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Please take a few moments to enjoy the most recent issue of Printer@Work below before you
Return to alinkprinting.com.

A-Link Printing & Promotions September 07, 2010


An adroit mixture of everyday settings and extraordinary events.
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A compendium of strange-but-true recent events as reported in the legitimate press.
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The world of business and finance gets skewered, as Bottom Liners tackles subjects such as foreign takeovers, office policies, getting a raise, and the fast-paced world of Wall Street.
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A wry look at the absurdities of every day life.
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With a daily readership of more than 95 million, Dear Abby is the symbol of a caring heart for millions of people around the world.
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In today's complex world of family issues, learn from Dr. Dobson's lifetime of practical experience in dealing with family problems.
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News From
Jaci Maher
Idea of
the Week
Marketing Tips
Tech Tips
Uncommon Product
of the Week





Typesetting made easier.


Bring Life to Your Site


Computer on a Stick


A Note of Thanks
A Message From Jaci Maher
The Way I See It

Planting a Seed

A young woman decided she wanted to grow an apple tree in her back yard. She had never planted anything before, so she started researching all she could about growing an apple tree. She learned about site selection, training and pruning, adequate fertility, pest control, and other factors helpful for creating a healthy apple tree. Every time she went out in her yard, she pictured the tree already grown with rich, beautiful apples all over it. Because of her determination and ongoing nourishment, the seed she planted grew into a flourishing tree that she was very proud of.

Here's the way I see it: You can't plant apple seeds and expect oranges. However, with a little determination and effort, you may be amazed at what you can grow. We plant "seeds" in life more often than we realize, and sometimes these ideas flourish into great accomplishments. If you're looking for creative nourishment, give us a call. We'd be happy to help your seed grow.


Idea of the Week
Adobe InDesign's Paragraph Composer

First, a little history… Back before computers, when type was set by hand, great care was taken to make a page of type appear “beautiful.” The typesetter would have the luxury of analyzing each line of type to make sure it didn’t create unwanted text disturbances like rivers, widows, orphans, or hyphenation problems. If an aesthetic problem was identified, it, along with any other lines of type affected by the change, could be quickly remedied.
Now, fast-forward to the computer age. Even though computers have made the job of setting type much more efficient, the software has always lacked the ability to analyze multiple lines of text in order to achieve the best aesthetic typographic result. Enter Adobe’s InDesign, and the introduction of the Adobe's Paragraph Composer, which has the capacity to reduce the amount of time spent on composition, and increase the consistency of hyphenation and overall letter and word spacing. Adobe's Paragraph Composer can consider multiple lines of text, eliminating widows, orphans and text rivers, and improving the overall quality of the body of text as you type, allowing you to approach page layout from an artistic point of view. Preferences for Adobe InDesign’s composition engine are defined by selecting the Adobe Paragraph Composer or Adobe Single-line Composer from the InDesign Paragraph palette menu. Choosing whether to use the Paragraph or Single-line Composer depends on what type of work you are doing. If you are working with a small amount of text, such as a headline or caption, the Single-line Composer will allow more user control. The Paragraph Composer is best suited for larger bodies of text because it was designed to consider multiple lines of text at one time, and will provide the highest-quality aesthetic results with very little hassle.

See more great ideas like this!
Click here to visit the A-Link Printing & Promotions Ideas Collection.

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Marketing Tip
Promoting Web Sites On & Offline

You may have a wonderful web site, but if people don't know about it, they aren't very likely to visit it. Here are a few ways to promote your web site on and offline:
  • Offer a chance to enter a free giveaway via your web site. Not only will you draw people to your site, but you can also increase your database.

  • Offer monthly coupons and special offers available only through your web site, encouraging prospects and customers to revisit your site on a regular basis.

  • Direct people to your web site through your on-hold messaging or via live operators, and promote your web site in your e-mail signatures.

  • Be sure your web site is listed in the phone book yellow pages for those who search the traditional route.

  • Send a postcard with a teaser of an article or white paper posted on your web site, and redirect readers to your site to read "the rest of the story."

  • Is your web site long and impossible to remember? Use a URL shortener (such as TinyURL.com) to easily transform any web site address with the click of a button into a short, unique address.
If you'd like other ideas on how to promote your web site through creative marketing materials, stop by today. We're full of great ideas to help boost your online audience.

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Tech Tips
Portable Apps

If you are currently using a flash drive simply as a backup or transfer device, you haven't truly unlocked the potential of the USB until you've installed some programs on it. Because portable applications allow users to run programs independently from a removable flash drive without the hassle of installing them, they are becoming a favorite for professionals in a variety of industries. If you aren't already using this feature, here are a few portable apps for Macs and PCs to check out:
  • HTTP File Server is a very simple application to send/receive files over the internet, and is very handy when exchanging files that are over the maximum e-mail size limits.

  • Foxit Reader is a small PDF reader that is much faster than Adobe Reader.

  • OpenOffice Portable is a great alternative to Microsoft Office. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation creator, and database tool.

  • Thunderbird Portable Edition is a popular e-mail client that allows you to bring your e-mails and address book with you.

  • MemPad enables you to save all notes in a single file but arrange and manage them in a hierarchical tree-based manner.

  • KeePass Password Safe Portable allows you to carry multiple login information and passwords on your USB drive accessible through one master password to protect them.

  • Firefox Portable Edition enables you to bring your bookmarks with you.

  • Google Chrome Portable enables you to run different tabs as separate processes which prevents different windows from interfering with each other.

  • Notepad++ is one of the most popular replacements for Windows Notepad.

  • Web Design Toy splits into two views where you can instantly preview the output when you type HTML code.

  • GIMP Portable is the best alternative for Adobe PhotoShop, enabling you to easily edit images no matter where you are.

  • Fotografix is a tiny application alternative to GIMP with features including clone, eye dropper, magic wand, etc.

  • Inkscape Portable is an open source vector graphics editor, and is a great alternative for Adobe Illustrator.

  • FileZilla Portable is the most popular open source FTP client and allows you to save and conveniently access your clients' server details and settings.
While portable applications are great, just remember if you plan to take a USB flash drive with portable apps to a client site for use on one of their machines, you should always check their IT security policy in case they have security restrictions in place.

Don't worry if the portable app program details sound like foreign language... we'd be happy to help you with both your technical and printing needs.

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Uncommon Product
Thank You Postcards

Thank you postcards are not only a great way to show your appreciation, they are also an affordable marketing tool that increases front of mind awareness. Here are a few tips for creating thank you postcards that are appreciated:
  • Show sincerity by hand writing a note on the postcard whenever possible and addressing the customer by name.

  • Entice customers to return again soon by including a valuable coupon or discount promotion for an upcoming purchase available exclusively with your postcard.

  • Offer a perforated, tear-away business card so customers can keep your contact information within reach.

  • Encourage recipients to visit your web site and enter a code printed on the postcard to see if they're an automatic winner for a prize giveaway.

  • Include a reminder for an upcoming appointment date/time.

  • Invite customers to an exclusive friends and family discount night.

  • Consider creating an over-sized or folded postcard if you need increased marketing space.

  • Be sure to include your company logo and contact information should a customer wish to reach you.
If you'd like help creating the perfect thank you postcard or need other ideas for creative printed products, give us a call today!

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