Poster printing in general is designed with 4 basic purposes. One, well designed print posters tell a story. Two, posters provide a brief summary of your project. Three, print posters are great discussion starters. And four, poster printing can be your explanation when you’re not there to provide the details.

When deciding to create your very own poster printing, you might want to try it in PowerPoint. It’s easy and even if you’re not a designer at heart, you’ll have your own print posters without having to spend so much on costs of hiring a poster printing company to do it for you.

Step 1 – Before you begin working on your color posters, sketch out your design draft in a paper. Remember to include only 3 to 4 key points that your poster would have in its overall design. This is to avoid having a cluttered look especially if you want to emphasize a special idea.

Step 2 – Determine your size, background, and the layout of your project. You can choose to have as many sections in your poster as you want. But having a simple design is often better because it makes it easier for your readers to zoom in on the main message of your poster.

Step 3 – Provide the flow in your print poster. Generally, the standard flow is from top left to the bottom right. When there are columns the movement is downwards; for rows, you read along the rows. This is the natural movement of the eye when reading the surface of a material. To make it even easier for your target audience, provide arrows, pointing hands, numbers, and even letters to guide them in the right sequence of your elements.

Step 4 – To setup your poster in PowerPoint, use just one slide.

Step 5 – Choose your poster size. From the FILE menu, select PAGE SETUP. Under SLIDES SIZED FOR: select CUSTOM. Determine your size and set it in PowerPoint. Setting your size this early would make it convenient for you to print the right one after you’ve finished designing your poster. (PowerPoint allows a maximum page size of 56 inches with width of 36 inches.)

Note: Don’t forget to leave a 1-inch margin at the edges of your poster to allow space for cropping.

Step 6 – Provide your title. It should be approximate to the entire width of your poster. Break the main text into columns based on the size of your print poster.

Step 7 – Choose your background in the DESIGN TEMPLATES. You can also utilize other options such as TEXTURE, GRADIENT, COLOR, or IMAGE FILL.

(Select FORMAT>APPLY DESIGN.)

If you want to include text boxes for your paragraphs and borders, all you have to do is to select TEXT BOX from the INSERT menu. You can make your boxes as clear, semi-transparent or color filled.

Step 8 – Choose your fonts. Be sure to use them sparingly. Too many would create clutter in your poster. Adjust the font size based on the amount of text as well as the style you’re going to use in your poster. The title and subtitle are usually bigger in size than the rest of your body. Just be sure to have a standard font size in all your section headers.

To embed the fonts, select SAVE AS from FILE. Click on TOOLS. It’s in the upper right of the dialog box. Scroll down and select EMBED TRUE TYPE FONTS. Now save.

Step 9 – Select your pictures and insert them in the columns of your poster. Remember to use the picture cropping tool to scale the image down to the size you want.

Step 10 – Edit your poster. Then print.

The art of tattoo in today’s time define the attitude of a tattoo lover. It now gains popularity as a way of expressing their thoughts, beliefs, their attitudes toward life, ideals, or someone’s name very close to their heart. Despite of various trends, the most famous and in demand designs consist largely of written text. More often it’s a name, date, or scripture. There are numerous -Cool Tattoo Design- Lettering Styles for Text Tattoos that you can choose. The right tattoo lettering font depends on your preference and the length of the word. This makes your body design as unique as the person who owns it.

There are some considerations to take for your -Cool Tattoo Design- Lettering Styles for Text Tattoos comes out clean and just the way you want it. Don’t assume that because lettering is so common, it must be easy for any tattoo artist to do it. There are artist who excel more in lettering than the others.

Once you have decided the right wordings for your – Cool Tattoo Design- Lettering Styles for Text Tattoos is the next most important decision to make. There are many tattoo lettering styles and designs that are available. Choosing a perfect one for you can be a tedious job. There are two most common and maybe the most popular style of tattoos lettering-the scripture (or Cursive writing) and the lettering in block. Consequently, Celtic tattoo lettering, Japanese tattoo lettering and Tribal tattoo lettering are all popular choices. The Chinese tattoo lettering style is also very popular. Because of the beauty of its letters that are available in a variety of fonts and sizes, and also the meaning behind the words.

