Corel 08 April

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Published for the Association of CorelDRAW Professionals (ACDRP) / www.coreldrawpro.com

CorelDRAWProthe entrepreneurial

magazine forCorelDRAW

users worldwide

April 2008

Cover Artby

Gary HardwickDetails on page 7

Fitting Text toPaths

AdjustingPhotos Easily

ObjectSequencing

GreenApparel

GPS Systems

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ProCorelDRAW

April 2008

Brother IntL. Web Ad

Conde Systems Web Ad

Corel Corp. Web Ad

Custom Graphic Technology Web Ad

Epilog Laser Corp. Web Ad

Geo. Knight & Co. Web Ad

JBL Graphics Web AdJohn E. Lepper Inc. Web Ad

Johnson Plastics Web Ad

Laser Reproductions Web Ad

LaserBits Inc. Web Ad

LaserSketch Web Ad

N&R International Web Ad

Paramount Services Inc. Web Ad

ProLink Graphics Svc Web Ad

SCT Crystal Web Ad

Stahls ID Direct Web AdThe Magic Touch USA-1 Web Ad

The Magic Touch USA-2 Web Ad

Universal Laser Systems Web Ad

ADVERTISER INDEX

DEPARTMENTS

Click Web to go to advertisers website.Click Ad to go to the ad in this issue.Clicking the ad itself will go to website.

TRAINING: How to Use APPLICATIONS:How to Apply OPPORTUNITIES:How to Profit

5 Graphics News Wire7 About the Cover

8 Inside ACDRP:On the Road & the Internet

43 Product Focus: Laser Wood44 GNN Network

44 Marketplace45 Contributing Writers

CorelDRAWProCONTENTS

9 Using CorelDRAW:Create Professional Photos with3 Easy Adjustments

by Bill Leek

12 Using CorelDRAW:Fitting Text to Pathsby Dave Demoret

15CorelDRAW Applied:The Object Manager: Sequencingby John McDaniel

18Inside Color: RenderingIntentsby David Milisock

20 Inside Screen Printing:

From Positive to Screen 2by Jeff McDaniel

23Inside Sandblasting:Gun versus regular hoses andnozzles for blastingby Judy McDaniel

24Inside Engraving:Hardware Design 1: Motorsby John McDaniel

26 Laser Tip:PhotoGrav 3.0: Why You Need Itand How It Worksby Kathryn Arnold

29Getting Ahead:Decorated Apparel Goes Green!

by Deborah Sexton

33Electronic Frontier:Global Positioning Systems

by Louie Alvarez

38Marketing SecretsCreating The Visionby Donna Gray

40Show Recap:

New Products from Las VegasAwards Show

46Traveling Tidbits:Golden Desert, BusinessCommandments, BeingPro-Activeby Otis Veteto

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ProCorelDRAW

CorelDRAWProGRAPHICS NEWS WIRE

April 2008

Product News Headlines:

Calendar(Web Link)Check out the upcoming training

classes and trade shows ofinterest to CorelDRAW users.

Dalco Athletic offers pre-spacedmascot combo designs

EmbSupplies.com offersHoopmaster

Conde introduces Wrought IronProducts for Tiles

Euro Trophex Show to be heldOct. 11-13 in Holland

Epilog Laser launches the ZingLaser

LaserSketch adds High-End Blackand Green Award Plaques

GCC LaserPro introduces 3 newlaser models

Workhorse offers CapMax flashcure unit

Vastex has new handy SqueegeeRest

Ballstars adds new PhotoTemplates Graphics Program

SWF improves technology forDual-Function 2-Head Embroidery

Brother International announcesGarment Decorating Road Shows

ASI Launches Fall Holiday Expo inLas Vegas

American Embroidery Supplyoffers Magna-Glide Ribbons

Cotswold introduces new Pressand Tear Hoopless Adhesive

Stabilizer

U.S. Screen offers golf ball printingkits

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About the Cover

Gary Hardwick

The Image:Im Narcoleptic. To Me, Reality Is

Always Lost Somewhere Between AwakeAnd Asleep.

Im a full time graphic designer withNarcolepsy. I work for a sign company& freelance as well. Most of the work Ido is very mainstream & profitable, butsometimes I see things in my sleep that

just have to come to life and I becomeobsessed to make it so...

Im almost haunted by these imagesuntil I give them life. Dita was one of those visions. Inviting & sensual, this piece hasa lot of emotion tied to it. It best represents that spiraling-out-of- control feeling I getduring a sleep attack, and the crazy chaos that awaits me in the realm of sleep &dreams. At first it felt like a curse, now I use that emotion to create works like Dita.

The Process:I created this Image in CORELDRAW X3 & Corel PHOT0-PAINT while on a short

break between jobs. I started off by importing a photo of model Dita Von Teese intoCorelDraw 13.

I then converted that photo to an RGB bitmap with a resolution of 200 dpi. I thenmade 4 copies of the original photo that would later become separate layers of thefinal output file. The original stays on bottom as a guide.

The second Image I open in PHOT0-PAINT, go to Image adjust, and play around

with the Brightness and Color saturation settings until Im pleased with the results.The next step is to take the same image while still in PHOT0-PAINT and open

the Effects menu. Using the Texture option, select Plastic and adjust the settingsuntil the desired results appear. Next save back into CorelDRAW using the Ctrl Scommand.

Next in CDR I take one of the other layers and open the Bitmaps Option, and goto Plug-ins where I have my KPT Filters. I then use the filter called Hyper Tiling. Thereis an option in this filter that lets me fade the original image away so all you see arethe ghostly-looking images being sucked into a void.

The next step is a variation of the last. I select the last of the 4 layers and againusing the KPT filters found under the Bitmap menu in CDR I select the option oflightning. Again with this one, I adjust the filters so that the original image is faded

away in the background.

Next I used my transparency tool on all but the original image which stays to theback of the order. Each Image has a varied degree of transparency this gives the

piece its depth. Next is to layer the images and save the final output in the desiredformat.

About the ArtistI have spent the majority of my life in Illinois, but love to travel. I have been drawing

since pre-school. Art has always been and always shall be a part of my life. In myteen years I began drawing logos for area punk bands, comics, flyers, skateboards,and hand painting my art. Id draw or paint on just about anything. I graduated fromhigh school in 1988. I had planned on attending art school, but instead I went to atrade school and worked in a union out of Chicago, which was the economically safething to do.

I worked from 1988-1996 in Power Plants & Construction, but missed the freedomto express my creativity. I was seeing a lot of industrial decay, rusting iron, and pollution.Realizing my talent was being wasted, I decided to apply for a job at a local sign shipin 1996. It was American Dowell Signcrafters who gave me my big break.

In no time I had gone from installing signs to creating them using a program calledCorelDRAW 7. I have used all the versions between 7 and 13, and believe it or notI am self taught. My experience comes from over a decade of using Corel designsoftware everyday hands on.

I came into the sign business as many of the old ways were being phased out andcomputers were taking over. We were still using Xerox machines and projectors fora lot of our work. So I focused on learning the new tool Id been given (CorelDRAW).Corel made so many of the tasks we were doing much more efficient and gave things

a nice finished quality that was easy to reproduce if necessary.In fact, I loved what I was doing at the shop so much I started my own little graphics

studio at home in 2003. My client base has been growing every year. What can I say,I love what I do and that is the best part of it all. I work full time at the sign shop andpart-time at home. It seems my work is in high demand these days. I am planning on

opening a shop in the near future that specializes in logo design,vehicle wraps, and custom made signs and graphics.

I can be reached at this email address ([email protected]). My shop phone number is 217-377-4336. A website iscurrently in the works.

SDO Graphics, Gary Hardwick, 608 S. Emerson,

Monitcello IL 61856

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


8/46April 2008 8


Inside ACDRP

By Mike Neer,

Executive Director

On the Road and on the

Internet Superhighway!

