The Secrets of Better Gas Mileage

Don't you get sick of having to stop and top off your tank every couple of days just because of your morning commute? Today's hybrids are saving people big bucks at the gas pump by all but doubling their gas mileage, but for those of us still driving around depending on fossil fuels the expense is a little bit higher. Fortunately, there are some simple strategies that anyone can use to improve their gas mileage-no matter what type of car they're driving.

First and foremost, think of your car like an athlete. When an athlete's in good shape and their body is able to function at its peak they're going to be able to accomplish their usual daily tasks while expending a minimum of energy. If you want your car to operate with that same efficiency you're going to have to make sure you keep it in good working order. Regular tune-ups and oil changes, clean air filters and properly inflated tires will go a long way toward paving the road toward better gas mileage.

Secondly, take a look at your driving habits. Do you tend to drive too quickly? Let your car idle in your driveway while you run back inside for your cell phone? Spend too much time in rush hour traffic? Your driving habits have more of an impact on your gas mileage than you might think!

The secret to better gas mileage when you're on the road is to slow down and try to drive at a continuous speed. It takes more energy to speed up and slow down than it does to maintain a steady pace, which means you're wasting gas every time you get caught in stop and go traffic. Driving over 55 mph will also burn through your gas supply more quickly, and idling wastes gas that you could be putting to better use someplace else.

Whenever possible, avoid the temptation to take advantage of the climate control in your car. Running your air conditioner uses more gas than driving with the windows down (as you're undoubtedly aware if you live in the south where summer starts in April and burns straight through to September), and leaving your car idling while waiting for the heater to warm up the inside or the AC to cool things down before you get on the road puts a dent in your tank without ever setting a single tire on the road.

Finally, consider making your next car a hybrid. Yes, you can get better gas mileage using the techniques described above, but you may never come close to the mileage offered by a hybrid through its blend of electric and gas powered energy. (The Toyota Prius has been known to get more than 40 miles to the gallon on occasion.) While the initial investment in these cars is higher than the cost to buy a regular, fossil fuel powered vehicle you'll more than recover your investment when you consider what you're going to save in the long term at the gas pump.

Get The Most Out Of Your Vehicle

Our vehicles represent large investments in our life. For this reason, we want to maintain them as well as possible and get the most out of them. So what can you do to get the most out of your car?

1. How is the Oil? - The lifeblood of an engine is its oil. Oil lubricates vital engine parts. Even the most mechanically challenged drivers know to change a car’s oil and oil filter on a regular basis — even if they don’t always do it. Oil changes every 3,000-7,500 miles or every 3-4 months is essential for keeping your engine in good shape. Over time, oil loses its viscosity and also it's lubricating additives, which help keep your engine from excessive wear. Oil is not free of contaminants over time, your car's engine builds up carbon deposits, dirt, and even water can build up in your engine over time.
2. Keep Your Engine Cool - A cars engine generates enough heat to destroy itself. The cooling system protects against damage keeping the engine operating within the correct temperature range. Maintaining your car’s cooling system and the proper coolant level is as important as making sure the engine is well lubed and can potentially save you thousands of dollars in repairs.
3. Transmission Fluid and Filters - This is one of the most neglected fluids in our cars. Transmission fluid protects the 2nd most expensive mechanical feature in our car, protect it like your engine. Automatic transmission fluid should be changed around every 30,000-40,000 miles. If you live in a hilly area or where you are constantly driving in heavy traffic, you might even change it more often. Just like motor oil, you should check your Automatic/manual transmission lubricants often. Low or even too much transmission fluid can cause transmission failure, premature wear, and rough shifting.
4. Protect Your Car’s Body – Car’s rust and wear out of not protected. Store your car in a garage or under a carport or cover. Keep your car out of the sun if possible or cover it to keep off bird droppings and tree sap. During the winter months, salt, sand and road grime can severely damage the finish of a vehicle. Another concern is more than one-third of car owners use non-automotive products when washing their cars, which can cause considerable damage and lead to costly repairs. Washing and polishing a car with quality cleaners and waxes goes a long way toward protecting the vehicle’s exterior. Keeping your car’s body maintained will not only make it last longer but also will make it much more pleasant to drive.
5. Watch Your Tire’s Pressure - A very important, and often neglected, maintenance area on your vehicle is your tires. Proper tire inflation is a key ingredient in driving safety and long tire life. It is wise to check your tire's inflation at least once a month with an accurate tire pressure gauge. Continuous loss of inflation pressure is an indication of a possible tire/wheel assembly problem; consult your tire professional immediately if you encounter this situation. Be sure to check the pressure while the tires are cold, and have not been used recently. When temperatures rise, the air inside the tire expands. This can mean you are driving on over inflated tires -- ultimately resulting in premature tread wear. Tire tread is crucial during emergency situations; a quarter inch of tread depth could affect your stopping distance by 180 feet. Improper or neglected maintenance of tires and wheels can cause extensive damage and lead to pricey repairs.

