If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

Yes, some people simply find joy in making other people’s lives a bit more difficult by attacking computers and printers. We have been made aware of the computer security risks that have been plaguing us with invaders trying different strategies one after another. To protect our computer and printers from attacks, here are some basic computer security tips we need to remember.

Before you try to join the online community, be sure you are well protected. Use an Internet firewall and always update your computer. Do not settle with the antivirus software that you have installed a few months ago, not even with the one you had last week! Use updated antivirus and antispyware software. Hackers update all the time, and so should you.

Remember when your parents told you when you were just a kid to not talk to strangers? Well, in the online world, as much as we want to make friends from all over the globe, let us protect our systems by not opening files from strangers. Unless you know the sender and you are expecting the attached files or links, do not open them. Most viruses and worms are spread through emails and instant messages.

Another helpful computer security tool is a password to protect your computer or printer. Even if you’re absolutely certain that you’re the only one using your devices, it still is best to use passwords as a security measure. Make your passwords long; the use of more than 14 characters is recommended. Also, try to combine letters, numbers and symbols, and change passwords regularly.

Forget about guess work when choosing which kind of paper is best for your next printing job. If you seek quality results at affordable costs, you need to make sure you’re using the right kind of paper.

Size. Choosing paper size is the first basic decision you have to make. Paper comes in a variety of sizes, from standard 8.5″ x 11″ for regular documents to 5″ x 7″ for photos, to wide format papers. The choice really depends on what you need the paper for. Legal documents call for 8.5” x 14” and tabloids usually need 11” x 17”.
Be reminded that not all printers can accommodate all paper sizes. Before you stock your cabinet with paper reams, check which paper sizes your printer can actually handle.

Weight and Thickness. Most regular users do not bother with weight (correct term is actually “grammage”) or thickness unless they need to print brochures, invitations or artwork. Using a heavier kind of paper increases resistance to crease and allows better form. Weight or grammage is often used to describe paper while thickness is used to describe cards or boards.

Finish. Having to choose if it’s glossy, matte or satin that you need may initially seem easy, but don’t be quick in making a final call. Many job applicants make the mistake of printing their resumes on glossy paper for better presentation. Resumes don’t go with glossy paper, though; the text may not be very easy to read. Matte works well with formal documents like business reports and resumes.

Printing on the wrong kind of paper not only compromises quality but also wastes precious ink. Porous paper consumes too much ink, so make sure you don’t feed your printer such paper when you need to print in full color.

Timing. In taking photos of food, remember that timing is of the essence. Knowing the perfect time to capture the photos often means success in food photography. Food can melt, sag, discolor or dry out if you wait too long before taking the photos. Sometimes, though, waiting for just the right time for the food to melt a little or sag a bit can produce the yummiest angle.

Lighting. Food usually looks best with natural light. This gives more emphasis on its wholesomeness and health value. White table cloths or white curtains also work great as background so full focus is given to the food. Loud and complex colors and patterns may distract the viewers’ eyes.

Focus. It is best to move in close and capture the details of the food, so viewers can identify key ingredients or better appreciate the food’s natural colors. You may also include table settings in the frame, but always make sure these will not compete with the main attraction, which is the food.

Variety. A good strategy when taking photos, for food or for any other subject, is to get as many photos as you can in different angles and orientations. This increases your chances of getting a number of good photos out of the many that you have obtained. This particularly applies both to amateurs and professionals, although it is obviously more helpful to the former.

Edit to Perfection. Do not be afraid to edit your photos, when needed. Crop and adjust brightness, and save every revision to check which one you like best before printing or sharing through online photo galleries.

Yet another possibility has been added to the list of things that one can place into a standard inkjet printer and print on. In previous posts, we have talked about printing on shirts, on canvas bags and caps, and even transferring prints onto specialty cakes and other foods. A feature on wideformatonline.com presents a product from a company called Power Digital: inkjet printable balloons.

These balloons will be perfect for home-based users who love to throw parties and use balloons frequently either as décor or as party favors. The printable balloons will allow users to personalize these novelty products, using software that is also provided by the manufacturers. Event organizers, party planners and those who have small-scale party and event favor businesses may find these printable balloons as an interesting addition to the services and products that they are able to offer.

Among its many uses may be as décor for corporate events, company functions and product promos, as well as more personal occasions such as weddings, birthday and graduation parties. It can also be an interesting gift idea: a personalized balloon arrangement as opposed to a flower basket or bouquet. Budding entrepreneurs may set up a retail counter with a standard inkjet printer along with the printable balloons; personalizing the balloons, including the ability to place photos on them, can be done on the spot for walk-in clients.

The balloon comes in a paper frame, which is why it can be fed into a standard top-feeding inkjet printer; unfortunately, it does not work for cassette-fed applications. Once the desired image is achieved on a PC using the accompanying software, the paper frame and the accompanying balloon is fed into the inkjet printer. After printing, the balloon is removed from the paper frame and attached to a tube, a stem and a straw before it is blown up. The software provides free templates to make designing easier.

The balloons come in star, round and heart shapes, and in small and large sizes. Power Digital also offers straws and bases as well as display stands.

People who plan to purchase dedicated photo printers need to consider connectivity options when choosing a printer model. The fact that it is good as standalone unit is a plus, but you will have to verify whether it can accommodate your preferred or commonly-used connection medium. Most can print through a PC via a USB connection, and directly from cameras through PictBridge and certain memory card formats. Others can also print from USB keys, and receive and print images via Bluetooth.

Since we are talking about photos, then print quality will be an obvious concern; otherwise, why bother with a dedicated photo printer at all? Most photo printers can produce lab-quality prints, but check out print quality anyway through reviews and the like so that you are sure that you are making the right choice.

If you need speed, then you should be prepared to sacrifice quality, and you might want to reconsider going for a dedicated photo printer at all. Photo printers are not known for their speed, because the nature of the quality of printing that it is designed to accomplish necessitates a little patience. The slowest print speed is reportedly about a minute and a half.

Just as in choosing multi- or single- function printers, think about the volume of printing that you are currently doing or expect to do. Determining monthly and recommended duty cycles for a photo printer may be a little tricky, so Stone recommends following this rule of thumb: if you think you print too much to be worried about duty cycles, then a consumer-level photo printer is not the right model for you. Set your sights instead on printers that are designed for professional photographers and retail stores.

Lastly, think about total cost of ownership; in this respect, choosing a dedicated photo printer is no different from choosing a home or home-office printer. Luckily, most manufacturers have print packs which include enough ink and paper for a certain number of photos, so one can calculate the cost per photo based on the price of the print pack.