Published by Association of

CorelDRAW Professionals

President:John H. McDanielVice President:Judith McDaniel

Executive Director:Michael R. NeerAssoc. Exec. Director:Steven V. Neer

ACDRP Corporate Office:Albany, OR

OFFICES

Membership & Publishing offices located at:4709 N. El Capitan, Suite 103,

Fresno, CA 93722;800-276-8428, 559-276-8494 Fax559-276-8496

www.CorelDRAWPro.com

[email protected]

Subscriptions:Free to qualified individuals andbusinesses. Send change of address to the above.

ACDRP Membership: $60/yr., See the websitefor details. Includes exclusive content and more.

Advertising:Request a Media Guide or downloadit from www.CorelDRAWPro.com.

Writers:CorelDRAWPro accepts articles fromindustry experts. Email publisher for details.

Copyright 2007 by ACDRP.All Rights Reserved.

EDITOR / PUBLISHER Michael R. Neer

[email protected]

GRAPHICSJohn Mise

ADVERTISING John McDaniel II

[email protected]

APRIL 2008

ProCorelDRAWAPRIL 2008

The 2008 Spring Tour of the Making Money withCorelDRAW Road Show (MM.cdr) is now underway. Firststop is Phoenix April 24.

This years Road Show features a new format thatwill give attendees an opportunity to check out the newrelease of CorelDRAW X4 as well as getting questionsanswered.

MM.cdr Morning SessionThe morning session, called MM.cdr, will offer an

updated presentation on numerous ways to MakeMoney with CorelDRAW, and will featureproduct displays by Road Show sponsors.This session is free to all attendees, andeach one will receive the 2008 ResourceGuide CD Package (a $49.95 value) justfor attending. This valuable collectionof CDs/DVDs includes a video of theMM.cdr presentation, a recent issue ofCorelDRAWPro magazine, completecatalogs or flyers from the sponsors, andmore.

LTD.cdr Afternoon SessionThe afternoon session, called LTD.cdr, will offer

Lecture Training with Demonstration of CorelDRAW X4,and a chance to ask individual questions of Corel TrainingPartners John & Judy McDaniel. There is a $50 fee percompany for this session, and that is redeemable forselected training CDs that will be available on site.

Road Show SponsorsThis years sponsors, to date, include: Artwork Source,

Brother International, Conde Systems, Corel Corp., Epilog

Laser Corp., Geo. Knight & Co., JBL Graphics, Johnson

Plastics, Laser Reproductions Inc., LaserSketch Ltd.,TheMagicTouch USA, Trotec Laser Inc., Universal LaserSystems Inc., and Vapor Apparel.

Spring Tour Sites & DatesThe schedule for the 2008 Spring Tour is as follows:

Phoenix April 24; El Paso May 1; HoustonMay 6;Mobile May 12; TampaMay 15; AtlantaMay 19;CharlotteMay 22; Washington/Baltimore May 26;Philadelphia May 29; BostonJune 2; Rochester/

Buffalo areaJune 5; Cleveland June 9; Milwaukee June 12; MinneapolisJune 16; Spokane

June 23 or 26; PortlandJune 26 or 30;SacramentoJuly 10; and IrvineJuly14. You can register for the Road Showat www.coreldrawpro.com

Introducing the MM.cdr DigitalRoad Show

To make the Mm.cdr Road Showaccessible for those not near a Tour site or

who live outside the US, we are now launching the

Digital Road Show.This is a unique site that presents the highlights of

the Physical MM.cdr Road Show. It offers a way for anyCorelDRAW user to order the 2008 Resource Guide CDCollection, and it offers direct links to all the sponsors

many of whom offer special coupons.The Digital Road Show can be accessed directly from

the CorelDRAWPro website at www.coreldrawpro.com.Now every CorelDRAW user can attend either the

Physical or Digital Road Show in 2008.Its a show that is On The Road, or On the Internet

Superhighway! See you there!

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Using CorelDRAWTraining

By Bill Leek

Create Professional Photos Using 3 Easy Adjustmentsin Corel PHOTO-PAINT X4

Our photographs come from a variety ofsources. Some come from digital cameras startingwith lower-resolution handhelds up throughsophisticated state-of-the-art professional andprosumer digital SLRs. Many images havebeen scanned from recent and older photoprints, negatives and slides. Other images areaffected by poor lighting conditions and poor

flash performance. Still others show signs of aphotographers poor decisions or a jittery hand.Virtually all photos need some adjustment. Most, but not all can be saved and

improved. Some require fairly complex adjustments that will covered in future articles.In this issue though, I would like to review three simple, quick adjustments I performon almost all photos. These must be applied in the following order:

SET BLACK AND WHITE POINTSAPPLY AN S TONAL CURVESHARPEN USING THE UNSHARP MASK FILTER

Before you start, lets make an important change to PHOTO-PAINTs default

settings.The foreground and background

squares on the left tool bar havedefault RGB values of 0,0,0 and255,255,255 respectively. Theseare not appropriate values for actualprint on a desktop printer. You needto change the values to 10,10,10and 245,245,245. These values arereferenced in PHOTO-PAINTs Image

Adjustment Lab where you will utilizethem to set the black and white points.To change these default values:

Original photograph of Aiden

Double left click on the black foreground square. The foreground color pickerpalette will appear. Select RGB as the model. Enter 10,10,10 for the black RGBvalues. In like fashion left double click on the white background square. Set the whiteRGB values to 245,245,245. Unless you reset these settings, they will be saved whenyou load PHOTO-PAINT again. Its always good to check them to make sure theyhave not reverted to the factory defaults.

SETTING BLACK AND

WHITE POINTSThis is a very easy step. Youwill use PHOTO-PAINTs Image

Adjustment Lab. This is accessedby left clicking on ADJUST on thetop menu bar and then left clickingon IMAGE ADJUSTMENT LAB from

the drop-down menu. The only controls you willuse are the BLACK and WHITE eyedroppersat the top of Adjustment Lab Palette. Usingthe black eyedropper, click on the blackest(darkest) area in your photo. Using the whiteeyedropper, click on the whitest (brightest)area. The eyedroppers display the RGB valuesas you drag them over the photo to help youmake your selection. You may have to try thisa few times to find the best points. Sometimeswith the white eyedropper you get better results

The black reference default is set to

a RGB value of 10,10,10.

In the IMAGE ADJUSTMENT LAB, theblack and white eyedroppers areused to select the darkest and

lightest areas in a photo.

Photo after Black and Whitepoints have been adjusted.

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TrainingUsing CorelDRAW

clicking on an area you feel should be the whitest. You should immediately notice thatthe photo has more pop and clarity. Pretty easy!!!

IMPROVING CONTRAST WITHAN S TONAL CURVE

OK, now raise your right handand swearI will never use aContrast Slider Adjustment.The slider is tempting and easybut does not provide the bestmethod for adding a little contrastto an image.

The best method for subtlyapplying contrast is to employ an

S Tonal Curve as shown in theincluded screen shot.Select ADJUST from the top

menu bar, then click on TONECURVE from the drop-downmenu. Click and set a pointon the center of the diagonal

tone curve. The XY coordinates are 127,127.Click and set a point between this center pointand the lower left-hand corner of the curve.This is 63,63. Drag this new point diagonallydownward so that its new coordinates are

approximately 67,59. Click and set a pointbetween the center point and the upper righthand corner (190,190). Drag this new point upand left diagonally to 186,194.

The bottom half of the curve controlsshadows. The upper half of the curve controlsthe highlights. Dragging the points to makethe S more or less pronounced increases ordecreases the degree of contrast. The initialpoints in this example are good starting points.Click on the disk symbol to name and save theS Curve for future reference.

SHARPEN YOUR PHOTOS WITH THE UNSHARP MASKThe UNSHARP MASK

provides the best technique

for sharpening most images.It should always be performedas the very last step in anyadjustment sequence. If youthink you will need severaldifferent resolutions of an imagein the future, save a copy of thefile without the unsharp maskapplied. There is no unsharpmask lens that can be placed in a sandwich of object layers.

