Hidden Print Cost Secrets!!!!

Being an awesome graphic artist, photographer, and cool person in general I come across the issue of needing to print things off, a lot. If you're like me you just find the closest and fastest place and print your documents off, thinking your getting a smoke'n deal. Odds are you're paying more than double the price! Are the tears rolling down your eyes yet? Grab a tissue and read below and get ready to save the big bucks!

I used to go to FedEx Kinkos for my printing but after making some calls for a friend who needed a lot of posters printed, I found out that Staples is seriously 1/2 the price! CHA-CHING BABY...can you feel the cash making your wallet bulge open? Can you even believe it? Staples is 1/2 the price in everything I needed and they also make rubber stamps [same day] which is total radness in my book! I think the final price for a laminated poster was around $30. The only bummer part about Staples is that they don't have their print stuff really on the web and their emails don't accept big files either. You'll have to use yousendit or something to get them your stuff if it's too big and they wont accept stuff on your server due to security reasons [or so they said to me, maybe I sound sady on the phone]. They did however except yousendit, so consider this your heads up. Staples really needs to get with the technology with an ftp uploader like everyone else [Maybe that's why they are so cheap?].

I recently found out another print secret from my friend Chris. I needed some extremely large photos printed off for a photography competition and he let me know that you could print cheap at Costco. He gave me the hook up and I ended up paying $20 for 4 16"x20" photo prints. As previously stated above, I would have gone to FedEx Kinkos and the price for one that big would have been around $30 and their quality is always iffy.  I got photo quality prints for more than 1/2 the price. Totally Brill printing price secrets right here!

It would be great if you could post any printing tips below so everyone can find the best deals around! Maybe we could be saving even MORE money!!! I could finally buy my pimped out VW beetle with an iPhone adapter stereo system. Consider this blog post an early Christmas gift to you all!

Here is a screen shot of the prices and options at Costco:

Custom Concert T-Shirts by Heather Kant in Phoenix, Arizona

Going to concerts is always fun for me [even if the band isn't good, haha] and I feel so lucky that I live in a city where we have real artists that get to come and put on amazing shows. Maybe it's the small town girl in me, but it feels amazing to go to concerts so I do everything I can to make it special.  Like custom t-shirt designs.

Around this time last year my friend Frank and I had the brilliant idea [and not a time consuming idea at all, lol] to make custom concert t-shirts for ATB's concert in Scottsdale.  We thumbnailed our ideas out on paper and then we mocked them up in photoshop. Neither of us had custom t-shirt making skills so we had all of these wild ideas, haha. We even tried to find a local t-shirt company who could print it for us but we didn't have any luck with that [Too short of a notice].  Tear.

Our first ideas was to use sticky fabric with the glue built into the back. We took our adventure to Walmart for our t-shirt supplies and lucky for us they didn't have the wacky fabric we were looking for and we decided to try Michaels [I say lucky, because it would have looked stupid]. We didn't have any luck at Michaels either so we drove all the way across town to another craft store where we found fabric paint. Oh how the idea wheels were turning then. It was settled, we bought the fabric paint and some white spray paint. About twenty dollars worth of craft supplies supplies later, we were ready to move forward in our adventure. The next day we printed off our ATB stencil templates and cut them out with some exacto knives. Whoa Nelly - it took FOREVER cutting them out!!!!! 

Our t-shirts turned out really cool for ATB's concert and I still wear my shirt every now and again. I think Andre saw them and had a chuckle. Sadly, I was too chicken to ask him for a photo or an autograph but I was still only 2 feet away from him the whole night. I even made friends with some of his crew, I love being VIP at concerts. I paid for VIP because I really really wanted my photo, but I was just too chicken -- SIGH. Also, the reason I ATB is my favorite dj is because he was the first trance/dance/techno cd I ever owned.  I had ATB, George Acosta, and Daft Punk. Thanks to these artists I'm the trance/house/dance/electronic music lover that I am today. ATB continues to be at the top of my favorite music list for ten years now, too funny. 

