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I wonder how many groups are going to get mad at me over this one. Here goes. OK, this headline appeared in my email yesterday from News & Tech, a highly respected newspaper industry publication: Digital circ for U.S. papers soars Soars. Hmm. Click Here for More ... |
In August & September, I spent over 50 hours learning all the ins and outs of the various applications that make up Adobe Creative Suite 6. Yes, it was a lot of late nights. The good side was that I learned the ins and outs of these new versions. Here are even more new tools in Create Suite 6. Click Here for More ... |
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It’s been a while since I’ve answered questions from my inbox. Let’s take a look and see what’s on the mind of readers this month:
From Sherry in Tennessee Is there a way to convert RGB to CMYK in a PDF file without having to open each pic individually in Photoshop?
Click Here for More ... |
Definition: Underwriter
"One who assumes financial responsibility for; guarantee against failure. To insure against losses." Click Here for More ... |
As a speaker, teacher and consultant, the idea of trying to say something that will be helpful and valuable to different types of audiences, even though they’re all related to the newspaper industry, can be very daunting. In the constantly evolving world of communication, of which we are a major player, we are bombarded daily with the idea that we’re missing something. There must be some golden key out there which will unlock the door to future success. Without that key, we fear, we are doomed to failure.
JCPenney thought they’d found that key a year ago when they hired former Apple exec Ron Johnson as their CEO. Click Here for More ... |
Adobe recently released version 6 of the Creative Suite. I wrote about a few of the new tools in InDesign a while back. But what about the other CS applications that we use? OK, here it is, in no particular order. My favorite new features in Adobe Creative Suite 6. We’ll stick with the applications most used by those of us in the trenches. Click Here for More ... |
It is with much chagrin (I’ve been waiting almost 20 years for an opportunity to use “chagrin” in a column) that I admit that this doctor is his own worst patient. That’s right. On July 2, two days before my country’s Independence celebration, my five year old iMac began to crawl.
Here's what happened next ... Click Here for More ... |
It was with much fanfare that Adobe released the sixth version of Creative Suite. With new versions of InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and more, newspaper designers and publishers are asking, “Is it time to upgrade?” Now it's time to read what Kevin has to say. Click Here for More ... |
So last night I was having dinner with a friend when I got a text that read, “Are you watching 60 Minutes?” “No,” was my immediate response. “They’re saying the newspaper industry is dead. I thought you’d want to know.” Click Here for More ... |
It’s been an interesting few weeks. In five out of six cities, chairs had to be added to the rooms to accommodate attendees. In New York, I received spontaneous applause when I told the audience to “quit running their newspapers as if all their business is coming from mobile” when most of their profits are coming from print. Click Here for More ... |
I haven’t pulled out the mail bag in a while. Let’s see what readers have on their minds these days: Let’s start with a text from Tammy in Minnesota Kevin, we need your help! Click Here for More ... |
The room was substantial and had seats arranged in eight or ten rows, maybe 20 to 25 chairs in a row. It was a wide room, but not very deep. I figured maybe 30 people would show up and I’d speak in front of an empty room. Just as happened in Kentucky the week before, when dozens of chairs had to be added, the room began to fill and before I knew it, all the seats were taken. The topic was “What I’ve learned this year from successful newspapers.” Click Here for More ... |
Whenever I lead a training even related to some type of Adobe application, I always end with a lesson on how to download free scripts, plug-ins and other helpers from Adobe Exchange. Click Here for More ... |
Talk about different situations. Last week, I spent two days in the city that never sleeps, visiting with a staff that produces large weeklies, shoppers and more. This week, I’m in South Carolina, working with the staff of a small daily paper for two days. You’d think the situations couldn’t be more different. But you'd be wrong. Click Here for More ... |
