printinginaz

Another Color Matching System

2012-03-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

To be fair, even though PMS or the Pantone Matching System is the most popular they aren’t the only game out there.

So here is another that can be used. The Munsell color system.

The fundamentals of color are based on Albert H. Munsell’s theory of color.
The way you visually match color today is the result of Albert H. Munsell’s work nearly a century ago. In fact, modern day color theory and mathematical color system is based on Munsell’s theory of color.

An artist and an educator, Munsell developed his color theory to bring clarity to color communication by establishing an orderly system for accurately identifying every color that exists. Munsell based his system on what he defined as “perceived equidistance” — the human visual system’s perception of color.

Your Color is Munsell's Business

Munsell helps you communicate and reproduce color consistently with color standards developed using Munsell color theory. Choose a standard color from the Munsell books of color and color sheets or have them develop a custom color management solution for you — giving you freedom to design your own unique color instead of being forced to choose a predetermined color from a fandeck.

How Munsell Color Notation Works
Here’s How Munsell Color Theory Works…

Munsell color order system is based on a three-dimensional model depicted in the Munsell color tree. Each color has three qualities or attributes:
Hue – color such as red, orange, yellow, etc.
Value – the lightness or darkness of a color
Chroma – the saturation or brilliance of a color
Hue, value and chroma are also referred to as (HVC)

Munsell Color Theory is based on a three-dimensional model in which each color is comprised of three attributes of hue (color itself), value (lightness/darkness) and chroma (color saturation or brilliance)
The Munsell Color system is set up as a numerical scale with visually uniform steps for each of the three color attributes — in Munsell color notation, each color has a logical and visual relationship to all other colors.

Value indicates the lightness of a color. The scale of value ranges from 0 for pure black to 10 for pure white. Black, white and the grays (as shown in figure 2) between them are called “neutral colors”. They have no hue. Colors that have a hue are called “chromatic colors.” The value scale applies to chromatic as well as neutral colors. The value scale is illustrated for all neutral colors on the chart labeled Munsell’s Nearly Neutral, included in this book of color.

This is a very basic introduction to the Munsell Color System.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
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RGB vs CMYK

2012-03-06T18:47:00.001-07:00

RGB
Red, Green, and Blue are "additive colors". If we combine red, green and blue light you will get white light. This is the principal behind the T.V. set in your living room and the monitor you are staring at now.
Additive color, or RGB mode, is optimized for display on computer monitors and peripherals, most notably scanning devices.

CMYK
Cyan, Magenta and Yellow are "subtractive colors". If we print cyan, magenta and yellow inks on white paper, they absorb the light shining on the page. Since our eyes receive no reflected light from the paper, we perceive black... in a perfect world!

The printing world operates in subtractive color, or CMYK mode.

In practice, printing subtractive inks may contain impurities that prevent them from absorbing light perfectly. They do a pretty good job with light colors, but when we add them all together, they produce a murky brown rather than black. In order to get decent dark colors, black ink is added in increasing proportions, as the color gets darker and darker. This is the "K" component in CMYK printing. "K" is used to indicate black instead of a "B" to avoid possible confusion over Blue ink.

One of the most common errors made by inexperienced graphic designers is submitting RGB files. As a result the printer must ask if they would like them to convert to CMYK before we send the files for film output. Most of the time, the color change that will occur is slight. However, every once in a while, the color range after conversion is compressed during the transition to CMYK mode resulting in a complete change in color tones. Be warned that there is absolutely no way to get that deep RGB blue using CMYK, no matter how much we want to.

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MI Printing
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What are PMS colors

2012-03-05T18:13:00.000-07:00

When mixing inks, all printers follow a system called PMS-Pantone Matching System. This allows printers all over the world to use one formula to develop a specific color. It also ensures that when a buyer purchases printing he or she is certain of what he or she will receive.

Sometimes PMS books can be faded or numbers can be misread and the wrong color gets printed. Therefore,it is recommend that you bring in a sample of the exact color you want so there is no misunderstanding.

One use is standardizing colors in the CMYK process. The CMYK process is a method of printing color by using four inks — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. A majority of the world's printed material is produced using the CMYK process, and there is a special subset of Pantone colors that can be reproduced using CMYK .

On September 5, 2007 Pantone introduced the Goe System Goe consists of over 2,000 new colors in a brand new matching and numbering system. In addition to the standard swatch books (now called the GoeGuide), the new system also includes adhesive-backed GoeSticks, interactive software, tools, and an online community where users are able to share color swatches and information.

The Goe system is streamlined to use fewer base colors (10 + Clear coating for reflections) and accommodates many technical challenges in reproducing colors on a press.

Each page of the PMS book has small printed swatches of ink. They are presented in a logical sequence. For example, a section of the book might have all shades of red, starting with deep hues, and proceeding to light hues.

PMS books show how a color looks on coated and uncoated papers. It gives you a choice of hundreds of colors.

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MI Printing
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MI Printing: Special Custom Business Cards

2012-03-02T17:30:00.001-07:00

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your business card needs far beyond just simple black on white. They say you simply aren't in business without your business cards. Need to know more about all the uses for business cards? Learn about the many options for your cards. Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Please ask about money saving larger quantities. For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

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MI Printing
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Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity

2012-03-01T18:32:00.001-07:00

Hue determines the basic color—whether it appears green, red, blue, orange, and so forth.

A color's hue has a strong effect on how it is perceived. A color from the center of the red part of the spectrum will be perceived as more threatening, or perhaps more passionate, than one that is closer to orange; while red with a pinkish hue is a calmer color.

Saturation refers to the amount of grey in a color, and determines how vivid it is. Minimum saturation corresponds to gray, whilst maximum saturation corresponds to the pure color.

As a general rule, women tend to prefer less saturated colors, and men more saturated ones.

Luminosity refers to the whiteness or intensity of a color; luminosity for any one color will range from pure white though to black. Luminosity is like the brightness control on a computer or television screen. Maximum luminosity corresponds to white for any color, whilst minimum luminosity corresponds to black. The middle value corresponds to the pure color.

Using the same color at varying degrees of luminance in a palette results in a harmonious color scheme. In general, colors with more luminance feel lighter, while those toward the dark end of the scale are more "serious" colors.

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MI Printing
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Leap Year

2012-02-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

A leap year is a year containing one additional day. This is done in order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting an additional day into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year that is not a leap year is called a common year.

February 29 is a date that usually occurs every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days.

The Julian calendar, which was developed in 46 BC by Julius Caesar, and became effective in 45 BC, distributed an extra ten days among the months of the Roman Republican calendar.
Folk Traditions.

In Britain and Ireland, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been claimed that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, this is dubious, as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century. Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation was deemed to be a pair of leather gloves, a single rose, £1 and a kiss.

In some places the tradition was tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap day, February 29, or to the medieval leap day, February 24.

According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat—fair warning, if you will.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Colors for Your Brochure

2012-02-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Brochures and flyers should be the cornerstones of your marketing campaigns.

They can be left on front doors, placed on windshields, offered on POS counter top displays, used during sales presentations, used as leave-behinds and of course, sent in the mail.

All successful companies have brochures and flyers printed, and marketing professionals are often scrambling for motivation on how to make the marketing materials stand out from their competitors.

The best way to instantly motivate your potential buyers and entice them to take a closer look involves the imaginative use of colors.

Colors

Your brochure and flyer color schemes may have to match an existing theme or the current logo that doesn't mean a little creativity can't make your new designs stand out. Pay attention to the theme to find engaging images with interesting color combinations that match the logo. This could be as simple as incorporating a close-up shot of a product color, complete with shading and bright neon highlights, to complement an existing logo on the current brochure. You can use an unrelated colorful array of items when they can be tied back to the company's flyer.

Remember you are not limited to the colors in a company logo, what's more; you can make the logo small and surround it with neutral colors and you can make the rest of the brochure or flyer as colorful as you'd like.

Another way to incorporate eye-catching colors into your brochure and flyer designs is to color design elements different than readers expect.

You could try bright blue waves against a dark gray horizon, for instance, or a pink poodle or a flame red tennis ball. If your company has a well-known logo, (even if that is just locally) try coloring the logo as a solid muted color to blend with a theme, as in making a blue logo green for a campaign featuring the company's preservation efforts.

Often, brochure and flyer designs can be augmented with unique-colored shapes that act as separators for different regions of images and information such as a red petal-shaped background behind the images in a florists' brochure or some squiggly lines between the headline and the main content area. You can make extensive use of this technique in your designs, and you'll never run out of new shape and color combinations to experiment with.

Hope this is good food for thought in your next design.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Colors Affect Your Sales

2012-02-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

How can you use colors in your advertising and marketing that ultimately affect the bottom line of your sales.

If you are a smart seller, you know it is not that easy to persuade your customer to actually buy something. But, there is the science behind how the products are organized, displayed and labels are created to help guide your customers through to making a purchase.

That wealth of tricks are based on solid psychological practices that in the end “convert” the customer from a visitor into the buyer.

One of the most powerful methods to appeal to a potential buyer is applying color theory to commerce. Has it ever occurred to you why you feel safer in one store and more energetic in another one? Have you ever noticed that landing on some web page you feel like clicking some button/link and keep browsing the site? While other pages prompt you to stay and keep reading? To some extent, this might be the choice of colors for the page elements.

Think about standing in front of a magazine display and why your eyes are drawn to one magazine over another one.

Color is one of the most powerful elements of design for web sites, direct mail, ads, and other marketing materials. It carries meaning through associations and your bodies’ physical response. Color associates can vary from country to country but in Western culture they are basically the same.

Color Prompts You to Buy

A regular shopper in North America is likely to respond to color choice the following way:
Warm colors, like reds, oranges and yellows make you feel energetic, hungry, enthusiastic and cheerful that leads to action. It is a combination of aggressive red and cheerful yellow, these colors activate your pituitary gland and increases your heart rate. This action response is used in calls to action.

Blues on the other hand are secure and trustworthy. That color is associated with sky (therefore universally liked) Used to create trust blue is related to money and business related websites.

Green colors both light and dark bring out the feelings of calm, stability and wealth. Green is associated with spring and nature and is used for entertainment and leisure related marketing. Green is the easiest color for the eyes. Consider it for testimonials, founder’s story, etc.

This is a good place to start on the proper use of color.

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MI Printing
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Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Special Carbonless Forms

2012-02-24T18:11:00.001-07:00

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your carbonless needs far beyond just carbonless forms. These can be used for employment applications, order forms, job tickets, invoices, estimates or proposals. If needed, backside printing is available.

Please let us know what type of padding you expect for your forms. For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

Need to know more about all the uses for carbonless forms contact us at MI Printing.

We are ready to help just give us a call at 623.582.1302 for our current special pricing on carbonless forms.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

What Is The Most Readable, Appealing Font?

2012-02-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not talking about programming font, but for font(s) for design docs, documentation, web pages, etc.

Which one wins? Times New Roman 10pt, Arial 12pt, Verdana? Does anybody have science to back their opinion?

Most municipal/government organizations use Helvetica for public signs. It is also the most widely used font in advertising. If you are at all interested in typography I very much recommend Typography Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Using Type in Graphic Design by Timothy Samara .

For print, there's so many fonts. Helvetica is the most popular and one of the more "readable". However a variety of fonts all look really nice, serifs like Bodoni to sans-serifs like Letter Gothic, Futura, or Knockout.

On the screen, fonts with wider letters and a more generous x-height tend to be easier to read. That said, fonts like Verdana are a bit too plain at larger sizes. Helvetica is a great workhorse font for print, as are Frutiger and Univers, but Windows machines most likely lack this font. At small sizes Arial is a poor substitute for Helvetica because of its seemingly narrow letters (due to pixel restrictions), but kern (letter-spacing) it a little tighter at 16px+ sizes and make it bold, and it suddenly will become very usable, especially for building a strong grid. A font with some quirks is always nice and interesting visually, like Trebuchet MS (see the header of this page). These fonts too, have a low x-height and aren't as visually 'clean' to read through.

The solution is Lucida Grande: functional and quirky enough to look "different." Its Windows counterpart is Lucida Sans and Lucida Sans Unicode, which should be on more Windows machines anyway, more than the new Microsoft fonts like Calibri, etc. You'll find that both Windows fonts are needed, Sans looks right with bold text and some sizes, and Unicode looks right with the rest. I think this is the font to use mainly to make long body text look less boring, since it gets tricky to use at various sizes and weights.

Also, from a developer's standpoint, there is nothing as beautiful and functional as a nice monospace font. So it really depends on your content, since if you have a load of copy to fit into a defined area you're better off with Arial. But sites these days see so much Arial being used. Lucida Grande / Sans Unicode is hands down a better font. It's always a good idea to have a pair of complementary fonts, so use a serif font like Georgia (the web's workhorse) and play around with the upper-casing and letter-spacing too.

Here are the top ten fonts used my newspapers around the US.
1. Poynter
2. Franklin Gothic
3. Helvetica
4. Utopia
5. Times
6. Nimrod
7. Century Old Style
8. Interstate
9. Bureau Grotesque
10. Miller

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MI Printing
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Readability Assessment: Part II

2012-02-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Using computerized readability assessment tools. Most word processing programs include a feature that assesses readability. In addition, there are commercially available readability programs. Regardless of which computerized tool you use, it is recommended that you clean up your text before you assess readability:

•Save a copy of the document with a different name to use for the analysis.
•Check that the software you are using is accurately counting the number of sentences and words.
•Delete words that are not full sentences from the sample being tested. This includes such items as headings and bulleted lists.
•Delete extraneous periods that do not mark the end of a sentence. Periods found in numbers like 98.6 and abbreviations such as U.S.A. will make the results of assessment inaccurate.

Don't Over Interpret the Results

Grade level equivalent scores are, at best, only accurate by plus or minus 1.5 grade levels. This means that when you revise a material so that the score drops from 7.3 to 6.8, it is not necessarily easier to read. Results may also vary depending on which formula you use. For example, the Fry formula often returns a score that is one to two grade levels lower than the SMOG. The computerized Flesch-Kincaid tool often returns a score two to three grades lower than other computerized formulas. Results give us a ballpark figure.

While using one or two syllable words and short sentences will result in a lower readability score, the score does not necessarily mean that the document is easy to read. Sometimes the message gets lost when text is choppy and key points are overly simplified. To make written texts truly readable, apply all the principles of clear and simple writing. That includes:

•Focusing on information the reader "needs to know"
•Organizing information in ways that make sense to the reader
•Assembling materials so that they are inviting to read

Match the Reading Level to the Reader

Readability formulas only measure the relative difficulty of the text. By themselves, the formulas are not sufficient to determine whether there is a match between the document and the reader. The only way to truly find out if a document is easy to read is to ask. Work with intended readers as you develop new materials. Then test the materials to confirm that the people actually do understand the information as it is presented.

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MI Printing
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Readability Assessment: Part I

2012-02-21T17:25:00.001-07:00

Originally designed to help classroom teachers choose textbooks for their students, most readability formulas give a score in terms of a grade level. But it isn't enough just to know how far your readers went in school. Many adults actually read at a level 3 to 5 grades lower than their last completed year of school. That's just one of the facts you need to know to be able to effectively assess the readability of your printed material.

Many people say that they write easy to read materials. When asked how they know, they say that they check it with the readability formula that's included with their word processing program. While being better than nothing, these formulas are less than a perfect tool to assess reading ease. And whether you use a computerized application or test the readability by hand, there are things you need to know and do in order to get a meaningful result. You need to carefully select the sample text. You need to correctly apply the assessment tool. And you need to understand how to accurately interpret the results.

There are over one hundred factors that affect how easy, or hard, a given document is to read and understand. These factors include sentence length, word choice, layout, tone, organization, use of illustrations, and appeal to the reader. Readability formulas often look at only two or three of these factors - most commonly, the number of words in a sentence and the number of syllables in a word.

Despite their limitations, though, readability assessments can be useful tools. The key is to take the necessary steps to accurately interpret the results. Here are some things to keep in mind when you are assessing the readability of written healthcare information.

Use the Proper Method to Get an Accurate Score
Selecting your sample. Different tests for readability use different methods for choosing samples. It is important to follow the prescribed method for selecting a sample in order to get an accurate score. There are, however, general guidelines you should follow in order to get the most accurate reading.

When you choose text to assess, you should choose text that has at least 30 sentences, or 300 to 500 words. If you want to assess lengthy text, be sure you take samples from the beginning, middle, and end of the document. Select passages with connected, flowing text. Do not include the first and last sentences, however. They often are not characteristic of the rest of the text.

Assessing readability "by hand." There are several effective tools for assessing reading levels "manually." Two of the most commonly used tools are the Fry and the SMOG assessments.

To use the Fry Formula, you count the number of syllables and sentences in three 100-word passages. You then average each set of figures and refer to a graph to find the grade level equivalent of the text. Although some people find this method tedious, it is a particularly useful tool for assessing lower reading-level materials.

For the SMOG, you count all the words with three or more syllables in three 10-sentence passages. Then you refer to a table to find the grade level equivalent. This tool includes a conversion chart to assess text that has less than 30 sentences.