To access the UNSHARP MASK, click on EFFECTS from the top menu bar,

then click on SHARPEN fromthe drop-down menu, and finallyclick on UNSHARP MASK fromthe next drop- down menu.

Y o u c a n c o n t r o l 3parameters:

AMOUNT of sharpeningcontrast.

THRESHOLD locatesthe pixels that differ from thesurrounding pixels by the amountyou specify.

RADIUS specifies the radiusin pixels of the region in whicheach pixel is compared.

If this is confusing, think ofit this way:

The lower the THRESHOLD,the greater the sharpening.

The higher the RADIUS, thegreater the sharpening.

These controls have to beused with care. Typical Radius

An S CURVE designed to improve contrast is

applied in the TONE CURVE adjustment palette.

An S Tonal Curve is applied to

improve contrast.

Using the recommendations in this article,experiment with the AMOUNT, RADIUS and

THRESHOLD sliders.

The Unsharp Mask effect is applied

as the last step.

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range is 1 to 4. Threshold should normally be between 3 and 20. Settings outsidethese ranges may cause excessive noise and halos. Here are some settings to try:

GENTLE SHARPENING AMOUNT 150 RADIUS 1 THRESHOLD 10

PORTRAITS AMOUNT 85 RADIUS 2 THRESHOLD 4

MEDIUM AMOUNT 125 RADIUS 1 THRESHOLD 3

STRONG AMOUNT 75 RADIUS 4 THRESHOLD 3

These settings are for a 300ppi image. Experiment a little and come up withsettings you feel comfortable with.

CONCLUSIONS:Hopefully this has provided you some expanded knowledge of PHOTO-PAINTscapabilities. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Next issue we will delve into some new adjustments and techniques and usescripts to automate some multi-step tasks.

Bill Leekis a color consultant for JBL Graphics in Houston, TX, and has over 30years experience in computer engineering and graphics design. He has developedseveral lines of color imprintable products, and does testing on a variety of productsfor different manufacturers. He can be reached at [email protected] 281-970-6677.

Using CorelDRAW

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By Dave Demoret, Contributing writer

Fitting Text to Paths

Text to a Simple Path Before jumping into fitting text to a simple path, I want to let you know thatwe will be manipulating the text in various ways. This will help you to designand re-design to fit your needs as well as fitting the text to the paths.

HINT: If you have not upgraded to CorelDRAW X3 or X4 as yet, now is agood time to do so. What this article will be featuring today is very simple todo in X3 and takes more steps and is more cumbersome in CorelDRAW 12and below.

The first thing we need to do is to create a path of course. In figure 1wehave a sea turtle and we want to put the words UNDERSEA LIFE across theturtles shell. As always, if there is one way to do something in Corel, thereare usually four or more ways to do the same thing. This is one way.

3-Point Curve Tool In CorelDRAW 11 there was a tool introduced that, to me, made moresense than the Bezier Tool and seems to be very easyfor the beginner to comprehend and use as well. Itis called the 3- Point Curve Tool. That is the tool Im

going to use here to create my path. In figure 2we start with the 3-Point Curve Tooland click and drag from our start point to the end pointof our desired path. (For the purpose of this article Ihave thickened the line and changed color for bettervisibility.) When you release the left mouse button,you can now move the mouse and the line will follow.When you have it in the position you want, simply clickthe left mouse button to set the line as in figure 3.We just want a general shape of the shell here, butyou can be more exact if you wish to learn more aboutthis tool.

Adding the text The next thing we need to do is choose a font andtype our text. In CorelDRAW X3 they have made thisvery easy and efficient for the user. Select the text tool and position it over the line you

just created. When you are close enough to the linethe cursor will change from the regular text tool cursorto a cursor with an A and a little sign like this ~underit. At this point, you can type in your text as in figure4. Now you may change your font, re-size, color andposition it. Heres how:

1. Choose your font.Click on the path/text once and you will be

selecting both. While still there, click on text itself andyou will have chosen the text alone. To make sure,look at the bottom of your screen and you will see theinformation saying Text on a Path. Now you can goto the property bar and select the font you want. Herewe are choosing a font called ArnoldBoeD.

2. Resize it While the text is still selected, go back to theproperty bar and select a general point size for thetext. This can be adjusted, if you like, with the re-sizingnodes later. 3. Color it Again, while it is still selected, you may want to change the text colorto something different. See figure 5.

4. Now you will want to position the text itself.Since it is still selected you can do this by click, hold and drag the little

red diamond in the lower left hand corner of the text. You can move it above or

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below the line as far as you want as in figure 6. The redline in the middle of the text will appear when you havethe text centered between the two end points of the line.This tells you that you have equal spacing on either endof the text.

Dealing with the line You have just completedthe Fitting Text to a Path as infigure 7,but... you still have aline that is visible and you maynot want that in a display ad,direct to garment t-shirt print,

or a print-and-cut vinyl cut. Invinyl you could cut the text outto let the color of the sign orvehicle show through or youmay want to ad it to a print,as in a separate vinyl cut, fordimension. Here is what you need todo for these situations. For the display ad or t-shirtit is a simple fix. Just click onthe path/text. Click a secondtime, this time on just the line.

Again, you can read informationat the bottom of your screen tosee if you have chosen just theline or not. Now go to the top of your color palette at the right andright click on the white box with the black X to give theline a no-color selection. This will allow you to print theimage without printing the line as in figure 8. However,

the line is till there and will be needed if you have to do

any editing to the text at a later time. If you are going to do a vinyl cut with this text, youwill need to make a copy of the graphic as a template ororiginal copy. This way you can actually delete the linewhen selected so you wont have a cut line in the vinylfrom it. Remember to save two copies first. One originaland one cut copy. We will discuss fitting text to a circle or oval in thenext article.

Dave Demoret, founded Prolink Graphic Servicesto help people understand and profit from learningCorelDRAW. He has been in both the Flat Graphics

Industry and the Decorating Graphics Industry over thepast 30 years. He has written several articles for ScreenGraphics Magazine on Color Control & Matching in the

past. Dave has used CorelDRAW since version 3 andbecame a CorelDRAW Training Partner in 2006. Duringthe past 5 years he has been conducting workshops allover the U.S. and is the author of several Video CDs &Instructional CDs on CorelDRAW. Dave continues toconduct workshops in the U.S. & also worldwide online.He can be reached at 765-DO COLOR (362-6567) or byemail at [email protected]

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CORELDRAW APPLIEDBy Judy and John McDaniel Applications

The Object Manager:

Object Sequence

In the last article, we looked at objects inCorelDRAW and started to explore the ObjectManager. This time well take a look at some ofthe additional features of the Object Manager, andhow those features might be useful in your artworkpreparation.

The Sequence of Objects

Picture 1shows the simple layout in X3 that weused last time for our business card, along with someimportant features of the Manager. Picture 2showsanother layout we created to demonstrate objectsequence.

Youll notice in both pictures there is a list ofobjects in our layout. The list reveals the type ofobjects we have and their sequence.

If we create a layout from scratch, then objectorder is determined by the sequence that we use toadd objects to, or create objects in the layout. Thatis, the first object created (or imported) is placed in

the active layer (in this example its layer 1). The nextobject is stacked on top of it; the next on top of those;and so on. That means the last object you createdor added to your layout is at the top of the list. Its ontop (or in front). The first object you started with is atthe bottom (or in back).

In our sample layout shown in picture 2, the redrectangle was created first, so its at the bottom of thelist. The next object created was the cyan ellipse,and its covering part of the red rectangle. Next wasthe green perfect shape, then the text, and so on upthe list.

As you can see in the graphic display, objects that

are on top (or in front) of other objects may obscurethose that are in back (or behind). For example, ifwe were to add another object to our layout, and thatobject was larger than all the other objects in ourlayout, it would hide all of them.

You can see in picture 3 weve added a bluerectangle to our layout. Since it was the last thingcreated its in front. Its at the top of the list and is

hiding everything else.

