6 posts tagged “services”

I confess. I am a bibliophile. I scourge book shops and thrift stores for books that I can afford. I hoard books even when I cannot read them all at once. I devour books and rarely update my shelf to chuck out books I have gone tired of reading or those that may have been better off to someone else’s hands.

There are all sorts of bibliophiles. Just are there are different types of readers and writers. I, for one, love the presence of books, and read them when I can. Once I open a book and go beyond 20 pages, I am hooked.

Currently, I hold a rough estimate of 300 books. Since I do not catalogue them one by one, I have really no idea whether my collection is nearing 400 – though it definitely feels like it. For years, I have rarely met anyone who religiously went to book sales and thrift shops in search for new titles or old treasures. What I thought wasn’t possible, is possible. The gates have been opened and I am now initiated to the site www.shelfari.com and www.bookmooch.com

It has only been days when I joined in these communities. Shelfari is your online bookshelf where you get to catalogue your books, create a wishlist, and of course, meet people with similar passion for books. Simply search the author or the title of the book you currently hold and you can click options such as Own, Read, Planning to Read, Wish, and Favorite to mark where you want these books to appear in your online book shelf. You can make multiple selections for each book and enter as much as you want.

Now, I can’t wait to get my itchy fingers to type on the keyboard to look for books and put them on my wishlist. I also want to catalogue my books and organize them on the excel file so I can finally keep track of them. Shelfari is the trophy case of bibliophiles. It is also the room where readers can gather and discuss a similar passion for stories.

So while you can stack up your collection of books at Shelfari, you can acquire more books at Bookmooch from booklovers all over the world who aren’t afraid to share, exchange, and swap books. Through a network of people, you can tap into lists of books that they are willing to give away and have it mailed to you. However, you can’t get something in return without giving.

Bookmooch relies on a point-system basis where you can only start mooching for books once you have points. In order to garner points, you have to have a stack of book people would want to mooch from you. In this manner, there is a fair exchange going on and people can have exactly what they want.

I am just giddy with excitement to start screening and organizing my bookshelf so I can start mooching already. Just imagine being able to get great books in return for the stuff you no longer want!

These sites are just too good to be true that sometimes, blogs seem to be insufficient to spread the word around. Postcard printing mailings may just do the thing, but I have to figure out who would really want to belong in these communities. And whether you are a children’s books lover, an avid comic collector, or a classic fiction reader, you will surely belong to both of these sites without difficulty, as once again, they open themselves freely to all kinds of book lovers.

All the gab about the Oscars – the winners, the films, are all almost next to nothing compared to what they are wearing. Yes. Nothing is quite disturbingly popular than who is who or what for that matter.

Hours before the Oscars itself, all the preparation, all the excitement are down on the Red Carpet. Maybe it just goes to prove what all the theater arts have been saying and quipping to all actors, actresses, directors and screenplay writers – make a dramatic entrance. Nothing truer could be said.

The parade of the stars have always been quite intriguing – even though nothing is practically new, except for their dress sizes and their dress cuts. My sister, who is casually sitting beside me, can only but utter the words,”Ugh. What vanity.”

Yeah, it seems that whatever you put on television will try to sell itself.

And everyone there will be published in tabloids, separated in categories like apples and oranges – who’s hot and who’s not. And those who failed to make it, well, better buy your own publicity stunt through printing services wholesale and come up with your own magazines. Either that or next time, try wearing something that is truly flattering or something incredibly ugly. Your choice.

And while statuesque actresses glided down the Red Carpet like the handsome golden statue and the close-shaved men casually waved, the real stars were the winners of the night.

I think I only watched the Oscars for one reason, and that was to see Juno win the Best Screenplay. Ha! Yeah, I am rooting for this team and you can take that to the bank with my previous post.

And so, there ends our story. As the Oscars drew to a close, and the stars went out to party , the pomp and pageantry seemed to have fizzled, only for the meantime of course. Till the curtains are opened once again and the carpets are rolled out, we’ll get a glimpse and a seemingly refreshing look at what the Oscars is all about.