The SMOG can be a useful tool to assess higher reading-level materials. But it is not as accurate as other methods for more basic written information. Regardless of which manual assessment tool you use, be sure to follow the directions exactly. This includes counting repetitive multi-syllabic words, such as "med-i-ca-tion" each time the word appears in the text.

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MI Printing
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Presidents' Day

2012-02-20T16:21:00.001-07:00

Photo by Dean Franklin

Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday to be observed on the 3rd Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.

The federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February is not officially called Presidents' Day. Instead, it is Washington's Birthday. There was an attempt in 1968 to officially name it Presidents' Day. However, this suggestion died in committee. Many states, however, choose to call their own celebration on this day "Presidents' Day."

Traditionally, many celebrated and continue to celebrate Washington's Birthday with desserts made with cherries. Cherry pie, cherry cake, bread made with cherries, or just a huge bowl of cherries are often enjoyed on this day. Of course, this relates to the legendaryl story that Washington would not tell a lie when asked if he cut down a cherry tree.

On February 22nd of almost every year since 1888, Washington's Farewell Address has been read in the US Senate. While this does not happen on Presidents' Day, it is an annual celebration of Washington's Birthday that stems from 1862 when the Address was read as a way to boost morale during the Civil War. This address was and is so important because it warns of political factionalism, geographical sectionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's affairs. Washington stressed the importance of national unity over sectional differences.

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MI Printing
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MI Printing: Flyers For All Your Advertising Needs

2012-02-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Quality flyers are among the most used advertising media that can help draw more prospective customers to your business. It our job to make sure you are satisfied with those advertising materials. We are proud to produce printed materials that you are proud to distribute.

We can help bring your companies' image into your companies' printed materials used in communication and advertising.

Call Paula at 623.582.1302 to discuss how we can show you our Customer Satisfaction model for your printing needs.

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MI Printing
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The Power of Nice

2012-02-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

So much of the Television landscape has recently been populated with shows that go out of their way to show people being down right deceitful, mean and so self-centered that you wonder where and how they were raised.

Every channel seem to be trying to outdo the next on who could have the meanest show. The idea was that the sow with the most drama would be the winner and have the largest audience. No, I’m not going to give you a long list of what shows I mean.

Some the shows had early high ratings. But none had long followings. After the peak only the hard-core fans stayed on. With every season the shows had new competition and all the producers tried more and more outrageous stuff to bring in new viewers and keep their old ones.

It always seems that what ever show is a hit, the other networks quickly bring their own version or spin on that idea. The trend has always been that way, westerns and more westerns. Cop shows and more cop shows. Doctor and hospital shows brought even more of the medical shows.

Only the brave (and experienced producers and writers) will gamble on new formats and set a trend away from the “herd.”

No, I’m not about to suggest that TV Land is about to break out with a case of “Nice.” We can sure practice “Nice” in our own lives and businesses.

Go out of your way to treat your customers with a heavy dose of “Nice”, both in person and in your advertising, print or otherwise. Reward your employees for being nice to customers. Praise can be very profitable.

If your customers aren’t your nicest friends, you should work on that.

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MI Printing
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Not A McDonald’s Ad!

2012-02-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

I know this may start out sounding like a McDonald’s Ad, but its not. McDonald’s is just a big part of the story. As a local (Phoenix Arizona Metro Area) merchant we like the new philosophy of “Think Globally, but Act Locally.”

The idea of buying locally has benefits for everyone in your area from the local farmer, drycleaner, hardware store to your local full service printer.

So on with the McDonald’s story. I was a bit hungry and was passing a McDonalds and noticed a poster for the new Chicken McBites. I dropped in and had a Shareable McBites and drinks. Eating-in meant that the tray contained a “trayliner” as well.

While enjoying the new McBites (think, a lot smaller than a Chicken McNugget) I read about the new “Portable and Poppable Chicken McBites” on the trayliner. What I found in small print on the vary bottom of the trayliner is what really caught my attention… I read “Printed in the United States of America.” I didn’t know that! Aren’t all big companies printing everything overseas? The bottom line profit motive (real or not) seems to be the mantra for all corporations these days.

McDonald’s Printing in the United States of America, well knock me over with a feather. So I read on. My cup was “Printed in the United States of America.” The cute little foldable container with my Chicken McBites was “Printed in the United States of America.” Three out of three.

Looking across the table at a fellow diner let me see that not only was the container made using recycled paper it was “Printed in the United States of America.” Now it was 4-out-of-4!

This is not a McDonald’s Ad, it is a Great Big Thank You to McDonald’s. “Think Globally, but Act Locally.” On behalf of all the U.S. of A. printers, large and small, Thank You.

We can only recommend that we all can act in that way. Support your local…

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MI Printing
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Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Valentine's Day History & Facts

2012-02-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition.

There are many opinions about the origin of Valentine's Day. Some historians think it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.

He died on February 14th, circa 270 AD, the same day that was devoted to Juno who was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses.. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine".

Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him.

In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned the Roman holiday Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14th. He proclaimed February 14th to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, the Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.

Today the celebration of Valentine's Day has become one of sweethearts, chocolate, gifts and celebrations about the love of your life, at least the current one. Special dinners either out or provided by the spouse or boy friend have also been added to honor your Valentine lover.

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MI Printing
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Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Tune Up Your Brochure (Cont)

2012-02-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

Cover Design. The cover is your first opportunity to capture the reader’s interest. A brochure is not a line card, so think beyond a product picture and logo. A designer can help pick out a bold photo or design, a unique font, a splash of unexpected color, or a customized font. Ask your print about unusual, stand-out paper stocks, sizes, shapes, or finishes.

Call to Action.

You have drawn your customers in. You’ve informed them about your company and your products. Now what?

A prize in every pack! There’s only one correct ending—include a call to action! Give the reader an exclusive invitation, a free white paper, or a perforated card to request more information about your products and services.

Continue the conversation. Beyond displaying your contact information and web address on the back cover, continue the conversation by directing the reader to your social media channels or your corporate blog.

Companies tend to limit distribution of corporate brochures because of the cost involved, but a well-designed, professionally printed brochure can be worth a great deal more than its cost.

The real expense comes from printing the first copy. You can order thousands of additional copies for comparatively little money. Get them in the hands of your employees, vendors, distributors, customers, and prospects and see where an effective brochure takes you.

Anyone can print business cards and letterhead, but a well-produced brochure sends the message that you are a legitimate company with a strong history, expert team, slate of satisfied clients, and solid brand.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Why Your Business Should have a Brochure

2012-02-10T21:56:00.001-07:00

Here at MI Printing we hope you have been enjoying our "History of Printing" series. It will be back tomorrow but now it is time for a word from our sponsor. Well, we are the sponsor.

Do you ever have a customer ask for more information that they can take home and think about? The average customer doesn't usually make snap buying decisions. They want to compare and think over any large purchase. What makes "it" a large purchase? That answer varies from customer to customer. But the needs for product (or service) brochures are there.

The quick answer "It's on my website" doesn't satisfy everyone. Some customers don't use computers. Others feel that a brochure you can hold in your hand is better than a website.

You should always have enough information in your brochure as is necessary to inform your customer about the product 9or service) and your business.

When a prospect requests your brochure, keep in mind, that they are interested in reading about your product or service.

They want to know about your product, service, website, price, ordering information, and you must be fully descriptive. Still keep the information simple by breaking the content into easy to read sections.

Make sure the customers knows you have the product or service to meet their needs.
Remember your brochure should inform your customer and close the sale!

If you need help from start to finish MI Printing is here to help meet your needs.

Call us at 623-582-1302

Tune Up Your Brochure

2012-02-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

Do you think of your companies brochure as a budget suckers that no-one is ever going to read. In order to interact with your customers, you need a conversation starter. Your brochure should be just that. All it may need is a Tune Up to get the best Return on Investment ever.

Please feel free to visit us at printinginaz.com to discuss your next brochure and how we can help you with a free assessment of your existing brochure!

Tune Up Your Strategy

Begin by Thinking With A Purpose. What single job do you want your brochure to do?

1. Is it introducing a prospect to your company?
2. Your company history and mission.
3. A leave-behind for trade shows?

Don’t try to make your brochure to complex or tackle too many messages.

Who Is Your Target Market

If your brochure doesn’t engage the reader it doesn’t do its job. All of your time in design, writing, and printing is lost Your brochure’s next stop may be the trash can.

Be Conversational. Don’t write a technical manual or white paper. These reports have different purposes and audiences.

Always write in a conversational, friendly style, with your best information First. Think Headline!

To give your copy a human angle, include case studies and customer testimonials. Selectively use factual information to make your piece both interesting and believable.

Use attention grabbing headlines and images. Pull quotes that brings awareness and new information front and center to your audience.

Use bold and color to make your text more understandable, to highlight your most compelling points, and to give your readers enough that they get the gist at a glance and want to keep reading. Your brochure should always read like a magazine rather than a financial report.

More next Monday February 13th

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Single Concept Advertising.

2012-02-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Stop a minute and take a look at your companies brochure. Is it a simple single concept? Does it try to tell everything about your business?

Does it tell and list everything you offer or do? Why? Everyone does it that way! Really. Ever noticed in a Doctors office that they have many brochures and each offers advice on a single problem or health condition.

The correct way to present a problem and offer a solution is to do it one thing at a time. You don’t ever want to bury your audience with more than one topic. Remember K.I.S.S? Keep it Simple Stupid or as some folks say Keep It Stupid Simple.

You have a restaurant and you want to have new people try out your lunch or dinner servings. Your competition may think the best way is to print up a mini menu and had those out. That gives them EVERYTHING and the prices. Do they care you serve coffee and soda? Do they care that like all other restaurants in the area you have 16 kinds of chicken? Just a list of fare that goes on and on, boring plus!

You are much better served taking that same space and telling them that you have the best, most mouth watering pies west of the Mississippi. Finish with when and where and you have a very effective advertisement. Never forget the a “Picture is Worth a Thousands Words!”

The next week your new ad covers your large piece southern fried chicken made from your great grandmothers secret family receipt, served with locally grown fresh vegetables. Images are everything in these ads.

Does it work for your local garage? Sure it does. Just the facts ma’am… Stay with why your cars needs frequent oil changes and then offer your best solution and at a great price.

For the customer who must have more information include your web site and let them visit and get more information at their leisure.

Call us before you start on your next brochure.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Write Creatively in Your Next Brochure

2012-02-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

What makes an “ad” creative? I think the easiest way to judge that is the “ad” is successful. The ad has the desired effect on the reader. What is it you want the ad to do?

First the must be memorable. If your message isn’t remembered it can’t have any effect. Is the desired result to visit your store, eat at your restaurant, drop off the dry cleaning or buy a gift from your shop. The “ad” or brochure must tell a story that has two main goals. Be remembered and two have a simple call to action.

Great creative advertising has insights, anecdotes, quotes from buyers, interesting stories about the company and key benefits or a great outcome when they buy from you.

A creative idea is the first step, and the most important step, towards a successful “ad”.

Where can that creative idea come from? A great place to start is by asking your clients to tell you why they are buying from you. Next, ask them what one thing would they like you to improve or ad to your mix of products or services.

Spend a little extra time with both your clients and your own ideas. It's just plain good for your creative karma.

Open your calendar. Pick up the phone. Schedule time to pick the customer’s brain.

Obviously, one goal is to learn more about the client's needs. Another goal is to understand the client's culture and personality. You may want to reflect that personality in your ads - in the way you define the your brand, in the way you position the company to respond and communicate to and with your customers and potential buyers.

Tell a good story. Put that story into print and judge the results and then try again to see if it is true. Practice makes Perfect.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Notes on the Fridge

2012-02-06T19:01:00.001-07:00

I saw an ad by the United States Post Office the other day and it extolled the virtues of using paper as a storage medium. Invoices that lead the way to paid bills stored in a drawer rather than lost or hacked in cyberspace.

It got me thinking about those notes I have stuck to my fridge. Some are just that, notes. But many others are really ads; From my real estate agent, a place to write notes. From my insurance man with reminders of what to do in an emergency. From my dentist about my next appointment. From the car dealer about my next service.

Wow, all these printed communications that are part ad and part friendly reminders or helpful hints. Guess what, I do keep them, and use them and post them on my fridge.

Ok, the smell of printers ink in the morning. Kind’a reminds me of that old say “Printer’s Ink in Your Veins” or now “Pixels in my Pocket!” and they all lead to “Notes on the Fridge” Ads with a place to call home…

Be creative, make your next printed ad have a home on the Fridge.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Special : Retractable Banners

2012-02-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Advertising that stands up and stands out! Our retractable banners provide mobile presentation solutions for trade show display booths, retail stores, restaurants, and hotels. Our affordable banner display stands and trade show banners are lightweight and easy to use so you will look like a pro wherever you show.

Cal Paula for your special price on a l33.5 x 78 Retractable Banner from customer supplied art.

We are ready to help just give us a call at 623.582.1302

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Choosing a Typeface

2012-02-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Typography is not a science. Typography is an art. There are those who’d like to make it a science; those who believe that a large enough sample of data will somehow elicit good typography. However, this cookie cutter mentality will only ever produce cookies. That typography and choosing type has no cut and dry rules.

Before we get to choosing type, let’s briefly talk about responsibility. Fundamentally, the responsibility we bear is two-fold: first we owe it to the reader not to hinder their reading pleasure, but to aid it; second, we owe a responsibility to the typeface or typefaces we employ. Good typefaces are designed for a good purpose, but not even the very best types are suited to every situation.

What follows is not a set of rules, but rather a list of guiding principles.

Guideline One: honour content
This, of course, should be every typographer’s mantra. In fact good typographers, most likely won’t even have to consciously think about this, it’s instinctual.

"The domain may be unfamiliar, but establishing contexts, understanding limitations, and identifying options is a constant in design."Gerry Leonidas

It’s worth mentioning here that these principles are equally applicable to any medium. Some of my favourite typefaces look dreadful on screen; and even good typefaces like Georgia or Verdana, designed especially for the screen, often look at best mediocre on paper. Choosing type for the web is easier owing to fewer choices; however, that’s beginning to change.

Guideline Two: read it
If you’re setting text, whether it be for a novel about the Franco-Prussian war or for a single-word headline, read it—really read it. Reading the text will give up vital clues, not only for choosing the right typeface or typefaces, but will also be an aid in the overall design of the page. An example: you’re setting text for an essay on the history of blackletter; so you set the text in blackletter, right?

Probably not. There is a place for considering the historical context; however, it would be wrong to stick rigidly to this method of choosing type. If you’re setting a text on Neanderthal man, you’re going to run into problems.

In addition to reading the text, one should attempt to understand it. This is not always possible. If you’re setting text for an article on String Theory or Quantum Physics, then perhaps full comprehension is out of the question. However, attempt to understand the thrust or theme of the text.

Guideline Three: audience and canvas
Who will read your beautifully set text? Scientists, lawyers, engineers, Millennial Generation, children? If it’s not obvious from the text, then find out. Historical ligatures may not go down too well with pre-school kids.

Consider too the canvas, the page. Perhaps you’re setting text within someone else’s page design and you have no control over margins or page dimensions. A cramped page, with small margins may benefit from a lighter type, whereas ample margins may well merit a blacker typeface.

Guideline Four: does it look right?If your text’s final destination is paper, then print it and see. Your type might look exquisite on screen, but a train wreck on paper. There really is no substitute for printing. If setting for the screen, then check it on both PC and Mac, and at different screen sizes.

And finally
Remind yourself that typography really is an art and that many of the decisions you make, including type choice, are subjective. If you’re unsure, ask others (designers and non-designers) to read your work. And seek out examples of great typography.

Tracking or Letter Spacing the Right Way

2012-02-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

In typography, letter-spacing, also called tracking, refers to the amount of space between a group of letters to affect density in a line or block of text.

Letter-spacing can be confused with kerning. Letter-spacing refers to the overall spacing of a word or block of text affecting its overall density and texture. Kerning is a term applied specifically to the spacing adjustment of two particular characters to correct for visually uneven spacing. Kerning adjusts the letters closer together (negative spacing), tracking adjusts the letters further apart (positive spacing).

Letter-spacing adjustments are frequently used in news design. The speed with which pages must be built on deadline does not usually leave time to rewrite paragraphs that end in split words or that create orphans or widows. Letter-spacing is increased or decreased by modest (usually unnoticeable) amounts to fix these unattractive situations.

Tracking differs from kerning in that tracking is the adjustment of space for groups of letters and entire blocks of text. Use tracking to change the overall appearance and readability of the text, making it more open and airy or more dense.

You can apply tracking to all text or selected portions. You can use selective tracking to squeeze more characters onto a line to save space or prevent a few words from carrying over to another page or column of text.

Tracking often changes line endings and shortens lines of text. Tracking can be further adjusted on individual lines or words to improve hyphenation and line endings.

Tracking should not replace careful copy fitting. Use tracking adjustments carefully and avoid extreme changes in the tracking (loose or normal tracking following by a line or two of very tight tracking) within the same paragraph or adjacent paragraphs.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

What does “Font Leading” mean?

2012-01-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

In typography, leading refers to the distance between the baselines of successive lines of type. The term originated in the days of hand-typesetting, when thin strips of lead were inserted into the formes to increase What does “Font Leading” mean?