I’ve spent the past couple of days with Alys Mitten, executive director of Mid Atlantic Community Papers Association, driving through Ohio and Pennsylvania. It’s one of those trips where regional training events are held on college campuses for area newspaper staffs. It’s a longer trip than usual, with a couple of days scheduled just for traveling. I normally don’t do these long trips any more, but Alyse booked me three years ago for this adventure and I wasn’t about to let her down. Click Here for More ... |
Between conventions in Des Moines and Louisiana, I found a few days in late April to visit two newspapers that, at first glance, seem to have little in common. One is a daily. The other, a non-daily. One is in the Midwest, the other in Texas. However, I found a trait that binds these papers together. Click Here for More ... |
When a newspaper or group contacts me to ask about training, they usually have something specific in mind. The client might be a publication moving to the InCopy/InDesign workflow. Quite often, there’s a problem with print quality. No matter what the reason for my visit, it’s almost a certainty that I will be asked to give some advanced InDesign training while on site. Click Here for More ... |
What if Adobe made a surprise announcement that it had taken InDesign, removed a few of the features that are rarely used by most designers, and released a new version called InDesign Express? And what if the new version sold for $30? Stop cheering. Get off that table. It hasn’t happened. And I don’t expect it will. Click Here for More ... |
It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a software product in this column. With the newest rendition of Adobe Acrobat, Acrobat X, on the market, it seems a shame not to let you know about this application that has taken such a hold on our industry. Click Here for More ... |
I remember visiting a newspaper several years ago that had multiple workflow issues. This was a weekly newspaper, mind you. I’ll never forget walking into the “scanning room” to meet the full-time scanning person. As I jotted down some notes in my notebook, she asked, “What are you writing?” Click Here for More ... |
Wow! The column I wrote two months ago concerning the future of print really struck a chord. Publishers, editors, writers and others throughout the industry have been writing to tell me how they’ve used the column to inspire their staffs to improve the quality of their print products. Click Here for More ... |
Take a peak at the latest questions and answers that end up in Kevin's mailbox. There questioins related to PDF, hardware, InDesign and other sticky wickets. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, November 2010 - 1 opinion posted |
I released this column to my regular readers four days ago. I can't believe the response since then. Newspapers and groups all over the map have been writing to tell me it's changed they way they see their future. Hopefully, it will be helpful to you. Click Here for More ... |
Derogatory comment about industry leads tech guru to prove his point OK. You might want to put this column down without reading it. At the very least, close your door so no one hears the venting. It might be safest just to turn the page now. Click Here for More ... |
When I was younger, I owned a graphic design business. It started out small, but grew to a few employees and bigger clients as the years went on. As much as we enjoyed our work, like most businesses, making a profit was a priority. One of the lessons I learned pretty quickly was that the faster our computers, the more money we could make. Our output could double or triple with an investment in new computers and software. Click Here for More ... |
Now that the iPad hysteria has settled down, it’s been replaced by a new onslaught of questions concerning Adobe’s latest rendition of Creative Suite, CS5. “Should I upgrade?” has been the query of choice in my email over the past few weeks and now we lay aside our anxiety and take a look at the application of most interest to newspapers, InDesign CS5. Let’s not waste time. For those of you in too much of a hurry to finish this column, the answer is .... Click Here for More ... |
It didn’t take long. Less than an hour, to be exact. That’s how long it took before I received a post on Facebook asking how I liked my new iPad. That’s right, less than an hour after the first iPad was offered for sale at the Apple Store, I received the message, “How do you like your new iPad?” Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, April 2010 |
Kevin receives questions from readers several times a day. Read what he has to say about some of their issues in today's column. Send your questions to kevin@kevinslimp.com.