The Academy Award or the Oscars, as it is prevalently known, is the most watched and highly anticipated event that gives homage to the best of the best in the film industry each year. Now on its 80th year, the ceremony will be held on February 24 with Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart as host.

So who is your bet? Shows like this make enthusiasts place their stakes on whom they think will bring home the bacon on the award’s night. Such acts are actually done just after the announcement of the nominees was made.

Since this ceremony is a red carpet affair, fans need not worry themselves with poster printing services since groupies won’t be allowed inside the facilities. Save your pennies for the betting instead because the list of the nominees will surely give you a hard time as to whom will be the rightful one.

For the Best Director Award, the choice is among The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’s Julian Schnabel, Jason Reitman of Juno, Tony Gilroy of Michael Clayton, the Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, for No Country for Old Men and Paul Thomas Anderson of There Will Be Blood.

The Best Supporting Actress is a close fight among Cate Blanchett of the movie I’m Not There, American Gangster’s Ruby Dee, Saiorse Ronan of Atonement, Amy Ryan from the movie Gone Baby Gone and Tilda Swinton of Michael Clayton.

The list for the Best Supporting Actor category is as follows: Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Javier Bardem for the movie No Country for Old Men, Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson’s War, Into the Wild’s Hal Holbrook and from the movie Michael Clayton, Tom Wilkinson.

Cate Blanchett is nominated this year for two categories. She is also in the running for the Best Actress Award for the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Along with Ms Blanchett are Julie Christie for Away From Her, Marion Cotillard for the movie La Vie en Rose, The Savages’ Laura Linney and newcomer Ellen Page for the movie Juno.

Maybe one of the lists that you’ll find hard to pick among for your bet this year is the Best Actor category. For such, the nominees are George Clooney for the movie Michael Clayton, Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood, Sweeney Todd’s Johnny Depp, veteran Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah and Viggo Mortensen for the film Eastern Promises.

And the last category and also one that you’ll need to think really hard before placing your stake at, is the Best Picture Award. This year, it is a close fight among the following: Atonement, Michael Clayton, Juno, There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men.

The event will surely be a memorable one not only because of the list above but also with the end of the Hollywood writer’s strike. Be sure to catch it because this will definitely be a treat for those who love the films and all the glitter that surrounds it.

The word ‘pin-up girl’ doesn’t sound too good to hear.

Probably in the old glam of Hollywood, it presents a different story. In those days, you have beautiful models that would soon make it big in the showbiz industry. And while their “indecency” is a far cry from what you would see in today’s smut magazines, nothing would make you think twice that indeed, that era has its own glamour and style.

In the City of Angels, it makes you wonder while it was possible to market the calendars, who dared print them? Where they now and what are are they printing? Who was the Larry Flynt of that era? With all the Los Angeles printing services company providers in the market; I wonder what has replaced our pin-up and calendar girls?

There were the likes of Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Mae West, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly, Mamie Van Doren, and of course, the one and only bombshell, Marilyn Monroe. All of these women have made it big and in one time or another, have been our pin-up girls.

There were these curvaceous women that would put Barbie to shame. They were all foxy ladies, no matter what roles and costumes you put them in. Our poster girls ranged from barn girls, rodeo girls, nurses, secretaries, high-powered bosses, meek students, exotic, foreign females, single mothers and of course, the adult women like Mrs. Robinson.

Nowadays, while the figures of our pin up girls changed, the rules of the games haven’t changed much. Being a pin-up girl can be two things at the same time - two kinds of pictures that illustrate women in a far distance from another. It can be a woman posing scantily clad in order to reach stardom or a star that wraps herself in a sexy, new package.

The style of pin-ups girls have become more than a distinct art form, but a formula you can use to get into Hollywood like some cheesy plot movie. Pop-culture have had its way of not just mass-producing things but have continuously made it seemingly immortal.