There is a saying “a picture is worth a thousand word”. Nevertheless, one word is enough to describe everything. Bear in mind that tattoo is a permanent body design. Not choosing the right tattoo text no matter how excellent the design is can ruin the whole effect. Your tattoo font style must be clear. It is always better to consider the advice of your artist.

It is of utmost importance to pay close attention to the skills and experience of your tattoos artist. Tattoo lettering is a very complex procedure, thus requiring professional or skillful tattoo artist. Take extra steps to check the experience of your artist. A skillful artist does not leave out various details especially the spacing between two letters. It may seems too trivial but is speaks at length about the talent and experience of the artist.

The recent and perhaps the excellent form of tattoo lettering being used today are the ambigrams.. An ambigrams is a word that is written in such a way so that it can be read from any direction. This is new but is gaining popularity and considered as the latest craze in the tattoo industry.

Room-to-room noise reduction is rated in terms of sound transmission class (STC). The acoustical performance of common 16″ OC wood stud walls is typically STC 30 to 34, and 24″ OC wood stud walls is STC 36 to 39. This is considered poor, as conversation can be easily heard. An older method to improve wall isolation since the 70′s is a product called mass loaded vinyl. It is sold under a number a brand names, such as AcoustiBlok, SoundBarrier and others. Other methods include soundproof drywall and resilient channel. Each has advantages, some of which we will compare.

Acoustics and Vinyl

Noise can be attenuated with additional mass and many companies make vinyl sheets weighing about one pound per square foot. For this type of acoustical treatment, the mass of the materials is the dominant factor. However a wall already weighs 4 to 5 pounds per square foot before mass loaded vinyl is added, so the extra pound added by a single layer of vinyl is only a small amount of added mass.

Vinyl sellers display transmission loss data of bare sheets showing an STC of 26 or more. However presenting bare product performance is not related to the performance in an actual wall. The acoustic ratings of individual materials cannot be added to existing walls. For example, a single sheet of 5/8 inch thick gypsum board by itself has an STC of 28 — 2 points higher than that of one pound vinyl. But you cannot add that 28 to a wall of 30 and get 58. In fact, an extra layer of gypsum adds only 2-3 STC points to any wall.

Adding mass to a wall follows mass-law which states that a doubling of wall mass adds about 5 to 6dB of isolation. That is, a doubling of mass of the entire structure!

When considering any product for soundproofing it is imperative to look for independent lab tests on full scale 8′ x 12′ walls performed to a current ASTM test method (ASTM E90 and E413). Remember individual STC values do not add up.

Resilient channels is also an older soundproofing technique, dating back to 1963. It uses isolation (floating the wall) to achieve improved STC results. One is required to make suire the drywall does not touch the adjacent walls, floors or ceiling. However STC’s of 45 to 48 can be achieved in this method. While difficult to actually assemble accurately in the field, RC’s are inexpensive and can be used for light soundproofing.

Soundproof drywall is just as it says. It is an internally damped drywall product which requires no special assembly methods. Simply hang it in place of standard drywall and one can achieve STC’s higher than 50 on a standard single stud wall. The material does cost more than standard drywall, but the overall labor is less than other methods and the reliability is high.

Sound Transmission in Walls

In a single stud assembly, the major path of sound transmission is directly through the studs rather than the air in the cavity. The addition of a vinyl layer does little to change this since the outer gypsum will be nailed or screwed directly through the vinyl into the stud. For significant improvements, one must change this path fundamentally, or introduce specific damping into the structure.

Actual Performance

There is one test from an independent lab showing a branded mass loaded vinyl at over STC50 on a 24OC wood stud wall. Unfortunately that test was conducted on a single wall section (4′ x 8′) rather than the required 8′ x 12′ wall, thus rendering the test invalid as it does not meet the requirements of ASTM E90. Three other full scale tests have now been published which show MLV on one side of a 24OC wood stud wall at STC 43 to STC 45. This is an improvement of about 15% less noise as heard by humans.