In typography, leading refers to the distance between the baselines of successive lines of type. The term originated in the days of hand-typesetting, when thin strips of lead were inserted into the formes to increase the vertical distance between lines of type. The term is still used in modern page layout software such as QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign.

In consumer-oriented word processing software, this concept is usually referred to as "line spacing" or "interline spacing."

The word comes from lead strips that were put between set lines. When type was set by hand in printing presses, slugs or strips of lead (reglets) of appropriate thicknesses were inserted between lines of type to add vertical space, to fill available space on the page.

Text set "solid" (no leading) appears cramped, with ascenders almost touching descenders from the previous line. The lack of white space between lines makes it difficult for the eye to track from one line to the next, and hampers readability.

The following block of text has no leading:
Typography (Greek: typos "form", graphein "to write") is the art and technique of setting written subject matter in type using a combination of typeface styles, point sizes, line lengths, line leading, character spacing, and word spacing to produce typeset artwork in physical or digital form.

This block of text set with 50% leading is easier to read:
Typography (Greek: typos "form", graphein "to write") is the art and technique of setting written subject matter in type using a combination of typeface styles, point sizes, line lengths, line leading, character spacing, and word spacing to produce typeset artwork in physical or digital form.

This block of text at 100% leading is harder to read and makes less efficient use of vertical page space:
Typography (Greek: typos "form", graphein "to write") is the art and technique of setting written subject matter in type using a combination of typeface styles, point sizes, line lengths, line leading, character spacing, and word spacing to produce typeset artwork in physical or digital form.

In CSS, leading is implemented by creating a difference between the content height and the value of the line-height property. Half the leading is called the half-leading. User agents center glyphs vertically in an inline box, which adds half-leading on the top and bottom. For example, if a piece of text is '12px' high and the line-height value is '14px', 2pxs of extra space should be added: 1px above and 1px below the letters. (This applies to empty boxes as well, as if the empty box contained an infinitely narrow letter.)

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

What does “Font Kerning” mean?

2012-01-30T18:47:00.001-07:00

In typography, kerning (less commonly mortising) is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font, usually to achieve a visually pleasing result. Kerning is the adjustment of the space between individual letter forms vs. tracking which is the uniform adjustment of spacing applied over a range of characters.

In a well-kerned font, the two-dimensional blank spaces between each pair of characters all have similar area. The related term kern denotes a part of a type letter that overhangs the edge of the type block.

The word kern is a cognate of corner. In the days when all type was cast metal, a corner was notched to a consistent height on one or both sides of a letter-piece. Such notched pieces were only set against one another, not against unnotched ones, which had straight sides. The corner allowed for a character's features to reach into the area normally taken up by the next character, for example the top bar of the T, or the right diagonal stroke of the V to hang over the bottom left corner of an A.

Having a consistently shaped corner cut out allowed for using fewer pieces of type to make up all possible kerning pairs; for example a T- and V-piece with kerning on the right would match the same A piece with a matching kerning indention on the left.

In digital typography we can adjust the "kern" of letters or as in most cases let the program do it for us. Programs seldom a great job of kerning without help from a special section of the program and the operator.

In digital typography, kerning is usually applied to kerning pairs as a number to be added to the default character spacing, expressed in the font's coordinate system. A digital font's kerning feature can also increase the character spacing between two characters. Increased character width is used mainly in conjunction with accented letters.

Another approach is to use kerning classes; where one offset is stored for any pair of characters from two sets, for example (V, W) and (a, e, o). This one class is equivalent to the pairs Va, Wa, Ve, We, etc. Kerning classes can be used in OpenType fonts, and applications that support this feature. Although this is the newest, most advanced form of kerning, using kerning classes is essentially the same approach as was used in metal type. The use of kerning classes is necessitated mostly by today's multi-language fonts that feature many more glyphs, and more kerning pairs, than a single language font would need; especially accented letters.

Kerning is also widely used to fit capital letters, such as T, V, W, and Y, closer to some other capital letters on either side (especially A) and to some lower case letters on the right side, such as the combination Ro. It is also used to fit a period (full stop) closer to these and to F, as well as the lower case letters y and r. Some other combinations are AC, FA, and OA.

Which letters need to be kerned depends on the languages the font is to be used with. Some combinations of letters are not used in normal words in any language, so to include kerning for these combinations is not necessary.

Kerning is implicitly part of digital type design, and advanced typographic systems allow the specification of kerning. It is commonly confused with tracking. Most high-quality fonts contain instructions for kerning which are applied automatically by the typesetting engine.

Non-proportional (monospaced) fonts don't use kerning, since their characters by definition always have the same spacing.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Looking for a Short Run Post Card Deal?

2012-01-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

This week let's take a moment and talk about "Post Cards!"

Direct mail is a very effective way to reach your customer and let them know about your latest products, newest services, up-coming events or your website. There are so many ways to use post cards in today's marketing environment.

With our new digital printing we can even make short-run post cards a very cost effective tool. You can target a smaller group of potential customers and get out your sale notices even faster.

We can also do your long runs in many popular size Post Cards. If you have a motel / hotel or tourist attraction we can help you with Post Cards that promote your location and even sell to your customers.
Post cards for sales and For Sale!

If you need help from start to finish MI Printing is here to help meet your Post Card needs.

We are known for our fair prices and quick turn arounds.

Call us for your post card solutions at 623-582-1302 and ask Paula about current our pricing!

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2012-01-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Parts of a Volcano

The adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly.

It is believed that the modern use of the phrase stems from an article by Fred R. Barnard in the advertising trade journal Printers' Ink, promoting the use of images in advertisements that appeared on the sides of streetcars.

Visuals can improve your communication materials when used correctly. Pictures help grab an audience’s attention and help tell a story.

Photographs work best for showing “real life” events, people, and emotions. Photographs tend to be more compelling to audiences.

An illustration or drawing can simplify complexities and highlight key components of an idea.

Cartoons may be good to convey humor or set a more casual tone. Use cartoons with caution; not all audiences understand them or take them seriously.

Present one message per visual. When you show several messages in one visual, audiences may miss some or all of the messages.

Label visual with captions. Be sure visuals and captions are placed near related text.

Use visuals that help emphasize or explain the text. Consider the space available and potential use of the visual. Steer clear of visuals that merely decorate or are too abstract.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Prepress Dos and Don'ts: Design & Page Layout

2012-01-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

DO use a document setup size (i.e. your page dimensions) that is the same as your trim size. For instance, if you are creating a 6 by 9-inch book, set up your initial page size in the document setup for 6 by 9-inches

DON'T create 6 by 9-inch text frames in a 81/2 by 11-inch document setup and manually add registration marks.

DO make page elements that bleed extend at least 8th of an inch beyond the page boundary.

DON'T use your page layout/desktop publishing program's predetermined “hairline” rule. The width varies from program to program, and prints out differently on a laser printer than on an imagesetter, if it prints at all. Don't create rules that are less than .25 pt.

DO watch for widows, orphans, rivers, bad kerning and other desktop publishing no-nos that will make you look like an amateur. Get rid of double-spaces after periods, don't use spaces to align columns (use tabs) or to create paragraph indents. Know your en dash (–) from your em dash (—).

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Prepress Dos and Don'ts: Graphics

2012-01-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

DO supply ALL of the graphics used to create your project. Desktop publishing applications like Quark and InDesign link to your graphics; they do not embed them in the document. If you don't supply the graphics along with your Quark or InDesign documents, the printer will get a missing picture error, and won't be able to continue until you supply the graphics.

DO use TIFF and EPS graphic file formats:

Use TIFF for halftones: graphics that are not just black and white, but rather, have many shades of gray or color gradation (i.e. scanned photos that were created or edited in Photoshop or an image editing application). For information on resolution, see the tutorial on halftoning tips.
B&W clip art (no shades of gray just 100% black and 100% white) looks best if scanned in and saved in 1200 dpi Bitmap TIFF format.
Use EPS for line art, illustrations, charts, clipart, etc. graphics that are basically black and white and were created or edited in vector applications such as Illustrator or Freehand. Resolution should be at least 600 dpi, 1200 dpi is the standard and creates the best print quality.

DON'T use other graphic file formats like PICT, JPEG, GIF. Just because you can import them into your desktop publishing application doesn't mean that you should. Stick with TIFF and EPS. If your graphics are in any other format, convert them. This is especially true of the PICT format. Quark hates PICTs; imagesetters hate PICTs. Steer clear of PICT.

DO most, if not all, of your image editing and graphic manipulation (i.e. lightening, darkening, etc.) in the original program that the graphic was first created or edited in, rather than the desktop publishing application. For instance, if a Photoshop TIFF needs to be lightened or darkened, lighten or darken it in Photoshop, not in Quark. Even though Quark will lighten or darken an image, adjust contrast, etc., you may get different results once you project goes to press and is printed.

DO name your graphics with the appropriate file extension: filename.tif, filename.eps.

DON'T rename graphics once you have placed them in your desktop publishing / page layout document(s). If you do, make sure to go back into your document and re-link the graphics.

DO check your mode for color TIFFs. Save color TIFFs as CMYK (not RGB, never RGB). Save black & white TIFFs as Grayscale.

DO check with your printer to see if they charge extra for breaking any of these “rules.”

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MI Printing

Phone: 623.582.1302

Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Prepress Dos and Don'ts : Fonts

2012-01-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

DO supply the printer with ALL of the fonts used to create your project (even the symbol, fraction and dingbat fonts). Try not to use TrueType fonts, and for PostScript fonts, make sure you supply the printer with both the screen and the printer font parts. Remember to include fonts used to create EPS graphics, and fonts that the printer probably already has (i.e. like Helvetica, etc.). There are many different versions of some fonts and a “wrong” version can cause reflow/repagination problems.

DON'T use Bold or Italic in the style menu or hit the Bold or Italic button when you want to bold or italicize text in your page layout program. Use the actual font. For example, in Quark, if you want to create text that is Helvetica Bold, don't select some Helvetica text and then bold it. Instead, select the text and change the font itself (not the style) from Helvetica to Helvetica Bold.

DON'T use TrueType fonts. Period. Always use PostScript or OpenType and Adobe fonts (Macintosh or PC/ Windows) are always a safe bet. TrueType is fine for printing to a laser or inkjet printer, but TrueType fonts can cause severe problems when it comes to commercial printing. Many commercial printers won't even print a project that contains TrueType fonts. Often, they pop.

DON'T use 20 different fonts for a 4-page newsletter. It makes you look like you don't know what you're doing. In desktop publishing, consistency is everything. Use one font for your main body text, another for your main heads, another for photo captions, another for sidebars, etc., but don't mix and match fonts for your main body text or make every headline a different font unless you're trying to create some sort of chaotic effect and it is your intention to confuse the reader. Too many fonts is not only considered to be bad design, but it also slows printing to a crawl.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Number 10 Custom Window Envelopes

2012-01-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Custom Envelopes, #10 White Window Envelopes; One Color (Any) Ink on front from customer supplied art + Deliverd + Sales tax if applicable.

Many times the first impression a person will have with your company is to handle and open correspondence that arrives in your company envelope. There’s something about receiving a custom printed company envelope. You can feel the importance and significance of any document with the help of logo, printing and the quality of the paper. In fact, correct envelope printing adds greatly to the image and credibility of a company.

While your letterheads are standards for businesses and companies, the envelopes that carry that important document can not be a poor quality product.

Envelope printing is crucial because it contributes to the image of professionalism and reliability that a company projects. The image of a company can be picked up from the documents that they produce and use in communications with the public.

Your company's formality and credibility is also reflected in your envelopes. Envelopes in fact, have the power to affect a response from the recipients whether its favorable or not. Depending on the look, appearance, color and quality, your envelope can greatly influence the way your recipients think about you and your company's message.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your professional quality envelopes. Let us know how many you need and we can get you a fast and very fair quote. 623-582-1302

Prepress Dos and Don'ts

2012-01-19T20:00:00.002-07:00

When creating a your next printing project, whether it is an entire book, brochure, menu or simple newsletter) and sending it to a commercial printer you'll save yourself time, money and redos if you adhere to a few simple guidelines.

General Rules

DO create and edit your text in a word processing application such as Microsoft Word and then import the text to a desktop publishing application such as InDesign, Pagemaker, NIcrosoft Publisher or Corel Ventura where you can create your page layout, format the text with graphics, etc.

DO use Adobe InDesign for desktop publishing. InDesign is fully-integrated with its sister apps, Photoshop and Illustrator. Another page layout program is Adobe Pagemaker, now discontinued but still around.

DON'T use Microsoft Word as a desktop publishing application. Word does have many of the same layout features as desktop publishing apps such as Quark and InDesign (i.e., it can create columns, import graphics, create nice laser prints, etc.) but when it comes to commercial printing, Word is not going to get you very far. Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, etc. are word processing applications, NOT desktop publishing/layout programs. They handle font replacement differently and often cause reflow. If you can do your output as a PDF that is set to your printers specifications.

DON'T create your page layout for multi-page documents in draw programs such as Illustrator or Freehand. Always use desktop publishing programs like InDesign if possible.

DO provide the printer with a hard copy laser printout of your project, as well as all of your layout files, graphics and fonts. Inkjet printers are fine for initial proofing and printing, but always get a final printout (and proof it) from a PostScript laser printer.

DON'T assume that what you have printed out and submitted as hard copy or see on your monitor is what you will get. Take a letter by letter, word by word look at proofs supplied by the printer. Never assume that your printer will catch your mistakes, errors and omissions.

DO follow your printer's advice and suggestions. That will always save you money in the long run.

DON'T assume that you know more than the printer.

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MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

More about Ink

2012-01-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Inks are found in almost every aspect of human activity. We read newspapers, magazines, and books on a daily basis. We post lists on our refrigerators, jot things down on our calenders, and leave sticky notes for our coworkers and friends. We make piles of photocopies and print lots of pages from our computers. We buy myriad packaged consumer products printed with ink. We use stamps and money, again printed with ink. And if you delve into finding out more about ink, you will learn that people use a lot of ink writing about ink.

What is ink? It is an organic or inorganic pigment or dye dissolved or suspended in a solvent--essentially the same as paint.

The first inks were fruit or vegetable juices; protective secretions from cephalopods such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopus; blood from some types of shellfish; and tannin from galls, nuts, or bark from trees. The first man-made ink appeared in Egypt about 4,500 years ago and was made from animal or vegetable charcoal (lampblack) mixed with glue.

Today's inks are divided into two classes: printing inks and writing inks. Printing inks are further broken down into two subclasses: ink for conventional printing, in which a mechanical plate comes in contact with or transfers an image to the paper or object being printed on; and ink for digital nonimpact printing, which includes ink-jet and electrophotographic technologies.

Color printing inks are made primarily with linseed oil, soybean oil, or a heavy petroleum distillate as the solvent (called the vehicle) combined with organic pigments. The pigments are made up of salts of multiring nitrogen-containing compounds (dyes), such as yellow lake, peacock blue, phthalocyanine green, and diarylide orange. Inorganic pigments also are used in printing inks to a lesser extent. Some examples are chrome green (Cr2O3), Prussian blue (Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3), cadmium yellow (CdS), and molybdate orange (a mix of lead chromate, molybdate, and sulfate).

Black ink is made using carbon black. And white pigments, such as titanium dioxide, are used either by themselves or to adjust characteristics of color inks. Inks also contain additives such as waxes, lubricants, surfactants, and drying agents to aid printing and to impart any desired special characteristics.

Printing ink is a $10 billion global industry. The Census Bureau tracks about 250 printing ink companies in the U.S., which produced 2.2 billion lb of ink with sales of $4 billion.

So what's in the future for ink? Could ink someday become obsolete? The advent of personal computers, personal electronics, and the Internet may one day replace libraries full of printed books and periodicals with electronic products. But the great paperless society hasn't begun to show itself yet, people simply like paper too much. And as long as there's paper, then there will be ink.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Types of Ink

2012-01-17T17:17:00.001-07:00

Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill. Thicker inks, in paste form, are used extensively in letterpress and lithographic printing.

Ink can be a complex medium, composed of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescers, and other materials. The components of inks serve many purposes; the ink’s carrier, colorants, and other additives control flow and thickness of the ink and its appearance when dry.

Pigment inks are used more frequently than dyes because they are more color-fast, but they are also more expensive, less consistent in color, and have less of a color range than dyes.

Pigments are solid, opaque particles suspended in ink to provide color. Pigment molecules typically link together in crystalline structures that are 0.1–2 µm in size and comprise 5–30 percent of the ink volume. Qualities such as hue, saturation, and lightness vary depending on the source and type of pigment.

Dye-based inks are generally much stronger than pigment-based inks and can produce much more color of a given density per unit of mass. However, because dyes are dissolved in the liquid phase, they have a tendency to soak into paper, making the ink less efficient and potentially allowing the ink to bleed at the edges of an image.