Spray paint t-shirt making tips:

- Use spray mount on the back of your stencils when you lay it down on your shirt so it doesn't move. This creates nice straight lines so it looks professional. We tried it without it first and it didn't look good at all.

- USE FLAT PAINT. Glossy leaves gross little balls of paint on your shirt that never come off. 

- Don't waist your time on fabric paint. It's stupid, doesn't work, messy, and costs a lot more. 

- Tape everything else off. Spray paint goes EVERYWHERE! 

- Paint outside [This is a given but you never know]

- Must make fun shirts with a good friend because it makes it a lot more fun. 

- When you see the artist and they see you wearing your custom tshirt pray they don't think you're a hardcore stalker creeper, lol. 

Now that a year has gone by I feel like it is tradition to try and make a custom t-shirt for concerts if I can.  This summer it was Kaskade in Scottsdale.  I had about a month to plan this time, so I was going to go professional. I had the brilliant idea to make a t-shirt that was a cascade dishwasher soap box but instead of Cascade it was Kaskade, I also changed the forks to a headphone and added some other music stuff verbiage. Haha! Too funny and awesome, right?

[Click Image for a larger view]

I found out from my new co-workers that there was a place on Mill Ave that prints shirts instant for a good price. WHAT?! PROFESSIONAL PRINTED SHIRTS?! I jumped on that soul train and emailed them right away. Sadly, my super awesome design was too detailed so I had to modify my file several times but we ended up with an amazing print, it was well worth it! I cannot tell you how cool it was to have professional custom t-shirts printed, what a feeling! I've done a lot of graphic design in my days but it's always cool to see something you've made real. 

My friend Angela, my boyfriend Adrian, and I all went to the Kaskade concert last night and we had a ball. It was a bummer it was so packed like a can of sardines because we couldn't dance or move, but it was still fun. It was my first time to the club Axis Radius in Scottsdale, Arizona and I think they need to work on their capacity rules a little bit. There is no way that was legal - whoa too many people batman! I'm happy and grateful nothing bad happened, just good music and friends.

Now that I have all of this custom t-shirt making knowledge I want to make more shirts, haha. Let me know if you need one made or if you need more tips. Email Me

Here are some photos of my shirts

[Click Image for a larger view]

On a side-note, I also made a custom t-shirts for the bands Resurrected Remains and Monster in the Mirror. I'll have photos to share soon, but I'm confident they turned out nice [simple logo vector artwork]. These are my younger brother's bands so if you want to show your support that would be awesome! 

Resurrected Remains

Homepage

Facebook

Youtube

Monster in the Mirror

Facebook

Youtube

Apple Computers vs. PC Computers

I'm 100% Team Apple. What a way to start off a blog, am I right?  Truthfully... I've been in many arguments regarding this topic in my days and I thought it would be fun to write about it.

Through the years I've come to love Macintosh computers over PC computers. It's been a long time feud though, I've gone back and forth several times.

My very first computer was the [I think] 1990 Macintosh Classic. I guess you could say I was a graphic designer in training back in 7th grade because I was always using this "high tech" program similar to Paint. Haha - Go ahead and have a laugh at that comment [I did]! I would make cool banners and print them off left and right.  *HEATHER'S ROOM* Either way, I loved my computer and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread! I played games, wrote letters, and made some AMAZING graphic design banners. Custom birthday cards here we come!

It was all fun and games until I went to a friends house and saw they had these crazy things called CD's that had better games and software that sure wouldn't work on my computer. Lets just say I was really dig'n these PC computers with their crazy power, CD drives, and color screens.

Well... down the road we got new PC computer... Then I got one of my own in high school that hooked up to the INTERNET. Wowza! PC's, Internet, and CD burners ----- OH MY! So, other than school everything was now PC wherever you looked.

