June 2023 - Page 12 of 12

An Accountant Supply List

Not many years ago, accountant supply lists involved items such as ledgers, stamps with inkpads, and a very large cup of sharp pencils. Today, accountant supply lists are much different.

Computer

First and foremost, the most important accountant supply to purchase is a computer. This is a given in nearly every existing business in the United States today, and choosing a computer can be complicated and confusing due to the many options that are available. If you don’t have a computer that you can use for your accounting business, visit your local accountant supply store, office supply store, or computer dealer.

Shop around at a minimum of three places, and ask a sales representative to demonstrate the different features, as well as review features on memory. Bring a note book to write down the different types of computers you’ve seen, as well as the pros and cons of each different computer. If you have a relative or close friend who knows computers, share your findings in order to make the most educated purchase that is best for your business.

Accounting Software

After purchasing a computer, or if you already have a computer suitable for your accounting office, the obvious next accountant supply that will be needed is a good accounting software package. Rather than choosing accounting software by brand, though, choose software that is right for your particular business.

Out-of-the-box accounting software is most suitable for small and medium-sized businesses that have standard accountant supply needs. If your business needs unique data reports, make sure the accounting software you choose offers customizable reports. If you run a service-related business, check to be sure the accounting software includes features such as a time and billing module. When choosing your software, ask a few pertinent questions to make sure the package is right for your accounting business.

– Does the accounting software allow you to print or electronically send cheques, purchase orders, and invoices?

– Does it have internet connectivity so you can bank online?

– Is it integrated with other software that you often use, such as Microsoft Office?

– Is it able to convert data from other accounting programs or databases? In other words, will the accounting software be able to meet all of your needs, now and in the future?

– Does it work easily with tax forms and configurations?

If you anticipate your business to grow and include other staff accountants, consider these additional questions as well.

– Is the accounting software networkable?

– How easy or expensive is it to move from one user to multi-users?

– With some accounting software, adding new users is just a matter of buying the appropriate number of user licenses; with others, you have to purchase multiple copies of the accounting software program, which is much more expensive.

Some software accountant supply packages, such as Peachtree by Sage, offer areas of accounting software specialty as well, such as accounting for construction, accounting for distribution, accounting for manufacturing, and accounting for nonprofit organizations. Therefore, as with a computer purchase, get several opinions from various sources in order to make the most educated purchase for your accounting businesss.

Other Supplies

Once a computer system and software package is installed, filling an accountant supply cabinet is the next item a self employed accountant should choose to complete. Before spending your hard earned dollars, though, carefully research the items that you will need the most and those items that you will need immediately in your particular accounting specialty.

A few basic items for your effectively equipping your office, which are available at most any accountant supply or office supply store, are as follows:

– Client tax guide organizers

– Presentation materials and client folders

– Accounting forms

– Filing cabinet with file folders

– Accounting reference materials

– Telephone with headset

– Desk top calculator and adding machine

Some items that will be needed in your accountant supply cabinet can be purchased at an accountant supply or office supply store, but could also be obtained at no charge through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or ordered at irs.gov.

– W2 and 1099 tax forms

– Federal and State envelopes

– Federal and State income tax forms for the current tax year

Basic office supplies that should be included on your accountant supply list are:

– Pens

– Pencils and an electric pencil sharpener

– Paper clips

– Stapler

– Rubber bands

– Desk organizers and baskets for organizing paperwork to be kept on your desk

– Envelopes of various sizes

– Postage meter if you do or plan on doing a lot of daily mailings on a very regular basis

– Self inking stamps – one with your business mailing address and one for stamping bank deposits

– Letterhead and envelopes with your business name printed on them

– Business cards

Additionally, consider a unique accountant supply that could be of great benefit to you and your clients — a subscription to a tax update newsletter, or another resource that will keep you regularly informed of tax updates, and can help you remain updated on the latest changes in taxes and tax laws.

Email Template – Procedure To Create An Email Flyer

Email marketing is a very strong advertising tool and creating an email flyer is a fun activity. Email marketing is a tool which can create a huge impact on the audience and increase the sales to a great extent. And the most important benefit and advantage of email marketing is the cost and benefit involved in this marketing process. The cost is minimal with great results which can be beneficial for any business owner.

