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Instant
Messaging
Want to
increase office productivity? Regulating Instant Messaging (IM)
might be a good start. A recent survey conducted by Blue Coat
Systems found that IMing is used primarily for flirting and
gossiping.(1)
Most heavy IM users believe that IM messages cannot be monitored
by employers, so they feel they can be less professional. Of
course, this assumption is false.
One of the
biggest problems with IMing is security. While many of the earlier
holes
in the software have been closed, there remains an inherent
danger in software that constantly broadcasts its user's online
presence. Computer networks lose any advantage of stealth that
they can achieve through firewalls and other security measures
when IM software is broadcasting its readiness to communicate
with whomever is listening. These days, IM clients have all
the same vulnerabilities of e-mail clients, but they also have
an “always on” added threat. Since most support
peer-to-peer downloading, your network is immediately open to
Trojan Horses, viruses, spyware and other threats. Some IM software,
such as ICQ, supports conversation logging. These logs, if stolen
or subpoenaed, can cause
embarrassment and/or huge legal concerns.
The moral
of this story is:
1. Be aware
of employees utilizing IM software
2. Consider regulating it before it becomes a problem
(1)
“Survey: Forget Work, IM is for flirting, gossip”
CNN.com, September 16, 2003.
 The
Development of Successful Print Projects: Color Theory
This article is the second in a series on the development
of successful print projects. Next month’s topic will
include finishing. This month’s topic focuses on color
theory.
Graphics and colors
are the elements that make your printed pieces unique, recognizable
and interesting. While the text is usually the functional part
of the printout, images can be practical as well. Your brochure
might include an informative illustration or chart. Even photos
can be functional if used to portray a certain feeling or to
promote a product.
That said,
it is obvious that getting the optimal use of images is important
in the printing process. When preparing images to use in a print
piece, the quality requirements vary from web images. A high
resolution is needed for print (300 dots-per-inch should be
the minimum). Graphics on the web are smaller (often 72 dpi).
If at all possible, avoid downloading a low-quality graphic
from the web to place in a printed piece.Once
you have a high-quality graphic, color theory steps in. You’ve
probably heard terms like RGB and CMYK thrown around. What do
they mean? RGB (red, green and blue) are additive colors that
radiate light and produce other colors when mixed. CMYK (cyan,
magenta, yellow and black), or four-color processing, follows
the subtractive color theory. For subtractive, surfaces absorb
certain wavelengths of light and reflect others.
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 RGB
are additive colors that radiate light and produce other
colors when mixed. Images on TV and on Computer monitors
use RGB.
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 CMYK,
or four-color processing, follows the subtractive color
theory. Surfaces absorb certain wavelenghts of light
and reflect others.
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The very basic conclusion when factoring in science and technology
is that images look best on computer monitors as RGB, and on
printed pieces as CMYK. How can we change a digital file from
one to another? An imaging software like Photoshop can convert
images quite nicely.
Color theory
doesn’t stop with what’s printed on paper. It’s
also a consideration of the paper itself. Say you’ve chosen
to print your four-color poster on white paper with silk coating.
Is the paper a warm, neutral or blue-white shade? Because white
contains all colors in the spectrum, it will also reflect those
colors. A neutral white reflects all colors equally, resulting
in a true “white” shade. Warm whites have more yellows
and reds, so the shade is slightly warmer. Blue-white shades
are seen to be the brightest and whitest, even though they are
technically not truly white.
Finally,
take in consideration of the brightness of the paper. A higher
brightness will allow for sharper contrast between colors in
with photos, graphics or text. There are several ratings for
paper brightness, from premium to dull. As always, feel free
to ask us for help if you’re not sure what choices to
make.
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Beware
of Identity Theft Scam