Say What? Part 2

What do you mean it’s lo-res?

Resolution for print images and web images are extremely different! Resolution in basic terms is the size of an image. It’s the density of dots that make up the image when printing. The bigger the resolution, the more detailed it is. The lower the resolution, the less detailed. Web images have a resolution of 72 dpi (dpi – dots per inch), while print images require a resolution of 300 dpi.

The goal of an image on a website is to get it to load fast. It’s useless to have massive images on your website when it takes forever to load.

So by using a 72 dpi image from a website and then trying to enlarge the image for print will not work. Photoshop will have to guess what pixels to fill in the gaps with extra color, which is why your image will print out fuzzy. Unfortunately the only real solution if you want a professional look is to get a different picture. Resizing a document down is okay however, as we’ve already got more than the amount of pixels we need.

Don’t try to trick the system. A lot of magic can happen in Photoshop, but creating pixels out of thin air isn’t one of them.

Click here to learn how to check the dpi of your picture.

Submitted by Caitlin Tuohy.

May 2014 Winners!

Tanya Ghysels

Dianna Mitchell
Steven Boehmer/Janice Turber
Martina Easley
Robert Snyder
Troy Fraker
Nancy Franke
Jennifer Nick
Mrs. Martha Reissig
Mrs. Carol Kraynak
Barbara Parmelee
Bob Thewes
Steven Eisenbrown
Sharon Clark
Philip Stotter
Christine Gesicki
Amy Castelli
Glenn Miller
Mr. Joseph L. Clancy
Catherine Marino
James Wiese
Michael Rimroth
Angela Mazzi
Susan Troller
Kenneth Lenhart
Margaret Groeber
Ryan Fox
Ms. Mary Yann
Jennifer Simpson
Shirley Dumesnil
Amanda Stetzel
Christy Martin
Kim Cook
Andrew W. Thimlar
Meredith Desroches
Ann Lemonte

History of the Postcard

Postcard:

noun \ˈpōs(t)-ˌkärd\: a card on which a message may be sent by mail without an envelope and that often has a picture on one side

The United States Postal Service first began issuing pre-stamped postal cards in 1873. They were introduced to the public as an easy way to send quick notes. Until May 19, 1898 the USPS was the only establishment allowed to print postcards. The monopoly ended when Congress passed the Private Mailing Card Act which allowed private publishers and printers to produce and mail their own postcards.

Private Mailing Cards Period, 1898 – 1901:

During the Private Mailing Card period, messages were not allowed on the back of the card. The only area where notes from the sender were permitted was a small space on the front of the card. The postcards required a 1 cent stamp.

Post Card Period, 1901-1907:

In December of 1901, the USPS issued Post Office Order Number 1447 which allowed the words “Post Card” to be on the card instead of the longer “Postal Mailing Card.” Messages were still not allowed on the back of the post cards during this period.

Divided Back Period, 1907-1914:

A major change took place on March 1, 1907 with the way the backs of postcards looked. The left side of the back of the card was now allowed to have message written in that space. The right side of the card was for the address.

White Border Period, 1915-1930:

Up until this period German printers dominated the market in postcard printing. With the start of World War I, postcards were supplied mostly by printers in the United States. During this period, printers saved ink by not printing to the edge of the card leaving the white border around the image.

Linen Period, 1930-1944:

As time went on, new printing processes were developed. During this period, postcards could be printed with high rag content, which gave them a look of being printed on linen or cloth. Bright colors were also introduced during this period.

Modern Photochrome-style Period, 1939 – to date:

This style of postcards first appeared in 1939. The Union Oil Company carried them in their western service stations. Production of the postcards slowed during World War II because of supply shortages, but after the war, this type of postcards dominated the market. The photochrome postcards are in color and are the closest to real photographs and are the ones most familiar to us today.

At RSVP we love the postcard (obviously!). It’s not just a nostalgic piece of every family vacation we ever took – it’s a modern, upscale advertising tool that has proven itself to be as diverse as the pictures on the front. Long live the postcard!

Contributed by Marcella Gillespie.

A quick thank you to our sources for this awesome information:

http://siarchives.si.edu/history/exhibits/postcard/postcard-history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcard

Fake It ‘Till You Become It

I took a class last year where my teacher told us that you have to “fake it ‘til you become it”. She followed that comment up by showing us a video from TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design). Amy Cuddy is the speaker, and her video has been viewed over 16 million times, and ranks among the top 15 most-viewed TEDTalks. I highly recommend watching this video, it is an interactive video that forces you to reflect on how you compose yourself in your everyday life. The entire video is 21 minutes long, but for all of the timesavers out there, if you skip to 15 minutes into the video you will get the gist. Amy talks about her life story and shares how she used to be very insecure, until one day she learned that she could not live the rest of her life as a shell of herself. Since that point, she has made a couple of the simple changes that she talks about in the video, her life has changed dramatically. She holds a PhD in social psychology and now is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School.