Now let us see the procedure to create an email flyer. It is better to use email templates if you are making it for the first time. You can find a wide variety of templates and you can choose the one you like the best. However, it is necessary that you choose it very carefully and it goes well with the logo and color scheme. It is good to use a few design elements while using a template. Make sure that the contrast settings of your templates are according to the audience. People with visual disabilities will always like a high contrast and medium size font. Make sure that the images are relevant and according to the audience and the season. Also make sure that the branding goes well with the other marketing strategies like letterhead, signs and brochures. Also make sure that all the hyperlinks included in the email templates are color consistent and underlined.

One of the major factors that need to be considered is the aim or goal for which you are creating the email flyer. There is a simple reason behind this. You need to understand the basic goals and aims before you convey anything to your audience. If your reader does not understand what you are talking about then your marketing strategy is most likely to fail. Keep everything straightforward and simple like the registration forms and the navigation. There is a vast difference between an email that needs to be sent to the college students and the one that needs to be sent to the corporate clients. Thus, one needs to understand this point well. Make sure that your flyer has everything clear and concise. Format it in such a way that the audience does not miss the main part and it immediately holds their attention. It is good to include expiration dates and offers in your email flyers to get a quick response.

Make sure that the language used in the advertisement is appropriate and does not have any grammatical errors. Usage of conversational tone is allowed but, only to a certain extent. Make sure that the navigation is user friendly and the links are working properly. Avoid asking for personal information directly from an email as the users are generally scared about the scams that keep taking place. Make sure that your subject line is in accordance with the content and gives an actual idea about the content. You can also copyright your content if you want to protect it. Thus, this was some essential information about how to create email flyers.

Fraud in Nigerian Crude Oil Selling: Authenticating The Crude Allocation and Documents by Oil Buyers

HOW DO YOU ASSURE THAT A NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL SELLER’S ALLOCATION OR DOCUMENT IS AUTHENTIC OR GENUINE?

This observation by the research report on the subject, done by the Africans in America News Watch, a New York based non-profit organization, in August 2010, sums up the issue:

“There are many genuine crude oil sellers in Nigeria but the problem is getting the real and verifiable ones. Crude Oil trade is a booming and thriving business and many people seem to want to go into it. Buyers from other countries contact sellers in Nigeria in order to buy Nigerian Crude Oil. [But the business is now full of]… scammers on the prowl.” It adds that “There are lots of crude oil sellers in Nigeria, but the challenge there is the ability to find genuine and verifiable sellers.”

In point of fact, as this author has amply documented elsewhere in another study, the assertion that in the arcane world of international crude oil buying and selling today the landscape is literally littered and crawling with fraudsters and scammers, is now a well-established, well-settled truth about which there can hardly be any serious argument or disputation in the contemporary international oil buying and selling industry.

In consequence, given that stark REALITY that “there are many genuine crude oil sellers in Nigeria but the problem is getting the real and verifiable ones,” the big million dollar question is this: AS A CRUDE BUYER, HOW THEN DO YOU GET THOSE SELLERS FROM AMONG THE WHOLE LOT WHO ARE THE “REAL AND VERIFIABLE” ONES?

THE KEY? Most experts, in the case of Nigeria, say that basically you (the crude buyer) would have to demand and insist on the purported Seller showing you AUTHENTIC documentation and other proofs of having genuine BLCO and FLCO allocation from the Nigerian NNPC, as well as proof that that product is still currently availability. (For Nigeria, the NNPC, which stands for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, is a Federal government-owned company that administers the buying and selling of petroleum, including giving allocation to genuine sellers of the crude oil in Nigeria).

THE KEY DOCUMENTS IN NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL BUYING/SELLING INDUSTRY

There are some key documents that are crucial in the purchasing of the Nigerian crude oil transactions. They will include the following documents, among others:

– Seller’s shipping documents, such as: Clean Ocean Bill of Lading; Seller’s Commercial Invoice

– Seller’s Proof of Product (will comprise the License to Export & the Approval to Export, issued by the country’s government, statement of Availability of the Product, Port Storage Agreement, etc)

– SGS/Sayboat Certificate of Quantity and Quality issued at the loading port

– Certificate of Origin issued by the NNPC

– Certificate of Authenticity issued by the NNPC

– Charter Party Agreement on the vessel, issued to the charterer of the vessel and presumably showing that the vessel is actually chartered in the designated Seller’s name

– the Q88 questionnaire, filled out by the managers of the vessel providing the relevant information and specs of the vessel;

– Etc.