Reordering Objects in the Object ManagerIn picture 3 we can see all the objects in our

layout listed in the Object Manager; however, theblue rectangle is the only object visible in the graphicdisplay, because its on top, hiding everything else.If thats not the effect were looking for, then we needto re-order the objects in our layout.

Before we reorder the objects we may want toview all of them. There is a simple way to do that.Click on View/Wireframe or Simple Wireframe and

the path of all vector objects will be revealed. Seepicture 4. If we choose to work in Wireframe view,then we can see what will print by pressing F9 (PrintPreview) on the keyboard.

There are a number of CorelDRAW tools we canuse for arranging the order of objects. One method isto select the object, and then click on Arrange/Orderand select the appropriate command. See picture5.

A much simpler and more powerful method is toclick on the object in the Object Managers list anddrag it to the location in the list where you want it. Asyou drag an object up or down in the list youll notice

Picture 1:Simple business card layout with importantfeatures of the Object Manager.

Picture 2: The layout we created todemonstrate object sequence.

Picture 3:A blue rectangle has been added,

and it hides everything else.


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CORELDRAW APPLIED

an I-bar appears between otherobjects in the list. When yourelease the object, it will be re-ordered in the list to the positionof the I-bar.

In picture 6we are dragging

the blue rectangle down throughthe list, notice the I-bar. Inpicture 7weve released it atthe bottom of the list. So nowits behind all the other objectsin our layout.

If you dont recognize theobject you want to move from its

description in the list, but you can see it in the layout; then you can select it on the layoutscreen and drag it from the screen into the Object Managers list for placement.

Another function we can accomplish in theObject Managers list is grouping objects. Asyou drag an object up and down in the list, if youdrop it onto another object, then you will create agroup of those two objects. See pictures 8 and9. Notice inpicture 9the group I created hastwo objects in it.

We can drag and drop additional objectsinto the group weve started. We can also dragand drop objects out of the group. And we canre-order objects within a group in the same wayas we can order them in the list.

Once we have a group of objects,then we can drag and drop the entiregroup in the sequence of objects in thelayout; to do that, click on the groupname instead of an individual item inthe group.

As you drag objects up and down inthe list, be careful to release the objectat the correct location; if it is betweenother objects, it changes the order; if ontop of other objects, it creates groups.

Picture 4:All objects can be viewedin wireframe mode.

Picture 5:One way to orderobjects is the Arrange / Order

menu item.

Picture 6:Notice the I-bar that displayswhen we drag the blue rectangle

down through the list.


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CORELDRAW APPLIED

The Importance of Object Sequence for Cutting ApplicationsFor printing or raster engraving processes, the order of objects is only important

because of what may be hidden by objects on top. For cutting applications, like vectorengraving, laser cutting,vinyl cutting, embroidery,

etc., object sequence cansignificantly impact machinetime.

Using a laser engraver asan example, if you choose toraster-engrave a layout; then,what you see in the layout iswhat you get in the engraving.However, if you choose tovector cut a design; then, theelements of that design arecut in sequence from bottom

to top, (or back to front).

A Real-World ApplicationPicture 10 shows a snowflake design that we used one Christmas to produce

fundraising items for a local organization. We produced several hundred pieces ina variety of materials. Some materials required that we vector cut the snowflakedesign.

We used a piece of clip-art for the snowflake. The first time we ran a cut jobthe laser jumped around cutting the design elements. The object order in the layoutrequired the laser to move back and forth across the design. It was very inefficient interms of machine movement. Object sequence was simply the order the artist used

in creating individual design elements.In the Object Managers list (Picture10) , the group of 57 objects is thesnowflake design that is vector cut.Everything else is raster engraved. Bytaking a little time to logically sequencethe cuts, we were able to minimizemachine movement from one cut toanother. Doing so cost a little time insequencing, but saved a great deal ofproduction run time.

Picture 10:There are57 objects in the group

for this snowflakedesign.

Picture 7:The blue rectangle is releasedat the bottom of the list, and now its

behind the other objects.

Picture 8: You can drop one objectonto another to create a group.

ConclusionIdentifying and sequencing objects in your layout is one of the most powerful

features of the Object Manager. Next time well look at layers and why you may wantto use them.

Judy and John McDanielare owners of JHM Marketing in Albany, OR. JHMprovides consulting and training services for the industry. (For information on trainingservices offered and their application support service visitwww.CorelDRAWhelp.com.)They can be reached by phone at 541-967-4271, via SKYPE (user name JHMcDaniel),

or via email at [email protected]. See full Bio on Writers Page.

Picture 9: Thisgroup has twoobjects in it.

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INSIDE COLOR

The capture (C) and (D)demonstrate the bounding box ofthe transparent image and there i swhere the color shift will take place.

Anything inside the bounding box wil lbe different than anything outside

due to the rendering intents beingdifferent. The other issue may b ethat your RIP will simply providepoor transparency transitions.

The fix is to test your RIP;if it likes the transparency, set therendering intents of Corel to beall one setting. I use perceptualrendering. If the RIP does not likeyour transparency, then still set your rendering to one setting, but before RIPPING the

file, select all transparent objects and the

objects below them and convert them to aflattened bitmap without any transparentbackground.

These are simple procedures butit is rarely explained as why they arerequired.

Corel is working on a service pack (SP) for X4. Look for expanded support formany RAW camera file formats, improvements in RAW white point identification,as well as some fixes to improve the Suite.

Testing of a new release can only encompass a few hundred system configurations.Now that the release has been out to tens of thousands of configurations, Corelscontinuing commitment to superior customer service has them identifying issues andreleasing this SP in a very short time, making the release of X4 fully serviceable inrecord time. Thank God, I dont have to regularly use the other guys product!


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INSIDE SCREEN PRINTINGBy Jeff McDaniel Applications

From Positive to Screen

BackgroundIn our last article, we applied capillary film to our screens and transferred the artwork

from our photo positive to the capillary film. In this article, we will re-align our screens,

mask off the artwork and get ready to screen print.

Our setup and yours

Our setup is the Printa 770 series screen printing machine from Printa Systems Inc.

All of the supplies and tools we will cover from here on were provided in the turn-key

system from Printa with the 770. Your setup may be from another source but will

most likely contain components of what we will discuss below.

Getting StartedAt the conclusion of our last articles, we left our screens in the dryer after wash out.

Now we will need to place our screens back on the press. NOTE: it is important to

place the screens back on the press in the original locations we used to expose the

screens in earlier steps.

Image 1:Our unithas a built-in microadjustment feature.

Image 2:Thescreen can be

slightly skewed oroff center.

Image 3:Adjustments canbe made to bring it

back into alignment.




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Re-aligning the screens

Now that our screens are back on the press, we have to

check to be certain they are all still correctly aligned. In

order to align our screens, we like to leave the exposure

unit on one of the arms of the machine and re-align

our screens using the trap layer artwork (in this case

black). We will take each screen and lower the screen

down over the artwork and verify the correct position.

If the artwork is off a little bit we will need to adjust the

location. The Printa 770 has built in micro adjustment

for this final step(see image 1).

Generally we will need to re-adjust the screensat this point at least a little bit. Sometimes the

screen will be slightly skewed or off center

(see Image 2). By using the micro adjust for

either skew or center we can bring the image

back into alignment (see Image 3). In our

wash-out step we made sure to wash out the

alignment marks as well as the image (see

image 4). By lining up all of the alignment

marks with the trap layer, our screens will all

be true to each other. Here is a view of the

alignment mark over the trap layer artwork

correctly aligned (see Image 5).

Image 4:Be sure to wash out the alignment marks too.

Image 5:The alignment mark should be aligned

over the trap layer artwork.

Image 6:Thenwe mask thescreen with

special tape.

Masking off the screens

Once the artwork has been re-aligned we can mask

the screen off. We mask the screen to be sure that

the ink only flows thru the parts of the design we want

transferred to the work piece. In this case we used some

special screen printing tape that is fully sticky on one

edge and half sticky on the other edge. We found thewider tape works well when using capillary film to cover

the entire excess area without having to use additional

pieces (see Image 6). Note that the screen tape is

applied on the top side of the screen; when properly

applied, the tape will create a trough for us to place the

screen inks in later.