The Design Process

Designing is a process that straddles the realm of art as well as marketing. The designing, whether of logos, displays, banners, leaflets, brochures or any other promotional material has to be of the sort that will be accepted and remembered by the customers along with being artistically tasteful?

Usually a five step process is followed while preparing a design for a product or service. These steps consist of –

1. An initial meeting between the client and the designers to know the exact requirements.
2. Submission of an estimate to the client based on his demands.
3. Once approved, gathering of information for the production of the design and the actual designing.
4. Submission of the first draft to the client for them to sleep over it and suggest any changes or alterations.
5. Production of the final draft of the design based on the feedback received by the client.

MdsDESIGN, which was formed in 2002 by Marie deFontenay Coles, is a graphic designing firm providing innovative design solutions to customers all over Australia. The areas covered by mdsDESIGN include high-end graphic design, web design and advertising. Marie deFontenay Coles, the founder of the company also works as the (hold your breath) Director, Client Manager, Art Director, Designer, Print Production, Producer and Receptionist. This is someone who believes in multi-tasking. MdsDESIGN is also a member of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA).

The business model adopted by mdsDESIGN is unique in the field of graphic designing. The boutique style business allows this personalised service, building client relationships and providing complete attention to detail from the initial concept to the final production. With a grand total of 25 years of experience behind her, Marie is sure to provide you with the exact solution for your designing needs. The company provides designs and solutions for: logos, brand or corporate identity, brand naming and identity, brand revitalisation, brochures, leaflets and catalogues, corporate literature, environments/signage, displays, website design, point of sale, packaging, print and press advertising. So for all your design and advertising needs, just visit www.mdsdesign.com.au . On the site you can know more about Marie and mdsDESIGN and also have a look at examples of various creative solutions provided by the company over the years.

Image Resolution for Web Design & Print Design Projects

When graphic designers and printers start talking about image resolution, most people's eyes start to glaze over. While it's true that image resolution sounds complicated and tricky (and it certainly can be!), understanding a few simple concepts about image resolution can make communicating with your web designer, graphic designer or printer a bit easier, and can make your next web design or print design project go more smoothly.

So, what is resolution exactly?
In very simple terms, an image's resolution is measured by the number of pixels or dots per the unit of printed size in the image. When talking about screen images, resolution is stated in pixels per inch (ppi), and when talking about printed images, it's stated in dots per inch (dpi). Why, you ask? Simple ... screens use pixels and printers use dots.

Pixels
A pixel (or Picture Element) is simply a dot of color. When you put all of the pixels (or dots of color) together, you get the full image. A 100 x 100 pixel image is actually comprised of 10,000 individual pixels that, when viewed together as a whole, make up the image. The more pixels an image contains, the more detail that image will have and the more "crisp" it will appear.

Images for the Web: 72 dpi
Most computer monitors display at 72 dpi. Therefore, when preparing images for use on a website, 72 dpi at final screen size is the norm. When it comes to web, you want your images to be as small in file size as possible so that your pages load as quickly as possible. Reducing the resolution to 72 dpi will help to get your images as small in size as possible. Of course, you can put up higher resolution images on a website, but keep in mind that the more resolution an image has, the larger it's file size will be and the longer it will take to download and display on a web page.