PROOF OF PRODUCT

Probably the most important document of all that a crude buyer may need to see from the seller, is the proper Proof of Product (POP). This document, which has to be one issued by the appropriate department of the NNPC in Abuja, Nigeria, serves as a clear indication to a crude buyer that the owner of the oil commodity has true possession of the product, and also serves as an indication that, at least as at the time of the transaction (but only at that time), the seller has the commodity available for sale.

IMPORTANT: It should not just be any form of POP, however. It needs to be one that is in a format that will enable satisfactory verification to ascertain that it is valid and authentic. Based on this writer’s research, to ensure the optimum likelihood that this goal can be attained, there are basically two types of POP documents that are acceptable, and none others, and only sellers whose POP documents meet those “preferred” POP documents standards, ought to be entertained or attended to.

THE POP MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS.

A). It must have the Loaded vessel documents that are CURRENT (that is, must not be more than 2 days old, otherwise the document will immediately be rejected as it may mean that the vessel is no longer available), and should include the following documents:

i. A Current Authority to Board (ATB). Seller must provide, for the buyer’s inspection, the ATB that was specifically issued to the initial buyer (consignee) of the crude in whose name the vessel was issued. The name on the ATB must match exactly with the name on the POP and other documents named here. And, here again, the ATB MUST be CURRENT – that is, it must be no more than 2 days old. (An ATB that is more than 2 days old, should be automatically be viewed as representing a vessel which is no longer available and hence not acceptable).

ii. Certificate of quality.

iii. Certificate of origin

iv. Cargo manifest

v. Vessel ullage report

vi. Certificate of quantity.

vii. Bill of lading

viii. ATS (Authority to Sell) from the NNPC

B) PROVIDE THE PARTICULARS OF THE VESSEL.

Generally, the Buyer may require (and hence the Seller must be willing and ready to release them), vessel particulars such as the following: the name of the vessel, location of the vessel, the IMO name, call sign and other vessel details. The reason this is required is so the buyer can do the tracking of the said loaded vessel, and to ascertain its current availability.

C) PROVIDE THESE DOCUMENTS, ALSO, FROM THE NNPC

As in the case of the POP which reputable buyers’ facilitating outfits like the Reliable Dealings International require from any AWR seller before they can begin to do business with them, the other things that may often be required from a seller, would include the following:

= the Lifting Lease/License from the NNPC, and

= the Letter of Authority to Sell (ATS) from the NNPC. The Letter of Authority to Sell, also called a Letter of Allocation, which should usually come from the NNPC’s Crude Oil Marketing Department, is basically the official document which shows the buyer that the seller actually has the authority from the official government agency for the crude product that he’s selling. (Must usually be in a paper format and on NNPC company letterhead; must contain the date of issue and expiration date, and be signed. Scanned copies of document are alright. All documents must be certified, valid, authentic and verifiable.)

= If, for example, the seller claims that the cargo has been cleared, then he should usually be able to provide the CPA (Charter Party Agreement), the ATL (Authority To Load), and Q88 vessel details.

ALRIGHT, BUT HOW DO YOU ASSURE THAT THESE DOCUMENTS ARE AUTHENTIC?

OK, so let’s say you’ve assembled the proper Proof of Product and the other essential documents such as those that are outlined above. There’s one key, in deed critical, question that still remains for you – how do you assure that these documents you’ve gotten from the seller are even any good? That they are real, valid, AUTHENTIC and GENUINE to warrant your taking the Seller’s offer seriously?

This question is, perhaps, often the most critical for a buyer because, as a rule, most fraudsters and con artists who operate in the Nigerian crude oil industry, are simply masterful forgers and copiers of every bit of the legitimate industry documents that are used in selling and buying operations by refineries and government agencies, and who are highly skilled at the craft. Consequently, buyers are strictly wary never, ever to accept outright at face value or be ever fooled by, any document submitted by sellers or claims made by them, however seemingly convincing or real-looking!. And what it all means, is that one crucial facility that a crude oil buyer and his aides must quickly develop and have, are some good, fool-proof, tools or skills by which they can INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY the authenticity of at least the key, most significant pieces of documents from among the tons of documents that sellers and their agents will often present them in the course of hawking their products. And, above all, that they must have the skills and the knowledge and business sophistication to be able to detect which ones among such documents are genuine and legitimate, and which ones might be plain bogus.