Final screen location check

One thing that carpenters, machinists, and tradesman

everywhere can tell you is check 3 times, cut 1 time.

The other thing I often heard/said was you can always

take more off, but you cannot put it back on.The same


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things are true for screen printing. By taking the time to

check your setups thoroughly BEFORE the screen ink is on

the press, you can eliminate issues ahead of time and save

production time in the long run. Once the screen inks are in

the press, it can be much more difficult to re-align or adjust

location for any of the screens. With the exposure unit still

on the press we will take one final look to verify that the

screens are all in the proper locations and will be coveredby our trap layer (see Image 7). The screen we have down

right now is the red for the falcons mouth and tongue. The

trap layer will cover the red layer nicely and we can move

on to verify the next color.

Covering pin-holes and imperfections

The last thing we generally do before inking our screens is

filling in pin holes, imperfections, and our registration marks

with a screeners block out. The block-out product is applied

to the bottom side of the screen (garment contact side). We

use a small squeegee for this purpose to get an even layer

(see Image 8). After applying the block out we let it dry for

20-30 minutes before moving on to the next steps.

Conclusion

In this article we took our screens from the dryer unit, re-

aligned them and masked them off. We also blocked out any

pin holes and imperfections in the capillary film. In our next

article, we will ink our screens and start printing.

Jeff McDaniel is the Owner/Operator of Creative Graphic inPhilomath, Oregon. Jeff has been working with computers

since the age of 5 and was a journeyman machinist before

working in the graphic arts business. Creative Graphic

offers services including laser engraving, rotary engraving,

sandblasting, sublimation, image transfers, vinyl signs,

banners, screen printing, and promotional products. Jeff

routinely applies graphics to a wide variety of materials. You

can contact Jeff by email at [email protected].

Image 7:We take one final look to verifyeverything is set up right.

Image 8:We use a small squeegee to apply block

out to pinholes, etc.


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INSIDE SANDBLASTINGBy Judy McDaniel Applications

Gun versus regular hoses

and nozzles for blasting Our first cabinet had a very large, stiff hose and a big

heavy nozzle. It was very hard to move in the cabinet

and I would just be exhausted after large projects. After

doing the cornerstone for a house, which barely fit in the

cabinet, we decided that we needed to find something

else. We purchased a smaller hose from the compressor

supply store and John installed a connector to make the

smaller diameter hose work. The difference was likenight and day. With a flexible hose I could now reach

everywhere in the cabinet with ease.

The next change that we made came after we

started sending equipment to shows to use in our

sandblasting classes. We kept looking for smaller more

compact units. In our research we came across a small

pressure pot manufactured by Bob Pickard of Pickard

Artistic Blasting. The pressure pot comes equipped

with a handgun- shaped blaster. ThePAB BLASTING

GUNhas a pistol grip and trigger for variable control of

the abrasive flow (see picture). It works like the trigger

sprayer on a garden hose. The more you squeeze

the trigger the more abrasive flow you get. You can

use it instead of, or in conjunction with, a standard foot

pedal.

The gun gives you more control over the abrasive

stream flow than does the conventional on/off foot

pedal alone. Because you have more control, you can

achieve a variety of effects using it. In addition to single

and multi-stage carving, the gun is an excellent tool

for shading. By squeezing or releasing your grip, you

automatically increase or reduce the flow of abrasive.

When you pull the trigger only part of the way back, you

get a partial abrasive flow.

The gun is available in 1/4 and 1/8 size tubing and

has a continuous tube going through it to the blasting tip,

so there is no abrasive wear on any metal parts in the

gun. The only wear you have is in the tube at the pinch

point. When it wears, you just pull out about 4 inches

of the tube and cut off the worn spot. Then you just pull

the tube back into the gun, put the tip and retainer nut

back on and you are ready to go. You can purchase the

gun only for an existing machine or you might want to

check out their small pressure pot system. You can get

replacement hoses for the gun from PAB, and at $1.50

to $2.00 per foot it is relatively inexpensive.

The only other unit that I have found to have as

much control as this gun, is my CrystalBlast machine

by Media Blast, because I can take the pressure down

to as low as 5 pounds and still blast, it gives me almost

the same flexibility. I personally have weak hands and

fingers, so I find the gun hard for me to use for a long

period of time. I think, however, that it is a good option

for you to look at if you are currently using a conventionalsandblast system and need more control for doing

techniques in abrasive blasting like airbrush, silhouette,

multi-stage, and glass carving.

Judy McDaniel, with her husband John are owners of

JHM Marketing in Albany, OR. JHM provides consulting

and training services for the industry. Judys background

includes many forms of art and retail sales. They have

been using CorelDRAW since 1989 and teaching it

for engraving, sandblasting, sublimation, etc. since

1991. Currently they are both Corel Training Partners.

(For information on training services offered and their

application support service visit www.CorelDRAWhelp.

com.) They can be reached at 541-967-4271, fax 541-

967-4272, or via email at [email protected].


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INSIDE ENGRAVINGBy John McDaniel Applications

Hardware Design Part 1 Motors

Last time we concluded our discussion of theMechanics of Machine Accuracy with a review of whatweve covered to date. We are now going to focus ourattention on individual components and their contributionto the quality of the machine and finished products. Welllook at Motors, the Drive Unit, Guide Rails, Encoders,Tachometers, Bearings, Spindles, Material Hold Downmethods, and the Electronic Interface. The thing that makes a machine possible is a motor,so thats where well start.

Background

Electric motors are designed to convert electricalenergy into mechanical energy to perform somephysical work. The origin of the motor can be tracedback to disk-type machines conceived of and tested byMichael Faraday, the experimenter who formulated thefundamental concepts of electromagnetism. In the 1880s when Direct Current (DC) power wasthe principal form of electric power generation, the DCmotor was devised. Years later, with the advent of 60hz

Alternating Current (AC) power as the standard in theUnited States, the invention of the induction motor withits lower manufacturing costs became more popular. During the aerospace technology explosion startingin the 1950s, a multitude of different motors weredeveloped to meet various first-time applications. Asa result of this development, we now have a variety ofdifferent types of motors to select from when designinga machine.

Applications in Engraving A machine designed for the purpose of engravingneeds mechanical energy to (1) rotate the cutting bit, ifits a mechanical engraver, and (2) move the engraving

tool in relation to the material being engraved.

Spindle Motors for Mechanical Engravers. The first engraving machines were pantographs.They use a single motor to rotate the cutter. Turn the motoron, lower the bit, and manually move the tool by tracing amaster pattern. Pantographs typically use a small, singlespeed, low power, low cost, AC motor to drive the spindle.

In many of todays machines, this spindle motordesign remains unchanged, or has been slightlymodified with the addition of a manual speed control.Its a carryover from the pantograph. In some simpleapplications, thats fine.

However the pantograph design relies on an

experienced human operator to maintain the propermaterial feed rate. If the cutter begins to slow down andstall, with a pantograph, the operator will slow the feedrate. He can listen to the sound of the motor and feelthe material being cut. From experience, he knows howfast he can push it. Now that weve replaced the operator with motorsto move the material or tool, a better design wouldinclude some way for the machine to know how itwas doing. This improved design would includea variable speed/power control for the motor, andfeedback in the form of a tachometer for the spindle.

Variable speed control of the spindle can be manualor automatic. Manual systems simply provide a dial, likethe volume control on a radio, which the operator adjustsmanually. For a fully automatic system, an externalservo feedback circuit is needed. This circuit will set agiven speed and maintain that speed through all cuttingbit loads and primary line power fluctuations. This typeof circuit uses a digital or analog tachometer to measurespindle rpm. A feedback circuit then compares the rpmcalled for with actual rpm. This circuit would then applymore or less power to the motor, if necessary, to maintain

the proper spindle speed.