RC tests are prevalent as it has been used often since 1963. As are soundproof drywall tests (on the Quiet Solution site). It is always recoemmended to review testing from third party accredited labs that are full-scale walls.

Cost Considerations

One pound per square foot vinyl sells for $1.50 to $2.00 per square foot at many online stores plus shipping (add about $1 per pound for UPS). So the delivered material cost averages $2.50 to $3.00 per square foot.

Vinyl installation is labor intensive. The vinyl needs to be unrolled, cut by hand around obstacles, attached with fasteners and carefully taped along every seam prior to the installation of the drywall layer. If one is not doing the work themselves, subcontractors charge $1.00 to $2.10 per square foot for installation.

Thus, in reasonable sized projects, one can expect an increase in wall costs of $3.50 to $5.10 per square foot. Consider a base of about $4.00/sqft if it is new construction for the studs, gypsum, and standard labor, and this results in a wall that averages $8/sqft. This will result in an STC 43 wall assembly with 24″ OC studs.

Comparison

Soundproof drywall products such as QuietRock, create a damped structure. Lab tests on soundproof drywall show STC’s of 50 or better when used on one side of a 24OC wood stud wall. This material replaces one side of drywall, saving money and time.

Low cost soundproof drywall today runs about $1.20/sqft (and is available at local dealers). Labor is about $0.60/sqft. Thus total wall costs can be under $5.30 per square foot depending on performance required. No special training or labor is required, since it installs just like drywall. The resulting performance is a 50% noise reduction (versus 15% for vinyl), the overall cost is 30% lower.

Resilient Channel is another technique which has been used since the 1960′s. This requires hanging metal channels on the studs and then hanging drywall on the channels. The drywall must be isolated on all sides since touching the floor, walls or ceiling could acoustically “short out” the floating wall and reduce the performance.

If done right, with a double drywall on the RC side, and no shorts, it is reasonable to achieve an STC 48. The cost of this wall is under $6.00/sqft including labor. While the performance is less than soundproof drywall and the difficulty is higher, it is a mature method which was popular before the advent of soundproof drywall. So it may be worth still considering as an option.

Conclusion

Mass Loaded Vinyl has been sold for many years to help with sound isolation between rooms. It can provide increased STC values by adding additional mass and impedance changes to the wall. However, the effort, cost and detail required to use these materials needs to be compared to other methods including soundproof drywall and resilient channels to determine the best method for your walls.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Four C’s” of diamond quality. Each and every unique diamond in the world has its own defining characteristics, and understanding each of them will help you make an informed decision when you come into a Spence Diamonds showroom.

Cut

Nothing is more important to the brilliance and sparkle of a diamond than its cut, as it is responsible for around 40% of a diamond’s price. A well cut diamond will reflect light from one facet to another and back through the top, creating a dramatic sparkling effect that only a diamond can emit. Only the most skilled diamond cutters can shape a diamond with exacting precision, to release its full brilliance, taking into account such factors as proportions, finish, and of course symmetry.

Colour

When examining a diamond, be sure to view it “loose” (unmounted) under a neutral light source, to get the best view of its colour. In the “normal colour” range, the colour of a diamond is rated on a scale that goes from D to Z, with D being the whitest diamond available, and Z being a tinted, light yellow colour. For most jewelry, a colour grade from G to J is usually best.

Why “D to Z?” Before this rating system was invented, diamond professionals used many other symbols (including liberal uses of “A” and “AA”) to rate colour, so the creators of the new system started at D, to avoid any confusion with the outdated ratings systems.

There are also various coloured diamond choices available today, but when you are looking specifically at a white diamond, you should understand how this scale works, and where your diamond of choice is rated on the spectrum. Also, the mounting of a diamond can impact its appearance. A more yellowish diamond will appear whiter next to a gold setting, whereas a white gold setting will make the diamond look less pure if you compare the two side-by-side.

