Tips from the tip jar...

So you want business cards, postcards, etc... for your new or existing business. You want to design them yourself, so you go into Microsoft Word (ugh) and make something up and send it away to your printer. They say no bleed, wrong resolution, the file needs to be CMYK not RGB, and basically it a no go!

All that time spent working on your masterpiece...not only are you aggravated but you just spent time and still have no idea what you need to do to fix it...CMwhat? Bleed? 96dpi looks great on my screen and prints out fine on my inkjet at home...

Well for all your do-it-yourselfers we have templates available of most major items right on our site. And if you need a template you don't see, just ask... Also if your ordering with us, send us your files we try and correct any errors, such as bleeds, RBG-CMYK, etc...FREE of CHARGE.

Most places will charge you for design services on top of your printing costs to fix your files, but we will try to assist you FREE of charge, because we want you to be comfortable using us as your total design, promotions and media specialists.

Of course if your not the DIY designer we offer that service with our skilled designers waiting to help you make your ideas a reality.

www.longhorndesign.com

Nothing in life is FREE, well except for this software

Sometimes the best software for you to use is FREE. Open source coded software, freeware and "light" versions of software is the "FREE" of the design world...sometimes even better than their commercial counterparts.


INKSCAPE

An Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

Inkscape supports many advanced SVG features (markers, clones, alpha blending, etc.) and great care is taken in designing a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more.

Price $FREE
Available at www.inkscape.org


ART OF ILLUSION

Art of Illusion is a free, open source 3D modelling and rendering studio. Many of its capabilities rival those found in commercial programs. Highlights include subdivision surface based modelling tools, skeleton based animation, and a graphical language for designing procedural textures and materials.

Price $FREE
Available at www.artofillusion.org


SCRIBUS

Scribus is an Open Source program that brings award-winning professional page layout to Linux/UNIX, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4/eComStation and Windows desktops with a combination of "press-ready" output and new approaches to page layout. Underneath the modern and user friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, Spot Colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

PRICE $FREE
Available at www..scribus.net


FREE SERIF SOFTWARE

PhotoPlus PhotoPlus SE is the perfect choice for editing and enhancing your digital images and photos for print, email and the web.

PagePlus PagePlus SE is a great way to get into desktop publishing and easily design professional-looking documents for every occasion.

WebPlus WebPlus SE lets you quickly design and publish stunning websites - no HTML or previous web design experience required!

DrawPlus DrawPlus SE has all the power and tools you need to create attention-grabbing logos, striking text and artistic masterpieces.

Scrapbook Artist Digital Scrapbook Artist Compact allows you to quickly and easily create beautiful scrapbooks using your photos and keepsakes.

All of these are "lite" versions of Serif Commercial Software.

Price $FREE
Available at www.freeserifsoftware.com

You can also check out http://www.osalt.com for tons of open source alternatives to commercial software...and not just PC software. MAC & Linux too.

Helvetica is not Heletica

ALL FONTS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL...

You may think that since you, and every other Windows Based PC, have the font ARIAL on your system that you don't need to send your font with your file. Not true! There are TONS of versions of fonts, some not made by their original "type foundry" and yet still named the same name, or close to it (aka Helvetica, Heletica). Where as these fronts may be "close" to the orginal they may have different "kerning pairs", "letter spacing", or even "ligatures" which may cause text to be reflowed and mess up your wonderful layout. Then theres also the whole fact that we might not have the font "wigglyjigglyweirdocaps".

Solution: Whenever possible convert fonts to paths or outlines in your application, if this isnt possible embed all fonts in your document or include when sending. Or better yet use a PDF file and be done with the whole process.

Save yourself the hassle and headaches of font's little nightmares.

Why Type Are You?

Graphic file type that is!!!

So you have a design that was created or you created it, and you need to send it off to your favorite place for some business cards, postcards, etc. (Longhorn Design of Course!!!)

So you get a person on the phone and they say "Well, is that a vector or raster file?"

UMMM??????

Here is a list of vector and raster graphic file types by extension, we may have missed a couple (but this is MOST major formats or formats your software will EXPORT to).