In short, the spindle motors duty is to provide thespeeds necessary for different types and sizes of cuttingbits interacting with the types of materials to be cut. Itmust have sufficient power to maintain the assignedspeed through the most difficult cutting task. Brushand brushless type, both AC and DC, universal motorshave been popular for this application. They have thehighest horsepower ratings per pound and per dollar ofany motor that operates directly from standard power. The spindle motor has a less demanding task thanmotors that move the axes.

Axis Motors All Engravers The motors that are commonly used to move theaxes are either Stepper Motors or Servo Motors. Servomotors can be AC or DC, brush or brushless. Steppermotors are the easiest to use, are less costly, and do

not use brushes.


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With the advent of stepper motors, a simple, inexpensiveway became available to add material/tool movement to thepantograph and replace the need for a human operator tomanually feed the material. A stepper motor is different from a conventional motor inthat you give it a command and it moves a fixed amount. As

the frequency of step commands change, the motors speedwill also change. A common design is to use a stepper motor that rotates1.8 degrees per step command. Such a motor takes 200steps to rotate one complete revolution or 360 degrees. A leadscrew connected to this motor, which has a thread spacing of.2 inches, results in a resolution of 0.001 inches per step. Sonow we can tell the machine how far to go in steps and it goesthere; pretty simple. But wait, a stepper motor doesnt store commands. Wehave to make sure we dont give it a new command before itsfinished with the last one. If we arent careful, well create an

error. We must give the motor time to complete its instructions,time to finish. This time is referred to as dwell time. All thatsneeded is a little delay between commands. One additional thing with the stepper motor is that we cantaccelerate or slow down too quickly. Stepper motors have aninherent design problem. The characteristic of the motor thatcreates a problem is that the torque (force) drops drastically

at certain frequencies or shaft speeds. During that frequency,when the torque is very low, the probability of the machinesaxis position losing its place is at its highest. This can resultin an unrecoverable position error. For a stepper motor design, acceleration, deceleration,and command timing are all functions of the motor controller.

A well designed controller will minimize if not eliminate theseproblems.

Next time well continue with servo motors, compare steppersand servos, and discuss advertised motor horsepower.

John McDaniel with his wife Judy are owners of JHM Marketingin Albany, OR. JHM provides consulting and training servicesfor the industry. They have been using CorelDRAW since 1989and teaching it for engraving, sandblasting, sublimation, etc.since 1991. (For information on training services offered andtheir application support service visit www.CorelDRAWhelp.

com.) (For information on the Association of CorelDRAWProfessionals, please visit www.CorelDRAWPro.com.) They canbe reached by phone at 541-967-4271, via SKYPE (user nameJHMcDaniel), or via email at [email protected] full bio on Writers Page.


LASER TIP
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LASER TIPBy Kathryn Arnold Training

PhotoGrav 3.0:Why You Need It & How It Works

Compare to version 2.11All I can say is, What a difference a version can make! If you are familiar withPhotoGrav software, you will quickly notice the differences in the newest version. In2.11 there was a process set in cement that one had to follow to prep a photo beforePG (PhotoGrav) would even accept the image for processing. Now, with PG 3.0 theprogram has so much more flexibility.Some of the features over the previous version include: -the ability to use either color or B&W photos -the ability to use standard image formats such as tif, jpg, png and bmp

-built-in resize original image tool -expanded and updated laser system list -expanded and updated materials list

A great product made even better, PhotoGrav 3.0 is designed for novice and expertengravers to produce first run, professional results.

How it worksIf you are totally new to PG, let me explain further. The basic of idea of PhotoGrav isto remove all the variables in the process of laser engraving photos. Over the years,PG has established itself as the standard for laser-engraved photo quality. Born from

necessity over 10 years ago, the need for quality laser photos continues to expand.

The solution for success in any process is to remove the variables. The fewerthe variables, the less the human interface is required to make questionable

judgments.

Three major variables are present in the laser engraving process:

1) the laser system PG can be set up to your specific laser manufacturer andother settings

2) the material through an extensive list, the needed material is selected inPG. This applies filters to the image for optimum engraving results. These

filters compensate for the absorption factor of each material.

3) the photo each photo has a range of highlight, midtone and shadowvalues. PG creates a histogram based on algorithms to accommodate thesevalues.

PG 3.0 reduces the variables in the production process using these three main areas.The user will find much more consistent results over a wide range of materials andcustomer-supplied photos. Each of these three is further addressed in the remainderof this tutorial.

See the example below for a series of photos that were processed with and without

PhotoGrav.Without PhotoGrav

With PhotoGrav

The second example has much more clarity and detail in the finer points of theimages. Compare the first image in the series. In the PhotoGraved example, mysons facial features are much clearer. Now look at the third image in the series.In the PhotoGraved example, his mouth can be seen amidst the paint on his face.Hands down the second example is the one a client would pay great sums to haveof their loved one.


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With the image open, click onthe Select Materialbutton at

the top of the screen. Highlightone of the 29 materials on thepop-up menu and click OK.

The next step will beresizing the image tothe actual engravingsize. Click theResizeImage button andenter the engravingsize. Change theResolution to thecorresponding valuefor your brand oflaser system. For

instance, i f yourl a s e r wo rk s i n250/500/1000 dpirat ios, choose asetting of 500 dpi. Ifyour laser works in 300/600/1200 dpi ratios, choose a settingof 600 dpi. These were the same settings used during set upin Machine Properties.

Note:once the image has been processed by PhotoGrav, itcan not be made larger or smaller. The highly modified formatdoes not allow scaling.

1: Set UpInstallation starts with inserting the disk into the CD drive on yourcomputer. The installation software will launch automaticallyand a screen will prompt for the serial number.

Af ter the instal la tion of the software , PhotoGrav wi llautomatically start and present the Machine Properties

screen. Click on the make and model of your laser system.Specify the Resolution, Lens and Wattsthen click OK. Thesesettings will be remembered for the next time you launchPhotoGrav.

Should you want to change these settings, go to File>SystemDefault>Select Machineto find the same screen used in theinitial set up.

2: ProcessingStart by clicking on the Open Imagebutton at the top of thescreen. Digital camera or scanned photos can be used as well

as any clip art or logos. The image should be in one of the fourformat types to be opened by PhotoGrav.

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Now, click the Final Process button. When theprocessing window goes away, a simulation of theengraving will be displayed. This is the easiest way toprocess the image. The Interactive Mode button can alsobe used by more experienced users for further tweakingof the image for unique effects.

PhotoGrav has created a highly modified version ofthe original image and this will need to be saved andimported into your layout software. This example hasbeen processed for the material Black Granite.

Cl ick the Save Imagebutton and a pop up windowwill appear. Click on theEngraved button in thiswindow and click OK. Thenext window will ask you

where you want to save the Engraved Image. Save itin an easy-to-find folder.

3: EngravingThe processed or Engraved Image will need to beimported into your layout software. If you are usingCorelDRAW, click File>Importand find the folder yousaved the Engraved Image in.

S

The Engraved Image will display on your DRAW page.Its highly modified format will look grainy but engraveexceptionally well.

Use the same power and speed settings you would usefor engraving text to engrave the photo.

Overview:

In my toolbox I have several tools I use over and overand rely upon them. PhotoGrav 3.0 is in my toolbox ofsoftware programs and I have found it to be reliable andeasier to use than the previous version.

The goal is to focus on the profitability of creating laser

engraved products our customers will love. The simplework flow makes the engraving process of photos easyfor rookies or experts. PhotoGrav 3.0 is an excellentproduction tool for low to high volume needs and is avaluable asset for any laser system owner.

Kathryn Arnold is the Senior Developer atLaserUniversity, sponsored by LaserBits Inc. ofPhoenix, AZ. She can be reached at 1-800-733-7705 [email protected]. Or visit www.laseru.com


GETTING AHEAD
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GETTING AHEADBy Deborah Sexton Opportunity

Decorated Apparel Goes Green!