Click Here for More ... |
At heart, I’m a print guy. Sure, I get invited to speak and write on online topics quite a bit, but it’s the written word that I love ... written on paper. However, I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck and I know the importance of having a Web site that doesn’t feel as if it was designed by a seventh grader. Newspapers usually sense the importance of videos, animated ads and headlines on their sites. But they often overlook an important aspect: audio. Click Here for More ... |
Keeping in mind that I wrote about the rumored tablet device by Apple three months ago, it was with some satisfaction that I listened to Steve Job’s announcement concerning the iPad on January 27. As I visited with attendees at a newspaper conference in Minnesota, the interest in the new device was evident as one publisher after another approached me to get my opinion on its potential effect on the newspaper industry. Click Here for More ... |
Jeremy Horwitch, editor-in-chief at iLounge.com, thinks it’s a done deal. Brian Lam of Gizmodo.com says he has sources from major newspapers and book publishers who have told him they’ve been in conversation with Apple about the new device. Daniel Lyons, in the October 15 issue of Newsweek, seems to think the new apparatus might warrant all the speculation, even though it’s yet to be released. Click Here for More ... |
I spent a good bit of my afternoon thinking about the current state of newspapers. In a discussion with a trusted friend and colleague, I once again was challenged to rethink the traditional role newspapers have played and consider a world where most of what we read is provided online by other sources. Then I remembered a group of newspapers based in the small town of Prescott, Ontario. With a decrease in the number of industry-related conferences, I’ve found myself visiting more places like Prescott of late. Click Here for More ... |
I’m seeing good things of late. People are starting to come out to conventions and training sessions again. Newspapers tell me they’re starting to refill positions that were cut last year. There’s an air of confidence in the industry, be it ever so slight, that gives me sincere hope for our future. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, October 2009 |
I ran into Paul Niemann at a newspaper conference in Missouri a few months ago. It seems that Paul has made a living writing a series called “Red, White & True Mysteries” for newspapers in the Midwest region of the United States since 2003. Primarily used in N.I.E. (Newspapers in Education) programs, these mysteries are based on famous Americans. The idea is that children can read the information about a famous historical figure, then try to guess who it is. Click Here for More ... |
For those unfamiliar with Family Features, they provide free editorial content spanning a variety of themes. Materials are developed in conjunction with nationally recognized sponsors and can be used as provided or customized to meet your needs. Basically, they provide stories and other material related to food, lifestyle, gardening and other topics. While this material might not be for every newspaper, a lot of papers of every size are using Family Features on their websites. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, September 2009 |
My inbox has been especially full lately. That makes it harder to answer every question personally, but I try to answer as many questions as I can. Let me share a few I’ve received over the past few weeks: From Mark in Pennsylvania: Kevin, We have a PDF, created by InDesign and cropped in Acrobat...
Click Here for More ... |
Two years ago, we started offering Soundslides classes at the Institute of Newspaper Technology and they were a big hit. Everyone seemed surprised at how easy it was to create an audio slideshow for a newspaper Web site. So now, almost two years later, it seems like a good time to kick the tires and take the latest version of Soundslides for a ride around the block. Click Here for More ... |
Each year, I release a list of hardware and software recommendations for newspapers. With newspapers spending less this year, I’ve trimmed this list to items which tend to be of most interest. So get your scissors and tape ready. Here’s my 2009 list of recommended hardware and software for newspapers. Click Here for More ... |
One of the questions I get asked the most when I’m speaking to groups of publishers is, “How can I make money on my newspaper Web site without spending a fortune?”
I’m going to tell you how. Get a pen. I’ll wait.
Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, March 2009 |
As convention season approaches, I tend to do a lot of research to prepare new information. Two weeks ago, in Indianapolis, I addressed the publishers of the state on my latest topic titled, “Online Journalism II: The Sequel.” Click Here for More ... |
Charles, a newspaper designer from Kentucky, just sent a question via Facebook asking how to convert files from his Sony camcorder to a format he could use in Adobe Premier CS3, an application used to edit videos on both Macs and PCs. It was a good time for Charles to ask that question because I recently faced a similar challenge after purchasing a Hitachi high definition (HD) Blu-ray camcorder. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, June 2009 |
Man, I hate having to spend my own money on computer stuff. I get used to receiving software, utilities and other gizmos from companies all the time to review. It can get addictive. Then something breaks or gets old and I have to come back down to reality. Click Here for More ... |
Excuse me, but I have to sit down. It’s time to let you know about a few of the new features in Adobe Creative Suite 4. And after taking a fresh look at these applications, I need to catch my breath because some of the features are incredible. No, make that unimaginable. No, let’s stick with incredible. Wow. Click Here for More ... |
Just like everyone else’s, my inbox needs to be emptied on a regular basis. Here are some of the questions I’ve received from readers in the past few weeks. Click Here for More ... |
Gary Rudy, IFPA director, sent a panicked e-mail a couple of weeks ago. Seems the camera card that contained all of the photos from the IFPA national convention bit the dust. After sending the card to an outfit that specializes in getting data from corrupted drives, he learned that the cost for this service was a mere $700. He e-mailed to ask if there was a less expensive way to retrieve the photos. Click Here for More ... |
Milestone Release Radically Improves Creative Workflow Efficiency; Redefines Collaboration Between Designers and Developers Click Here for More ... Adobe Press Release |
I can’t remember a time when so many exciting upgrades and products were released at once. After speaking to a room filled with newspaper owners and publishers at the National Newspaper Association convention this week, I was a little overwhelmed by the number of folks ready to make wholesale changes and upgrades in their operations. Click Here for More ... |
OK. Stop what you’re doing. Seriously, stop. What I am about to tell you is worth a few minutes of your time.