To circumvent this problem, dye-based inks are made with solvents that dry rapidly or are used with quick-drying methods of printing, such as blowing hot air on the fresh print. Other methods include harder paper sizing and more specialized paper coatings. The latter is particularly suited to inks used in non-industrial settings (which must conform to tighter toxicity and emission controls), such as inkjet printer inks. Another technique involves coating the paper with a charged coating. If the dye has the opposite charge, it is attracted to and retained by this coating, while the solvent soaks into the paper. Cellulose, the wood-derived material most paper is made of, is naturally charged, and so a compound that complexes with both the dye and the paper's surface aids retention at the surface. Such a compound in common use in ink-jet printing inks is polyvinyl pyrrolidone.

An additional advantage of dye-based ink systems is that the dye molecules interact chemically with other ink ingredients. This means that they can benefit more than pigmented ink from optical brighteners and color-enhancing agents designed to increase the intensity and appearance of dyes. Because dyes get their color from the interaction of electrons in their molecules, the way the electrons can move is determined by the charge and extent of electron delocalization in other ink ingredients. The color emerges as a function of the light energy that falls on the dye. Thus, if an optical brightener or color enhancer absorbs light energy and emits it through or with the dye, the appearance changes, as the spectrum of light re-emitted to the observer changes.

A more recent development in dye-based inks are dyes that react with cellulose to permanently color the paper. Such inks are not affected by water, alcohol, and other solvents.[citation needed] As such, their use is recommended to prevent frauds that involve removing signatures, such as check washing. This kind of ink is most commonly found in gel inks and in certain fountain pen inks.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Soy Ink

2012-01-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Soy ink is a kind of Ink made from Soybeans. As opposed to traditional Petroleum-based ink, soy-based ink:

■ is more Environmentally friendly
■ is available in brighter colors
■ improves the life span of the printers
■ makes it easier to recycle paper
■ is more economic in the long run

Soybean oil is an edible vegetable oil, soy ink is not edible or 100% biodegradable because the pigments and other additives that are mixed with the oil are the same as those used in petroleum-based inks. They are, however, overwhelmingly more environmentally friendly. Degradability studies conducted by Erhan and Bagby concluded that the pigment cartier in 100-percent soy ink degrades almost twice as completely as ink made from soy oil and petroleum resins, and more than four times as completely as standard petroleum inks. Similarly, soy ink is a helpful component in Paper recycling because the soy ink can be removed more easily than regular ink from paper during the de-inking process. This allows the recycled paper to have less damage to its paper fibers and have a brighter appearance. The waste that is left from the soy ink during the de-inking process is not hazardous and it can be treated easily through the development on modern processes.

Soybean oil is naturally clearer than petroleum distillates and other vegetable oils, making it easier to obtain brightly colored ink. Since the oil is clearer, less pigment is necessary to produce the same effect, which reduces the overall cost of the ink. The higher oil to pigment ratio renders the inks easier to recycle as well. Recent studies involving engineering of certain oils in the bean have resulted in even clearer oils.
In addition to a brighter ink, some printers report that they need less ink to print the same amount of paper when compared to petroleum inks. Soy ink has been found to spread approximately 15% further, reducing ink use and printer cleanup costs.

Newspapers use soy ink regularly, especially for color because it creates a sharper and brighter image. Color newspaper inks are more competitive to petroleum-based inks as well. They are only about five to ten percent more because the price is more due to the cost of the pigment, which is not as big a factor with black inks. Color soy inks are more widely accepted because they become the most quickly cost effective after savings in terms of excess pigment, VOC and printer cleanup costs. This “overall cost” for soy inks is significantly lower than the initial market price, and it is at this point that they become competitive with their petroleum counterparts.

Soy ink is not a perfect solution to the problems associated with the production of ink. For example, it cannot be used in Ballpoint pens and personal printers. One major problem with soy ink is that it takes more time to dry than petroleum-based inks, due to its lack of evaporative solvents in the form of VOCs. This creates challenges for some Printing presses, especially those that use coated papers (such as magazines) instead of porous, uncoated paper (such as newspapers) where the ink can dry via absorption.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Indoor Magnets

2012-01-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Make your advertising message STICK!
Indoor Magnets... Several Sizes and Styles available 4/0 (Full Color One Side), 17pt UV coated stock. From customer supplied art. Art should be 300dpi PDF file.

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your specialty printing needs. Learn about the many options we offer for your business printing needs. Questions... Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Please ask about money saving larger quantity print runs. For best results a high quality PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

Thank You
Matt & Paula

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Embossing: Part III

2012-01-12T19:03:00.001-07:00

Stock Selection
Factors to consider in stock selection include surface characteristics, grain, gauge, weight, material density, printing inks or coatings to be applied, and finishing processes to be used. Generally, the stocks most receptive to embossing dies are stocks that are uncoated, heavier in weight, and have a felt finish. Embossing on heavier stocks will most often provide greater dimensional depth and detail. If some of the stock being embossed or hot stamped is thicker in gauge, advise the engraver to "tool" increased depth into the die to give more definition when it is embossed. The greater depth will compensate for thickness, memory, and stock resistance. It is desirable to have the die "bottom out" or strike the paper at the point where the stretch of the material comes close to reaching it's maximum limit without cracking or tearing.

Coated, varnished, or lightweight stocks have a tendency to crack when embossed. Paper and ink have limitations in the degree that they can be stretched before cracking. Coatings cannot be stretched, so care should be taken with any type of embossing on coated or varnished stock. Embossing with foil instead of ink can assist to eliminate cracking on coated stocks. If heat is applied to the embossed die, such as in foil stamping or glazing, it will increase the chances of the coated and lightweight stock becoming brittle, which may cause the embossing process to crack the stock after the die strikes the material.

Textured stocks may compete with the embossed image if the texture is too deep. However, for a blind emboss, a slightly textured stock provides the best results. Consider the direction of the paper grain when embossing or scoring. Emboss and score in the direction of the grain since going against the grain can cause cracking problems. Occasionally, such as with borders, it is necessary to go against the grain to achieve the desired effect. Recycled paper may cause the embossing to be inconsistent in appearance from sheet to sheet, since the higher the content of recycled fibers, the weaker the stock when exposed to heat and pressure. Use paper with 30% post-consumer fiber or less. Long-fiber sheets are the best for embossing, since they are capable of handling a wider variety of embossing dies, particularly the deeper dies. Sulfate and foils are the best board stocks to be used when embossing packaging materials.

Artwork Preparation
Set copy or create images with fonts above 12 point and lines thicker than 2 point. Use images that are more open and have fewer thin lines. Embossing will have a tendency to fill in small, enclosed areas, thin lines, or closely kerned text. Thin serifs do not emboss well unless they are large and well defined. It is generally best to prepare images slightly larger than the size desired. This is to compensate for the resulting dimensional effect that occurs because the paper thickness tends to change the size of the image. For greater depth, provide more letter space in the artwork. Copy or images with very close registration may involve extra work and greater cost. Be careful not to use trapping techniques on any artwork appearing adjacent to embossing and foil stamping. Screened copy and images with changes in tones do not reproduce effectively into dies for embossing, so line art should be created as if it were a solid image or solid color. If a beveled die is to be used, the artwork and copy for the image may need to be slightly enlarged to compensate for the image and copy reduction that occurs due to the beveled edges. Keep images at least 1/2" away from the edge of the stock being embossed in order to eliminate wrinkles that will occur if the embossed image is too close to the edge of the stock.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Embossing: Part II

2012-01-11T18:21:00.003-07:00

Appearance and Shapes
Embossing is basically used to create an effect. The greatest concern and emphasis on the client's behalf should be placed on the outcome of the embossed effect. In order to achieve the most distinctive effect, it's important to understand the embossing process and the types of dies that are used for embossing.

The three factors that need to be controlled during the embossing process are:
Pressure - The intensity of the impact on the weight of the stock being embossed.

Heat - The ability to keep the heat consistent and at a proper level for the best impression.

Die Depth - The client's artwork or the engraver's efforts will initially determine this, however, if by looking at the artwork it appears necessary, the die may need to be tooled to gain greater depth.

Types of Dies

Single-Level
The die is straight and level with only one depth. It is generally used for lines, borders, and single-dimension images or line art. It provides a well-defined edge for the image.

Multi-Level
It is also referred to as a dimensional die. Several distinct levels of depth are used to add a variance in dimension to the image. It is often used with images having unique detail such as landscapes or feathers.

Round Edge
A round edge die provides a soft edge effect rather than a hard ruled edge. It is often used to provide the sense of a round object coming outward from the paper and continuing out beyond the stock.

Beveled Edge
An alternative that provides the appearance of combining the softness of a round edge with the well defined lines of a distinct edge. It is very effective when used in heavier gauge stocks that may tear easily upon impact.

Sculptured
A hand-tooled brass die that has a variety of depths.
Varying levels of the sculptured die create a dimensional depth and appearance for the embossed image. It is very effective for blind embossing and scorching.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Embossing: Part I

2012-01-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Often used in combination with foil stamping, embossing is a process that applies pressure to the backside of a material to alter the surface, giving it a three dimensional or raised effect. The procedure involves the use of two dies, one fitting into the other so that the raised die forces the stock into the recessed die to create the embossed impression. A die maker engraves the desired image, or copy, into several metal plates, which are the embossing dies for use on an embossing press. Generally, embossing is the process most often employed to attract attention or convey a high quality textural contrast in relation to the surrounding area of the stock. A thorough understanding of the process will allow for a more successful result. An embossed image is shown below.

Debossing is the term used to describe the opposite process or effect, which involves applying pressure to the front side of a stock forcing the material away or down from the paper surface. Although it is not as commonly used as embossing, debossing is occasionally used to provide a different effect or appearance that fits a particular theme. A debossed image is shown below.

Types of Embossing

Blind Emboss - Blind embossing does not include the use of ink or foil to highlight the embossed area. The change in the dimensional appearance of the material is the only noticeable difference resulting from the embossing. The blind embossing process provides a clean and distinctive or subtle image on paper stock. It is best used to create a subtle impression or low level of attention to the piece, yet provide some slight form of differentiation for the finished work.

Registered Emboss - Registered embossing is a process that places the embossed image in alignment with another element created with ink, foil, punching, or with a second embossed image. In the illustration below, the blind emboss is aligned within the larger printed circle to produce a registered emboss.

Combination Emboss - Combination embossing is the process of embossing and foil stamping the same image. It involves imprinting and aligning foil over an embossed image to create a foil emboss. A sculptured die, generally made of brass is used for this procedure. The process requires close registration that must be controlled to keep the image and foil matched precisely. A combination die is used to foil stamp and emboss in one operation. The combination die has a cutting edge around the outside of the die to cleanly break the excess foil away from the embossed area.

Pastelling - Pastelling is also referred to as tint leaf embossing. It involves the process of using a combination die to provide a subtle antique appearance to a substrate that is foil stamped and embossed. Pearl finishes, clear gloss, or similar pastel foil finishes can be selected giving a soft two-color antique look (without scorching) to the embossed image. Lighter colored stocks work best to provide this soft contrasting effect.

Glazing - Glazing refers to a finished embossed area that has a shiny or polished appearance. Most often this process involves heat that is applied with pressure in order to create a shined and burned impression into the stock. Generally, darker colored heavier weight stocks work best to create this polished effect and to eliminate or soften any burned appearance that may result from the heat. When used with foil, the process creates a slightly brighter appearance to the foil.

Scorching - Scorching is similar to glazing except that it is not used to polish the stock. Instead, scorching does what it implies: as the temperature of the die heating plate is increased beyond the normal temperature range, a scorched effect is created in the embossed image resulting in an antique or shaded appearance to the stock. A lighter colored stock is best for this procedure to provide a unique two-toned appearance. Caution should be used in requesting this effect, since it is easy to burn the stock if too much heat is used. If scorching occurs too close to the printed copy, it can interfere with the clarity of the printed copy, unless the objective is to accomplish that effect.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Tips on Choosing Paper: Part III

2012-01-09T17:54:00.001-07:00

7. The Printing Process
If your budget allows for specialty printing processes, such as embossing, foil stamping, letterpress and the like, make sure your paper is suitable for these techniques. Look at printed samples. They are available and you just have to ask for them.

As digital printing becomes more and more popular, be aware not to speck a digital sheet for an offset press and vice versa. Digital printing papers are made specifically to perform under the high heat/low moisture conditions of a digital printer or press. Offset papers are manufactured to perform at low temperatures and with liquid inks.

You will see that many mills offer digital side lines for their established grades and there are more coming into the market all the time -- from white sheets to metallic papers that run with ease on digital presses.
Using the right paper for the printing process, whether digital, offset or specialty, eliminates one variable in print production that can cause problems -- and we don't have time for problems.

8. Price
It has happened to all of us. We have champagne taste on a beer budget. Paper averages 30 percent of the cost of a print project. That is not a small percentage and definitely one to take a closer look at, if you work on a tight budget.

There are a lot of ways to "cut corners" and save on the general paper cost, but this would make for a whole article in itself.

Talk to your printer or speck rep and ask for lower cost alternatives.

And if you are specking a coated white sheet, look at your grades and see what the best sheet one grade down has to offer.

9. Availability
If you were told in the beginning stages of your project that the paper you have specked will be shipped from Wisconsin and you are based in sunny California, allow for some lead time. You will be well prepared and this will not be an issue for you.

We do hear of frustration when it comes to a paper's availability and the term "mill item" comes up a lot. Be aware that a mill item to one merchant might be readily available on the floor of the next merchant.
Around 80% of print jobs in the U.S. are printed on coated or uncoated white paper. This is what sells the most and this is what you will definitely find in every merchant warehouse.

Due to the economic situation, merchants and printers try to carry less stock to assume less financial responsibility. Mills have, in general, warehouses all over the country and make sure they are always are well stocked, so you can have your paper in days, not weeks.

When it comes to specialty papers, especially those manufactured overseas, certain amounts are stocked in warehouses here in the U.S., but if you need a larger amount, they will immediately tell you if they need any extra lead time. Mills like Gmund from Germany and the French Thibierge & Comar are known to airfreight your paper to the U.S., if needed.

If you are in a rush and flexible when it comes to your paper choice, consider your printer's house sheets. As printers buy those in bulk, they are readily available and you will usually get a good price.

In most cases, your printer is your best friend and you should have a good working relationship. But every once in a while, we hear about someone who tries to avoid asking more than one merchant for a specific paper.

I warned you from the start that specking paper is very complex, but recent changes in the economy have created even more issues on paper availability that warrant discussion.

We hope we've clarified many of the features you need to consider when choosing the most appropriate paper for your projects. If you keep our tips in mind, selecting your next paper should be a breeze.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Special Carbonless Forms

2012-01-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Tips on Choosing Paper: Part II

2012-01-05T18:05:00.001-07:00

4. Color and Brightness

There is white, white and white. And let no one tell you anything different. Papers are available in blue-white, balanced white, natural white, soft white -- you name it.

Blue-whites, which are very popular at the moment, have a higher-brightness and allow colors to stand out, while warmer whites, which have a lower-brightness, are more comfortable on the eyes for reading or extended viewing.

As you can imagine, not every white fits every purpose. Don't print warmer tones, such as skin tones, on a blue white sheet. It can easily make healthy-looking people look grey. This is what warmer white papers are made for.

Brightness. Yes, there is a definite hype going on when it comes to brightness. Don't get hung up on finding the brightest paper because even when two sheets are placed next to each other, you won't see a two-point difference in brightness.

Originally, AF&PA standards for paper grades determined that a No. 2 sheet had a brightness of 83-84 and a No. 3 sheet's brightness was 80-83.

So, why do we see No. 3 sheets with brightness levels of over 90 these days? Let's just say, brightness is not the only paper mill concern anymore and a sheet is whatever a manufacturer chooses to call it. In the end, the grade is determined by marketing.

A good quality, bright sheet is usually a more expensive sheet to make. Fillers and chemicals, such as fluorescent dyes and optical brighteners, are needed to create the paper's bright appearance. While they help give the paper a blue-white shade, they also take a toll on the paper's stability and runnability on press.

When it comes to a premium or No. 1 sheet, you pay for great brightness and perfect runnability. But how do you know which sheet/grade is right for you? Once you are considering a sheet, ask your supplier for a printed sample of the best sheet one grade below and compare.

Mills are known to upgrade the quality of a sheet. Even though a sheet could pass for a No. 1 grade, the mill may have no offering in a No. 2 grade yet, so they sell it as a No. 2 grade to complete their palette and annoy the competition. It's all about marketing.

Color. As for colored paper, it can enhance a one-color job and serve as a background cover, but it can also affect the appearance of the printed text and images. Blue ink on an ochre-yellow sheet will look green. Some mills have made great promotions available which show exactly what you can expect when you print C, M, Y, or K on a their colored stock.

But there are other options than offset printing on a colored stock. Create an interesting cover with blind embossing, foil stamping and/or a die-cut window that reveals a full color image on the inside of the brochure.

5. Paper Weight, End Usage and Distribution

Now that we know which finish and color we want for our print job, lets look at weight. We have writing papers for letterheads, text sheets for text pages in a brochure and cover sheets. We all know that these guidelines don't really have a big impact on your paper choice anymore.

In keeping with an overall trend for heavier weights in stocks, a lot of designers spec 80-90 lbs. text for letterheads and use light cover stocks for complete brochures inside and out. With an eye on tight budgets, these heavier papers can make up for a lower page count and still give a credible, dependable feel.