And so, as we ask such questions, we need to ask what has truly changed? What has not changed a single thing? If you want to answer the former, you need a better look into the bygone era. To answer the latter, well – pin-ups girls will always be pin-up girls it seems.

The sheer scale and breadth of wholesale print jobs have long daunted potential corporate customers. They often fear not just process and shipping delays but also possible loss of quality.  
Not anymore!

Technological developments in large scale printing processes have not just streamlined and simplified operations but also made them more affordable for cost-conscious clients.  Whether it be manuals and folders for a major sales seminar, seasonal greeting cards (name a holiday of your choice) to promote goodwill or glossy brochures and postcards promoting a brand-new product line, the business potentials for wholesale printing are endless.

Take a look at the life-size standees and giveaway souvenir programs prominently displayed at the entrance of exhibition halls or movie theatres during trade shows or gala premieres.  These are some of the examples in which full color, wholesale prints have become very accessible - not to mention useful - to most businesses in general. In effect, it no longer becomes a financially daunting proposition to get one's organization or company noticed.

The secret all lies in the crisp, rich colors turned out by full color printing service. It contributes a lot in improving one's corporate image while boosting bottom lines through increased sales. The effect is evident when producing flyers, booklets and other presentation pieces for marketing purposes.
 
A printing service does not have to begin and end with the print run itself; elements such as graphic and layout design as well as customization of print material also play great roles. Designs and templates are provided representing the widest range of industries and specializations; no matter what line of business you are with, there will always be a theme that will best highlight your product or service’s strengths or represent the objectives of your event.

Anyone can fully liberate one’s creativity with such printing service to give quality prints, for business or personal use. The range of available products and their own multiplicity allows you to create business cards, postcards, greeting cards, invitations, flyers, posters, booklets, magazines and calendars among so many others.

All of these are perfect for building up the business portfolio or for use in press kits. These are also substantial too for aggressive marketing campaigns for direct mail or advertising. From postcards to catalogs, to promotional stickers and calendars, to signage vinyl banners and window signs and so much more.

Indeed, having one's reliable printing service stands as a worthwhile business expense.
 

Are digital prints “high” art?

As Duchamp presents his toilet bowl to the rest of the world, digital artists also beg the same question: What is high art?

Art history can be amusing. Whereas the standard of good painting used to be verisimilitude, or life like, it castigated photography as unworthy of being called high art. This then set the battle for photography to prove itself against paintings. Instead of concentrating on its strength with lifelike portraits, it opted to create surrealism. Elaborate tableaus are put-together, imitating common painting subjects. Petroleum oil is spread on glass plates to soften the edges of the prints, strobe lights were played around with, and different settings were studied.

Many traditional artists are crossing over to the digital world as artists slowly emerge in this world without ever touching a paintbrush. Most professional photographers are quick to extol its virtues. Digital art is a combination of painting, photography, and so much more.
 
Despite these strengths, few people will consider digital prints high art. For one thing, four color printing allows mass reproduction. I would hardly believe a mass produced poster, regardless of how well designed, or how new the concept, will fetch nearly as much as a painting of the same caliber. There is the Mona Lisa, and there are other Mona Lisas. While one is priceless, others can be bought cheaply in a souvenir shop.

Digital art can now be printed on an artist canvas, evoking the same feel and texture of a painting. Brush strokes can be imitated in Photoshop and transferred unto print. A 4 Color Printing Company can expertly do all these with the full color process having a gamut of colors that can imitate paint and numerous color combinations. From a distance of several meters, digital print can look like a painting. You may alter a photograph, or start from scratch. You may have anything as elaborate as a surrealist concept or a simple illustration.

For one thing, I believe digital printing has brought visual high art to its knees. Anything can be replicated, though not exactly, it can be done pretty accurately. Art can now be created and enjoyed by more people, even those who can’t afford the expensive paint brush and acrylics. Nor does it require the expensive equipment and chemicals of photography.

The masters of digital art are mostly nameless, and will remain to be so. While paintings can have the snobbishness of high art, but digital prints only smile in amusement.