It has been one of those days. You’ve had them. It began with a website that wasn’t working like it was supposed to. When you have a website that lists items for.... Read More

Earlier this month, I traveled about an hour from my home to conduct focus groups for a weekly newspaper in Tennessee. Focus groups come in all sizes and shapes. This particul.... Read More

It’s been a while since a column has drawn as much response as my November review of Affinity Publisher, the layout application that has so many designers, editors and p.... Read More

As I write this column, vaccines are beginning to make their way to first responders, the New Year has begun, and maybe – just maybe – the world is seeing a light.... Read More

A few years back, I received an email from Nebraska publisher Rob Dump about a design application he’d read about named Affinity Publisher. He asked if I thought he migh.... Read More

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken (virtually) at five state and regional press association conventions. In all but one, my leadoff topic was “What’s Going.... Read More

So, what do professional speakers do during a pandemic? I can’t speak for all the speakers in the world, but among other things, I’ve been leading a lot of webinar.... Read More

It’s a crazy time for all of us. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Like many of you, I’ve been working out of my home office for six.... Read More

I will remember fall '19 as a season of research. I was involved in two major newspaper studies: one related to Millennials for North Dakota Newspaper Foundation and one to de.... Read More

I spent my morning writing about mergers, buyouts, and bankruptcies. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to spend a few minutes on something more fun. For the past three or.... Read More

Like many of you reading this column, I've been in the newspaper business a long time. I began delivering daily papers for the Johnson City (Tennessee) Press-Chronicle when I.... Read More

Andy Warhol once said, "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes." I've experienced those fifteen minutes a few times, but it comes less often these da.... Read More

I probably start my workday about the same as most of my readers, checking email. Somewhere around two hours of each day is spent helping people solve their problems. It’s not.... Read More

I’m in the midst of one of those crazy, multi-town, trips that leaves little time for remembering what happened yesterday because I’m too busy getting ready for today. Friday.... Read More

I’m in the midst of one of those crazy, multi-town, trips that leaves little time for remembering what happened yesterday because I’m too busy getting ready for today. Friday.... Read More

When I walk into a newsroom for the first time, there’s always a moment of hesitation as I gauge how prepared the group is for my visit. I’m normally greeted with one of two e.... Read More

I probably start my workday about the same as most of my readers, checking email. Somewhere around two hours of each day is spent helping people solve their problems. It’s not.... Read More

In the midst of my busiest year ever, Dale Gentry, publisher of The Standard-Banner in Jefferson City, Tennessee, called to ask if I could find time to visit his newspaper. Le.... Read More

I guess I might as well change my permanent address to “Midwest,” following more than a dozen scheduled visits to Iowa and Minnesota during February, March and April. People b.... Read More

I really don’t mean to get this worked up about things. Oh, sorry. I sometimes digress. Let me catch you up. While taking a drive through the Smoky Mountains, about 45 minute.... Read More

Wow! Today has been one of those days. You’re in the business. You know what I’m talking about. I planned to start on this column four hours ago, but the phone started ringin.... Read More

Wow! Today has been one of those days. You’re in the business. You know what I’m talking about. I planned to start on this column four hours ago, but the phone started ringin.... Read More

Sept. 30, 2003 As Kramer, of Seinfield fame, would say,

Three of the top plug-in makers and one of the largest stock imagery companies have partnered together to create a unique bundle of products being marketed as The Big 4 Graphi.... Read More

Advanced Photoshop users, a group which includes a lot of newspaper designers, deal with the process of masking quite often. Masking is the process of selecting, then erasing,.... Read More

For those who have been patiently awaiting the long-anticipated release of the latest incarnation of QuarkXPress, there is good news and bad news. The good news, for Mac users.... Read More

There has been such a plethora of software hitting the shelves over the past few months that I haven

This has been quite a month for publishing software. My mailbox has been filled almost daily with new titles and new versions of popular software and hardware for newspaper de.... Read More

Morrison SoftDesign recently updated its signature product, FontDoctor, to version 5.5. FontDoctor is the industry standard software for font problem diagnosis and repair on t.... Read More

Over the years, I

Fourteen years ago, Kevin Slimp started working with a new technology being developed by Adobe Systems to create files which could be designed in one location, then sent to an.... Read More

Peachpit Press has released a new book for QuarkXPress users making the move to Adobe InDesign. While Quark is still the dominant player in our industry, InDesign is gaining p.... Read More