To be sure, making such verification and confirmation may often be problematic for a buyer. However, it is not really that difficult a task, at least for the schooled and experienced eyes. You only need to know what and what to look for, the right questions to ask, and how to counter check and cross check facts and information. And, in any case, whenever in serious doubt about the authenticity of a document, you should always take the path of caution – ask for more proof, or even reject the offer, depending on the particular facts at issue in an offer.

FOR A FOLLOW UP

YOU WANT TO FOLLOW UP ON HOW YOU CAN ASSURE THAT A NIGERIAN CRUDE OIL SELLER’S ALLOCATION OR DOCUMENT IS AUTHENTIC OR GENUINE?

Please see the instructional information in the author’s resource box below

Vector Graphics Explained

Do you need to produce illustrations on your computer for your business or organisation? Understanding how to use object-oriented graphics will enhance your company’s literature and the vector drawing software is not difficult to use.

Vector graphics make such a difference to any form of illustration produced on a computer. This article explains what they are and the differences between vector and raster graphics. Learn how to use object-oriented graphics to enhance your organisation’s posters, flyers and letterheads.

What are vector graphics?

They are created on a computer and are a popular illustration format.

In the following article, we’ll explain exactly what they are, what benefits they have over raster graphics and when they are best used.

A vector is a line

But it doesn’t have to be a straight line. Object-oriented graphics are mathematical equations that consist of co-ordinates, positions and curve information. They’re similar to a dot-to-dot drawing, albeit slightly more sophisticated.

Think about an aeroplane taking off from the ground and rising to an altitude in the sky. There are a series of factors that determine the curve between the point at which the plane leaves the ground and the point at which it reaches cruising altitude, such as speed, angle at takeoff etc.

And it’s a similar case with object-oriented graphics. To draw a curved line, for example, the vector graphics programme requires the co-ordinates of the line’s two end points. Once these have been plotted, you can create a curve between them. The mathematics will have been calculated in the background.

If a shape needs to be enlarged, numbers are added to the equation behind the scenes to present the same shape at the same quality, but much bigger. Colours and styles are then added.

But object-oriented graphics don’t restrict you to simple 2D images; incredibly detailed, almost photo-like results can be achieved.

Increase size without decreasing quality

No matter what size you enlarge or shrink object-oriented graphics, the quality will remain exactly the same; it will be 100% sharp and clear.

Compare this to raster graphics where the images are composed entirely of squares of colour known as pixels. Resizing these graphics forces the software to estimate which pixels will fill a larger image, causing pixelation which gives a blurry and fuzzy effect.

The ability to increase a vector’s size without sacrificing quality is also closely linked to file size. Even if your vector graphic is the size of a billboard, the file size will still be relatively small, especially when compared to that of a raster image.

This is because a vector file only records the information related to the graphic’s objects, i.e. co-ordinates, positions etc., whereas raster graphics need to record every single pixel in an image, leading to a much larger file size.

One disadvantage to vector graphics in the past was that you couldn’t achieve anywhere near the photographic, lifelike quality you could in a raster image. However, developments in software mean that this is now more feasible, although the process can be time-consuming.

Perfect for print and screen

Vector graphics are used in websites, animations and business branding materials such as logos, letterheads and flyers. A logo, for example, needs to be flexible and versatile in its design so it can be applied in varying sizes and across a range of media which could be anything from an A4 sheet of paper to the side of a car.

The fact that you can easily enlarge and shrink vector graphics to any size makes this possible. And it’s not just in printed materials where vector excels.

The format has become popular on websites too because of a combination of small file size, high quality, and compatibility with all major browsers and most smartphones.

Raster graphics, on the other hand, can boast high quality, but at a cost of a larger file size. The downside here is that a larger file forces page load times to increase, which might mean a potential visitor has to wait for a page to appear.

Vector graphics software makes it easy

As you can see, vector artwork is ideal for a number of situations and, with software readily available and far from expensive, there really is every reason to try your hand at it.

Tools are easy to use too, with changes quickly made, and the results are sharp and sophisticated so it’s perfect for materials that represent your business.