Will the piece be mailed, mass mailed or handed out personally to selected prospects?

We discussed mail-outs earlier, so watch out for overall weight and when choosing reply or post cards, make sure the paper you speck is manufactured to the caliper required.

If you design stationery, be aware that in 99 percent of all cases, letterheads will be printed by laser or ink jet printers, so make sure the paper you speck is compatible for this specific use. When it comes to embossed finishes, many mills offer laser compatible versions of their textured sheets, called Light, as in a light version of cockle, or Imaging, as in imagine that looks like laid. This paper will still show the specific texture, but in a less embossed way, which makes it suitable for use in laser/ink jet printers.

If the paper is not specified for laser use, be sure to get a few sample sheets and test it yourself. When it comes to textured sheets, toner has a tendency to easily rub off, especially when touching the imprinted copy.

For educational or reference pieces with a long life span, pick a paper that offers sturdiness and durability. Synthetic papers, for example, have proven to be a great alternative to index stock, when it comes to tabs.

If a piece is handed out personally, you are home free -- no postal regulations, no weight constraints -- well, nearly none. Will the person handing out the piece or the recipient want to make notes on the piece? In that case, watch out for coated gloss papers or varnishes. Few pens write well on them and your prospects will be frustrated.

In cases where a lot of handling occurs and you are worried about fingerprints, a coating or varnish is definitely the way to go.

If your project will be printed on both sides and especially, if heavy ink coverage is involved, the paper's opacity is crucial. Make sure the paper you choose does not allow any show-through. If in doubt, go one step heavier in weight.

If you are working on a piece that will be mailed, the weight of the finished piece is a major consideration. Watch out for postage costs and make sure the finished piece is below the USPS requirements. Look at your dummy and don't forget there will be ink added to the weight, as well.

Always stay on the lighter side. I remember a beautiful holiday card I designed for a client that was ready to be mailed and fit the 32-cent postal requirements perfectly. But then, my client decided to add a gift certificate and the postage went up to 55 cents.

There is something else you should remember: if bulk and weight are important, an uncoated sheet will work better for you. Due to the clay coating, a coated paper will weigh more than its same-sized counterpart. Even though it weighs less, the same piece printed on an uncoated sheet will be thicker because uncoated paper naturally has a higher bulk.

If your job requires stiffness, such as with a business reply card, make sure the paper is manufactured to caliper and guarantees a specific thickness and stiffness.

Papers are manufactured to either caliper or weight. A paper manufactured to weight has a slightly fluctuating caliper, as the main concern during the production process is weight. If a paper is called out in "pt," or you see a footnote in your swatch book that states that this specific weight is manufactured to caliper, you are fine.

6. Recycled Content

Some of you might be very familiar with recycled papers. The fact is that government agencies and conservation groups continually advance the issue and put pressure on corporations to "think green." So be prepared.

When it comes to recycled papers, there are still a few misconceptions among designers and print buyers. Some believe that all papers are recycled anyway, and others worry about having limited paper choices. There is also a perception that recycled papers have a potential for technical problems in the printing process. All these fears are unfounded.

If you think looking for recycled papers will limit your creativity, think again. From the 3,500 papers we feature at PaperSpecs, nearly 60 percent have some recycled content and more than 1,000 meet or exceed the current Environmental Protection Agency requirements.

The EPA standards for printing and writing papers are 30 percent post-consumer waste content for uncoated papers and 10 percent for coated papers. Many mills have created papers with the minimum requirements, while others are continually aiming to produce papers with higher recycled contents.

It is not only the post-consumer contents you should watch out for, but also the way the paper you choose is bleached.

For years, chlorine gas has been used to bleach paper, which produced cancer-causing dioxins that infiltrate our surface waters. Now most mills in the U.S. use ECF, an Elemental Chlorine Free process that reduces these toxins dramatically, but doesn't eliminate them completely.

A more environmentally friendly option is to look for paper that has not been bleached at all, or substitutes oxygen-based compounds for chlorine compounds. These papers are marked Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) when talking about virgin fibers, or Processed Chlorine Free (PCF) for recycled papers. The distinction is made because the origin of the content in recycled paper and the way it was bleached is not known and can't claim to be TCF.

Another option is to look for paper that is FSC-certified. This means that the fiber content in this paper, even though virgin, comes from plantations that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for sustainable forestry practices.

But, let's not forget about the paper's on-press performance. Today's recycled papers have come a long way, from what you might have heard about years ago, and run as smoothly on press as any virgin sheet. In addition, they are even known to score, fold and emboss better because recycled fibers are softer and allow these processes to be performed with ease.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Tips on Choosing Paper: Part I

2012-01-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Choosing paper is more complex than just picking the least expensive sheet and hoping for the best.

In fact, you shouldn't think about choosing paper based on the lowest or highest quality available, or even the highest quality you can afford. Rather, you should figure out the appropriate quality paper for your needs because the most appropriate equals the best choice.

The point is -- no one paper stock fits every project. Paper stock is complicated. It is three-dimensional and, in addition, no two print jobs are ever alike. The ink coverage, batch of paper, and moisture in the air -- all will affect the production of a printed piece.

We've compiled our top nine tips to help you find the right paper for your projects and we will prsent them three at a time over the next three days.

1. Choosing the Paper is Step One

As soon as the preliminary design is done, spec your paper and get quotes from printers. Tell your printer you are open to suggestions, not substitutes, but suggestions.

Depending on the sheet size we plan to use, small changes like 1/16th of an inch in the width of your piece can sometimes make a big difference to allow the job to fit better on the sheet. At this stage, you can still make small adjustments to the design.

Getting your quotes early will also make you aware of any turn-around times you should consider in your deadline. Make adjustments if the paper you have specked is readily available from your local merchant (1 day) or has to be shipped from the mill's warehouse (2-5 days).

2. Personality

Consider the life span of your printed piece. Is it a direct marketing piece, that on a good day, 5% of the recipients will look at? Or does your piece have a longer life span like an annual report, a marketing brochure or catalogue?

The personality of your piece, its life span, texture, color and coating determine the price range and quality of your paper, in addition to your budget.

Ask yourself what impression the piece should make. A non-profit organization asking for financial support sends a mixed message when its mailer is printed on a premium stock. Premium paper suggests luxury and the recipient may think, "why bother, they seem to have enough money anyway."

If you are printing a job that reflects environmental issues, choose papers with recycled content, visible fibers or a mixed composition with a lower brightness and a texture that conveys the environmental feel.

For projects that suggest luxury, metallics, iridescents, suede, leather and other specialty papers create a stunning first impression.

3. Finish

When designing a piece, we designers have a very clear idea of what kind of finish will enhance our design. Some designs ask for gloss, some need a matte finish -- don't mess with us, we know what we want.

If color and crisp image or photographic reproduction is your concern, a coated gloss, matte or silk sheet is always a great and safe choice. But, there is definitely a trend toward uncoated sheets.

Large corporations are aiming to portrait a softer, more understated image. With fluorescent inks and knowledgeable prepress technology, the natural surface of uncoated papers is an ideal background for four-color process printing.

The paper is not only there to give the ink a foundation, but to enhance the design of the image you want to portray. A great example is the Eddie Bauer piece that fits the company's personality to a "T." The texture and feel of the uncoated Neenah stock gives the impression of a sketchbook or diary kept while on a relaxing trip through the great outdoors.

Create a special interest even with a one-color print job. Don't shy away from trying something new, like unusually textured or specialty papers that already are a trend in Europe and are gaining more and more popularity here. The new generation of production techniques make it easier to convert, print and finish these sheets.

Don't be stuck with the same few paper choices over and over again. At MI Printing we can help you choose from hundreds of different paper stocks -- why limit yourself?

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

How To Choose A Good Printer

2012-01-03T18:58:00.002-07:00

How To Choose A Good Printer for your business? Try running that question by Google and you will get thousands of answers and recommendations.

But, what if your questions is how to choose a local company to do printing for your local business ??? Not which laser or inkjet printer is the best!

You know what I mean now, right? You want business cards, forms, letterhead, envelopes, brochures or anyone of hundreds of different “printed” paper products you need to conduct everyday business.

A Google search may not be the quickest way to get that answer. You can ask around of other businesses in your area. Who does a good job, on time, fair pricing and is on your budget.

This is one of those times when “Word-of-mouth” is a very good idea. Many of our business contacts come from people we do business with that recommend us to their friend and business contacts.

So, if your local area is the Valley of the Sun ( Metro Phoenix ) please give MI Printing a call and let us talk over your business “printing” needs. That is 623.582.1302 and ask for Paula.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Flyers For All Your Advertising Needs

2011-12-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Offline Ads in a Online World continued

2011-12-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Promote your site in everything you do. By phone, by mail, handouts and in person.

Including your web site address or URL in all your print media. But don’t stop there. Realize that readers don’t necessarily take your web site address from your ad and type it into their Internet address bar. Often, readers remember some other key item from your ad, such as the product name or tagline, and search that phrase in a search engine. That means your print media needs to prominently display your company name, product name, tagline, or any other pertinent descriptor or keyword your customers would remember. Therefore, before you design your ad, think like your customer and create a list of keywords they would likely search for if they were looking for your product. Then, include those words in your print media so you can reinforce the message into the readers’ minds.

You can make some of the following changes as the need for reprinting arises.

• Annual Reports
• Return Envelopes
• Appointment Cards
• Sales Sheets
• Business Cards
• Shipping Containers
• Business Reply Cards
• Statements
• Customer Survey Literature
• CVs
• Estimates & Proposals
• FAX Cover Sheets
• Flyers, Door Hangers, Coupons
• Holiday Cards
• Instruction Manuals
• Invoices
• Letterhead
• Menus Tent & Comment Cards
• Postcards
• Price Sheets
• Product Literature
• Products & Product Tags
• Reminder Cards & Letters

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Offline Ads in a Online World

2011-12-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

To reach today’s consumers in the most efficient manner, you need a mix of offline and online ads. And while many advertisers are already aware of the power of television advertising to drive sales and online traffic, few realize the potential of print advertising and how it impacts a company’s bottom line.

New research from iProspect and Jupiter Research that looks at the influence of offline channels on online search found that 67% of online search population is driven to search by offline channels. Of that percentage, 30% come from print ads. Even more impressive is the fact that print advertising topped the list of offline media sources that led to a purchase, with 30% of search users who opened their wallet and bought online coming from a print medium.

So what does all this mean to today’s advertisers? It means that if you’re not using print media, such as flyers and brochures, to advertise your company, product, or service, then you’re missing out on not only sales, but also web traffic that could in turn lead to future business. Stay tuned for more tips.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

North America’s Top Paper Companies

2011-12-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

With total annual sales in excess of $130 billion and production approaching 100 million mtpy, North America’s Top 25 producers employ nearly 400,000 workers.

It’s no surprise that International Paper Co. continues to be the top paper producer in North America, in fact the world’s No. 1 paper company in terms of sales and production volumes.With net sales of $24.097 billion, a production portfolio of some 16 million metric tons per year (mtpy), and 68,700 employees worldwide, IP is a firm No. 1 on the PaperAge list of Top 25 North American-based pulp and paper companies.In compiling this listing based net sales and earnings include all categories such as lumber, wood products and other building materials, converted paper and paperboard products, molded pulp products, plastics and other specialty composite products, chemicals, distribution services, and in some cases waste/secondary fiber collection, recovery, and sales. However, production capacities, as accurately as possible, include just pulp, paper/tissue, and paperboard. Likewise, employee numbers are company-wide for all business segments, not just pulp and paper. Capital spending and research and development allocations are, generally, also consolidated for all business segments, except as noted. Canadian sales, earnings, and expenditures were converted to U.S. dollars, and all production capacities were converted to metric tons.

In terms of net sales,Weyerhaeuser is a close second at $22.629 billion, followed by Georgia-Pacific at an estimated $18.7 billion, which was acquired by U.S.-based Koch Industries and now operates as a private company.Weyerhaeuser had nearly 14 million tons of capacity and 49, 887 employees. In No. 4 position based on net sales of $8.396 billion and a production capacity of 8.184 million mtpy, The Top 6 - 25, in order of sales and production are: Boise Cascade (now owned by Madison Dearborn Partners investment group), Temple-Inland, Abitibi-Consolidated, Domtar, Sonoco Products, Bowater, Canfor, Tembec, Cascades Group (40% employee-owned), Graphic Packaging Corp. (formerly Riverwood), Packaging Corp. of America, Rock-Tenn, Catalyst Paper (formerly Norske Skog and Fletcher Challenge Canada), NewPage (Cerebus Capital Management/formerly printing and writing paper business of MeadWestvaco), Potlatch,Wausau Paper, Appleton (100% employee owned), Longview Fibre, Caraustar Industries, and Pope & Talbot.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2011-12-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

“Merry Christmas” Say It Loud With Christmas Banners

2011-12-22T18:51:00.000-07:00

During Christmas you come across attractive Christmas banners saying, “Christmas Sale Up to 50%.” No matter you are a big brand or a small business, Christmas is the time where you get maximum business exposure. Decorating storefronts, halls, entrance and booths is something that you cannot miss during Christmas. You can use attractive Christmas banners to display holiday offers and discounts. Keep these tips in mind:

Christmas theme will add festivity flavor in your Christmas banner design. The most popular Christmas themes are Santa Claus, Christmas trees, gifts, stars, bells, snowman and much more. You can choose the most appropriate one for your Christmas banner. Whether you are running annual sale or showcasing your products, add Christmas theme in your Christmas banner. Be innovative while you design Christmas banners.
Incorporate Christmas colors in your banner design. Popular Christmas colors are red, green and snow white. Make sure you use a mix of these colors in your banner to add Christmas zest. You can also select the colors that represents your business or brand.

Choosing the right material and message

Vinyl is the most popular banner printing material. Vinyl material is ideal for outdoor purposes. It is the most durable, weatherproof and UV-resistant. You can convey your message in the public with high quality vinyl material.

Choose the short and clear message in your Christmas banner design. Include necessary call to action in the text. Encourage visitors to take necessary actions. Use attractive fonts and styles to display your message. Use appropriate images and graphics in your banner design. Use high resolution images. You will get the finest quality images and vibrant colors printed on vinyl material.

Mounting banners at the right places

You should know where you are going to place your Christmas banners. You can place them at storefronts, near church, schools or anywhere to draw audience’s attention. Remember displaying banners at the right place will help you increase sales and ROI. Mount the banners at the places where it get maximum exposure.
You can make this Christmas more special with attractive Christmas banners. All you need to do is, use your imagination and creativity to design a perfect banner. Banners are really helpful in conveying your message, offers and special festival discounts.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

A Charlie Brown Christmas

2011-12-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

The half-hour special first aired on Thursday, December 9, 1965, preempting The Munsters and following the Gilligan's Island episode "Don't Bug the Mosquitoes". To the surprise of the executives, it was both a critical and commercial hit. None of the special's technical problems detracted from the show's appeal; to the contrary, it is thought that these so-called quirks, along with several other choices, are what lent the show such an innovative, authentic and sincere feeling. For instance, Linus's recitation was hailed by critics such as Harriet Van Horne of the New York World-Telegram who said, "Linus' reading of the story of the Nativity was, quite simply, the dramatic highlight of the season."

A total of 50% of the televisions in the United States were tuned to the first broadcast. A Charlie Brown Christmas won an Emmy and a Peabody award, and is today considered to be one of the most beloved animated holiday specials of all time. The success of the animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, has given rise to numerous other Peanuts specials (including ten others that are also holiday-themed), a miniseries devoted to America (This Is America, Charlie Brown), a Saturday morning cartoon (The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show), and four full-length Peanuts feature films.

"Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!"

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

Christmas & Holiday Cards Around The World

2011-12-20T19:23:00.002-07:00

Photo by Malene Thyssen

Christmas is the largest card-sending holiday in the United States with approximately 2 billion cards sent annually. In the UK there are over 7 million Christmas cards sent out. Annual e-card sending industry-wide is estimated at less than 500 million More than 20 paper cards are sent for every one e-card.

There are more than 3,000 greeting card publishers in the United States, ranging from individual studios and small family-run companies to major corporations.

Many businesses, from small local businesses to multi-national enterprises send custom printed Christmas and holiday cards to the people on their customer lists, as a way to develop general goodwill, retain brand awareness and reinforce social networks. These cards are almost always discrete and secular in design, and do not attempt to sell a product, limiting themselves to mentioning the name of the business. The practice harkens back to trade cards of the 18th century, an ancestor of the modern Christmas card.

Many organizations produce special custom printrd Christmas cards as a fundraising tool. The most famous of these enterprises is probably the UNICEF Christmas card program, launched in 1949, which selects artwork from internationally known artists for card reproduction.

From the beginning, Christmas cards have been avidly collected. Queen Mary amassed a large collection that is now housed in the British Museum. The University College of London's Slade School of Fine Art houses a collection of handmade Christmas Card.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

History of the Christmas Card

2011-12-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

When London's John Calcott Horsley invented the first Christmas card in 1843 as a favor to Henry Cole, neither man had any idea of the impact it would have in Britain and later in America. Even the early Christmas card manufacturers believed Christmas cards to be a vogue which would soon pass. They operated on a quick turn basis and did not bother to document the cards they produced. However, the Christmas card was destined to become an integral part of the holiday season. By 1880 their manufacture was big business, creating previously unknown opportunities for artists, writers, printers, and engravers.