Images for Print: 300 dpi
In print projects, resolution is key. If the images that you include in a print project do not have high enough resolution, they will appear fuzzy, jagged, or blurry. Most professional printers require a minimum of 300 dpi for all images at the final print size. However, some printers require even higher resolution, so it's always a good idea to check with your printer on their recommended printing resolution. Generally, the higher the resolution of your image is, the better the quality of the image will be when printed.

Scanning Images or Digital Photos
You can certainly scan images or take photos with a digital camera for use in both a website and in print. The key is keeping in mind what physical size the images will need to be and the final resolution needed (for example, a 5"x7" photo @ 300 dpi in a print piece, or a 300 x 500 pixel image @ 72 dpi for a website, etc.).

If in doubt, or you don't know the final size, or think you'd like to use the image in both print and on the web, it's better to scan or shoot the image at the highest resolution and downsize it later, if needed. Remember that, when it comes to resolution and size, you can't easily increase resolution, you can only decrease it.

Bitmap Images vs. Vector Images -- Understanding Graphic Types

When it comes to computer graphics, there are a lot of programs available for creating, manipulating, and saving image files. Although images can be created and saved in different programs and can have different file types or extensions, when it comes right down to it, all digital images are classified as either vector images or bitmap images.

In very general terms, the difference between bitmap and vector images is in how the computer reads and displays the image. Each type has advantages and disadvantages. Which format will work best depends on how you plan to use the image.

Bitmap Images:
The most common image type is bitmap. All scanned images and images from digital cameras are bitmaps. Web images

are almost always bitmaps.

Bitmaps, sometimes called rastor images, are based on individual pixels that are mapped to a grid. The overall size of the grid is determined by the image's resolution.

So what's a pixel? A pixel (or Picture Element) is simply a dot of color. When you put all of the pixels (or dots of color) together, you get the full image. A 100 x 100 pixel bitmap image is actually comprised of 10,000 individual pixels that, when viewed together as a whole, make up the image.

Since bitmaps are dependent on resolution, it is difficult to increase or decrease their size without sacrificing image quality. For example, when you reduce the size of a bitmap, you essentially throw pixels away. When you increase the size of a bitmap image by scaling it, you simply make the pixels (or dots of color) larger and easier to see - which can result in a jagged appearance.

Bitmap images are most suitable for photographs and images with complex color variations. They are not easily scalable and often require more computer memory for file storage (i.e. they are often bigger files).

Vector Images:
Vector images are composed of well defined geographical shapes, lines, and curves, essentially points connected by lines of various shapes and sizes which can then be filled with color. Vector images are mathematically derived by the computer and not based on pixels. Vector images are more suitable for logos and illustrations, especially those that require precise measurements.

Because vector images are highly scalable, they are often used to create logos. A vector logo can be easily scaled down to fit on a business card, or scaled up to fit on a tradeshow display, the side of a van or bus, or larger without losing quality. Vector images can also have transparent backgrounds, making them easy to place or layer on top of other graphics. Vector images can be easily converted to bitmaps, but a bitmap image cannot be as easily converted to a vector image.

Some graphic programs work primarily with bitmap images, some with vector images, and some can work with both (or a combination thereof).

Common Program and File Types for Bitmap and Vector Images include:

• Adobe Photoshop (.psd files) (bitmap)
• Macintosh Quickdraw (.pct, .pict files) (bitmap)
• PNG (.png files) (bitmap)
• Targa Bitmap (.tga files) (bitmap)
• TIFF Bitmap (.tif, .tiff files) (bitmap)
• Windows Bitmap (.bmp files) (bitmap)
• Adobe Illustrator (.ai, .eps files) (vector)
• AutoCad (.dwg, .dxf files) (vector)
• AutoDesk Draw (.dwg files) (vector)
• Corel Draw (.cdr files) (vector)
• Windows Metafile (.wmf files) (vector)

Print & Graphic Design Projects - Selecting Paper

Paper selection is an important element in print projects.

