When it comes to finding the best external hard drive reviews, there are plenty of places to start the search. There are many reviews out there, covering virtually every model of external hard drive on the market, and if you look around enough chances are you will find plenty of information.
One of the best places to start the search for the best external hard drive reviews is also one of the most original. The many computer magazines on the newsstand, including Computer Shopper, Computer World and others, are great sources of reviews on virtually every kind of computer equipment, including hard drives, DVD drives, printers and much more. Even in this world of the internet, these paper publications are great sources of information.
Of course that does not mean that the internet is not important, and in fact there are many great external hard drive reviews on the internet as well. These reviews of external hard drives and other equipment run the gamut, from personal opinions posted on personal web sites and blogs, to professionally written reviews prepared especially for online publications.
When reading these external hard drive reviews, it is important to be on the lookout for any possible bias or vested interest on the part of the reviewer. If for instance the web site is selling a particular brand of external hard drive, or linking to an affiliate who sells that brand, there may be a possible conflict of interest to be aware of.
There are of course many sources of information on all kinds of internal hard drives, external hard drives and other computer information. Some of this information will be personal in nature, gathered by talking with friends, family members and coworkers. This kind of first hand experience with computer equipment can be quite valuable, and it is important to seek it out.
For more objective measures of quality, there are plenty of external hard drive reviews out there waiting to be found. When researching a particular brand or model of hard drive it is a good idea to look at several reviews. Doing so will give you the most complete and most objective look at the various external hard drives on the market today.
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Cedric has been a technical writer of a computer magazine for over 6 years. He also has a website that helps people with their technical computer problems as well external hard drive reviews. Visit http://www.altsyssoft.com for a technical priority list on what items to look for when choosing a hard drive for your new computer. |
Tags: External Hard Drive Reviews
There are several color formats and systems available for mixing and specifying colors. Here, we explain three of the most common systems: RGB, CMYK, and Pantone colors.
RGB color
“RGB” refers to the colors of light that mix to create colors. There are three basic
colors of light - red, green and blue. When combined, they create an entire rainbow
of colors, either by reflecting off, surfaces or by shining onto surfaces.
In design, RGB color is only used in website design and other designs that are only
meant to be seen on your screen (software user interfaces, HTML email, PowerPoint
presentations, and TV or movie graphics).
If you send a design to be printed, or print a design that has been created in the
RGB color space on your home printer, the printout may not match what you see on
the screen - RGB colors on the screen tend to be brighter than what is printed on
paper. This is because the colors onscreen are created with light, which adds
brightness of its own to the colors. When printing on paper, the light is taken out of
the equation. The other reason for this is that an RGB color can be “out of gamut”
for CMYK printing, meaning that some of the colors cannot be replicated with
printing inks.
CMYK color
CMYK color is also known as four-color printing, full-color printing, or process
color printing.
CMYK color refers to a certain type of printing process. In CMYK printing, cyan,
magenta, yellow, and black (the “K”) inks are printed on the paper as tiny dots
(referred to as a “screen” or “line screen”). These dots are so tiny that when they
combine visually, they create a rainbow of colors.
This process is used in projects where printing the full range of color is required -
in projects with full-color photography or when more than three colors overall are
used in the design.
For the production of CMYK printing, digital printing is a more economical choice
than full-color press printing. However, in digital printing, the types, colors, and
thicknesses of paper available are often limited, based on the printing machine’s
specifications and capabilities.
The accuracy limitations of CMYK printing are that the results between different
printing methods - digital printing versus press printing - can vary, sometimes
greatly, depending on the printer’s range, how it is calibrated, and the particular
color you are trying to print. Even the results from different digital printers or
presses can vary, so color accuracy may be an issue, particularly if you’re printing
items at different times or with different printers.
There are also colors that cannot be reproduced using the CMYK process - such as
metallics, and very bright colors. To expand the color range, additional colors can
be added to the mix to increase the range, for six- or seven-color printing.
Alternatively, Pantone colors can be used to increase the range - going to five-color
(or more) printing to get the color accuracy you need.
Pantone color
Pantone color is also known as the Pantone Matching System, PMS color, or Spot
color.