Clarity

The clarity of a diamond refers to the number and nature of inclusions or blemishes that are visible when you view it under a microscope. Some diamond professionals refer to clarity as “purity” or “quality,” but neither of those start with “C,” so we’ll stick with clarity.

A blemish is an imperfection on the surface of a diamond, and an inclusion is a small spot contained within it. Diamonds with little or no imperfections such as these are rarer, and much more valuable. Five factors determine a diamond’s clarity: the size, number, position, nature and “relief” of the inclusions. Relief describes the level of visibility of these imperfections. The clarity scale of a diamond is the easiest to understand: It varies from Flawless, to Internally Flawless, and from there goes to VVS, VS, SI and I. These are easy to understand and remember, because they stand for: Very Very Slightly included, Very Slightly included, Slightly Included, and Included. Each of these designations has varying levels as well, but getting a handle on these will help you understand the importance of clarity in a diamond’s grading.

An “I” rated diamond will have inclusions that are visible to the naked eye, whereas even a skilled diamond expert would need a microscope to see the inclusions in an “SI” diamond. Because of this, diamonds rated “SI” usually represent the best value for your investment.

Important Note: Skilled jewelry makers often mount a diamond so as to mask an inclusion from sight, helping it appear more flawless. Before buying a diamond, be sure to examine it loose under a microscope to get a better idea of its clarity.

Carat

The last and most obvious characteristic that a diamond is measured by is its Carat (abbreviated “ct.”). A carat is a measure of weight, and it takes 142 of them to make an ounce.

Interesting bits of trivia:

You can mail 142 one-carat diamonds with just a single postage stamp (Not that you would want to)!

The majority of diamonds used in jewelry weigh less than one carat.

Obviously, a diamond’s carat weight can have a big effect on its value. When written, carat weights are expressed as decimal numbers: 1.00 ct., 0.48 ct., 1.57 cts., and so on. In a piece which has more than one diamond, often times you will see the total carat weight of the diamonds shown.

At Spence Diamonds, each and every diamond comes with an official Diamond Certificate, which will give you a detailed blueprint of your diamond. Now that you understand the “Four C’s” of diamond grading, you’ll have a better understanding of these certificates, which give you detailed info on all of the factors discussed above, including a “plotting” that shows the exact location of inclusions and blemishes.

If you have a family room and you are thinking about getting leather sofas then don’t hesitate at all. Leather is a great choice of material for furniture. It has grown very popular over the years and still growing. This is one thing that you know will be great and only improve over time. Leather comes in a few grades which are all great except for the bonded leather. This is the cheapest and poorest of quality, you should avoid this type even though they really don’t use this type of leather to make furniture. Leather sofas are durable, they look wonderful and they clean easily. It is a great choice if you have kids or even pets.

If you have children, clean up time will be much easier. You can simply wipe off any dirt or liquids stains without a problem. If you have the finished type leather there shouldn’t be a problem with cleaning it up. I wouldn’t recommend unfinished or suede looking sofas for children. This type of leather is more delicate and much harder to clean. Leather with finishing is ideal for kids and pets because they don’t require extra care.

You don’t have to worry paying so much money because if you take your time and shop on a budget you should be able to find something on sale that is affordable for you. Yes, you will run into very expensive ones but don’t let that intimidate you because you will find something you love at a fair price. Sometimes leather sofas are highly priced because it might be high grade quality or even the styles of the sofas are either new or very fancy.

The most basic sofas will still make a room luxurious as long as you know how to pick the right colors and set a nice theme. The most popular leather sofas that we see in average people’s homes are the genuine leather black or brown sectional sofas. This is America’s favorite. They provide comfort and make your home look very modern and stylish.

Leather sofas are dust proof and should last you at least until your kids have grown up. This is a great choice for any room in any home. You will be a leather fan and once you go leather you wouldn’t look back. If many people are getting them these days you know they must be great.