Extra! Extra! →

The Newspaper Club is a printing service in Glasgow that prints digital and traditional newspapers in small quantities. They look pretty cool and I could completely see using this for a project someday. I may have to order print samples to see what I think.

Print’s not dead, but the way we buy print is radically changing. MagCloud for magazines. Moo for business cards. Newspaper Club for newspapers. All of these services have a standard set of specs and are then marketed to a global audience. Just upload a PDF. The purchase process is simple and straightforward, but the trade off is that these services offer less customization.

I look forward to seeing how this online purchasing marketplace continues to grow as digital printing continues to mature.

Unexpected troubleshooting help

I was trying to get some materials printed yesterday at the office and InDesign was repeatedly crashing shortly after I hit print. 

I usually ignore the "Crash Report" dialog box. No offense to Adobe, because I ignore them from Microsoft and Apple, too.* But I was on a deadline and I was irritated and so I typed "Trying to print" in the text field and hit "Send Report." I started to reopen InDesign.

I didn't notice the checkbox to "Allow Adobe to suggest a solution or work around." But then, another message popped up: "Adobe has found a solution or workaround for the recent crash in Adobe InDesign CC 2014. Please click here for further details."

I'll be honest, I was so floored, that I didn't take a screen shot or really read it too carefully. (I had to recreate to crash to get the above screenshots.) I clicked the link which took me to "InDesign & Illustrator | Crash while printing to Fiery RIP." Which, by the way, was exactly the solution to my problem.

I'm guessing the error code pointed exactly to the issue with the Fiery. I have no idea if Adobe provides this kind of troubleshooting help for other known issues. I've never seen it before. I'm guessing this feature was added in a recent version on Creative Cloud. But it was helpful, and I really had no idea that Adobe** could even respond in that way.

So today's quick tip is "Don't ignore the crash report dialog box." You never know when you'll get unexpected troubleshooting help.

Every Wednesday, I post a tip on an Adobe app.

* A random note: I will fill crash reports out for small developers. I guess I think my data will mean more to them since they have a smaller installed base.

** Or that any company could automatically respond to a crash report. I really just assume that all troubleshooting info goes into some giant automated database that no one looks at...

Powerlane Specimen Book on MagCloud

I knew I wanted to create a specimen book for my new typeface, Powerlane. But I didn’t need that many copies. I decided to use MagCloud for production and was able to get a limited quantity for promotional use.

If you aren’t familiar with them, MagCloud is a company does on demand printing and publishing. They’ve recently increased their product line to include some larger format publications, posters, fliers and more. And you can use their platform to offer your publications or products for sale.

Build your PDF to their specs, upload it, proof it and you are done. Very easy. You can choose whether or not you want to make it available for public purchase. I ordered an handful of mine and was very happy with the quality.

(I will bring up the one really minor blemish — a tiny little bar code they stick on the back. It’s not a big issue and it is tiny, but if you are a perfectionist, it’s a little irritating. Most folks aren’t going to have an issue with it. But in case you were wondering, there is no way to get rid of it.)

I’ve made my Powerlane Specimen Book available for purchase at MagCloud. And you can choose to offer digital versions as PDFs or access it through the MagCloud iPad app. (The digital version of the Powerlane Specimen Book is completely free.) So go check it out.

And don’t forget that through October 23, Powerlane Complete is available for $59 ($140 off normal price) at MyFonts.com.

iPhone App Proposal: Mobile Proofing

I don’t use remote proofing much. As a print designer, checking a proof online really is a poor substitute for having the hard copy in your hands. But when there is a time crunch, or you are on the road, there really is no other option.

Remote proofing is usually offered by a printer. The designer downloads a client application, like Rampage Remote, that interfaces with the printer’s proofing system. PDF’s are then posted for review and approval.

I’ve actually approved a proof on my iPhone before. A printer emailed me a PDF and I was able to review it on the phone. The zooming and scrolling functions on the iPhone actually made it relatively easy to review the file.

And while the “email a PDF” works in a pinch, I think it would be reasonably easy to add some functionality to make the process easier. The app could either work with PDF files. Or it could we integrated with a system like Rampage.

The Mobile Proofing app could essentially function like the PDF reading function already on the phone. Scroll around. Zoom in. But it would need to add three additional functions.

Separations. The app would need to let you see the separations. For four color work, I’d want to see the cyan, magenta, yellow and black plates that make up the image. 

Notes. A way to add notes and comments and send them back to the printer.

Approval/Rejection. A way to provide a simple approve/reject notification to the printer.