This color system is based on a set of inks that are mixed to create solid colors,
which are then used to print your materials. These colors fall in a prespecified
range, found in several swatch books produced by the Pantone company. An
analogy for this system is the colored paint chips found at the hardware store - you
can preview the colors exactly as they will appear in the final print job. Also, since
the colors are mixed before printing, instead of being created visually out of tiny
dots on the page, they’re much more accurate and consistent from print job to print
job, as well as to the colors initially intended in the art, than CMYK color.
Pantone colors can be “screened” - a process in which fewer dots of color are used
per inch, which makes the color appear lighter. Thus, more colors appear to be
being used in a project, without increasing the printing costs or number of colors.
Pantone colors are often used on logos or stationery packages (business cards,
letterhead, and envelopes), to enable those pieces to be printed on a press using
one, two or three colors, which is less expensive than four-color printing (see CMYK
color, above). Using Pantone colors on your logo also ensures accurate color
representation for your logo in all applications - so that your carefully chosen
corporate color will always be the same, regardless of the printing firm you choose
to print a particular piece of collateral.
Using the right color format throughout your job will save you money and make
your marketing materials look their best.
About the Author
Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic
design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and
effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers
the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one-
on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works
closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and
memorable - and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent
way. For more information about elf design, please visit:
Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com
Tags: color, CMYK, pantone, system, ink, light, monitor, press, printing
The term invisible ink sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? What would constitute invisible ink becoming “invisible,” then visible? Why on earth would you want to use something that you naturally can’t see? If thoughts of invisible ink sound like something you would watch in a James Bond movie or during one of a magician’s incredible disappearing tricks, you’re not too far off from the truth.
Invisible ink is a substance that is either invisible immediately on or after application and can be visible by some other means. Invisible ink has been linked to espionage and is probably classified as the most popular form of steganography (communication by using hidden messages or codes).
Who is the mastermind behind these secrets? Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus), who was a Roman officer and writer is the instigator behind the origins of invisible ink. According to an excerpt from The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code Breaking by Simon Singh, as far back as the first century A.D., Pliny the Elder explained how the milk of the thithymallus plant could be used as an invisible ink. Although transparent after drying, gentle heating chars the ink and turns it brown. Many organic fluids behave in a similar way, because they are rich in carbon and therefore char easily.
There are two types of invisible ink:
heat sensitive
chemical sensitive
Once invisible ink dries after application to a writing surface, it should appear bland and begin to blend into the texture of the surrounding material. According to the type of invisible ink used, it can be made visible by different methods such as heat, application of a chemical or by viewing under an ultraviolet light. Among some of its other applications, invisible ink may be used when stamping hands for event re-admission, manufacturing identification or to mark property for recovery purposes, in the event of a burglary.
Invisible ink should not be used on ruled paper since it could cause altering or streaking the color of the lines. It should not be used with glossy or very smooth paper since the sizing of this type of paper prevents ink from being absorbed deep into the paper, making it easily visible. Commercial inks are available for non-porous surfaces that are visible only under ultraviolet light.
Toy invisible ink pens have two tips; one for writing and the other tip for developing the ink. Invisible ink can be used sometimes to print sections of pictures or text for children to play with. Included with these books are decoder pens that children can rub over invisible parts of the pictures or text, revealing answers to questions or completing missing parts of a picture.
Invisible ink is also used in computer inkjet printers and is usually visible under ultraviolet light. This is used for printing information on business forms to avoid cluttering the visible contents of the form. Some US Postal Services use UV invisible ink to print bark codes on mailed envelopes giving routing information for use by mail handling equipment.
Invisible ink is rarely used in art. Artists who use it in conjunction with other paints to create a variety of effects, display their art using UV lights. Invisible ink with florescent properties can be obtained in a variety of colors and formulas to be used on non-porous surfaces like glass or plastics.
There is an element of meticulousness involved with sending an embedded message written with invisible ink. Certain precautions are taken into consideration when secrecy is a premium. Invisible ink reaches beyond the scope of the naked eye. To see or not to seethat is the question!
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Kym Gordon Moore is a public relations strategist for budget conscious new authors and coordinates creative marketing packages for her clients. She is fascinated with writing instruments, machines and other noteworthy objects that contributed to the progression of the art of writing. Many of her articles, essays, short stories and poems appeared in a variety of magazines, newspapers, ezines and anthologies. www.kymgmoore.com |
Tags: Invisible Ink, Ink, Steganography, secrecy, Pliny the Elder, decoding