I get software upgrades constantly. Designers and paginators salivate when they come by my office and see all the software on my desk. Right now there is a glut of products from Adobe, Extensis, Subrosa, Quark and a few others lying there. Sometimes I have to force myself to look at another upgrade. But that’s what I do. And I don’t take this duty lightly. So, against all natural tendencies, I keep inserting those disks and installing those new versions. And a day like today makes it all worth it. Click Here for More ... |
Quark 8 or Acroabat? I’ve been in a dilemma about which application to review. I’ve had boxes sitting on my desk that contain the just released versions of both applications for the past week. When I woke up this morning, I was sure I’d be writing a review of Acrobat Professional 9. But I just can’t help but feel there’s something calling me to try out Quark’s latest offering. OK, QuarkXPress 8 (QX8) it is. Click Here for More ... |
It always surprises me when I visit a newspaper and see one of my columns posted on a bulletin board. I hear it all the time. “I’ve been trying to get the publisher to buy (fill in the blank) for years, but couldn’t get him (or her) to budge. Then I showed them your column and, voila, they ordered it for everyone in the building!” Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, July 2008 |
Been wishing you could open those PDF files directly into InDesign? Notice I said "open," not "place." A big difference. Your dream might have come true. Learn what Kevin thinks about PDF2ID. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, June 2008 - 1 opinion posted |
There seems to be a recurring theme in my e-mail lately. Problems related to outdated and just released applications seem to abound. Fortunately, my e-mail includes enough variety to keep things interesting. Let me share a few of the calls for help I have received over the past few weeks. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, April 2008 - 1 opinion posted |
Help! My desk used to be under this pile of software somewhere. I keep stacking software boxes on my desk as they arrive from vendors and putting them off any longer is not an option. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, May 2008 |
The Kindle e-book reader from Amazon could have a huge impact on the newspaper business. Read what Kevin has to say about his two months using this device. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp |
I asked a couple of buddies - one at a large metro paper, the other at a mid-size daily - what camcorder they were sending with their reporters these days. I got the same answer from both, which led me to shell out a few dollars (yes, out of my own pocket!) for a Flip Ultra. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2008 - 1 opinion posted |
I hope newspapers never forget the value of their associations. Instead of spending $650 to attend a class that’s not even structured with newspapers in mind, association members find training through various regional and national associations for less than they’d spend taking the family to the movies (with some popcorn and drinks). Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2008 |
Are you sitting? Don’t read any further unless you’re sitting. The news I’m about to share requires that you be in a seated position before reading any further. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2007 - 1 opinion posted |
If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ve probably heard me mention InDesign’s companion application, InCopy. Paginators know InDesign as one of the tools of choice for creating newspaper pages. For others, like editors and reporters, InDesign can be overkill. This is where InCopy comes in. Click Here for More ... |
GIMP and Photoshop CS3 offer different angles on editing photos. While not as powerful as Photoshop, GIMP includes many functions used by newspapers. Users of Photoshop, however, won't want to miss the free download of Photoshop CS3. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, January 2007 |
