Monthly Archives: February 2011
Join us @SXSW for live graffiti, music, food, drinks and a chance to win an Apple iPad
February 24th, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
Join us at SXSW Interactive in Austin for live graffiti, food, drinks and live music at the WebINK Graffiti Lounge.
Date: March 14th, 2011
Time: 6:00-9:00PM
Location: W Hotel, Austin
Featuring:
- Live Graffiti from Queen Andrea
- Live performance from hip hop artist DELS
- Apple iPad raffle contest
- Food, drinks and more
Bring your SXSW Interactive Badge for entry. Space is limited so be sure to arrive early.
For full details, and an example of how you can creatively use web fonts, see the WebINK Graffiti Lounge page.
Government Agencies Improve Efficiencies and Drive Down Costs with Extensis’ DAM Solutions
February 22nd, 2011 by Edward Smith
From Canadian National Agencies to Local Governments in the UK, government customers are leveraging Extensis Portfolio Server and NetPublish to manage, distribute and archive digital assets.
The Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and Dundee City Council (UK) are two government agencies using Extensis’ Portfolio Server® and NetPublish® software to improve efficiency. With Extensis solutions, less time is spent trying to locate, manage, share and archive files. Extensis’ DAM solutions have streamlined their processes, enabled self-service web distribution, helped preserve their historical records and tracked how resources are being used—an imperative for compliance.
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)—the agency that supports the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces—turned to Extensis to help centralize and manage its ever-growing library of technical, scientific, military, and research images.
“Previously we saved multiple formats of each original file,” said James Clark, Photographer, Defence Research and Development Canada. “Now we use Portfolio Server’s built-in media engine to instantly convert files into any format as needed; reducing the amount of time we spend cataloging and converting images.”
“The system makes our work easier by ensuring that files are backed up to one location, and that everyone gets the files they need,” added Jim Clark. “Our main research centre holds our image catalog and NetPublish sites are used to automatically provide self-service distribution of approved assets to personnel.”
Dundee City Council (UK), City Development department is dedicated to creating a record of both public and private projects—from artworks, architecture and street scenes.
To support this initiative, Dundee City Council selected Extensis’ Portfolio Server to create a centralized resource for all images as well as preserve the history of each project.
“The department has been successfully storing image files using Extensis Portfolio for many years, building up catalogues of many thousands of images for a variety of different users and uses,” said John Gray, Planning Officer, Public Art, Dundee City Council. “Its flexibility allows for a visual database that can be designed, cross referenced and tagged allowing instant access and thorough searching, for different user perspectives. Portfolio deals with the great IT mystery to the uninitiated Data Asset Management, making huge numbers of images manageable.”
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and Dundee City Council (UK) join a long list of government agencies to implement the Extensis Portfolio Server and NetPublish solutions. Others include:
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US)
- Hampshire County Council (UK)
- Le Conseil Général (France: L’Eure, L’Aisne, Les Vosges)
- Canada Council for the Arts (Canada)
- Department of Communities and Disability Services Queensland (Australia)
Learn more about Portfolio Server 9.5
Webcast: Nickelodeon Animation Studios Streamlines Asset Usage with DAM
February 17th, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
Eric Swanborg is the Manager of Digital Production at Nickelodeon®. He has helped his department transform from a ‘paper-and-pencil’ team to a digitally-driven studio, all accomplished through effective digital asset management (DAM).
Join Eric for this webcast to see how Nickelodeon Animation Studio maximizes series assets with DAM.
Eric will discuss how DAM:
- Delivers an easy, visual methodology to store and search assets
- Saves substantial time and money by leveraging keywords for organization
- Is used as a platform for future workflow improvements
Following the presentation, Eric will be available for a live Q&A session.
Details:
- Thursday, February 24, 2011
- 11:00 AM, PST / 2:00 PM, EST
- Duration: 1 hour, including Q&A
Register for the Nickelodeon Webcast
Macworld Gives 4.5 Mice to Suitcase Fusion 3!
February 11th, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
This week Macworld reviewed Suitcase Fusion 3 and awarded it four and a half mice!
The Macworld editors found the new features interesting and compelling. Here are just a few snippets from the article.
“I found the QuickMatch feature… joyfully addictive.”
“The new WebINK integration feature opens a huge new world of fonts to Website designers.”
“If you’re a designer wanting to use the Web Font capability in CSS-based Websites, Suitcase Fusion 3 will speed your work dramatically”
“…the new Photoshop auto-activation plug-in is a godsend.”
“If you use another font manager, the main reason to switch would be for ease of use with Extensis’ WebINK fonts.”
Read the full Macworld review of Suitcase Fusion 3.
Webcast Recording: Why Server-based Font Management?