The "trick card" was the most popular Christmas card of the Victorian era. While infinite in variety, it always featured some element of surprise. While seemingly simple at first glance, the turning of a page, the pulling of a string, or the moving of a lever would reveal the unexpected, showing the card to be more complex than first imagined.

For more than 30 years, Americans had to import greeting cards from England. In 1875, Louis Prang, a German immigrant to the U.S., opened a lithographic shop with $250 and published the first line of U.S. Christmas cards. His initial creations featured flowers and birds, unrelated to the Christmas scene. By 1881, Prang was producing more than five million Christmas cards each year. His Yuletide greetings began to feature snow scenes, fir trees, glowing fireplaces and children playing with toys. His painstaking craftsmanship and lithographic printing have made his cards a favorite of collectors today. Christmas Cards have changed since the days of Sir Henry and Louis Prang. They now sport comics, jokes and clever verses. But those that picture timeless and simple settings such as excited children around a Christmas tree, Nativity scenes, nature scenes and carolers singing in the snow are still in the highest demand today.

Presented By
MI Printing
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: AZ History One City At A Time: Bullhead City

2011-08-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

In the 19th century, the current site of Bullhead City was called Hardyville, named for early resident and politician, William Hardy. A New York native and an entrepreneur, Hardy established a ferry service across the Colorado River and raised Angora goats. He was a colorful and somewhat controversial figure who is considered by many as the founding father of Bullhead City. He was a postmaster, county supervisor and a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. In 1864, his personal worth was over $40,000.00, making him the second richest man in Arizona.

From 1852 to 1909, steamboats made regular trips up the Colorado River from Port Isabel, Sonora, passing Hardyville regularly. These stern-wheeler riverboats played an important part in the early development of the areas bordering the Colorado River. The small town saw the construction of a general store, a saloon, a blacksmith shop, a quartz mill, a billiard hall, and a respectable public hall.

Although the 19th century saw a population boom in Hardyville as mining became more profitable, the beginning of the 20th century saw mining activities move away from the Colorado River and Hardyville. When the railroad was constructed from Needles, California to Kingman, Arizona, Hardyville was abandoned and became a ghost town. A small cemetery, now a historic landmark, is the most significant existing remnant of Hardyville.

Decades later, Hardyville would be resurrected as Bullhead City with the construction of Davis Dam between 1942 and 1953. The dam was originally called Bullhead Dam after Bull's Head Rock, a well-known landmark along the Colorado River. Bullhead City became the headquarters for the construction project, which was completed in 1953. Thus the name "Bullhead City" was born. As the nearby Lake Mohave developed into a major tourism destination, and as the casino and resort town of Laughlin, Nevada, sprouted up across the river, Bullhead City grew rapidly.

In 1970, Bullhead City was the name of the six blocks that ran north-south along Highway 95 across the river from Don Laughlin's casino. About a thousand people lived in original Bullhead City at that time, about 3,000 people in Riviera. In 1984, the small communities of Bullhead City, Riviera, and Holiday Shores voted to incorporate, choosing the name "Bullhead City" for its historical significance. The annual celebration Hardyville Days pays homage to the history of the town, and the man that first settled this shoreline along the Colorado River.

MI Printing: Flyers For All Your Advertising Needs

2011-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

MI Printing: AZ History One City At A Time: Goodyear

2011-08-23T16:55:00.001-07:00

Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of 16,000 acres of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire threads. The small community that formed as a result of the Goodyear Farms cotton industry first became known as "Egypt" for the Egyptian cotton grown there and then, finally, was called "Goodyear." The community thrived as long as the cotton industry was strong. But after the war, cotton prices plummeted and Goodyear's economy suffered.

The town of Goodyear was incorporated in November 1946. At that time, the town had 151 homes, 250 apartments, a grocery store, drug store, barber shop, beauty shop and service station. The town became a city in 1985.

However, World War II brought a recovery in the early 1940's when the Litchfield Naval Air Facility and the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation located here, employing as many as 7,500 people at one time. Dirigibles or "blimps" were built at the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation.

Then, in 1949, a long history of aerospace and defense programs began in Goodyear when the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation replaced the Goodyear Aircraft facility. That plant was later sold to Loral Defense Systems and eventually evolved by merger and acquisition into the current Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Litchfield Naval Air Facility was the training base for the Navy Blue Angels aerial demonstration team until 1968. After the war, the Naval Air Facility served as a storage base for thousands of World War II aircraft that were moth balled and salvaged. Then, in 1968, the Navy sold the airfield to the City of Phoenix which named it the Phoenix-Litchfield Airport. In 1986, it was renamed the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport.

In the 1980s, the 10,000 acres that remained of the original Goodyear Farms was sold to SunCor which developed much of the land into the Palm Valley master-planned, mixed-use community located north of I-10 in Goodyear.

MI Printing: Special Carbonless Forms

2011-08-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

MI Printing Donates 5% to Somalian Relief (UNICEF)

2011-08-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

In response to the news we see and read, we at MI Printing want to help the people of Somalia and the surrounding region. From August 16th to September 16th we are donating 5% from each of our printing jobs to UNICEF.

Like a wildfire that has been smoldering for months, the crisis in Somalia Africa is now raging, impacting more than 10 million people and spreading through three countries. The worst drought in 60 years – fueled by skyrocketing food prices (more than 120% in some areas), tribal conflicts and limited humanitarian access – has brought the region to suffering widespread famine.

Water is scarce. Acute malnutrition is evident in many children and adults. Animals are dying at a rate 40 to 60 percent above normal in communities that depend entirely on livestock to survive. The hard, cracked ground produces nothing for them to graze.

Increasing numbers of refugees from Somalia are crossing the border into Kenya – up to 2,000 a day in some places. Refugee camps are overflowing, with tens of thousands of people living outside the camps with no access to food, clean water or sanitation.

The forecast is bleak. August is expected to be dry. Every small donation helps and during the next 30 days we look forward to working with you to bring the 5% donations to these desperately starving peoples.

Thank you Paula and Matt Iannacone

MI Printing
623-582-1302

MI Printing: Indoor Magnets

2011-08-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

Make your advertising message STICK!

Indoor Magnets... Several Sizes and Styles available 4/0 (Full Color One Side), 17pt UV coated stock. From customer supplied art. Art should be 300dpi PDF file.

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your specialty printing needs. Learn about the many options we offer for your business printing needs. Questions... Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Please ask about money saving larger quantity print runs. For best results a high quality PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

Thank You
Matt & Paula

MI Printing: AZ History One City At A Time: Sedona

2011-08-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of Arizona.

Sedona's main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the Red Rocks of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun. The Red Rocks form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails.

Sedona is named after Sedona Arabelle Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.

The famous red rocks of Sedona are formed by a layer of rock known as the Schnebly Hill Formation. The Schnebly Hill Formation is a thick layer of red to orange-colored sandstone found only in the Sedona vicinity. The sandstone, a member of the Supai Group, was deposited during the Permian Period.

Number 10 Custom Window Envelopes

2011-08-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

MI Printing: AZ History One City At A Time: Patagonia

2011-08-02T18:04:00.001-07:00

The area's original inhabitants were Native Americans who found that the lush area along the Sonoita and Harshaw Creeks provided ideal living conditions with plentiful hunting and fishing opportunities. In 1539, Spanish explorer Fray Marcos de Niza entered the area near present-day Lochiel on the Mexican border. A century and a half later, the Jesuit priest Padre Eusebio Francisco Kino traveled through the region, establishing missions and mapping the territory.

Spanish mission records indicate that in 1698 Father Eusebio Francisco Kino encouraged his group to leave the San Pedro River and make their way up to Sonoita Creek. There they encountered clusters of indigenous people living along Sonoita Creek in Patagonia, and in 1701, Father Kino designated Sonoita as one of his visitas. The area then became part of the Mission at Guevavi.

The year 1851 saw the historic visitation of U.S. Boundary Commissioner John R. Bartlett, who was one of the first to publish descriptions of the Sonoita Valley. He designated it too dangerous and impassible for inhabitants, and suggested the U.S. boundary lie farther north. But by 1853, the Gadsen Purchase made the southeastern corner of Arizona, then the northern part of Mexico, part of the United States. The vast Spanish land grants began to break up as Easterners moved west to homestead and ranch.

Starting around 1857, prospectors mined the silver-rich mountains east of Sonoita and the boom was on. The Patagonia Mountains were filled with rich ore bodies, and by the 1860s, the mining industry procured vast amounts of silver and lead each year. The growth of mining towns such as Mowry, Harshaw, Washington Camp, and Duquesne reflect the extent of the mining boom that last until the early part of the 20th century.

The area got a big boost when the New Mexico & Arizona Railroad connected the area to Mexico in 1882. The villages of Sonoita and Elgin came into being with the arrival of the Benson-to-Nogales Railway, which at one point had three daily stops in Patagonia. Despite the dangers of Apache raids, prospectors headed west to mine silver, gold, lead, copper, and other minerals. Ranchers thrived in Sonoita's rich grasslands and the railroads allowed as many as 3,000 head of cattle a day to be shipped to the East.

A direct rail line from Tucson to Nogales, Sonora, as well as the decline in mining activity, cattle shipping, and population caused segments of the New Mexico & Arizona Railroad to be abandoned between 1926 and 1962. In July 1929, after the tracks were washed out near Patagonia, the bridges were salvaged and the rails picked up between Flux Siding and Patagonia.

The last ore was shipped to the smelter in 1960, and the last of the original railroad line was removed in 1962. The Patagonia Station grounds were donated to the Town of Patagonia and made into a Town Park. The Patagonia Depot was sold in about 1950 to a local businessman, but a local Rotarian purchased it from him. After the Patagonia-Sonoita Club's partial restoration, the Town purchased the building, which still serves as the Town Hall.

Today, the mining camp ghost towns of Harshaw, Mowry, Washington Camp, and Duquesne bear mute testimony to the boom days of yesteryear. Cattle ranches, no longer the vast spreads of the early days, still remain a vital part of the economy and culture. Fourth and fifth generation ranchers and miners still live in the area, as do newcomers such as artists and retirees. Residents have restored historic buildings, and many are in use today, constant reminders of the boom years of yesterday.

Looking for a Short Run Post Card Deal?

2011-07-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday July 27th 2011 and it is time again for a message from our sponsor. Well from Paula and Matt at MI Printing.

This week let's take a moment and talk about "Post Cards!"

Direct mail is a very effective way to reach your customer and let them know about your latest products, newest services, up-coming events or your website. There are so many ways to use post cards in today's marketing environment.

With our new digital printing we can even make short-run post cards a very cost effective tool. You can target a smaller group of potential customers and get out your sale notices even faster.

We can also do your long runs in many popular size Post Cards. If you have a motel / hotel or tourist attraction we can help you with Post Cards that promote your location and even sell to your customers.

Post cards for sales and For Sale!

If you need help from start to finish MI Printing is here to help meet your Post Card needs.

We are known for our fair prices and quick turn arounds.

Call us for your post card solutions at 623-582-1302 and ask Paula about current our pricing!

MI Printing: AZ History One City At A Time: Bisbee

2011-07-25T16:19:00.001-07:00

Bisbee, Arizona is located just 90 miles east and south of Tucson. Bisbee is nestled in the Mule Mountains, and is the picturesque county seat of Cochise County. Bisbee was founded in 1880 and named after Judge DeWitt Bisbee, a financial backer of the Copper Queen Mine.

The city was known as “the Queen of the Copper Camps”, this Old West mining camp proved to be one of the richest mineral sites in the world, producing nearly three million ounces of gold and more than eight billion pounds of copper, not to mention the silver, lead and zinc that came from these rich Mule Mountains.

By the early 1900s, the Bisbee community was the largest city between St. Louis, MO and San Francisco, CA.

Bisbee, with a population of over 20,000 people in the early 1900’s, had become one of the most cultured cities in the Southwest. Despite its culture, however, the rough edges of the mining camps could be found in notorious Brewery Gulch, with its saloons and shady ladies. Brewery Gulch, which in its heyday boasted upwards of 47 saloons and was considered the "liveliest spot between El Paso and San Francisco".

Bisbee offered other recreational pursuits in that it was home to the state’s first community library, a popular opera house, the state’s oldest ball fields and the state’s first golf course. Bisbee is the Nation’s southernmost mile-high city. In the year 1908, a fire ravaged most of the commercial district along Main Street, leaving nothing but ashes.

The residents of Bisbee quickly began reconstruction and by 1910, most of the district had been rebuilt and remains completely intact today.

Robert A. Bates Memorial Print Shop

2011-07-22T22:35:00.002-07:00

Robert A. Bates Memorial Print Shop is part of the Sharlot Hall Museum located in Prescott, Arizona. The museum is named after its founder, Sharlot Mabridth Hall (1870-1943), who became well known as a poet, activist, politician, and Arizona’s first territorial historian. Sharlot Hall was one of the West’s most remarkable women. As early as 1907, Ms. Hall saw the need to save Arizona's history and planned to develop a museum.

This print shop represents a small job/newspaper shop of the Arizona territorial period, 1863-1912. The presses used in this shop are of the 1860s, and use the centuries-old letterpress process. This Washington Hand Press was built in 1868 by R. Hoe & Co. for the production of weekly newspapers. It is the Imperial #5 model, weighing 2,150 lbs. It was sold with a one-year warranty.

This press was used to produce the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee in the 1870s. It is typical of the many presses hauled by wagon or train to the outer reaches of civilization during the western expansion period.

Look Around the Frontier Print Shop. The objects used to produce material by the letterpress printing process are found in our territorial print shop.

MI Printing: Let Us Help With Door Hangers

2011-07-20T17:09:00.002-07:00

Door hangers are the one of the least expensive and most effective of the print media.

The key to an effective door hanger promotion is the right design and the right call to action. Your design must reflect your company’s personality and your message has to induce the customer to take action now.

“On Door” Advertising: Because your advertising message is displayed on your prospect’s door, it is likely to be carried into your prospect’s home. The door hanger typically stands alone without competition. With a correct design, your message is very likely to be read.

Buy Now & Later: Most door hangers include a call to action such as a special promotion, limited time offer or coupon. Because they are printed on a heavier weight stock, they are perceived as less disposable than a text-weight flyer. Not only is the customer prompted to buy now, he will keep the door hanger to take advantage of your offer later. Your message will be on-hand the next time your prospect is in need of your product.

Neighborly Effect: Door hangers also act as a personal calling card. To leave a door hanger on your prospect’s door, you had to have visited them first. Door hangers demonstrate your knowledge of the prospect’s presence while making him aware of your presence in his neighborhood as well.

Additional Uses: Door hangers are not limited to promotional advertising. They can be used to spread information, build name recognition, service reminders, even to let your customer know you paid them a visit. As a direct marketing tool, door hangers also offer a unique opportunity at very personalized messages. Some of our customers have directed their messages to specific neighborhoods and apartment complexes, calling them out by name on the door hanger. The customer reached their target and created the perception that the offer was special and exclusive to their target.

We are ready to help just give us a call at 623.582.1302 for our current special pricing.

MI Printing: AZ History: One City at a Time: Bagdad

2011-07-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

Bagdad Arizona was begun early in 1880. Copper ore was found there by prospectors. Because of its isolated location and low grade, however, ore was not developed. Although the Giroux Syndicate gained rights to the mine in 1906, it was not able to establish a thriving copper mine. Between 1906 and 1927 a number of companies tried to work the mine with the greatest (yet still unsuccessful) effort being that of the Lewishon interests.

In 1927 the Bagdad Copper Company began operation. The timing of the Great Depression in 1929, slowed but did not stop their efforts. The company managed to continue development through the 1930's and, in 1941 received a government loan that enabled them to add new equipment. Since the low grade ore made underground mining unprofitable, General Manager, Ernest R. Dickie, began converting to an open pit operation. Dickie used large trucks for haulage, and Bagdad became the testing ground for much of the change taking place in large ore trucks. All underground mining at Bagdad had ended by 1950.

Cyprus Mines Corporation formerly operated the copper mine until Cyprus merged with Phelps Dodge. This copper mine does open pit mining and currently runs on an around-the-clock schedule. The copper concentrate is either trucked to southern Arizona, or taken by semi to 20 miles outside of town to a small railroad community named Hillside.

Freeport-McMoRan (which acquired Phelps Dodge in 2007) owns all of the housing and commercial buildings in Bagdad. The town has a main shopping center named Copper Plaza, with a small Bashas' grocery store and other businesses. Copper Plaza used to have a bank, but Stockmen's Bank pulled out due to lack of profits. However, the Arizona State Credit Union and the Bashas' Associates Federal Credit Union both installed ATMs inside Bashas'.

The Bagdad Community Health Center operates a clinic and provides Bagdad with medical care. The clinic is operated by registered nurses and one doctor. The one doctor is out of the Prescott area is in charge of the facility. Fry's Food and Drug operates a pharmacy in this clinic as well.

