Cold Weather Printing

Cold Weather Printing Alert

When its cold it is usually very dry. Low humidity conditions can affect paper, causing it to curl as it loses water content. Curled paper may then have trouble feeding into your printer. This has been a problem in the commercial printing industry forever. Now that we inkjet users are all "printers", we have to deal with simlar issues.

So what can we do to minimize cold weather printing problems? The best solution is to humidify the room where your printer resides. A humidifer can be found at any local drug or hardware store and usually costs between $15 and $50, depending on its capacity. Another approach is to leave a pan of water in the room. Simple evaporation can help to raise the local humidity. Even a small increase in relative humidity can make a very large difference. The ideal relative humidity for printing is 50% at 74 degrees. Knowing your relative humidity is certainly helpful. You can by a personal hygrometer like this one for between $10 and $30.

Also in cold weather, static electricity becomes much more prevalent. That static can make paper stick together and misfeed. Here again, adding moisture can help reduce the problem as well as utilizing a fabric softner. Products such as Bounce can relieve the built up charge in a stack of paper. Lightly rubbing Bounce on a stack of paper, or attaching a sheet to the back paper tray of your printer will lower the static charge of paper.

A possible quick fix if you have trouble feeding. Take a look at your paper. If you notice a dominant curl in one direction, try to bend the paper the opposite way just before printing. This should flatten out the paper enough to begin the job. You will need to do this to each few sheets as your printing job continues.

Ken Gehle wins 23rd Annual PDN Nikon Self Promotion Award Using Red River Paper

Ken Gehle wins 23^rd Annual PDN Nikon Self Promotion Award for “Rural Gas”

Atlanta, GA November 13, 2007 - “Rural Gas”, a handmade photography book by Ken Gehle, location photographer based in Atlanta, GA has won first place in the 2007 23^rd Annual PDN Nikon Self Promotion Award in the category of Direct Mail. The Annual PDN Nikon Self Promotion Awards recognize the extraordinary self-promotional efforts of photographers in all genres.

“Rural Gas” is the result of a personal project Gehle had been working on over several years. After numerous trips throughout the Southeast seeking out and photographing old gas stations, Gehle decided to combine his favorite images into a book.

One hundred hand-made books were sent to a group of highly researched advertising agency buyers throughout the United States.

Books were printed in-house using two Epson 1280 printers equipped with Media Street Niagara CIS and perfect bound by hand using a custom jig. The paper stock used was Red River Premium Matte.

Gehle says of his project, “I wanted to send a very unique promotion piece that showcased one of my many personal projects. Recipients of the book called me personally to express how much they enjoyed the mailer and my work“.

The project is featured online at http://www.pdngallery.com/contests/selfpromo/23/ and in the October 2007 issue of Photo District News.

To view the books in its entirety visit the project’s page at http://www.kengehle.com/.

Pick the Premium Matte Inkjet Greeting Card That's Right for You

Its greeting card time again. As usual, we'll be highlighting all of the reasons why YOU should print custom inkjet notecards right now!

REASON #1 to Print Your Own Inkjet Cards

Your total cost for ink, paper, and envelope per card is under $1.00. Compare that to non-custom cards at big box retailers that average $2 each.

INKJET GREETING CARDS OF THE WEEK

Premium Matte is one of the top selling Red River brands. Part of the reason is that each paper features top quality inkjet coating that render tack sharp details and deep saturated color. We have three Premium Matte greeting cards this year...one is sure to be right for your needs:

Premium Matte PLUS gives you rich yet subtle print character , with the extra weight and thickness that convey superior quality to all that hold your photo cards.
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50lb. Premium Matte Double Sided offers the same superb print quality on both sides. At 10mils, this paper is about the same thickness as a traditional photo.
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47lb. Premium Matte is the go-to greeting card when you don't need extra thick stock, are looking for lower costs, and still demand the best possible print quality. Like all other Red River Premium Matte papers, this product reproduces accurate colors and deep blacks.
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