News & Information for Creative Minds

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Sabine Lenz, Founder, PaperSpecs joins hosts Scott Sheppard & Gene Gable to discuss her background as a graphic designer and explains how she got the idea - and actually acted upon it - creating this great resource for designers. PaperSpecs is an online database showcasing all commercial papers available in the U.S. and Canada. Think of it as your online swatchbook that includes tips and notes that help you select the perfect paper for your project. You can also use your account to easily create your own collection of samples across multiple manufacturers and then easily request paper samples. In addition to selecting by color, weight, and type, you can also search for paper best suited for a particular printing process i.e. offset vs. digital.

Design News of the Week with Jay Nelson

This week Jay shares great news about Apple’s latest update to "Leopard", now at version 10.5.4 which seems to fix some incompatibilities with Adobe’s latest Creative Suite in remote environments. Quark Inc., acquired a new company In.vision Research Corporation that develops the industry-leading add-in to Microsoft® Word for XML authoring. Scott asks Jay the pressing question of the week - what is happening with color tools at Pantone - responding to their recent release of PMS colored USB flash drives.

For more information about Jay and Design Tools visit: http://www.design-tools.com.

Sabine Lenz returns after the news to discuss how "green is the new black" especially in paper trends. One of the hottest trends in paper specification today is using recycled and organic papers in your designs. Sabine explains what it means if a paper claims to be FSC certified. She explains that many of the paper mills have sustainability / environmental calculators and points out that selecting a paper which produced chlorine free is a good place to start. Many companies claim "green" standards but may not actually be certified by a third party. Sabine also discusses the new resurgence for letterpress printing and it’s impact on choice of paper, having recently hosted a webinar on the topic.

Sabine shares many tips on considering paper options as part of your overall print design project. To see for yourself, visit her site at: http://www.paperspecs.com