Vector File Extensions
Extension File Application

.86v TI-86 vector file
.ai Adobe Illustrator graphics
.ait Adobe Illustrator template
.art Adobe Illustrator graphics
.cdl SignLab vector graphic file
.cdr CorelDRAW vector image
.cdrw Corel Draw file
.cdt CorelDRAW Template
.cgm Computer graphics metafile
.cht Harvard Graphics vector file
.cit SeeYou vector maps
.csh Adobe Photoshop shape
.csl Corel symbol library
.ctn Cadterns Sloper File
.ddoc Apple MacDraw vector graphic file
.dfx AutoCAD drawing exchange format
.dlg Digital Line Graph vector image
.do Digital Line Graph optional vector data
.drw Draw file
.dvg GraphicsWorks vector drawing
.dxb AutoCAD drawing exchange format
.dxf AutoCAD drawing exchange format
.emb Orchida Embroidery System embroidery pattern
.fh image file
.fh10 Adobe FreeHand 10 drawing file
.gcd Generic CADD Drawing format (vector)
.gem Ventura Publisher GEM vector picture
.gl2 HP Graphics Language plotter file
.hpg Vector image (HP Graphics Language plotter file)
.hpgl Hewlett Packard Graphics Language plot file
.ima EGO – Chart – Autumn Mirage vector graphics
.md Mayura Draw vector drawing file
.mvg ImageMagick proprietary vector graphics format
.odg OpenOffice Draw graphic file
.pct Apple Macintosh QuickDraw/PICT bitmap graphics format
.pif Vector image GDF format
.pix Image Systems vector
.pix Inset Systems raster & vector format
.plo HP Graphics Language plotter file
.plot Vector graphics
.plt Autodesk AutoCAD HPGL vector graphic plotter file
.ps Adobe PostScript file
.sdw Amidraw vector image
.sdw WordPro drawing
.sp SignPlot output format
.svf Simple Vector Format
.svg Scalable Vector Graphic
.sxd StarOffice draw file
.tdr Top Draw vector graphic file
.vec Daylon Vectre vector graphic
.wmf Windows metafile
.xar Corel Xara drawing
.xar Xara X vector drawing


Raster File Extensions
Extension File Application
.psd Adobe Photoshop
.jpg Joint Photographic Experts Group
.gif Graphics Interchange Format
.PNG Portable Network Graphic Transparent File Format
.tif Tagged Image File
.bmp Windows Bitmap
.pcx Personal Computer eXchange
.tif (also .tiff) Tagged Image File Format


Both Vector/Raster File Extensions
(these file type can or do contain both vector & raster image data)
Extension File Application
.pdf Portable Document File


Here at Longhorn Design, we will work with you and your file no matter what your "Type", Mac/PC/Linux...you name it!

Visit us at www.longhorndesign.com or give us a call at 972-804-0140

2010...New Year's RESOLUTION

Twenty-Ten or is it Two Thousand Ten? Either way we are ready for all your design & promotion needs.

What is your New Year resolution? Ours is about 350dpi (just a little design joke).

But seriously, we are still here to provide you with the highest quality design and promotion services at incredible prices. In fact, we are working up new pricing that will be mind blowing for 2010, great how-tos, helpful hints and tips, and more... We are also going to have a new newsletter that will be available, for those who sign up for our mailings, that will have even more savings, specials and insider info.

Look for all this and more to start rolling out mid to late February.

THE LONGHORN DESIGN TEAM

Tis The Season Again

Wow, it's already that time of the season. The Holidays are just around the corner and you know what that means...gift tags, cards, family photo, shopping, sales, the big rush rush rush and too much food (and sometimes too much family). We are here to help you with custom holiday cards, photo specials, and anything else to cut down on your holiday stress!!!

Get ready to see what we are rolling out for 2010...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE

New System

We have one of our new systems almost ready (its a PC Based system with a QuadCore Processor, 16 GB of ram, Internal 320 GB HD and HD Video Card with 4 GB of Video RAM), and we also have laptop mobile services for photography now available... and we are switching our phone systems over too, so you can email us or txt us directly to our business lines if we are out of the office.

So many ways to connect and at blazing fast speeds...

P.S. Don't forget you can also talk to us directly from our website!!!