistakenly selected the wrong photo while scrolling through the list.

I longed for an Internet browser that would let me print out much more content than just what is found within the "apps." H-P says that option is not in the works for this product, but it is being investigated for other future products. The company also says that in the future individuals will be able to create their own apps with a software development kit.

The idea of printing directly from the Web has great promise. But before I shell out nearly $400 for a printer, I need a wider selection of sources from which to print.

Invicta Group Launches www.STLprintShop.com to Expand the STL Printing and Packaging Brands

Invicta Group Inc. (http://www.ivitgroup.com) (PINKSHEETS: IVIT), parent company of STL Graphics Group and St. Louis Packaging has launched a new website www.STLprintShop.com to help expand the STL brands. The user friendly website allows clients direct access to a fully automated website with fast turnaround time and competitive pricing.

STLprintShop.com offers green printing options at no extra cost, instant on-line pricing from business cards to catalogs. Easy to use free templates, large format digital printing, 2 sided UV, extensive paper selections, free cutting dies, direct mailing services, and a very experienced customer support team for any and all custom orders.

President of the STL Division, Steven St. Louis, said: "The new website will allow us to expand our customer base quicker while increasing our revenues and profits."

CEO of the Invicta Group, Paul Sorkin, said "We ended 2009 very strong by adding a number of very established brands to the Invicta Group. In 2010 we will continue to look for, evaluate, and add as many new divisions, products and services as we can to maximize the synergies we have created and to increase our revenues, profits, and shareholder value. We will continue to update and inform the public of all financial and stock related information as often as possible on www.Pinksheets.com under stock symbol IVIT."

About Invicta Group, Inc.

INVICTA GROUP, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: IVIT) is a full service multimedia management and marketing company. The Invicta Group is a conglomerate that utilizes shared resources to create synergies between their projects and companies and creates a lower cost of entry into the marketplace and almost instant start up capabilities for new products, services, and clients. www.IVITgroup.com

About the STL Brands

STL Graphics Group is a full-service web and sheet-fed printing group that has the capacity to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. STL Graphics uses the latest technologies to service a wide variety of businesses and projects. St. Louis Packaging is an established business that has been operating for over 12 years with extensive experience in industrial and retail packaging and customizable inventory management programs with 4 strategic warehouse locations nationwide. www.STLprintShop.com, www.STLgraphics.com, and www.Stlouispackaging.com

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plan, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, product and service demand and acceptance, changes in technology, economic conditions, the impact of competition and pricing, government regulation, and other risks described in statements filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All such forward-looking statements whether written or oral, and whether made by or on behalf of the Company, are expressly qualified by the cautionary statements that may accompany the forward-looking statements. In addition, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Outsourcing Is More Economical Printing Advertising Material

Any company that considers an attempt to do in-house printing for advertising materials should take a couple of factors into consideration. Foremost among the deciding factors needs to be the amount of in-house expertise possessed for printing a variety of different materials you need to conduct an effective advertising campaign. Without a full amount of printing expertise, you may only produce a less than adequate advertising piece while not remembering you get no second chance to make a first impression.
Expensive equipment produces quality:

Although you may consider it to be absolutely convenient to have the ability to print whatever your material needs are right there at your own business site, the cost for this convenience is going to be considerable. There are companies created that specialise providing printing solutions to businesses at reasonable costs.

These same companies have dedicated considerable investments in both personnel training and equipment acquisition to operate in a highly competitive market. Therefore, from an economical point of view, outsourcing your laser printing services to obtain advertising material may be a better investment than putting this money into on-site, in-house printing operations that are not part of your core business activity.

Convenience is constantly available:

High-speed digital communication has made the ability to order and receive printed materials much faster than what was available in the past. The actual printing process has improved with the introduction of advanced digital technology making turnaround times a lot shorter than they used to be. Delivery methods also have quickened the pace for receiving ordered goods from almost anywhere throughout the world. The same holds true for outsourcing your laser printing services.

Online discounts:

The emergence of Internet-based business solutions has allowed many printing entrepreneurs the opportunity to market to a much wider audience than was available before the digital age came upon us. The actual cost savings realised by online businesses are easily packaged into marketing schemes attracting customers with value-laden goods and services.

Therefore, when seeking to budget an upcoming advertising campaign in regards to printed material all you need to do is sit at your computer and, with a few clicks of the mouse, gather all the pricing information you'll need to effectively project upcoming costs. Furthermore, many online printing services offer both design and mailing capabilities. This goes a long way to further reducing any stress you may encounter when attempting to complete your advertising project.

Additional tips when outsourcing printing needs:
There are additional savings to realise when outsourcing printing needs through carefully following a few tips including:

Compare online sources for the best service to suit your business needs by specific type job. For example, one source may specialise printing business cards while another dedicates activity printing tri-fold brochures.
Look for online printers offering volume contract discounts if you know your printing needs and can meet the numbers to gain favourable costs.

Always seek three-to-five separate quotes comparing 'apples to apples' before arriving at a choice.

Doing a little bit of research into companies offering laser printing services may allow you to formulate an annualised plan where you can predict budgeted costs to your best advantage. This does not translate to buying printing on the cheap. There are far too many competitors vying for your business that offer exacting quality and service.
Author Resource:- TNT Business Solutions are specialists in outsourcing and information management. For more information visit the website at http://www.tntbusinesssolutions.co.uk
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