LEFT: Rich Black vs. RIGHT: 100% K Black

Question: Why use a “Rich Black” ink mix in a layout?

Answer: You will get a denser looking black area.

Rich Black = C, M, Y, K mix vs. Black = 100% K, which means that you are packing more ink into the area and our eyes see that density as deeper or richer.

Follow Up Question: When should Rich Black be used?

Answer: Definitely when there is a lot of area that is to be printed black.

Follow Up Question 2: What C, M, Y, K mix should I use?

Answer: First, I would ask the prepress department of your printer if they have a recommendation. They know their presses and should be aware of the paper you are using and other factors that may effect how your job prints. In the example shown: Rich Black = C 50, M 41, Y 41, K 100 (as recommended by Daniels Graphics).

Note: The difference in the appearance of the black area was not obvious in layout through InDesign (even when changing the Preferences on how black is displayed on screen), but became apparent when exporting the print pdf. I have found this to be true with various potentially problematic items. InDesign is forgiving on screen, so I recommend you always review your print pdfs carefully.

I sat down to work with a client, just to reposition a few items on a rack card, and much to my annoyance I couldn’t move anything in the InDesign (CS 6) layout. I could select, but not move things. They behaved as if they were locked in place, which they were not. Rebooting the program did nothing, rebooting the whole system did nothing to fix the issue. Of course I had sent my client away with a promise to email them with discussed changes as soon as I got things working again.

SOLUTION: Reset InDesign Preferences – hold down Shift+Option+Command+Control while starting InDesign, click “Yes” to delete preference files.

Having done the immediately obvious steps to no success, I called a friend who works in prepress at a local printer and is super knowledgeable on software snafus. She said she had the exact same problem that morning as well – weird – but that reboot had fixed the issue. Drat. So onto the Adobe Forums I went and did find a reference to the same issue posted in 2010. Seemed like various things had been tried by people, but the one that had the most success was to reset the InDesign preferences. Yes, it did mean I had to reenter my preferences, but I was able to get the project back to the client and kept on schedule.

In fall of 2012, two electronic versions of Hababy’s Christmas Eve: An illustrated holiday story were created. The first, a standard fixed layout eBook and the second an enhanced version for iBooks including a full audio recording for a read-to-me option when viewing the book. Yes, read by author Jamie Farr, who best known for portraying Klinger on the hit television show M*A*S*H. His reading is of course wonderfully expressive and is accompanied by original music by Tim Clott.

We worked with eBook partnership for file conversion and distribution and their expertise was invaluable! Adjusting layout, page sizing and creating a base file was handled on our end, as well as preparing the audio track with page breaks. Knowing exactly what was needed, that is the trick, and having a knowledgable partner in that process made for a positive experience.

Purchase the electronic formats by following the links below:

Apple Products (with audio) $6.99  •  Kindle $4.99  •  Kobo $4.99

On the flip side I used a cheery ABC block pattern that picks up a lot of the colors from the block side.

For the borders I used two different batik fabrics and inserted extra batting so those borders are a little puffy.

And since I was thinking of this as a play quilt more then a sleeping blanket, I added fun pom-pom trim along the top and bottom on the ABC side.

My completed version of the Asheville Cotton Company $5 Quilt Club pattern from 2011, designed by Robin Culbertson.

Starting from top left and moving across row, by row (with some interpretation of the word row needed) the blocks are:

• Tree
• Friendship Star
• Flying Geese
• Mountains and Railways
• Tree
• Contrary Wife
• Posie
• Indian Star
• Maple Leaf
• Native American Art
• Snail Trail (Virginia Reel)
• Shoofly
• Snowball
• Log Cabin
• 2 Bear Paws
• Little Red Barn
• Tree
• Stepping Stones (Jacob’s Ladder)
• Stream (Water)

Robin designed this quilt based around our Western North Carolina history, craft heritage, culture and natural beauty. Many of the blocks are based on traditional patterns which she arranged into a narrative picture. She also designed additional blocks for those in the $5 Quilt Club that wanted to make a larger size finished quilt.