How to Write a Quick & Easy Car Repo Letter

On your own letterhead paper write or print out a notice which includes the name, address, and phone number of the defaulted client. Explain that you have attempted to contact them to no avail. Notify that they must contact you in order to come to a resolution to their outstanding payments.

List the vehicle that is in question along with its VIN number.

Give a final date that all past due payments are due by (labeled “last date for payment”) and the amount due to catch payments up (labeled “amount now due”). Explain that:

“If you pay the amount now due by the last date for payment you may continue with the contract as though you were not in default. If you do not pay by that date, we may exercise our rights under law, including involuntary repossession of the vehicle in which we hold a security interest.”

Remember that as time passes until the due date you assign more payments due may accumulate. Include in the letter that by the due date these payments will also be due and list each payment by amount and normal scheduled due date, i.e. “date due_______ Amount _______”

After listing these payments that will accumulate by the final due date explain that:

“In order to fully cure your account, and in order to prevent the exercise of our legal rights under the law, the payment or payments listed above must ALSO be paid in full on or before the last due date for payments”

Inform that even if the account is caught up you still have the right to take action in the event that payments fall behind again within a designated amount of time:

“If you are late again within the next____weeks in making your payments, we may exercise our rights, including repossession, without sending you another notice like this one.”

Explain your rights to collect further monies owed under the lien contract:

“The rights we may exercise under the law include repossession of the motor vehicle securing this debt. If the motor vehicle is repossessed, either voluntarily or involuntarily, it may be sold and you may owe the difference between the net proceeds from the sale and the remaining balance due under the contract.”

Ask the client to contact you right away if they have any questions.

Close the letter with:

“If we do not hear from you within___days, we will have no choice but to put out a REPOSSESSION ORDER on the vehicle.”

Sign it and have it notarized.

Mail the letter certified with delivery confirmation and return address requested. This way you have 2 ways of confirming and proving that they did receive the notice in case legal questions arise after the repossession.

You also obtain any forwarding address if the client has moved so that you can more easily locate the vehicle. The return address requested will send the letter back to you if they have moved instead of being forwarded to them.

If payment has not been made and you are ready to repossess the vehicle you need to write or type a REPOSSESSION ORDER. This will state the following:

Repossess Order

Purchaser:
[Name]
[Address]
[Phone number]

Default of contract
[vehicle year, make, model, VIN]
Net Payoff Balance: [Total bottom line balance owed]
Repo fee: [$ amount of the repo fee you charge]
Storage fee: [$ amount of the storage fee you charge]
Damage: [$ amount of any damage known to be done to the vehicle] You may also write TBD or To Be Determined here
Total: Add up all of these amounts and enter the total here

The named buyer is in default of installment loan contract and payment is under uniform and commercial state and local codes covering installment contract.

We agree to indemnify and save [your name/business name] harmless from and against all claims damages, losses, and actions resulting from or arising out of our efforts, except as may be caused by negligence or unauthorized acts by our agents representing us.

Dealer Authorizing Repossession

[your name/business name, address, and phone number here]

Notarize at the bottom

-Make a copy of the order for your records and give the order to your repossession agent (the person performing the actual vehicle acquisition).

Note that –

* If you follow these steps you will have done a legal repossession.
* Many people do not send a notification letter because many times a client will attempt to hide the vehicle once they have received a letter like this, especially if they have no intentions of paying.
* Most people are unaware of their rights when it comes to a vehicle repossession so they usually don’t report someone who has not followed proper procedure, however, If you do not send the certified letter notifying them of their default and giving them opportunity to make payment they have grounds to report you to the state’s DMV Dealer Services and the state’s Attorney General which can result in you being fined as well as taken to court for violating repossession laws.
* Keep in mind that some states do not allow a repossession to take place on private property if the repossession agent is asked to leave (some states require him/her to leave and for you to obtain a court order).
* Some states have no restrictions on public property.
* Some states forbid repossession to take place at a client’s place of employment.
* Be sure to check specific repossession laws pertaining to your state.

Baby Boy Clip Art to Liven Up Your Baby Shower Cards

Loads of baby boy clip art images are available, once you click your computer’s mouse and get connected to the Internet. First, you must know what it is all about. It is about copying / cutting the pre-existing images. Yes, these images are already mostly in the books that have made their entry into the public domain for that purpose.