Off to college! I got a brand new PC [Compaq Presario] with Windows ME! I really loved my computer but gosh golly did it break down a lot! Late nights calling a computer whiz friend to help you get back up and running. Headache Pain! Then there was always the friend who said they would hook you up with Windows XP. Oh wow! Didn't it look cool with it's glossy buttons? Of course they never got around to it... Stuck with a horrible operating system - Tears!  Even with those hick-ups I was still pretty content with my computer, making mixed music CDs and doing homework.

Now to Design College, where all of the magic happens. Naturally, the school was all Mac based running OS 9 at the time. Sometimes it was a headache to work at school and come home to my PC and it wouldn't be compatible. ERROR 7... ERROR ERROR...  This was about the time where my fellow classmates were updating to macbooks and powerbooks running OS 10.

As a college graduation gift I received a brand new powerbook [2004]. I've been running the same computer with ZERO problems up to this date - That's 6 YEARS. I've NEVER had a virus, I've never had crazy screens of death, basically up and running fast since 2004!  The hard drive did go out, but it was covered by applecare and the keys are wearing out but that is it - All wear and tear! No annoying slow stupid virus stuff. No late night calls to IT friends. I think the biggest problem I had was trying to hook up a wireless router to my mac. Nobody at Cox Cable had a clue how to help a mac person [skkk skkkk we are breaking up Ma'm... hello... apple what?? I'm in a tunnel...Thank you for calling...]. That is the only time I really needed a IT friend, but that worked out because that is how I met Adrian [We have been dating ever since -- Whoo Hoo to non-responsive wireless routers!] <3.

I have more to add about the awesome-ness of the new Apple computers vs. PC computers.  Ok, like I mentioned before my little powerbook was from 2004.  It hasn't been the "newest computer" for several years but it still ran like a champion, better than any PC! At my previous employer they had the "state of the art" PC computers with chips and rams filled to the top.  Might as well of been chips and DIPS.  I don't know if it was the security software, servers, or just lack of IT knowledge but these computers were SLOW and almost always broken. For about 2 years I would get this error message that popped up every-time I started up my computer. Virus infections... Slowness... Photoshop Freeze Drama... There was in no way possible you could run Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark all at the same time... without a lot of freeze action.  I couldn't even pull open 10+ photos into Photoshop without a horrific freeze if not a whole computer shut down freeze of doom. BLAH! Don't even get me started on my attempt to run iTunes...

MEANWHILE, I would come home and use my 6 year old mac and I would zoom all over the place with ease. I could have all of the programs open... no worries.  A folder of photos open in photoshop, YOU GOT IT! I'm sorry... but I don't think I would ever like to own another SLOW virus prone PC ever again.  I mean it's as clear as night and day in performance.

I'm not really a "gamer" and most games are for the PC... So, I mean that doesn't count in this argument. 100% I think for designers - If you're not on a mac... your computer is gunna make you slack.  I know Macs are more money, but it is well worth it! No headaches! Plus, you'll make up for it in the time not spent on dinking around with virus weird stuff.

I also think mac is so easy that it is humorous. Sometimes it's so simple I cannot figure it out. Haha! I think macs would be great for people who aren't as computer savvy. It is sure easy on the eyes and mind, that is for sure!

Summing it up: Macs running OS 10 and higher really rock my socks off.  Not only is it beautiful, it's a strong stable OS, and it's so simple I think everyone can use them.  You can say whatever you want about Macs... but I'm a believer in the product as far as computers go.

PC Lovers, try to argue yourself out of performance! What? You enjoy viruses and drama? Be my guest!

Ha! This is why many of my friends say I would be a PERFECT candidate to work at the Apple Store. I could convert people left and right! The product could sell on it's own, but I'd be sure to aim people in the right direction. Yeah, working for apple would really be a dream come true for me. Not to mention, iPhone discounts... yum yum!

LONG LIVE MY FELLOW MAC HEADS!

PS I haven't really used Linux, so it wasn't included in my article. From what I can see... It isn't too bad! The only problem I've heard from people is it's hard to get drivers and the wireless internet to work. I've also heard that Mac OS 10 is based off of Linux... So, I'm pretty sure I'd like Linux too! Wow, someone is nerdy tonight... I think I should go watch Star Trek now. 

