Entering the field of Social Media

We've been shifting some job responsibilities at Focus Ink. Now, Nancy Denker is taking over social media. I am amazed by the options far beyond facebook and twitter. Equally amazing to me is automaticity at how sites link to each other. For example, anything I post on yext transfers to 40 sites. Like and share buttons are everywhere. Perhaps, in the near future, just one post will do it all. I welcome suggestions from those who are more advanced. What a holograph we live in!

ClipBuddy

Now that we have our full-time designer back, I've been able to spend more time optimizing my Mac to increase ease and productivity. I've just downloaded an app called clipbuddy that promises to make my life even easier by being able to save multiple items on my clip board so I don't have to go back and forth between programs to cut and paste. What a time saver!

Progress!

We're coming up for air after consolidating our two shops and reorganizing! A few feathers are still in need of smoothing, but our hard work is already paying off in that we're better organized and will, as a result, be able to help you even more quickly and efficiently with all of your needs.

In-house label printing

Continuing on our quest for earth friendly custom printing, Focus Ink has purchased a roll label press and finishing unit that will allow for custom printing of labels from one to full color. We can custom cut these... How about a label with your logo?

I was just elected to New Mexico delegation to Charlotte NC, National Convention in Charlotte! I intend to give one of our platforms to every state party.

Happy Martin Luther King Day

Hello everyone and happy Martin Luther King day. It is a time for new movement and new consciousness. A time to think about the power of the word, both spoken and printed, in the world. Weather passionately plead to crowds of millions or printed and nailed to the doors of injustice, the word as an instrument of change persists. We here at focus ink honor Dr. King and his continued legacy. Share some words of your own.

Discharge printing!

Focus Ink has added discharge printing to our screen printing arsenal. This is a process that allows us to bleach out an image rather than applying ink. Advantages include the new modern look, and an image that cannot crack, peel or face. We will post an image on out facebook page for you.

New Designer on Staff

We are pleased to start the new year with a welcome to Andrew Lyman as our new graphic designer. He brings with him media skills to foster our online presence better.

Today at Focus

Hi ! Michelle here, I stopped in at Focus on my way to the embroidery shop to see what was going on. There is always something! I love going through some of the orders and jobs that are ready to pick up by customers. Besides business cards and such there are always cool things that people have had printed or screen printed for business or family purposes. Really good ideas too.

I will be back tomorrow to do an on-line digitizing class so I can learn more about working with designs for embroidery and I'm really excited about it! Embroidery is fun and a great way to add a personal touch to shirts, polo's, hats and items such as baby blankets and towels or aprons for your favorite cook or grill master!

If you have a shower, family reunion, birthday, anniversary or any other celebration call Nancy to see how we can help you personalize your event!

RGB and CMYK and HSB, Oh My!

Dear Nancy,
I've just gotten a new logo, with two colors. The blue is: RGB: 0,118, 192, and the CMYK is 100,46,0,0. What is the HSB? (its 203,100,75, but what the heck does that mean?) The green is RGB 0,81,47. CYK 100,0,81,66 and HSB 155,100,32.

Do you know if these are standard PMS colors or not?

Dear Reader,
Thank you for asking this important question.

If they are RGB or CMYK or HSB, they are by definition NOT Pantone colors. RGB is about the color dots on your monitor that are red-green-blue. Miraculously these form an amazing range of colors... but not colors you can print. Inks will never match what you see on the screen.

CMYK uses 4 colors: cyan-magenta-yellow-black. Your monitor interprets these and puts them in a RGB space, but you can consistently reproduce these colors with ink. By definition, these are NOT Pantone colors.

Pantone colors are mixed, specific colors. CMYK can simulate these, but will not be exact.

HSB, hue-saturation-brightness, is another color matching system for monitors (there are several others out there, and new ones being created). I'll get you some more info on this in another post.

I'm a little concerned that one of your colors would be defined as RGB (red, blue, green) and the other as CMYK. This can cause unexpected results in printing. If you open this in Adobe Illustrator, it will warn you as such and ask you to decided which color space you want to use.

If I try to do color separations on an RGB file for my press, the colors are severely off. Printing projects should usually be designed using CMYK.

The bottom line is that when you hire a designer, you need to make sure that they were trained in designing for print or you may have some unpleasant surprises.

Health care is a right!

What is more basic than food, clothing, shelter and medical care. I am a strong proponent of public education as one of these basics... but what about health care?

Most Americans can't get Giffords' therapy
Shot congresswoman's staff urges HHS secretary to push accessibility

Wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is benefiting from world-class treatment in Houston that most Americans don't have access to, and her office knows it.
Her staff on Thursday called on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to change that, asking her to apply the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in a way that would make similar coverage to what Giffords receives more accessible.
Sebelius and her staff will be defining an "essential benefits" package that insurers participating in insurance exchanges will be required to provide by 2014.
Federal workers' benefits
Giffords currently benefits from broad coverage through federal workers compensation because she was shot in the head Jan. 8 while meeting with constituents in Tucson, Ariz. The type of acute rehabilitation she receives - involving speech, occupational and physical rehab - costs about $8,000 a day, according to the Brain Injury Association of America. Post-acute rehabilitation can range in cost from $600 to $2,500 daily. The expenses leave the treatment options well out of reach for most patients whose insurers won't pay for the services.
While some insurers cover traumatic brain injury treatment, their limits on some rehab services often leave patients stagnant at times when they could be rapidly recovering, advocates say.

To read complete story + comments: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7512258.html

Green Advertising

Check out our "Green" catalog for promotional items. Contact Nancy to order. http://www.onlinedigitalpubs.com/publication/?i=62691

JOIN THE QRC CLUB!

Let us know if you need help reading this. Smart phone is required.

JOIN THE QRC CLUB!

In the immediate future, we will be hosting QRC links to coupons and contact information for your business or events. Stay tuned for details. We are very excited about this new technology and we will be able to drive more business your way.

Waiting for a satellite update!

We hope to make national news the next time satellites update their photos of this area. We have our QR Code mounted on the roof, clearly visible from airplanes and helicopters that fly over us.
When you zoom in to the building level, everyone should be able to capture our vital stats. I am close to releasing my first mobile website with VERY basic info about us. My QR code shall be proudly displayed on my clothing. Let us help you develop your business with the awesome application!

QR Codes!

How exciting this is! QRCs have been used in Japan for years. These images can be scanned by your mobile phone or webcam and can store a wealth of info, including website pointers. Go to your app store and download i-nigma. Scan this and see what you get! Please let me know if you do.
Have a great day!

New Earth Friendly Products

We have ordered a shipment of a new earth-friendly screen printing ink. Past ones have not worked, we are looking forward to trying this new brand and keeping life cleaner. We have switched to a brand of earth - friendly screen cleaner that works! Decreasing toxicity where we can. My pressman is thrilled.

New Staff

Jeff Gage, a 25+ year veteran in the printing industry has joined our staff. He will be assisting with administrative duties, customer service and sales. He has strictly worked in / owned union print shops so we are delighted to have him on board.

New Button Maker

With a new button maker, we are offering 2.25" full color buttons for $1.00 each for quantities up to 50. A $7.50 set-up fee applies. This promotion is good until 3/31/2011.

Purchase of Best Embroidery

We are excited to announce that Focus Ink has purchased Best Emboidery. It is being managed by Michelle Mares. The address is 5308 Coal Place SE, between Zuni and Central on the east side of San Mateo. Michelle can be reached at 505-306-2157.

Best Embroidery by Focus Ink is now the ONLY union embroidery shop in the Southwest United States.