You can have your feast of logos, mascots, identity and business cards, invitations, letterheads. In addition, there are no hassles of license terms. The electronic art available on the Internet is an extension of this concept. These images are digitized drawings on low resolution used for decorating Invitations and E-greetings.

Clipart, including Baby Boy Clip art, are meant for defining digitized drawings and not photography. There are many files in many shapes, sizes and formats. Some of the most widespread formats are PICT, Paint, GIF, TIFF, EPS and JPEG. If you are unsure which format to use, just use PICT. This format is compatible with most programs, and can also adjust to another format type easily.

Standard clipart is usually not a very detailed drawing. Mostly they are images that have little detail or are outline drawings. The standard clipart is for use on the web to use in documents.

Baby boy clip art is the most wonderful way of splashing your work with images that you think can do the magic. It is also the cheapest and the most colorful way of doing so. Most of what you will find will be free printable art.

If you want to make your own baby shower clip art, software is available for just that purpose. Most software is easy to use, and can convert your pictures/snapshots into clipart quickly.

There is a huge collection of free baby shower clip art images and free baby clipart images available on the internet. These will be very useful for your baby shower invitations, thank you notes or baby announcements. You are bound to find baby boy clipart to you liking on the internet for your baby shower needs. This gives you the choice of making your own invitations versus purchasing ready-made invitations or other baby shower cards.

With baby shower clipart you don’t need any special artistic skills for you to make your own beautiful baby shower cards. Not all websites provide baby clipart for free, but many do. If you want more detailed clipart you might opt to purchase clipart. But with so much free baby clip art available, you really don’t need to purchase unless you really want a particular design.

Making the Most of ISO Certification in the Recession

1. Let your customers know.

Organisations pursue ISO certification for varied reasons but often overlook the fact that adding value to their business benefits their customers too! Think about issuing a Press Release to your stakeholders letting them know about your certification and how it will benefit them.

Remember, in the current climate your clients will be looking around for greater value and security, so make sure they’re aware of your ISO certification. It could turn out to be the vital reason for staying with you!

2. Win new customers.

Being ISO certified can provide an immediate boost for your organisation’s credibility and reputation, making it a great marketing tool and providing you with a competitive edge. For tenders, the need to demonstrate an effective quality management system is essential so ISO 9001 is an obvious advantage. Joining supply chains often means ISO 14001 certification becomes a necessity, because green issues are a growing priority with blue chip companies.

So, are you marketing yourself effectively enough? Ensure your ISO certified logos are on your letterheads, business cards, website and vehicle fleet!

3. Cut costs and save money.

Standards can save you money directly. Specifically, ISO 14001 requires you to identify and control environmental impact. By implementing this, organisations minimise waste of natural resources and raw materials. By dedicating time to maintaining your registration, you can increase these cost savings over time as you find new ways of cutting waste and consumption within the organisation.

See the Business Link website for free advice on using energy more efficiently:

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1079432548

4. Keep your workforce motivated.

By achieving ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 you are demonstrating to your workforce that you are committed to continual improvement, efficiency and caring for the environment. Let your employees know what you are doing, it can improve motivation and loyalty in a financial climate where everybody needs to be working to the same goals.

You can involve your workforce in the certification process; a fresh set of ideas will often identify more opportunities for improvement and cost savings within the organisation.

Enhancing Business with Envelope Printing

In history, envelopes have been used and proved to be a good packaging medium. They are effective and widely being used for carrying letters, with variation on sizes and shapes. Within your first impression of envelopes, they surely are only being used for its purpose, a pack, protection for mails. Of course, you can always enhance your message to a recipient whether it’s only a business reply envelope, corporate envelope, direct mail envelope, billing envelope, there are endless ways to customize an envelope and envelope printing can enhance its packaging.

Envelopes have different sizes and formats. There are pocket envelops and a banker envelopes, the size varies depending on the size of the document inside. Along with quality material, envelops are widely used for handling documents whilst being sent or kept.

In helping your business niche, envelopes carry the name of your company or simply have fancy prints to make them look pleasing to any recipient. Here are some of the benefits you can get when having a customized print on your envelopes.

With those window envelopes, having a custom print can always expose excellence in service, In billing envelopes, a good printed one can always have the impression of quality, so to speak, this carries a company’s image, and packaging can always be a good way to boost quality service.