HOW TO FIX - Adobe Photoshop CS4 [No Response] on Mac OS X Version 10.6.2

What a night! My photoshop decided to go haywire on me! Luckily I'm not the only one with these problems so google was a nice help! I guess it's a problem that has been going on since Apple updated their OS. I thought I'd share it on my blog incase anyone ran across my blog first. Plus, I'll have it noted on here for my reference.

Good News! There is a solution [That worked for me and other people].


SOLUTION:
Hold Command + Option + Shift down when you open Photoshop. It should give you a pop-up that asks you to delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings File [<-photo]. Click YES.

Learning how to add a custom favicon to your website [.ico]

I have been working as a graphic/website designer for a while now and I have learned several tricks that help your website looks a lot more professional.  It is so simple but I have noticed that a lot of people aren't making them [even graphic designers]. If you are a designer there is no reason not to have one on your website.

If you are wondering... what is a favicon? I suppose you could google it... but I'll give you a summary. It's the icon that displays above the address bar.   I'm sure you've seen these when you visit a big website like Bank of America, Walmart, or HKDEZIGNER.COM. The favicon also shows up in your list of favorites, shortcuts, and all over your bookmarks. This little tiny thing [16x16 pixels] is pretty easy to make. If you don't have photoshop there are tons of FREE websites out there that have something close that will assist you via web. Either way... pretty easy!

How to make your favicon in Photoshop, 6 easy steps!


Step 1: You will need to download a Windows Icon (.ico) file usually called favicon.ico that you upload to the main directory of your website. Nowadays, most browsers besides Internet Explorer [bla] can use a GIF (including animated ones) or PNG (including full transparency) instead. But since all browsers including IE understand the .ico format it is just best you use this method for compatibility issues. Download the .ico plugin from Telegraphics. Hopefully your download and install goes well... [I'd show you how but that would be another tutorial, tehe. I'm sure you know how to download and install. You got this! =P]

Step 2: I like to start my layered/main photoshop file at 64x64 pixels so I can be more creative with my artwork. I like to save this version as a layered .tiff or .psd so I can always go back and modify it.

Step 3: The fun part! The design! If you already have a logo you should reduce it to the 16 x 16 size to see if it looks cool. If it doesn't look good at this size, work with the 64 x 64 canvas and try creating a simple design. Tip: Maybe try using colors from your site so it looks uniform =)

Step 4: When you're ready to test out your cool new favicon design select Image > Image Size menu and enter 16 x 16. Click on Resample Image and choose "Bicubic Sharper" from the drop-down menu (CS only for this step). This is the best setting for making sure that an image doesn't blur as it's being resized. If it’s still not sharp enough, go back and oversharpen, oversaturate and/or heighten the contrast of the original image and then resize it again. Fingers crossed!! Hopefully it doesn't take you to many attempts to having it looking awesome.

Step 5: Time to save the .ico file! Go to File > Save as and make sure you name the file favicon.ico. Under Format you must choose Windows Icon (ICO) from the pulldown menu.  Go ahead and save it where you want it on your hard drive.

Note: This format will only be available in Photoshop after you download and install the plugin. So make sure got everything installed right before you try to save. Sometimes it helps to close photoshop and restart it.

Step 6: Time to upload your awesome new favicon to your server! Connect to your online server and upload your favicon.ico file to your website. Make sure to place the favicon.ico file into the same directory as your home (index) page.  Most browsers should find it automatically and sadly some browsers will look for a direct link in the HTML. You can help these browsers by adding this link in the head section of each page on which you want the Favicon.ico to appear.

Here is the link code to include in your head section to all of your sites pages:
<link rel="Shortcut Icon" href="/favicon.ico"></a>

WOOT WOOT! You should have a cool favicon now! See, that wasn't so hard! Lets hear it for being custom!