The fabrics are all batiks and I used colored threads when quilting, adding details and textures along the way. The most visible examples, in this photo, are in the Indian Star, Little Red Barn and Snail Trail blocks.

Cowboy Boot Block Pattern Now Available (PDF format) from my personal website: http://www.aliceio.com

I had made a pair of cowboy booties as a shower gift and wanted to follow up with a cowboy boot quilt. I searched through pattern books and online shops and didn’t find any patterns for blocks that I liked. I found many that were appliqué and some that were close, but non that really were the cowboy boot I envisioned. So, necessity being the catalyst for invention, I got to work and designed my own block.

Once I had the pattern designed I spent a good deal of time deciding what fabrics to use. I had some baby-wale corduroy in various colors and decided that was the perfect base for the boot toes and heals. This does add a level of complexity to cutting the fabric since you need to make sure you have both the wale and the pile oriented correctly. I love the texture it lends to the boots – both tactile and visual. For the background around each boot I chose matching colors of tiny check fabric, which being lighter in weight necessitated care while sewing and directional pressing. The fabrics for the main part of each boot were selected for color, scale and whimsy. I ended up have a couple fabrics that were scene based and others that were tossed patterns which I think adds to the charm.

Once I had completed the piecing of all the boot blocks I decided to quilt each block separately so as to be able to give different patterns to each boot. The sashing was added using quilt-as-you-go techniques, which again allowed for detail stitching.

The images show the boot quilt front, block back and then close up details from each side.

PROBLEM: I needed to provide a design that was 606 inches long to the printer full size at 150 dpi. What I was designing was banners to go along the front of court side scorers tables for the Southern Conference basketball championships. Since the design included a gradated background the printer wanted the file as one continuous piece, rather then breaking it into smaller banners.

SOLUTION: The printer’s second choice was a file at 1/2 scale at 300 dpi, but unfortunately that was still larger then the Illustrator limit. So I gave them 1/4 scale at 600 dpi. First time I have not been able to give a printer their preferred file size/format.

The Just Ducky Spring 2012 catalog is full of bright and cheery prints and great new styles such as the Peasant Dress shown in French Blue Paisley print on the cover.

Our photo shoot was at a great country farm facility that hosts weddings and parties throughout the year. There were lots of fun things to explore – hedge mazes, a spring house, flower gardens, stone walls, grass courtyards, and a big wrap around porch. The location also came complete with a large black/white cat that was happy to be in photos in exchange for some scratching behind the ears. Photos for the catalog were taken by John Warner.

Some sample pages from the catalog are shown here.

Visit Just Ducky Originals online to browse the full catalog and place orders. You can also find a home show near you, which I recommend. Seeing the fabrics and trims in person is sure to inspire you to design your own Just Ducky original.

The bike diva illustration is close cropped on these labels to show just her head and shoulders vs. the full length image on the lotion labels. Also the background image is mostly solid with a few floral elements rather then a full vine pattern.

Another key change was using the sun ray pattern along the top, where as on the lotion labels the tonal leaf pattern is shown along the top.

Like the lotion labels, the idea was to create a template style that could easily be updated by swapping out colors to fit with new scents as Essential Journey’s expands their line of liquid soaps.

Order online at www.essentialjourneys.com.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this series of pieces all work together, yet each piece needs to reflect the personality of the individual subject matter – in this case arts and culture of the Asheville region. We needed to pack a lot of content into eight pages but still keep it vibrant. I had lots of fun using graphic elements and color blocks to separate copy, highlight stories, quotes and data points. With only space for a few images it was key that those images be compelling and fit closely with the content to enhance the story of arts in our area. Fortunately in an area so strong in the arts I had great images to select from.

Below you can preview the Arts & Culture focus report.
Please note: on iPads you will need to scroll down and select the “Open publication” link to view example. (We hope this technical glitch is remedied soon. Thanks for understanding.)

View posts on other reports in this series: Advanced Manufacturing, Workforce

For more information on the work of the EDC, please visit their website.