When using the APPL platform, proper artwork preparation is critical. Remember; we are not using magic printing devices that make all of your mediocre sketches turn into fabulous full color prints! The general rule of thumb is this; if you put crap in, you get crap out. If you take the time to tweak and adjust your artwork settings, properly, you can increase the quality of the final product by a considerable margin, in most cases.
Realistically, we know that many of our platform users won't have much experience with Photoshop or other image editing software, so that's where this forum comes in to save the day! Over the course of the next several weeks, we will be uploading several brief tutorials, showing you how to perform basic functions like scanning an image into the computer and adjusting the contrast for better output, removing a solid background from simple images, to maintain the "transparent background" requirement for artwork, and more. Many of these tutorials will also be available from within the APPL platform, itself (through the Tips & Tricks interface), although without the added benefit of direct user interaction.
It is our hope that our more skilled and experienced members will help answer questions, as well as share tips and ideas for adjusting your images for the best possible output. Although we here at Archangel Printing are going to do everything we can to educate our users, our knowledge is nothing compared to the combined knowledge of the public-at-large! So go ahead; jump in, and start teaching people how to be better artists! Subjects can include any aspect of artwork creation, prep, cleanup, etc. Please try to stay relatively on topic!
For those who would like to help prepare brief tutorials, how-to's or just simple tricks, you can check out the following useful applications:
Introduction to Artwork Tips
http://www.etrusoft.com/download.htmQuick Screen Capture is a utility designed to allow you to capture an image from your screen (any portion of the screen you want to define, or the full screen) and save it in many popular image formats. The software is not freeware, but you can download a free trial to capture a bunch of images, without having to pay or provide a credit card. From the same link, you will also see a Video Screen Capture utility (for capturing the action on the screen for future playback), although I have not tried it personally. For video capture, I have become accustomed to Camtasia Studio:
http://download.cnet.com/Camtasia-Studio/3000-13633_4-10665109.html(Although we do not advocate illegal downloading, we have heard rumor that many full versions of Camtasia have been floating around the web as Torrent files...)If you have any questions about artwork prep, don't be afraid to post!