MI Printing: Famous Printers in History

2011-07-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1706 was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.

He became wealthy publishing Poor Richard's Almanack and The Pennsylvania Gazette.

As a scientist, he was a major figure in the Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove and a carriage odometer.

For many years he was the British postmaster for the colonies, which enabled him to set up the first national communications network. He was active in community affairs, colonial and state politics, as well as national and international affairs. From 1785 to 1788, he served as governor of Pennsylvania. Toward the end of his life, he freed his slaves and became one of the most prominent abolitionists.

His colorful life and legacy of scientific and political achievement, and status as one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, have seen Franklin honored on coinage and money; warships; the names of many towns, counties, educational institutions, namesakes, and companies; and more than two centuries after his death, countless cultural references.

Mi Printing: Word Origins: Carpe diem

2011-07-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

The phrase "Carpe diem" is one you hear when someone is trying to make a point. The meaning translated from Latin is usually "seize the day". However, Latin scholars will tell you that is incorrect. "Carpe" translates literally as "pluck", with particular reference to the picking of fruit, so a more accurate rendition is "pluck the day, when it is ripe". The extended version of the phrase "carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero" translates as "Pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the future".

Based on Google information more people search for the little-used phrase "carpe diem" than they do for any other phrase.

The meaning of "carpe diem" is similar to that of many phrases we continue to use in English and can be thought of as a warning to make the most of the time we have, with the implication that our time on Earth is short. Other related phrases are "Strike while the iron is hot" and "The early bird catches the worm".

The original source for the phrase is the lyric poet Horace (1st century BC). The term is first found in Odes Book I: Dum loquimur, fugerit invida Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero which translates as: "While we're talking, envious time is fleeing: pluck the day, put no trust in the future".

Many authors have quoted the Latin original, but it was Lord Byron's use of the phrase that first began to integrate it into English. He included it in his 1817 work "Letters", which was published in 1830 by Thomas Moore: "I never anticipate, - carpe diem - the past at least is one's own, which is one reason for making sure of the present."

The noble George Gordon Noel, sixth Baron Byron, is better known as a womaniser than as a Latin scholar, but he was well versed in the language and was a Horace aficionado. He was taught Latin as a child by the son of his bootmaker and went on to write his version of Horace's The Art of Poetry, as "Hints from Horace", in 1811.

MI Printing: Special 20% Off All Carbonless Forms

2011-07-13T15:07:00.001-07:00

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your carbonless needs far beyond just carbonless forms. These can be used for employment applications, order forms, job tickets, invoices, estimates or proposals. If needed, backside printing is available.

Please let us know what type of padding you expect for your forms. For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

We are featuring 20% off all carbonless forms this week at MI Printing.

Need to know more about all the uses for carbonless forms contact us at MI Printing.

We are ready to help just give us a call at 623.582.1302 for our current special pricing on carbonless forms.

MI Printing: Word Origins: A Shot In The Arm

2011-07-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

A Shot In The Arm; that is a phrase we hear a lot these days and it usually has something to do with improving the economy. No argument there.

While the word "shot" has many meanings; a gun being fired, small lead weights, projectiles in a shotgun shell and a loud noise, to name just a few.

When we use A Shot In The Arm we generally mean a "stimulus" of some kind.

The origin of this expression derives from the invigorating effect of injecting drugs. A "shot" is of course normal slang for an injection, either of a narcotic or medicinal drug.

That term has been in use since around the beginning of the 20th century, for example, this piece from the San Francisco Chronicle Supplement, October 1904:

"I varied hardly a minute each day in the time of taking my injection. My first shot was when I awoke in the morning."

'A shot in the arm' came soon afterwards and the first mention of a figurative use of it in print that can be found is from the Maine newspaper The Lewiston Evening Journal, January 1916:

"The veterns can give politics a shot in the arm and the political leaders realize it."

MI Printing: AZ History One City At a Time: Pinetop-Lakeside

2011-07-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Town of Pinetop-Lakeside is in northeastern Arizona. They invite you to experience some of the nation’s most stunning forests, lakes and streams. The Town of Pinetop-Lakeside is nestled in one of the largest stands of ponderosa pines on the planet, and has abundant wildlife and natural discoveries.

Located about a 2½ hour drive north-east of Phoenix, Arizona, in the White Mountains, Pinetop-Lakeside is a true four seasons area that has many great things to do year round. In the summer you can hike, plan a picnic, dine, play golf, mountain bike, go horseback riding, swimming, shopping and enjoy nature at its finest. In the winter you can add snow skiing and snow boarding to that list as well. The beautiful Apache Sitgreaves National Forest has camping and fishing as well as many types of wildlife and birds for nature lovers. Always bring your camera to capture the sights of the forest and surrounding area.

History
Settlement started about in the late1880s. Pinetop-Lakeside was first called Penrod after David Penrod, a local settler. The area was on edge of Fort Apache Indian Reservation. A bachelor named Johnny Phipps ran a saloon for the black soldiers from Fort Apache.

The Penrods built and ran a saw mill here as early as 1891. The United States Post Office abandoned the name Penrod and accepted the name Pinetop. Until 1906 the residents were thirteen Penrod children.

MI Printing: History of Printing: Farmers' Almanac

2011-07-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

Farmers' Almanac is an annual North American periodical that has been in continuous publication since 1818. Published by the Almanac Publishing Company, of Lewiston, Maine, it is famous for its long-range weather predictions and astronomical data, as well as its trademark blend of humor, trivia, and advice on gardening, cooking, fishing, and human-interest crusades. Conservation, sustainable living, and simplicity are core values of the publication and its editors, and these themes are heavily promoted in every edition.

The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1818 by editor David Young and publisher Jacob Mann; this was, co-incidentally, two years following the "year without a summer" which was an ecological disaster for farmers in northeastern America. Astronomer Samuel Hart Wright succeeded Young in 1851. Over the years, the Farmers’ Almanac has had seven editors.

Ray Geiger served as the Farmers’ Almanac's longest-running editor, from 1934 until shortly before his death in 1994. In 1955, Geiger moved production of the Farmers' Almanac from Newark, New Jersey, to its current headquarters in Lewiston, Maine. Today, his son, Peter Geiger, Philom., continues the legacy, along with Managing Editor Sandi Duncan, Philom. Duncan is the first female almanac editor in United States history.

MI Printing: Word Origins: As Mad as a Hatter

2011-07-07T23:04:00.000-07:00

Meaning: Completely mad. This is now commonly understood to mean crazy, although the original meaning is unclear and may have meant annoyed.

Origin: Mercury used to be used in the making of hats. This was known to have affected the nervous systems of hatters, causing them to tremble and appear insane. A neurotoxicologist correspondent informs me that "Mercury exposure can cause aggressiveness, mood swings, and anti-social behaviour.", so that derivation is certainly plausible - although there's only that circumstantial evidence to support it.

The use of mercury compounds in 19th century hat making and the resulting effects are well-established - mercury poisoning is still known today as 'Mad Hatter's disease'. That could be enough to convince us that this is the source of the phrase. The circumstantial evidence is rather against the millinery origin though and, beyond the fact that hatters often suffered trembling fits, there's little to link hat making to the coining of 'as mad as a hatter'.

The earliest known printed citation of the phrase that I know of is from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, January-June 1829. It appears in a section of the magazine headed Noctes Ambrocianæ.

10,000 #10 Window Envelopes MI Printing

2011-07-06T18:18:00.001-07:00

Business Envelopes, #10 White Window Envelopes 10,000 for just $348.60 One Color (Any) Ink on front from customer supplied art (PDF Format) + Delivered + Sales tax if applicable.

Many times the first impression a person will have with your company is to handle and open correspondence that arrives in your company envelope. There’s something about receiving a custom printed business envelope. You can feel the importance and significance of any document with the help of logo, printing and the quality of the paper. In fact, correct envelope printing adds greatly to the image and credibility of a company.

While your letterheads are standards for businesses and companies, the envelopes that carry that important document can not be a poor quality product.

Business envelope printing is crucial because it contributes to the image of professionalism and reliability that a company projects. The image of a company can be picked up from the documents that they produce and use in communications with the public.

Your company's formality and credibility is also reflected in your envelopes. Envelopes in fact, have the power to affect a response from the recipients whether its favorable or not. Depending on the look, appearance, color and quality, your envelope can greatly influence the way your recipients think about you and your company's message.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your professional quality business envelopes. 623-582-1302

MI Printing: Word Origins: Jack Of All Trades

2011-07-05T23:26:00.000-07:00

A man who can turn his hand to many things.

With any phrase that includes a name, it's natural to consider whether its the name of a real person. In this case, as was the case with many other literary Jacks - Jack the Lad, Jack Robinson, Jack Sprat, Jack Horner, Jack Frost, etc, Jack of all trades was a generic term rather than a living and breathing individual. In fact, the very long list of terms that include 'Jack' exceeds that of any other name in English and this reflects the fact that, as a derivative of the common name 'John', 'Jack' has been used just to mean 'the common man'. This usage dates back to the 14th century and an example is found in John Gower's Middle English poem Confessio Amantis, 1390:

Therwhile he hath his fulle packe,
They seie, 'A good felawe is Jacke'.

We now use 'Jack of all trades, master of none' in a derogatory way. Originally, this wasn't the case and the label 'Jack of all trades' carried no negative connotation, the 'master of none' part being added later. Nevertheless, mediaeval Jacks were pretty much at the bottom of the social tree. The OED defines the generic meaning of the name Jack thusly:

Jack - A man of the common people; a lad, fellow, chap; especially a low-bred or ill-mannered fellow, a 'knave'

If 16th century commentators wanted to imply that a person was stretching their talents too thinly they resorted to the disparaging Latin term Johannes factotum ('Johnny do-it-all'). In 1592, the English writer and member of the literary establishment Robert Greene wrote a pamphlet entitled Groats-worth of Witte. In that he ventured the opinion that a new writer on the scene was:

An upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that supposes he is as well able to bumbast out a blanke verse as the best of you. Beeing an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his owne conceit the onely Shake-scene in a countrey.

Sadly for Greene's ongoing reputation the 'Upstart crow' was William Shakespeare.

Various trades were populated by Jacks - lumberjacks, steeplejacks for example, and sailors were Jack-tars. There can't have been any trades in the Middle Ages that didn't make use of a jack of some sort.

Happy Fourth of July

2011-07-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.

In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.

In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.

In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.

In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy".

In 1791 the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day" occurred.

In 1820 the first Fourth of July celebration was held in Eastport, Maine which remains the largest in the state.

In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.

In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.

Today we celebrate Independence day by hosting or attending a picnic or barbecue, watching parades and firework displays and take advantage of the day off.

We hope you have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Matt and Paula

MI Printing: Printing as Part of World Events and History

2011-07-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

When you look at a list of the 50 most important events in all of history it should not be surprising that the world of printing is mentioned 10 times. Communication is ranked right up there with fire, the wheel and metallurgy. With communications, publishing and printing mentioned as 20% of the top 50 events in human history you can ubderstand how proud we are to be part of the tradition of printing.

3200 BC Invention of writing in Mesopotamia: the means to record and understand human history.

1600 BC Modern alphabet invented: the essential means of communication of complex concepts and culture.

AD 105 First use of modern paper: this replaced stone, slate, papyrus and vellum as a cheap and convenient medium.

AD 730 Printing invented in China: an essential step in mass communication/ administration/cultural dissemination.

1088 First university founded in Bologna, Italy: the start of a modern conception of higher learning and universal knowledge.

1455 First book printed with moveable type: Johannes Gutenberg’s revolution in printing technology makes mass-market reading possible.

1651 Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan is published: this is the origin of the modern idea of civil society, equality before the law and egoistic individualism]

1687 Isaac Newton publishes Principia Mathematica, the foundation of modern physics.

1859 Publication of Darwin’s The Origin of Species. His theory of evolution transforms the view of Man and his environment, and belief in God.

1905 Einstein’s theory of special relativity published. It transforms the nature of modern physical knowledge.

Have a great day.

Matt & Paula

MI Printing: Word Origins: High Time

2011-06-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

High TIme - Double Meaning

We normally think of this phrase as meaning that "Now" is the time to do something. An example might be, "We are almost out of black ink. It's high time we got some more on order."

This phrase has also been used to mean 'a heated argument', but that meaning is unused and archaic now.

The origin of "High Time"

'High time' derives from the allusion to the warmest time of day - when the sun is highest in the sky. High noon is another way of saying it. Shakespeare used it in his Comedy of Errors, 1590:

There's none but witches do inhabit here;
And therefore 'tis high time that I were hence.
She that doth call me husband, even my soul

Origin "A High Time"

'High times' comes from the same root as 'high days and holidays', i.e. days of religious note and festivals. High in that sense has been used in English since the middle ages, although there are few references to it in print until the 19th century, as in this from the Canadian newspaper, The British Colonist, 1858:

"The Johns had a high time, drinking brandy and eating fried hog."

MI Printing: Special: 2" X 3½" Indoor Magnets

2011-06-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

Make your advertising message STICK!

1,000 Business Card sized, 2 inch X 3½ inch Indoor Magnets... 4/0 (Full Color One Side), 17pt UV coated stock. Only $165.00 from customer supplied art. Art should be 300dpi PDF file. Delivered!

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your specialty printing needs. Learn about the many options we offer for your business printing needs. Questions... Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Sales tax, if necessary, is not included. Please ask about money saving larger quantity print runs. For best results a high quality PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.

Thank You

Matt & Paula

MI Printing: Word Myths: Hot Off the Press

2011-06-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hot off the press means freshly printed.

This term is applied especially to newspapers. Newsprint used to be printed by a process called 'hot metal printing', which involved molten lead being introduced into a mould to form the printing block. Although the term only really makes literal sense for printed items which use that process, it is by extension now also used figuratively to refer to anything that is fresh and newly made.

Hot off (or from) the press (or presses) didn't originate as a phrase until the 20th century. For example, this from an advertisement in the New Jersey newspaper The Trenton Evening Times, July 1910:
Just hot off the press and a strictly up-to-date cut price sheet of great value to housekeepers.

The hotness is a clear allusion to the hot metal process, but may also allude to an usage of the phrase hot news, i.e. striking or sensational news. This was used in a Daily Express story in September 1914:

'Hot news' ... must be provided for the people, and thus we learn from the Vienna 'Abendblatt' that General French is a prisoner.

MI Printing : AZ History One City At a Time: Yuma

2011-06-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

The area's first settlers were Native American tribes whose descendants now occupy the Cocopah and Quechan reservations. In 1540, expeditions under Hernando de Alarcon and Melchior Diaz visited the area and immediately saw the natural crossing of the Colorado River as an ideal spot for a city. Later military expeditions that crossed the Colorado River at the Yuma Crossing include Juan Bautista de Anza in1774, the Mormon Battalion in1848 and the California Column in 1862.

Following the establishment of Fort Yuma, a town sprang up on the New Mexico (now Arizona) side of the Colorado. The townsite was duly registered in San Diego, demonstrating that both banks of the Colorado River just below its junction with the Gila were recognized as being within the jurisdiction of California. The county of San Diego collected taxes from there for many years.] The town, initially called Colorado City, was renamed Arizona City in 1858. It took the name Yuma in 1873.

Steamboats at Yuma Landing, CA, 1880From the 1850s through the 1870s, the Yuma Crossing was known for its steamboat crossing. It was a stop on the way up and down the river. The steamboats transported passengers and equipment for the various mines and military outposts. The Yuma Quartermaster Depot, today a state historic park, supplied all forts in present-day Arizona, as well large parts of New Mexico, Colorado, New Mexico. Yuma served as the gateway to the new Republic (later State) of California, as it was one of the few natural spots where travelers could cross the otherwise very wide Colorado River. After Arizona became a separate territory, Yuma became the county seat for the area in 1864.

MI Printing: The Dime Novel

2011-06-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Dime novel, though it has a specific meaning, has also become a catch-all term for several different (but related) forms of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S. popular fiction, including “true” dime novels, story papers, five- and ten-cent weekly libraries, “thick book” reprints, and sometimes even early pulp magazines. The term was being used as late as 1940, in the short-lived pulp Western Dime Novels. Dime novels are, at least in spirit, the antecedent of today’s mass market paperbacks, comic books, and even television shows and movies based on the dime novel genres. In the modern age, "dime novel" has become a term to describe any quickly written, lurid potboiler and as such is generally used as a pejorative to describe a sensationalized yet superficial piece of written work.

It is generally agreed that the term originated with the first book in Beadle & Adam's Beadle’s Dime Novel series, Maleaska, the Indian Wife of the White Hunter, by Ann S. Stephens, dated June 9, 1860. The novel was essentially a reprint of Stephens's earlier serial that appeared in the Ladies' Companion magazine in February, March, and April 1839. The dime novels varied in size, even within this first Beadle series, but were roughly 6.5 by 4.25 inches, with 100 pages. The first 28 were published without a cover illustration, in a salmon colored paper wrapper, but a woodblock print was added with issue 29, and reprints of the first 28 had an illustration added to the cover. Of course, the books were priced at ten cents.