Direct mail envelopes are one of the things that need a good printing scheme. Your promotional material does need a good packaging. Often being the first thing a customer looks out for, making them attractive and pleasing will always become a business enhancing strategy, with a good customized print that can entice customers, you can lessen the instance of unsolicited mails.

Corporate envelops can be used to portray its style, class, and distinction to others, having a good customized print will also depict quality. With storing files, legal papers, and a corporate document too needs its own customized envelop, there are a lot of things you can design and embed to your corporate envelope prints.

Business reply envelops need a custom print to distinguish and have its own set of standards in marketing. A good customized design will likely get good impressions from your clients. This can also benefit from having their own print that signifies your sincerity, your aims on quality business, all counts when you are transacting with your clients so don’t stint on good quality prints on your envelopes.

Custom envelopes can also be used to send out your messages, of course, you need to have your own style when sending out to clients. Having to produce envelopes to match your preferred audience can always be gratifying, this can have your own scheme and could be able to attract more of your clients.

There are a lot of online printing services available today. They can meet the demands of printing bulk envelopes to suite your needs. Often having a quick turnaround, the printing technology is evolving and always having the best solutions for its customers. From there, having a custom-made envelop can enhance your business in terms of quality.

Envelopes are not just common sheath of material for mails; they can be a very potent tool in terms of marketing. They can draw customers’ attention, with high quality printed envelopes; this will likely enhance your business to its highest point.

Where’s My Paparazzi? Writing the Press Release

Ah… those glowing gems of media wonder, the often hated, but yet beloved press releases. Pen the right words to get the grand prize: a media interview. Being recognized in a positive light by the local media is an efficient way to share information about your business to a broad audience of people. A good press release mixed with some fantastic social skills is key to your being recognized and interviewed by the local media, podcasters and beyond. A press release is typically a newsworthy article-type correspondence which is emailed or faxed to area media: radio and television stations, newspapers, business journals, and such. Also, IdeaMarketers.com and EzineArticles.com provide outlets for your genius, expert self.

Writing a press release has a simple formula. The first step is to ensure your information is true and newsworthy. With some thought and collaboration, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something newsworthy about your business. Are you having a special open house? Did someone in your company get a promotion or receive an award? Can you offer specialized advice for the general public?

Write the most important and/or intriguing information in the first paragraph. This is your opportunity to hook your reader so he or she continues reading. This doesn’t need to become complicated. In fact, stay away from elaborate words and phrases and stick to simple, straight-forward writing. Write using the inverted pyramid style. Now, here comes the tricky part. While you are writing this concise, informative, journalistic article, make it personal and interesting. You can do this by adding quotes and clarifying how this information impacts the reader and community.

Attribute the information to specific sources. You want to do this to insure the reader finds the information not only pertinent and interesting with mass appeal, but also verifiable. So, your reader has found your writing to be crystal clear, important to his target demographic, and interesting. Now, ask yourself, does he know how to contact me for more information or to schedule an interview? Contact information is crucial. Let’s talk about where to put it. The format of your release is of extreme importance. You will want to follow the standard specifications so as to make the reporter’s job as effortless as possible. To simplify this process, please see the example below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Miki Markovich

(555) 555-5555

Your email address

Being Shy is an Asset

New Marketing and Public Relations Techniques Ensure Success and Job Satisfaction

(Eugene, OR, February 15, 2011) – For years, there has been a consensus that being shy is detrimental in the business world, specifically in the area of marketing and public relations. However, people across the nation are discovering there are common sense techniques that enhance existing skills to increase both success and job satisfaction.

“I feel very good about myself. I have increased productivity and job satisfaction. By writing personal notes, I leave people feeling special and have saved time and energy by cutting down on uncomfortable, in-person meetings with people I’ve never met. Not only am I happy, but my boss is also thrilled because our company has increased profitability,” said Miki Markovich, Director of ABC Co.

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The press release above is shortened to be a format template. The three number symbols at the bottom indicate the end of an article in journalism. It’s important to use the correct format as to make the reporter’s job as easy as possible.

Typically, a press release is one to three pages long. You want to be short and concise. The goal is to generate enough media interest to warrant an interview. A good way to familiarize yourself with the content and format is to pull up examples on-line of those successful press releases used in your industry.