Think of all the T-shirts hanging in your closet orfolded in your drawers. (Dont forget to check for anyunder the bed.) Multiply that number by hundreds ofmillions of people, all of whom have countless T-shirts,as well as tank tops, caps, and other garments. Think ofthe resources, harmful chemicals, and associated wastedisposal that go into making all of those untold millions,perhaps billions, of garments.

Now imagine the difference that people could makein terms of the environmental impact if their garments

were constructed from organic materials, skipped

processes like bleaching and finishing, and were coloredwith earth-friendly dyes. Such idealism fueled by thecountrys increasingly vocal, even feverish focus on allthings environmentally friendly or green has ledto an explosion of demand for organic apparel in thedecorated apparel industry.

The whole industry is moving toward organic, saysDonny McCullough, regional sales manager, StatonWholesale, Dallas. He estimates that about one-thirdof decorated apparel suppliers are already offering

organic apparel. Everybody wants to help out the earth.People are asking for organic cotton and organic inksand dyes.

The country seems to be going green, agrees LoriReilly, Texas account representative for Alstyle Apparel,Houston, whose company introduced organic mens andyouth T-shirts in 2008.

While the organic movement may have originatedon the fringes with college kids, tree-huggers, andother progressive thinkers or, some might say,environmental alarmists it has moved to the forefront

of many Americans thoughts in recent years, especiallyas the effects of global warming begin to take centerstage.

Witness the huge popularity of Al Gores award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, whichsounded an alarm about the significant harm that peopleare doing to the planet. For the decorated apparelindustry, the movements transition into the mainstreammeans that not just neo-hippies but customers rangingfrom schools and local businesses to corporateorganizations are all clamoring for green garb.

Theres an increasing concern about the

environment, and presumably it will be a growing

area, says Ira Neiman, president, Vantage Apparel,Avenel, N.J. His company offers organic apparel madein the United States, including T-shirts, wovens, anddress shirts. More fabrics that are eco-friendly will bedeveloped, and it will be beneficial for everybody.

Getting on BoardWhile organic items represent only a fraction of

the industrys overall sales, the percentage is climbingrapidly and many suppliers expect it to continuegrowing. Chris McConnell, executive vice president

sales and marketing, Outdoor Cap, Bentonville, Ark.,

A look at the explosion of interest in environmentally-friendly apparel and how industry suppliers are responding.

Women will love the soft feel of this scoop-neck T-shirtmade of 100% certified organic cotton grown in thePanhandle of Texas. Completely American made, thistop, style SW130, features a tapered cut designedto fit a womans body, double-needle stitched hems,narrow neckband, and short sleeves. It comes in foursun-washed colors: Red River, Panhandle Blue, PrairieSage, and Texas Sunset. Visit www.sosfromtexas.

com.

Vantage Apparel added organic cotton Ts in a naturalcolor for 2008. They also added organic cotton poloshirts, woven shirts, and fleece made from PET, recycled

plastic. President Ira Neiman pointed out that packagingthat emphasizes the fact that the shirt is organic can addto its value. In this example, this rolled T-shirt has anorganic hang tag affixed to the shirt with green raffia.


GETTING AHEAD
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says that suppliers feel compelled to jump on thebandwagon. In our industry, lots of things are goinggreen. You need to be a part of it to keep up with whatsgoing on and be forward thinking, he says. Outdoor Capoffers a 100% organic cotton, low-profile cap, available

in mens and womens sizes.Adds McCullough: This is a long-term trend. Every

major label will have organic lines within three years.To be sure, some suppliers are taking a fairly

cautious approach to the organic movement, offeringa smattering of items to test the market. For instance,KatiCap recently added 100% organic cotton caps inthree styles: an unstructured six-panel, a visor, and aFidel (as in Castro)style. Were wading our feet in tosee how it goes, says Gary Mosley, KatiCap, Houston.If it goes well, well expand.

Another roadblock, albeit hardly an insurmountable

one: Being organic isnt cheap. In fact, some organicitems cost double their non-organic counterparts,even though the finished products are virtuallyindistinguishable to the eye. Its one of the realities oforganic items. Because youre not using chemicals thatare harmful to people and the environment, you get lessyi el d, says Joseph Reboy, salesand marketing manager, New

Age/KNP Headwear,Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Earth-Friendly OptionsCustomers have an increasingly broad array of

materials to choose from and still meet their demandsfor environmental friendliness. Organic cotton is theleader of the pack, but its hardly the only option. For

instance, bamboo reportedly one of the worldsmost sustainable fabrics is soft and has natural anti-microbial properties, meaning it fights odor without theaddition of special chemical treatments.

Los-Angeles based apparel supplier Alo whichstands for air, land and ocean offers a line of womensT-shirts, tanks and long-sleeve shirts made from abamboo/cotton/Spandex blend. Suppliers, includingTowel Specialties, also are offering bamboo robes andtowels. Thats why theyre so soft and feel almost likecashmere, says Murray Siegal, marketing director,Towel Specialties, Baltimore.

And while one might not think of old soda containersas organic or conducive to garment making, for thatmatter items made from recycled plastic (PET) dohelp the environment by keeping the material out oflandfills. New Age, which recently joined the OrganicExchange and the Organic Trade Association, hasoffered organic caps for four years. This year, however,the company took another step forward by introducinghats made from PET plastic. Landfills are just filling up

with bottles, so this is a great way to take somethingand make it useful, Reboy says. Its actually verycomfortable too.

For those who prefer to stick with organic cotton,

one consideration is whether the material is growndomestically or sourced globally. While some suppliers,including Alstyle Apparel, SOS From Texas, and Royal

Apparel, offer domest ic-sourced organic cotton, insome cases the material is sourced offshore. Yourepaying more for organic, so theres already a premiumassociated with it. Having it made in the United Stateswould increase the cost to where its almost impossibleto buy it, Reboy says.

Dri Duck offers a Wildl i f e Seriescollection that includes four caps each featuring adifferent endangered animal. They include peregrinefalcon, eastern cougar, gray wolf, and grizzly bear.Their likenesses in surrounding habitat are meticulouslyembroidered on the side of each cap. The caps are madeof 100% organic cotton chino twill. For more information,

visit www.driducktraders.com .

Royal Apparel offers a full lineof organic cotton apparel in itsmost popular styles includingthis ladies crew-neck jerseyT-shirt. The fabric is 100%organic cotton in a 4.4-ounceweight made of 30/1 singles

fine jersey. Colors includesalt, night, rose pink, heaven,bark, avocado, and natural.Sizes range from smallthrough 2XL. Visit www.royalapparel.net.

Fast Facts

Derived from www.wikipedia.com

Worldwide, cotton is a pesticide-intensive crop,using approximately 25% of the worlds insecticidesand 10% of the worlds pesticides.

According to the World Health Organization(WHO), 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticidepoisoning in developing countries, many of these fromcotton farming.

Organic agriculture uses methods that areecological, economical, and socially sustainable and

denies the use of agrochemicals and artificial fertilizers.

Instead, organic agriculture uses crop rotation, thegrowing of different crops than cotton in alternativeyears.

The use of insecticides is prohibited; organicagriculture uses natural enemies to suppress harmfulinsects.

The production of organic cotton is moreexpensive than the production of conventionalcotton.

Although toxic pollution from synthetic chemicalsis eliminated, other pollution-like problems may remain,

particularly run-off.


GETTING AHEADIs All Organic Cotton Certified?
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Given the importance that some customers place on getting organic products,some suppliers take pains to prove to customers that they are, in fact, completelyorganic. For instance, New Ages caps have a tag inside with a tracking number thatcustomers can use to see where the fabric came from, how it was grown, and howit was dyed. Thats the whole point: Its a completely certifiable organic product,

Reboy says.

