Revamp without Retype!

Have you ever found yourself looking for the original version of a great document you want to share with your customers or employees, but all you find is a bad copy?

Documents and forms degrade during copying and scanning due to equipment limitations or setup, resulting in black margins, punch hole marks, staple marks, handwriting and skewed pages.

With modern Make Ready software, and experienced personnel, you can give a professional look to you old documents without retyping, or spending precious time playing with office software or standing by the office copier.  Typical documents can be turned around in one business day, helping you meet your deadlines, at a fraction of the cost of the in-house alternative.

Corrections and improvements:

·         Erasing black margins, punch holes, staples and handwriting

·         Deskewing (straightening), page centering and margin creation

·         Page ordering

·         Adding numbers, headers, footers and edge notes

Make Ready examples are shown below.

To learn more, contact Houston@copydr.com or call us at (713)661-9100

Copy Doctor acquires an EFI H1625 LED Wide Format Printer, enhancing Copy Doctor's graphics and sign printing capabilities. The new printer can produce graphics up to 64" wide, on flat material up to 2" thick, such as Coroplast, Aluminum, PVC, Acrylic, Gatorfoam, or roll material, such as vinyl, adhesives, vehicle magnets and other traditional signage substrates. The White ink and multi-layer print capabilities expand the range of graphic designs that can be produced.

Cheap print is not all it’s cracked up to be!

Cheap print is not all it’s cracked up to be!

How To Specify Printing Color - Great Article

Attached is a great article on the difference in CMYK, RGB, and Pantone colors.  Our high speed, high quality equipment uses CMYK.

Enjoy the read!


http://www.offsetprintingtechnology.com/2015/how-to-specify-printing-color/

IKEA uses their BookBook to show that Print is “The Universal Technology”

 Watch this brilliant video.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOXQo7nURs0

Brightness VS Whiteness

There are two units of measurement that qualify white paper.  Do you know the difference?

The whiteness is a calculation of the reflection of all the light in the spectrum visible to the human eye.  It is a value similar to what the human can perceive and therefore it must be taken with precaution since it is a subjective value that differs from one person to another.

The brightness indicates only the reflection of blue light, it is the standard test in the paper industry.  Since yellow and red are not considered, sheets that appear to have different shades can have the same brightness.

In each case, the higher the number, the brighter the paper.

Reprinted from the August 2014 Newsletter, Bosworth Papers

Digital Printing vs. Offset Printing

At Copy Doctor, we call ourselves, a high speed, high quality, digital printer.  But what exactly does that mean?  We address this almost daily in our shop when working with our customers on their projects, and have learned that many people don’t know the difference in digital printing and offset printing.

Digital Printing

Our digital printers work in a very similar way to the color printer you have at home, but on a much larger scale.  They are toner based, and use four color ink cartridges (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) referred to as CMYK, also like

your home color printer.  But our printers have the capability of spitting out hundreds of copies in just a couple of minutes.  They also digitally mix and monitor the CMYK toners to create an unlimited number of colors for the price of a color copy.

The biggest benefit of printing digitally is the speed – we can turn your job around quickly.  It is a very cost effective way of printing small, low volume jobs.  And the prints are consistent in color and quality.  Today’s digital printers are so advanced, it is often hard to tell the difference between a digitally printed piece and an offset printed one.

We also have the capability to store your files for reprints any time you need them.  This is a great timesaver for you and also saves you money because you just pay for what you need, when you need it.

The cons? Your paper choices may be more limited than in offset printing.  Our machines print best on smooth textured papers, up to 12x18 in size, and certain weight papers may not run through our machines well.  It is also sometimes harder to get an exact PMS color match.  We always try our best to match your desired colors – but when it is a do or die situation, offset printing may be the way to go.

Use digital printing when you have a limited budget, are in a hurry to get your printing, are creating multiple versions of the same file in low volume, or printing something for a one time use or with a short shelf life. 