I generally consider myself a confident person, but there are certain situations that I don’t feel equipped for, or prepared. The key is acting as if you’ve been there before. Half of the battle is how you present yourself. You only have one chance to make a lasting first impression, and your first impression can be noted even before you have the chance to say a word. It can be based off something as simple as your body language and how you carry yourself into an interview or an appointment. Growing up I always heard “fake it ‘til you make it”. I always wondered, “What if I don’t want to fake it?” “Why pretend I’m someone that I’m not?”. Amy talks about going one step further than faking it until you make it. She says, “Fake it ‘til you become it”. This means put yourself in positions to get out of your comfort zone to make yourself better. Overtime there becomes a realization that you no longer “don’t” belong there; instead you became and conquered what you never imagined you could do. This video resonated with me because I felt as if it was calling me out personally. While overall I feel like a secure and outgoing person, I still have areas of insecurity and the video forces you to reflect on your individual weaknesses. While I’m young, and still trying to establish myself in the workplace, I feel that the video gives me the tools to become who I aspire to be and realize my full potential. Amy states that “Our bodies change our minds, our minds changes our attitude, and our attitude changes our outcomes.” A great quote that sums up her video.

Contributed by Anthony J. Sucato.

“Dealing” with Customers

grumpy If you are “dealing” with your customers and clients then you are doing it wrong.

You deal with problems. You deal with issues. You deal with drudgeries.

Customers are none of these things.

I cringe anytime I hear someone say they need to “deal” with a customer. I feel bad for both the customer and that person who doesn’t love helping their customers.

You are serving a customer, not a life sentence. Learn how to enjoy your work. – Laurie McIntosh, writer, editor, and facilitator for Business Training Works, Inc.

Our job is to help our customers.
We are here to advise, guide, comfort and support our customers.

By removing “deal” from our vocabulary we can really start working with our customers. We learn what they need and how to be better in our business.

Our customers are why we are here.

We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better. – Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com

MSN did a survey in 2013 and found that Amazon was ranked highest for receiving the most ‘Excellent’ ratings, with a total of 57.3% (a full 14.7% higher than the #2 ranked company, Marriott), but this isn’t really news – they’ve been topping charts for a while now. When you hear great quotes like this coming from their CEO, it’s easy to understand why.

So make customer service a priority, and see just how far it can take you! You won’t be disappointed, and neither will your customers.

Contributed by Jodie Hook.

Say What? Part 1

This is a three part series from a designer’s point of view as it relates to artwork questions, processes and overall curiosities.

They say, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” but is that picture really worth a $3,000 fine?

One of the most common questions I hear in the design world is “Can you use this image I found on Google?” The answer is no. Just because an image is on the internet, it doesn’t mean the image is free to use. You still need the correct license to use it. There is a difference between an stockpic image being online and an image being public domain.
Copyright infringement can result in lawsuits and costly legal fees.

New technology now enables copyright owners to easily identify unlicensed imagery and act to protect their rights. One of the safest and best options is to purchase stock photos where you can find a wide variety of photos for your specific needs.

Stock images break down into two types, royalty-free and rights-managed. Royalty-free images, you get nearly unlimited use. Rights-managed images, your right to use the image is typically restricted, with limitations placed on things such as duration of use, geographic region, industry, etc., as established by your license agreement.

Keep an eye out for the next two most common questions in the coming weeks!

Why Do We Celebrate the 4th with Fireworks?

Christmas has presents, Thanksgiving has a turkey, and Halloween has costumes. Each holiday we celebrate has its own tradition. So why does the Fourth of July have fireworks? Why don’t we hold parties to knit American Flags instead?

John Adams, 2nd President

Although the Fourth of July didn’t become an official holiday until 1870, nearly 100 years after the signing of The Declaration of Independence, we can thank the second President of the United States, John Adams, for the suggestion of how Americans should celebrate the fourth. Around 1817, Adams wrote about The Fourth of July:

“I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” He went on to write, “It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other…”

Soon after The Declaration of Independence was conceived in 1776 by our founding fathers, it was read publicly, and supporters of the War of Independence erupted in cheers and celebrations. In 1777 in Philadelphia those celebrations were done with ringing bells, guns fired, and firecrackers. However with the country in its infancy at that time, Fourth of July celebrations were not common. It took Adams’ writings almost a century later, along with the re-circulation of the signed declaration throughout the nation, to jump-start the traditions of the Fourth of July.

The original, smaller celebrations in the 1770’s, and the later, more formal celebrations were separated by so many years, yet it seems we were destined to celebrate the Fourth of July with spectacular explosions of some type.

So while you are enjoying fireworks this Fourth of July take a moment to remember those founding fathers who took enormous risk in declaring our independence and how that has shaped the United States into the greatest country in the world. But also take a moment to thank John Adams for prompting Americans to celebrate our freedoms and liberties in the loudest and proudest way possible. Without that we might be celebrating The Fourth of July in silence.

Contributed by Jeff Vice.