This series ran for 321 issues, and established almost all the conventions of the genre, from the lurid and outlandish story to the melodramatic double titling that was used right up to the very end in the 1920s. Most of the stories were frontier tales reprinted from the vast backlog of serials in the story papers and other sources, as well as many originals.

As the popularity of dime novels increased, original stories came to be the norm. The books were themselves reprinted many times, sometimes with different covers, and the stories were often further reprinted in different series, and by different publishers.

Beadle’s Dime Novels were immediately popular among young, working-class audiences, owing to an increased literacy rate around the time of the American Civil War. By the war’s end, there were numerous competitors like George Munro and Robert DeWitt crowding the field, distinguishing their product only by title and the color choice of the paper wrappers. Even Beadle & Adams had their own alternate "brands", such as the Frank Starr line. As a whole, the quality of the fiction was derided by higher brow critics and the term 'dime novel' quickly came to represent any form of cheap, sensational fiction, rather than the specific format.

In 1874, Beadle & Adams by added the novelty of color to the covers when their New Dime Novels series replaced the flagship title. The New Dime Novels were issued with a dual numbering system on the cover, one continuing the numbering from the first series, and the second and more prominent one indicating the number within the current series, i.e., the first issue was numbered 1. The stories were largely reprints from the first series. Like its predecessor, Beadle’s New Dime Novels ran for 321 issues, until 1885.

MI Printing: Word Myths: Raining Cats and Dogs

2011-06-23T18:49:00.001-07:00

Meaning: Raining very heavily.

This is an interesting phrase in that, although there's no definitive origin, there is a likely derivation. Before we get to that, let's get some of the fanciful proposed derivations out of the way.

It has also been suggested that cats and dogs were washed from roofs during heavy weather. This is a widely repeated tale. It got a new lease of life with the e-mail message "Life in the 1500s", which began circulating on the Internet in 1999. Here's the relevant part of that:

I'll describe their houses a little. You've heard of thatch roofs, well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets; dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs."

This is nonsense of course. It hardly needs debunking but, lest there be any doubt, let's do that anyway. In order to believe this tale we would have to accept that dogs lived in thatched roofs, which, of course, they didn't. Even accepting that bizarre idea, for dogs to have slipped off when it rained they would have needed to be sitting on the outside of the thatch - hardly the place an animal would head for as shelter in bad weather.

Another suggestion is that 'raining cats and dogs' comes from a version of the French word 'catadoupe', meaning waterfall. Again, no evidence. If the phrase were just 'raining cats', or even if there also existed a French word 'dogadoupe', we might be going somewhere with this one. As there isn't, let's pass this by.

The much more probable source of 'raining cats and dogs' is the prosaic fact that, in the filthy streets of 17th/18th century England, heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals and other debris. The animals didn't fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs floating by in storms could well have caused the coining of this colourful phrase. Jonathan Swift described such an event in his satirical poem 'A Description of a City Shower', first published in the 1710 collection of the Tatler magazine. The poem was a denunciation of contemporary London society and its meaning has been much debated.

MI Printing Special: 100 13x19 Posters

2011-06-22T19:56:00.001-07:00

100 13x19 no bleed posters on 100# gloss cover stock for : $70.00 plus tax and delivery.

Poster are used when you need to display your product or event to the public. We offer the largest selection of posters of standard sizes, the quickest turnaround at the best prices.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your poster needs. 623-582-1302

MI Printing: Word Myths:Dog Days

2011-06-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

Dog Days" (Latin: dies caniculares) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they usually fall between early July and early September. In the southern hemisphere they are usually between January and early March. The actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather.

The nameThe Romans referred to the dog days as dies caniculares and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks.

The Dog Days originally were the days when werewolves rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true, owing to precession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, Quinto raged in anger, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.

The modern French term for both this summer period (and for heat waves in general) "canicule", derives from this same term. It means "little dog", again referring to Sirius.

MI Printing : AZ History One City At a Time: Sierra Vista

2011-06-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

At the end of the Apache Wars, the protection of Fort Huachuca and the completion of the Southern Pacific and the El Paso & Southwestern railroads, the San Pedro Valley began to populate. Oliver Fry and his two oldest sons traveled from Texas on the railroad and settled on 320 acres (1.3 km2) just outside of Fort Huachuca around 1901.

The first business that opened just outside the east gate of Fort Huachuca was a saloon and house of ill repute owned by John and Ellen Reilly opened in 1892. In 1911, Margaret Carmichael bought the Reilly homestead and business. By 1913, Margaret Carmichael had leased the business back to the Reillys. Also in 1913, a group of dry land farmers settled in the local area and named their settlement Buena. Buena was located east of Garden Canyon on a railroad whistle-stop between Lewis Springs and Fort Huachuca. At this site was a post office and a school house that served children in Buena, Garden Canyon and outreaches of the local area.

By 1917, the Overton Post Office was established. This settlement's name comes from the Overton Mercantile and Investment Company, who took option on the Carmichael property with plans to develop a townsite outside of Fort Huachuca. However, it is believed that the company was unable to persuade anyone to move to the area so when the option expired, the Carmichaels took back the property and a general mercantile store.

In 1918, the Carmichaels changed the name of the store and were the proprietors of the "Garden Canyon." Garden Canyon was also the name of the post office and Carmichael was the postmaster. In addition, the Carmichaels built a home across the street from Garden Canyon store, as well as 18 rock houses, on Garden Avenue. From 1927 to 1938, the Frys rented the Carmichael store.

In 1955, the first attempt to incorporate and rename the area was rejected, as Fry opposed both incorporating and renaming the town that bore his family name. In 1956, the ballot issue failed 76 to 61. People who owned land outside of Fry's property went forward with incorporation and renaming by petition on May 26, 1956, excluding the half-square-mile owned by Fry.

Sierra Vista was incorporated in 1956, and has an estimated population over 49,000 today. The city is the economic and commercial center of Cochise County, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Sierra Vista annexed Fort Huachuca, a U.S. military base, one of the largest employers in Arizona, and the adjacent community, in 1971.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is a celebration of fathers inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving, special dinners to fathers, and family-oriented activities.

The first observance of Father's Day actually took place in Fairmont, West Virginia on July 5, 1908. It was organized by Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton, who wanted to celebrate the lives of the 210 fathers who had been lost in the Monongah Mining disaster several months earlier in Monongah, West Virginia, on December 6, 1907. It's possible that Clayton was influenced by the first celebration of Mother's Day that same year, just a few miles away. Clayton chose the Sunday nearest to the birthday of her recently deceased father.
Unfortunately, the day was overshadowed by other events in the city, West Virginia did not officially register the holiday, and it was not celebrated again. All the credit for Father's Day went to Sonora Dodd from Spokane, who invented independently her own celebration of Father's Day just two years later, also influenced by Jarvis' Mother's Day.

Clayton's celebration was forgotten until 1972, when one of the attendants to the celebration saw Nixon's proclamation of Father's Day, and worked to recover its legacy. The celebration is now held every year in the Central United Methodist Church – the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was torn down in 1922. Fairmont is now promoted as the "Home of the First Father's Day Service".

A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in Congress in 1913. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. Two earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus "[singling] out just one of our two parents." In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

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Matt and Paula Iannacone
MI Printing LLC
Phone: 623.582.1302
Email: sales@printinginaz.com

MI Printing: Word Myths; Going to the Dogs

2011-06-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

According to the Macmillan English Dictionary, if a place or an organization is going to the dogs, it is not as good as it was in the past. People often say things like “This country’s going to the dogs. Things aren’t like they were 30 years ago” or “This train service is going to the dogs. The trains are always late. The seats are uncomfortable and the fares are high”.

The origin of this expression is believed to be in ancient China where dogs, by tradition, were not permitted within the walls of cities. Consequently, stray dogs roamed the areas outside the city walls and lived off the rubbish thrown out of the city by its inhabitants. Criminals and social outcast were often expelled from cities and were sent to live among the rubbish – and the dogs. Such people were said to have “gone to the dogs”, both literally in that was where they were now to be found, and metaphorically in the sense that their lives had taken a distinct turn for the worse.

10,000 #10 Window Envelopes MI Printing

2011-06-15T17:22:00.001-07:00

Custom Envelopes, #10 White Window Envelopes 10,000 for just $348.60 One Color (Any) Ink on front from customer supplied art + Delivered + Sales tax if applicable.

Many times the first impression a person will have with your company is to handle and open correspondence that arrives in your company envelope. There’s something about receiving a custom printed company envelope. You can feel the importance and significance of any document with the help of logo, printing and the quality of the paper. In fact, correct envelope printing adds greatly to the image and credibility of a company.

While your letterheads are standards for businesses and companies, the envelopes that carry that important document can not be a poor quality product.

Envelope printing is crucial because it contributes to the image of professionalism and reliability that a company projects. The image of a company can be picked up from the documents that they produce and use in communications with the public.

Your company's formality and credibility is also reflected in your envelopes. Envelopes in fact, have the power to affect a response from the recipients whether its favorable or not. Depending on the look, appearance, color and quality, your envelope can greatly influence the way your recipients think about you and your company's message.

Contact Matt or Paula at MI Printing for help with your professional quality envelopes. 623-582-1302

Flag Day

2011-06-14T16:12:00.001-07:00

Celebrated every June 14th in the USA, millions of Americans observe Flag Day by waving Old Glory outside their homes and businesses. Veteran's groups and sometimes whole communities also arrange civic functions and special ceremonies in honor of Flag Day.

As the legend goes, it was George Washington and two other members of the Continental Congress who asked Betsy Ross to sew the first American flag sometime in the late spring of 1776. The young widow was only in her early 20's when she completed the first flag with thirteen stars arranged in a circle.

A year later, the Continental Congress officially adopted the design for the national flag, and henceforward the Stars and Stripes symbolized the U.S. around the world.

The first "official" Flag Day was celebrated in 1877 - the flag's centennial. In 1916, a grass roots movement resulted in President Woodrow Wilson issuing a proclamation that called for a nationwide observance of Flag Day on June 14. Although still not an official holiday, Flag Day was made a permanent observance in America in 1949 by Congress who resolved "That the 14th day of June of each year is hereby designated as Flag Day."

Flag Day fun facts

Why red, white and blue? To the original members of the Continental Congress, red stood for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice.

Why thirteen stars and stripes? They represented the thirteen American colonies which rallied around the new flag in their fight against the British for self-governance.

The thirteen colonies included Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.

To this day, thirteen stripes still commemorate the original colonies. Instead of thirteen stars, today the number of stars on the US flag has grown to 50, representing every state in the Union.

MI Printing : AZ History One City At a Time: Greer Arizona

2011-06-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Lodge Museum

The first settler was reportedly Amberion Englevason, who built a small cabin. In a few short years, Mormons began to settle in the area, and it began to grow. Served by rail and known as "Lee Valley", after the Willard Lee family, Ellis Whitney Wiltbank and his family built the first sawmill and established and LDS ward. School was first taught in 1879 and continued to be taught in the same building until 1930.

The area became known as Greer (named after pioneer Americus Vespucius Greer) when the first post-office was established. In 1888 fencing, timbering, homesteading, fishing and hunting became regulated with the Forest Reserve Act, and Greer became a part of the Apache Forest and under USFS control. With the advent of the automobile, better roads, entreprenuers wanting to serve the area and the growing number of vacationers, began to come. James Willard Schultz built the first built a hunting lodge, Apuni Oyis (Butterfly Lodge) in 1913 across from the Riverside Ranger Station. Schultz went on to write 37 books of Indian adventures during his colorful career, and later gave the cabin to his son, Hart Merriam Schultz (Lone Wolf) who was recognized by the Los Angeles Times as America's first Indian artist. This historic structure is now Butterfly Lodge Museum.

Mollie Butler, the daughter of founder Ellis Whitney Wiltbank, was taking in guests as early as 1908 and her legendary hospitality continued until her death in 1964. Other enterprises conducted by year-round families in Greer, and many kin to each other, included a service station, grocery store that sold fresh vegetables grown in a garden beside the store, ice cut from the Greer Lakes, horse rentals, guide services, saw and shingle mills, carpentry, bakers, barbers, boot makers, a printer, fish hatchery, and the like.

Many of these businesses are still in operation in one form or another, and this lends to a tapestry of history, and a lifestyle whose traditions are still honored to this day. With only approximately 90 full-time residents who work in tourist-related industries, and some retirees, both young and older, Greer attracts some 200,000 visitors each year, but still retains it's unspoiled beauty and a lifestyle that is unmatched.

MI Printing: Weekly Arizonian; Arizona's First Newspaper

2011-06-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Weekly Arizonian was a newspaper published in Arizona Territory with a checkered existence from 1859 to 1871. It holds a special place in Arizona history as its first printed work, first newspaper and first political organ.

It was in this setting that the Weekly Arizonian made its debut at Tubac on 3 March 1859. From its first issue, the Arizonian’s avowed policy was to promote the resources of the area, and secure a separate government for Arizona. It was a four-page tabloid printed on a Washington hand press. The press had been shipped from Ohio by William Wrightson of the Santa Rita Mining Company. It had traveled by ship down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, across the Gulf to Panama, through the Sea of Cortez to Guaymas, and thence by ox-cart to Tubac. It took about two months to set up shop for the newspaper. Edward Ephraim Cross, who had journalistic experience in Cincinnati, assumed the mantel of editor. He had been in Tubac since November 1858, and had been sending dispatches to Eastern newspapers. He was virtually the sole source of information about Arizona to the outside world.

Cross soon ran afoul of Sylvester Mowry, the most prominent citizen in Tubac, the bone of contention being Mowry’s allegedly exaggerated population estimates of Arizona and the territory’s presumed agricultural potential. Mowry had recently retired from the Army at Fort Yuma, and was twice elected as delegate to Washington for the proposed territory of Arizona, but Congress, not recognizing Arizona as an organized territory, refused to seat him. Cross and Mowry, who agreed on their aspirations for the development of Arizona, but represented rival mining interests, settled their differences in a bloodless duel on 8 July 1859.

Cross’s aggressive editorial policy continued to bring political pressure on the mining company which owned the Arizonian. Sylvester Mowry and his friend William Oury purchased the newspaper for $2,500 on 21 July 1859. Cross lingered in Tubac for a while, but with the outbreak of the Civil War, he returned to his native New Hampshire, took a colonel’s commission, and died of wounds at the battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

In April 1860 this office published the Constitution of the Provisional Government of the Territory of Arizona, and the proceedings of the convention in Tucson. This was the first book published in Arizona. Two months later the newspaper suspended publication, perhaps due to Wells’ other political commitments.

Charles Strong, a printer from New York, and T.M. Turner, a journalist from Ohio, entered into a six-month agreement to revive the Arizonian as publisher and editor respectively. Little is known of the paper’s continued troubles, but Turner quit within a month and in his farewell issue advertised a pair of Pocket Derringers, apparently standard armament for editors in those days. He should have kept them, for he was murdered in Las Vegas six months later. The paper limped on without the financial support it had expected, and suspended publication a second time in September 1861.

Although no newspaper was being published in Tucson, the press of the Arizonian was used in 1865 to publish the Territory’s first known Spanish document, a translation of the Howell Code adopted by the First Legislature in 1864. The Arizonian was no more on april 29, 1871.

The old Tubac press which had inaugurated the history of printing in Arizona went on to launch the Tucson Arizona Star in 1877, the Tombstone Nugget in 1879 and the Tombstone Epitaph in 1880. In 1933 the Epitaph editor donated the relic to the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson, and the press was later put on display at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. In 1959 Frank Giffen printed four centennial commemorative issues of the Arizonian which were mailed from Tubac. In 1957 Edward Cross was inducted into the Arizona Newspapers Association Hall of Fame, as was Pierson Dooner in 1996.

MI Printing: Word Myths: Cat Got Your Tongue

2011-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

As is often the case with idioms, no one's positive of the origins of "cat got your tongue." However, there's no shortage of theories. Here are a few, in no particular order...

Theory #1
The saying comes from the Middle East, where as punishment, liars had their tongues ripped out and fed to the king's cats.

Theory #2
Fear of a whipping with a cat-o'-nine-tails, or "cat" for short, could paralyze a victim into silence.

Theory #3
The expression comes from the Middle Ages when witches were greatly feared and often put to death. It was believed that if you saw a witch, her cat would somehow "steal" or control your tongue so you couldn't report the sighting.

Theory #4
This one comes from Evan Morris, the Word Detective: "There's no particular logic to 'cat got your tongue,' except that cats have served as the object of human myth and metaphor for thousands of years."

This list is by no means exhaustive, and there are probably at least a half a dozen more possible explanations. Let's just leave it at this: "Like the history of the word 'cat' itself, the origins of this expression is as mysterious as the Sphinx."

MI Printing: Special: Indoor Magnets

2011-06-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

1,000 Business Card sized Indoor Magnets 4/0 (Full Color One Sides), 17pt UV Coated. Just $165.00 from customer supplied art. Delivered!

At MI Printing we can take care of all of your specialty printing needs. Learn about the many options for your specialty printing. Please give us a call at 623-582-1302.

Sales tax, if necessary, not included. Please ask about money saving larger quantities. For best results a PDF file is required for the customer supplied artwork.