In order to get your information read by the proper person, you must know whom to address. You can find this information through various modes of research. In the newspaper, there is usually a section that lists section editors or beats. For television, radio, or even newspaper, this information can often be found on their websites. If none of these avenues result in the needed information, you can call the offices directly and ask for the name of the editor you seek, whether that is the business, technology, education, or news. Once this information is verified, write this information in a marketing contact book for future reference.

The next step is to prepare you’re a short greeting to post at the top of the email or a fax cover sheet. If faxing, have your cover sheet or the first page of your press release on letterhead stationary. If this isn’t possible, have your logo and contact information on the coversheet. This can be done inexpensively by placing your business card at the top, right corner of a sheet of paper or for the more tech savvy out there, simply utilize your logo and design your letterhead on your computer. Make a copy and there you go, instant letterhead. Complete the sections listing who the fax is to, who it is from, how many pages, and the reason for sending the fax. I try to include a genuine compliment such as “I heard your interview with the mayor on the radio Monday. Fabulous job. Your questions were insightful.”

However, if I don’t have any compliments to give, I just write, “I look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful week,” and draw a smiley face. If these efforts aren’t directly rewarded with an invitation for an interview, don’t hesitate to follow up with a phone call. Research when it is convenient for the reporter or editor. Keep in mind that we don’t like additional work under high-pressure deadlines and neither do they. Rather than interrupting, calling after business hours is always an option. If you do choose to call during normal working hours, without knowing the reporter’s most convenient time, simply ask when you get him or her on the phone, “Is this a good time to visit?”

Congratulations. You have the interview. Now what do you do? Go and survive. Details should come in the next posting. Smiles to you and best wishes.

Full Color Banners – Use of Vector and Raster Images With Striking Success

Have you ever had a graphics artist ask you about raster and vector images? Like most people not involved in graphics you were probably a little confused by the question. The fact is, that the proper use of vector and raster (or bitmap) images is very significant to the final outcome of large dimension printing like full color banners. If you have seen a printed image that was pixilated, out of proportion or lacked precise definition, then they most likely used a bitmap imagery and enlarged that image until it lost its crisp definition. Speaking of crisp definitions, lets define vector and raster.

Vector images are composed of paths, which are defined by a start and end points, along with other points, curves, and angles. A path may take the form of a line, a square, a triangle, or a curved shape. These paths may be combined to create simple drawings or complex diagrams. Due to vector images not being composed of a specific number of dots, but formula representing the curves and paths, they can be scaled to a larger size and not lose any image quality. Vector images are stored in a good deal smaller files than raster images. Vector images are generally unsuitable for photo-realistic, extremely complex images, but are best suited for graphs, diagrams, logos or images composed of basic shapes, such as cartoon-style characters. Common types of vector graphics editors include Adobe Illustrator, and Macromedia Freehand. Their file designators are ai and eps.

Bitmap images are exactly what their name implies, a collection of bits that form an image. The image consists of a matrix of individual dots or pixels that all have their own color. Bitmap images are not the best candidates for resizing, rotating, or stretching. Their best representation is in the size and orientation they were originally developed. They may be cropped, colorized, converted to black and white, or combined with other images using an image editing program such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements or Corel Photo-paint. When modifying bitmap graphics you are modifying at the pixel level; in other words, the color of any one pixel may be modified. The size of the file is based on the image’s resolution. Bitmap images are used for photorealistic images and, therefore, may include involved color variations.

After enlarging a vector image, the edges remain smooth and distinct. As a result, vector images are great for large graphics like full color banners. Vector graphics, like a logo, can be compressed small enough to appear on a 3.5″ X 2″ business card, but can also be enlarged up to size for a 6′ H X 30′ W full color banner with no loss of resolution or definition. If you use a digital photograph on a large banner, it must be taken at extremely high resolution. This results in using a very large file providing sufficient pixels to not lose definition when the photograph is enlarged.

You can still use photos, with good results. on full color banners. The file sizes become so large they are difficult to work with and the equipment that must be used is very expensive. Conversions of raster to vector is getting more popular. The result may not look like a real photo, but in most instances has a striking and dynamic impact. For example, conversion of a bitmap image of a political candidate to a vector image to place on a large banner has a unique effect. The reader still recognizes the characteristics of the politician, but the resulting image has a “dynamic” almost surreal feel to it.

The bottom line is that both raster and vector may used with success on large full color banners. Make sure the person doing it knows what they are doing and that you ask to see samples of their work.