Hot Bird Talk, Issue 7

Hello! This month we are learning about: vector and raster graphics files, storing and sending logo files and a nifty new little photo printer from Epson. We also have an article on new technology marketing and we reveal our latest website makeover - for long time client and a friend of The Lazarus Group, Rosedale Vision Center.

(Remember the 'snap, crackle, pop' guys from Saturday morning cereal commercial fame? Now we just have Paris Hilton. Is that progress? I, for one, vote for more animated spokesmen.)

Sit back, relax and let the Hot Bird illuminate your morning.

Rosedale Vision Center

Dr. Gerard Lozada, of Rosedale Vision Center, has been a hero to us on more than one occasion.

He comes to the rescue - be it treating Kelsey's allergy-riddled dry eyes, introducing Laz to his new and much needed bifocals or fishing for Jen's hard contact lens when it disappeared, painfully, somewhere behind her eye. (Ouch!) Not to mention, we love that on occasion, Dr. Lozada stops by our office just to have a cup of coffee and see how we're doing.

And we're not the only ones who think Dr. Lozada is somethin' pretty special:

• In April of 2002, Dr. Lozada was nominated for the position of liason between the Kansas Optometric Association and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, for the Federal program Healthy People 2010.
• In January 2003, he was nominated as Co-Chair of the Healthy Eyes Healthy People committee for the Kansas Optometric Association.
• In 2004, Dr. Lozada was recognized by The Pitch as Kansas City's Best Eye Doctor. (Hands down, we think.)

Dr. Lozada has long valued his website as an opportunity to educate clients. But with Rosedale Vision Center's recent move to a new, larger location, Dr. Lozada decided that he wanted a fresh look - and some new business cards, too.

The Lazarus Group created a sleek new site for Rosedale Vision Center, with plenty of growing room for new educational content and enhanced capabilites such as online forms that allow new and existing patients to request appointments - all in both Spanish and English. Dr. Lozada even used his new site to outline a presentation to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

We were happy to deliver, and are proud to show off rosedalevision.com.

go to rosedalevision.com >>

Vocabulary FYI: Vector vs. Raster

Vector files are graphics that are created by geometrical figures, for example: lines, curves, triangles and polygons. (Think of your high school geometry class.) Since vector files are created mathematically, you can reproduce vector graphic files at any size you want without losing quality. Adobe® Illustrator® is an industry-standard example of software that produces vector graphics files.

Raster files are graphics created with pixels. A pixel represents the area about the size of a pin dot. Thousands of pixels (of different colors) combine to create an image. Raster graphics cannot be scaled without apparent loss of quality.

Accordingly, raster files may be created at different resolutions, or dots-per-inch (DPI). So, say you have a raster file that is at 72 dpi - screen resolution. If you try to print the file 50 percent larger than the original, you're simply stretching the 72 dots-per-inch to 36 dots-per-inch. (And it looks awful.) Professional 4-color printing techniques may require anywhere from 150 to 300 dpi. Adobe® PhotoShop® is an industry-standard example of software that produces raster graphics files.

Raster graphics are more practical than vector graphics for photographs, while vector graphics are often more practical for typesetting and, in particular, logos - which need to be reproduced at a variety of sizes.

Want to learn more? Check out Wikipedia's entries for vector and raster.

Vocabulary Bonus:

The term 'pixel' was coined in 1969, to describe the photographic elements of a television image. It was derived from the word pix, a 1932 abbreviation of pictures, and the word element. ("You see it's a like a portmanteau.")

Below: the area in the circle has been enlarged so that you can see the square-shaped pixels that compose the image. The same blurry, jagged effect occurs when images are printed with too few dots-per-inch.

Affordable Printing On the Go!

Epson has just released its PictureMate® one-touch Personal Photo Lab. This $199 printer allows you to make beautiful, borderless 4-by-6 inch prints directly from your digital camera...and the best part is you don't even need a computer! Just insert your compact flash card or other digital media, select the image you want, and hit print.

Literally a one-touch system, the PictureMate® is portable, quick and affordable. Glossy 4-by-6 inch prints cost as little as 29 cents a piece! FYI, that's the same price you would pay at Wolf Camera, Wal-Mart or Costco for digital prints. And even better, PictureMate® prints will last twice as long as those traditional photo lab prints.

For family photos and even professional proofs, the PictureMate® system is as convenient as it gets. It's even available with an optional carrying case, so you can take your printer on vacation and make prints from the day's outing right in your hotel room or RV that same night!

For an additional $49 you can get the PictureMate® Deluxe Viewer Edition, which has a full color 2.5 inch LCD that allows you to preview images before you print. Regardless of which model you choose, printing family photos on-the-fly from your digital camera can't get any easier than this!

go to epson.com to learn more >>

Speaking of...

When sending your logo graphic to someone, do not send them a Word file! Retrieving a graphic from a Word file is not easy, and it never gives you the quality that you are looking for. Simply put, Word is best for words.

When you have a new logo created - or really any graphic created - always make sure that you get a high-resolution TIFF, PDF or EPS file of the final output. Then, when someone requests your logo, say when you are a sponsor to a great KC area event, you can send them the high-resolution TIFF, PDF or EPS file and it will print exactly the way you want.

Do you know where your logo file is? Take the time to find your logo, letterhead files or business card files and put them in a place where you can find them easily. Like Smokey Bear says, be prepared.