February 10th, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
In case you missed our recent webcast “Avoiding Inconsistency, Liability and Inefficiency with Server-based Font Management,” we’ve uploaded a recording of the event.
You can access the recordings here:
As part of the presentation, there was a great question and answer period. Here are a couple of the questions asked during the presentation, as well as the relevant response.
Question: With Universal Type Server can you specify a font to auto-replace missing fonts in files that were designed before a font management system was implemented?
Answer: Yes, missing fonts can automatically replaced with the most closely matching fonts available from your font server if desired. This feature is enabled through the auto-activation plug-ins. You can configure the Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and QuarkXPress plug-ins preferences to automatically select a good font, yet if you require more precise control, you can disable this feature and select which fonts to use by hand. This feature is configured by each user, so while a graphic designer might not want an automatic font replacement in a document, it might not be as critical for editorial users.
Question: Is LDAP required to create users and groups in Universal Type Server?
Answer: No, LDAP (Open Directory on the Mac, or Active Directory on the PC) is not required to create users and groups. We include LDAP integration as a convenience for organizations that wish to have users automatically added and removed from Universal Type Server as users are added to specific groups in LDAP. This can be a very handy feature, but is in no way required. Users can be manually added and removed at any time using the web-based remote administration tools of Universal Type Server.
Expert Font Management with Suitcase Fusion at The InDesign Seminar Tour
February 9th, 2011 by Edward Smith
Last week I delivered a presentation on effective font management using Suitcase Fusion to a group of graphic designers and creative professionals at The InDesign Seminar Tour in Denver, Colorado.
To align my presentation with the seminar’s focus on providing tips, tricks and techniques that boost productivity, I spent most of the time talking about the new time saving features in Suitcase Fusion 3. I also had the pleasure of awarding one lucky attendee a free copy of Suitcase Fusion!
The seminar attendees brought up several good questions about the details of font auto-activation and system fonts conflicts. Of course these were easy to answer since Suitcase Fusion uses Font Sense to always activate the correct font and can automatically de-activate conflicting system fonts.
The next stop for The InDesign Seminar Tour is Dallas, TX on March 3rd where we’ll be presenting again and giving away another copy of Suitcase Fusion 3. If you can’t make it, don’t worry – you can read our Font Management Best Practices Guide (PDF) or download a free trial of Suitcase Fusion 3.
What type of font management topics would you want to learn about at an InDesign seminar?
Find Your Perfect Match with Typecaster
February 7th, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
Wondering what typeface best describes your personality? Who best fits your lovelorn world? Check out this fun little site that we created a while back to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You’ll also have the opportunity to send fonts out on a date and see the results. Check it out.
New WebINK Sample Site: Bauhaus
February 4th, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
Today we launched a new sample site of what you can do using WebINK web fonts. This site focuses on the Bauhaus school of design.
Announced over on the WebINK blog, where we’ll have more coming about the inspiration and development from the site designer, so stay tuned!
HOW DesignCast: Avoiding Inconsistency, Liability and Inefficiency with Server-based Font Management
February 3rd, 2011 by Jim Kidwell
If your organization struggles with any of the following font issues, you’ll benefit from learning more about server-based font management:
- Keeping fonts on multiple machines in synchronization
- Ensuring that you have purchased the appropriate number of font licenses
- Keeping unlicensed fonts from entering your workflow
- Remotely managing user access to font assets
- Ensuring that both Mac and Windows users have the right fonts
Attend this HOW DesignCast to find out how a font server can address the needs of your team.
- February 8, 2011
- 1:00 PM (Pacific) / 4:00 PM (Eastern)
- Duration: 1 hour, including Q & A
Register for the DesignCast Today
A recorded webcast will be emailed to you if you register but can’t attend.
Extensis Debuts DAM Learning Center
February 2nd, 2011 by Edward Smith
Today we unveiled DAM Learning Center, a new community web site that brings together information sharing, best practices and industry expert insights on digital asset management into one central location. The site offers visitors a wide spectrum of articles, Webinars, tips and tricks, tools and case examples, with information and guidance from experts across the digital asset management industry.
Whether just getting started or a seasoned DAM-osseuir, DAM Learning Center offers educational resources, relevant news, and expert commentary on all things DAM related. Visitors will find:
- Tips and tricks for anything from managing folder structures to keyword list ideas and Street Smarts commentary from DAM experts
- Webcasts which share the know-how of DAM players from college campuses to global powerhouses
- Case studies bursting with relevant local and international implications
- Glossary terms for DAM community regulars and visitors alike
- Technical how-to’s and best practices documents to guide visitors on how to effectively manage digital assets
To learn more, visit www.damlearningcenter.com