Selecting a paper can often be very confusing; there are numerous different types and brands of paper available today. When selecting paper, be sure to keep in mind that the choice you make for your project will affect how it the printed piece is perceived. Before placing a printing order, it is a good idea to request a paper sample for each paper you are considering for the project.

What Distinguishes Different Papers?

Finish: The finish of a paper is it's surface texture. Uncoated and coated paper have different surface textures.

• Wove or Smooth - A smooth uncoated surface.
• Laid - A paper that is manufactured with textured lines on its surface. This finish is used mostly for business stationery elements, like letterhead, envelopes and business cards.
• Linen - Similar to a laid finish, this paper has textured lines on the surface of the sheet, but they are finer and more regular than those that appear on a laid finish stock. This paper is also used frequently for business stationery.
• Laser - A paper that is guaranteed to be compatible with laser printers.
• Coated - A paper with a waxy finish (shiny or matte).
• Uncoated - A paper with an untreated surface that is dull and unreflective.
• Coated One Side (C1S) - A cover stock that has a coating on one side and is dull on the reverse side.
• Coated Two Sides (C2S) - A cover stock that has a coating on both sides.

Weight: The weight of a paper refers to its thickness and is measured in pounds (#). The higher the number, the more (equivalent) weight a paper has (the thicker/heavier the paper). *See the comparison table for more information on weights.

Opacity: A paper's opacity is determined by its weight, ingredients and absorbency. A paper's opacity determines how much printing will show through on the reverse side of a sheet. Opacity is expressed in terms of it's percentage of reflection. Complete opacity is 100% and complete transparency is 0%.

Brightness: The brightness of a sheet of paper measures the percentage of a wavelength of blue light it reflects. The brightness of a piece of paper is typically expressed on a scale of 1 to 100 with 100 being the brightest. Most papers reflect 60-90% of light. The brightness of a paper affects readability, the perception of ink color and the contrast between light and dark hues.

Types of Paper

Offset: Also known as book or text paper, offset paper can have a coated or uncoated finish. Offset paper is thinner and lightweight. It is often used for publication interior sheets, brochures & flyers, and letterheads. Common offset weights: 50#, 60#, 70#, 80#, 100#. Bond: Bond or writing papers are most often used for letterhead. The most commonly recognized bond or writing stocks are:

• 20# - A standard weight paper.
• 24# - The preferred weight for most business papers (letterheads).
• 28# - Heavier paper, less frequently used. Its thickness can sometimes pose problems feeding through laser printers. It is often used for outer envelopes.

Cover: Cover stocks are heavy in weight, rigid and not easily folded. These papers are generally used for publication covers, business cards, greeting cards, folders, and postcards. They can have coated or uncoated finishes. Common weights for cover stocks include: 65#, 80#, 100#, 120#, and 12pt.

Graphic Design - Banner Stand Display

Designing is a very important part of most businesses. Graphic design is the specialised field of design which makes use of techniques such as typography, visual arts and page layouts to create a striking image.

Graphic design is used by almost all companies to build a brand image and get a corporate identity. Easily identifiable symbols of various companies which we recognise and connect with the companies are created by graphic designers. Whether it is the golden arc of McDonald’s or the whoosh of Nike, all of these designs have germinated as ideas in the brains of a graphic designer. Advertising agencies and media houses work closely with graphic designers as they are essential to providing the customers with their demands. The various techniques used in graphic design are:

• Visual arts – Before the application of any graphics, the designer has to visualise the scene. This visualisation of various parts of a design can come from traditional art, photography or from the designer’s experience.

• Typography – This is the selection of typefaces, fonts, point size, line length etc. This is done by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic artists, art directors, and clerical workers.

• Page layout – In this part the position, arrangement and the treatment of the various elements are decided.

• Interface design – Designing is done for various media, from print to television to the internet. Each of these has its own need sand requirements. Interface design is the configuring of the content for the apt medium.

• Printmaking – The final step. Prints are made of the artwork, generally on paper. This gives the final draft of the design and any mistakes and changes are affected after this.

The Showman is one of the premier design and exhibition specialists in the country and with a team of talented and experienced graphic designers they can provide solution for all your design needs. To know more the services and products offered by them