Color My WorldOrganic apparel used to be a rather vanilla affair, with garments available

only in natural colors. However, as demand soars, suppliers are finding creativeways to expand theircolor palettes withoutdetracting from theirorganic mission. Forexample, American

Apparel is expandingi ts color s tory by

experimenting with low-reactive dyes in about20 colors. Eventuallywe would like to includeorganic properties inthe majority of ourproducts, says AndreHorton, sales manager,who adds that thecompanys current 15 orso organic products are

increasing in sales.Morey Mayeri, president, Royal Apparel, says he saw requests for organic apparelstart about 10 years ago and build to a crescendo in the past year or so. Along theway, his companys offering of organics in colors has increased, too, with new additionssuch as night (black), rose (light pink) and bark (brown), all using a fiber-reactive dyeprocess. At first, it was all natural, but everybody wants colors, he says. They wantmore earth tones, browns, khakis, pale yellows, and greens. People are so excitedto see some colors in the organic world.

Meanwhile, some suppliers are waiting for soy-based and vegetable-based dyetechnology to progress to a point where colors are more varied and consistent.

The Future of Green

While many companies may be concerned about the environment, the

Is All Organic Cotton Certified?

As the popularity of organic cotton grows, some sourcing has already begunoverseas. While there are organizations and governments that regulate and setstandards for what defines organic cotton, domestic organic cotton farmers, suchas Gary Oldham, owner, SOS From Texas, question whether all overseas sourcesare holding to the same standards as U.S. suppliers.

According to Oldham, U.S. Organic Standards require a three-year chemical-free farming period before being allowed to be certified organic. With the sudden

explosion in organic cotton demand, one has to question how quickly some ofthese new sources of supply have popped up.

Authentic organic cotton farmers use crop rotation, green manure, compost,biological pest control, and mechanical cultivationto maintain soil productivityand control pests and weeds instead of dangerous chemicals.

Oldhams farm, which has been in his familyfor 90 plus years, is located in Samnorwood in theTexas Panhandle. It has been certified organicby the Texas Department of Agriculture since1992. This certification information is provided

with our products to show our authenticity, saysOldham. We are finding organic products in themarket with very vague organic credentials.

Our cotton is planted in mid-May and harvested after frost in November,adds Oldham. The harvested cotton is ginned at our certified organic gin andthen shipped to a certified mill in North Carolina for spinning into yarn. The yarnis also knitted, finished, and sewn in the Carolinas.

So a good rule of thumb to follow when purchasing organic cotton products isBuyer beware. Request proof of certification and if documentation looks iffy, youmay want to spend some additional time investigating the certifying organization

to see if it really exists and what its standards are.

For investigating offshore organic cotton, there is an international frameworkfor organic farming that is provided by the International Federation of Organic

Agriculture Movements(IFOAM), which is an international democratic umbrellaorganization established in 1972.

According to Demaris Wilson, Assistant Deputy Administrator, Transportationand Marketing Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, The National Organic Program regulates the production, handling,labeling, and certification of all agricultural products, including cotton in the UnitedStates. There are no specific standards for cotton. They fall under crops. For more

information, you may access the NOP website at www.ams.usda.gov/nop.

In Your Face Appareloffers a ladies organicco t ton T-sh i r t tha tis made out of 30/1singles fine jersey 100%certified organic cotton.

The dye plant usesbiodegradable surfaceagents that enable thewater treatment plant torelease the waste wateras 2nd grade water. Italso is made with noformaldehyde, chlorine,bleach, plastisol, or

AXO dyes. Visi t www.inyourfaceapparel.com.


GETTING AHEAD
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real i ty is that mostbusinesses are addingorganic apparel due to thepractical business realityof increasing customerdemand. Many of the

suppl iers customershave corporate programsthat ask for organic,says Margaret Crow,marketing director, S&S

Activewear, Bolingbrook,Ill. And theyre going tobe demanding it in allkinds of products. Its hereto stay.

However, becausethe demand is borne of

idealism, not the latestfash ion t rends , themovement is likely tocontinue. As demand

surges, prices for organic apparel will fall which, in turn, will likely lead to evenhigher demand. Right now its a least 10% higher, but its going down, says Crow.

The organic push may even spread into other areas of idealism, with somesuppliers already combining the feel-good philosophy of environmental friendlinesswith other sociopolitical and ethical issues. For instance, edun LIVE a companycreated by Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson aims to drive employment in sub-Saharan

Africa via sales of its 100% cotton T-shirts. The garments, sourced entirely fromAfrica and distributed by S&S Activewear, use organic materials whenever possible,according to the company, and its partners are held to very high environmental andsocial standards.

For now, though, the focus remains overwhelmingly on all things organic. Theentire organic business is growing, from food to vitamins to apparel. People are morein tune with it and trying to make a difference, Mayeri says. It will keep growing. Itwill double in sales in the coming year.

Reboy compares the environmental push to cleaning your own home. If you dontclean your bedroom, after awhile it will ruin the house. Its so much more comfortableand nicer looking when its clean, he says. And lets face it: We cant just go toanother planet.

A l u x u r i o u sbathrobe made outof environmentallyfriendly bamboo isnow available fromTowel Specialties.Bamboo is moreabsorbent thancotton, soft, andextremely durable.The plush terryis made of 70%b a m b o o / 3 0 %cotton and it comes

in a unisex sizethat is 48 inches long. It comes in a natural color. Formore information, visit www.towelspecialites.com .


ELECTRONICS FRONTIER
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ELECTRONICS FRONTIERBy Louie Alvarez Opportunity

In this vast planet of ours we call Earth, have you

ever wondered where you are or how youre going toget somewhere? That is, what is your precise physicallocation in relation to your city, your state, your country,your world?

Historically, navigators and explorers had searchedfar and wide seeking a system that would enable themto locate their position on the planet with the utmostaccuracy in order to reach their destination in the fastestand safest manner possible. These days the answer tothat desire or need would seem quite simple, but thatwasnt always the case, at least up to 1993.

The satellites are launchedSo what happened

in 1993 that changed thisto fact from fiction? Thefirst operational GPSsatellite was launchedin 1978, but the systemdidnt reach full satellitecapability until 1993.That was when the U.S.

Air Force launched the last-needed satellite into orbit,thereby completing a network of 24 satellites known asGlobal Positioning System, or GPS. Originally designedby the Department of Defense to assist soldiers andmilitary vehicles, planes, and ships in accuratelydetermining their locations world-wide, the system hasnow been extended to include both the commercial andscientific communities.

So why does GPS matter to us? Heres a short storyto describe where my GPS experience, fascination, andinfatuation began. Years ago, around 2001, I was on theroad in the L.A. area making my rounds when I received

a call from a prospect that happened to be in a nearby

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

city. They were pretty

jazzed that I was closeenough to drop in on themat a moments notice.Needless to say, theywere very impressed withthe fast customer service Iwas about to impart upon

them. Now mind you, this was back when there wasntany type of mapping system worthwhile. There wasntany WIFI, no wireless Internet cards, no broadband, soeven if there were any online mapping service therewould have been no way to get to it short of a desktop

computer with painfully slow dialup (remember AOL?).And there certainly werent any affordable GPS-enabledunits or cell phones.

So I used Delormes StreetAtl as USA sof tware app licationon my laptop to print up maps ofeverywhere I planned or expectedto travel, such as, warehouse, hotel,restaurants, customers, prospects,family, friends, etc. This call wasunexpected so I didnt have printeddirections to their location. So withonly verbal directions and a quickglance at Street Atlas USA on my laptop, I got terribly lostand confused. My first impression on the prospect didntgo so well. Let me tell you that was a wakeup call.

So although I had never used GPS up to this point,I realized that it was essential, at least for my businesspurposes. Today in the hustle and bustle of everyday life,its a given; cities continue to grow with new constructionof buildings, homes, entire communities, new streets,

and even redesigning of highways. With so much traffic

moving at such a fast pace, its easy to get lost, miss a

turn, and be late for an appointment. But in your day today life, why would you need a GPS system?

Do you often drive alone and need a map. AGPS device allows you to focus on the road,not a map. Much safer especially in this dayand age.

Are you a salesman who travels? Never be latefor an appointment because you got lost;, youcan even calculate ETA quickly

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