Offset Printing

Offset printing is done via printing presses which transfer ink from the press to the paper by using plates.  If you have ever used a rubber stamp you can envision this process, but on a much larger scale.  There is a lot of time and set up involved in preparing the plates and the presses in the pre-press stage and most of your cost of offset printing comes in this stage.  

The inks used in offset printing actually come in PMS colors, so you can get an exact color match.  But each color is applied using a different plate made specifically for that color application.  This means your project passes thru the press for every color used, or may be run thru a four-color press like the one shown here.

Because the press is actually pressing the ink onto the page, not rolling it on like in digital, you can choose virtually any color, weight or texture of paper.  The offset presses run larger sheets or rolls of paper, making your size options wider also.  

Then what are the cons?  This method takes much more time.  The printer will have to make the plates, set up the press, and produce a proof of your job before it ever gets running.  This can add days to the process.  Also, there is drying time before the finishing, such as folding, can be done.  

Want to know a secret?  If you take your job to an offset printer and the run is not large enough for them to give you a competitive price once they factor in the paper choice, number of plates needed, and cost of the ink – they often bring your job to us to print for them!

Why not just bring the job to us first!  Let us evaluate it for you and help you decide the best and most cost effective way to produce the finished look you are trying to achieve.  We are happy to consult with you during the design process and help you design your piece to save you money, regardless of whether it will be digitally printed or offset printed.  Something that seems like an awesome and unique design idea can cost you twice as much to print in the end.  We can advise you on simple changes that can give you the professional look you want while staying within your budget.

Call or stop in today! www.copydr.com

Enjoy your Holiday Weekend!

This weekend marks the beginning of summer.  My neighborhood pool opens.  Many area schools are now out.  And I say, “Let the season begin!”  Don, Rex and I hope you find some down time this weekend and that you get to spend some quality time with your family.

On Monday, Memorial Day, we also hope you will remember and thank the brave men and women that served to keep us safe and free. 

We will be closed Monday, May 27^th so that our staff can observe the day too.

Fighting Child Hunger in Houston

Hungry children suffer.  And there are hungry children right here in the Houston area.  According to the Houston Food Bank, one in four children in Harris County lives at or below poverty level.  That is above the national level of one in five.

 

The Face of Hunger in SE Texas 

Of the 137,000 different people who receive food assistance each week:

• Nearly half of households include at least one working adult
• 94% are not homeless
• 47% are children

Hard Choices

• Hungry families report they must often choose between paying for food and other necessities.
• Food vs. utilities – 62%
• Food vs. rent or mortgage – 52%

Hungry children are sick more often and recover more slowly.  They are more likely to experience headaches, stomachaches, colds and ear infections.  They have trouble in school because the lack of nutrition impairs a child’s ability to concentrate and perform well.  They are more aggressive and anxious, and have significantly higher levels of behavioral and emotional problems.  They also develop self esteem issues and suffer in their social relationships.

Kids' Meals is a non profit, meals-on-wheels program, which provides and delivers nutritious meals, free of cost to the families, Monday through Friday, year-round.  In the summer months the number of children serviced jumps from 1700 to 3400 a day.  Kids’ Meals is the only organization that is bridging the gap for hungry preschool aged children; the missing piece for children ages 1-5 who are too old for services from organizations such as WIC and not yet old enough to receive free breakfast and lunch in school. 

Copy Doctor is teaming up with Kids’ Meals during the month of May by sponsoring a food drive.  Non perishable food donations may be dropped off at Copy Doctor locations, 3814 Bissonnet Street, Houston, TX 77005, or 1101 S. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, TX 77546 during the month of May.  

 “It is sometimes difficult to believe that hunger exists right here in the Houston area.  Most people think of hunger in terms of famine, or major tragedies, but not as something that affects children everyday in our own community,” said Don Sowa, President of Copy Doctor.  “Anything we can do the help our neighbors is not only our responsibility, but our privilege.  We hope our customers and business friends will join us in supporting this great organization.”   

Follow this link for more information:  

Kids’ Meals Food Drive