1. It’s OK to Print
     

    May 5th, 2011

    As the world rapidly moves towards a digital platform, many are hesitant to engage with many aspects of traditional print. One of the primary reasons for this hesitancy is a fear of taking unnecessary environmentally damaging actions (such as printing e-mails) that are largely preventable with today’s technology. These attitudes stem from many environmental misconceptions, largely perpetuated by the digital vs. print conflict we are in the midst of. Chuck Leavell and Carlton Owen seek out to correct these misconceptions in a recent Wall Street Journal article.

    As a response to many e-mail taglines that discourage against printing, Leavell bookends his letters with this: “Notice: It’s OK to print this email. Paper is a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable product made from trees. Growing and harvesting trees provides jobs for millions of Americans. Working forests are good for the environment and provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat and carbon storage. Thanks to improved forest management, we have more trees in America today than we had 100 years ago.” Leavell and Owen are tired of all of the anti-printing propaganda that has become a standard in the electronic age. They believe that people should not hesitate to print when they see it appropriate and convenient to do so.

    At Pixxlz, we are using digital technologies to expand printing opportunities. As an online and social media application, we designed Pixxlz as a means for the customer to design and create in completely environmental ways: from the electronic conception to the green printed final product. It is refreshing to see others present an agenda that seeks to educate rather than persuade. Leavell and Owen gave us and many other green printers a voice with their article, and for that we are very grateful.

    P.S. Feel free to print this blog.

    Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471904576228712797236124.html

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  2. Rock Paper, Scissors…
     

    April 14th, 2011

    One of the first things to come to mind when people hear the word “paper” is trees. In this day and age, however, wood is only one of many substances used to make this worldly product. Would you believe me if I told you that grass, plants, seeds, and even rocks are often used to make paper? Believe it!
    The journey from rock to paper is quite similar to that of a tree. First, the stone is ground up into a very fine powder. Next, the powder is mixed with a special resin and extruded into very thin sheets through a machine. Finally, a polymer is added to the mixture and then cut into rolls and then traditional sheets. The final product has all of the benefits of wood-based paper, and more. Paper made from rock is completely waterproof. You can write on it, jump in the ocean with it in your pocket, put it through the washing machine, and it will be as good as new when all is said and done. You can even write on it while it is wet!
    These types of paper are not only unique; they are also greatly beneficial to the environment. Alternative paper resources do not require many of the chemical bleaching and other treatments needed to aid the transformation process. The following statistics should enlighten you as to how big of an impact alternative resources can have on the earth. Substituting one ton of paper from wood with that from rocks would save nearly twenty trees, 42 pounds of liquid waste and 167 pounds of solid waste from being created, and 236 pounds of atmospheric gases from being emitted. In addition, rock paper requires approximately 7,500 gallons less water to make than traditional paper.
    The fact of the matter is that alternative paper is more expensive than traditional paper. The process is not as widespread practiced and the production costs are higher, driving the market price up. The point of this blog is not to convince you to switch to using alternative papers. It would be illogical to believe that alternative papers would replace wood-based paper anytime soon. Paper made from rock and other resources do have their unique benefits, aesthetic or functional, however. So, the point is to increase your awareness of these underused and underexposed hidden gems in the printing business. Rock on!

    Check out GPA’s Ultra Green rock paper at www.askgpa.com

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  3. Design Tip of the Week
     

    January 4th, 2010

    The design tip of the week took a short hiatus, but it’s back this week to help you make the most of designing your eco friendly products. This week’s tip is about uploading images to your business cards, and an additional feature that few people have discovered.

    Adding an image to your business card, or any of our eco-friendly products for that matter, adds a unique touch to your design. Position a portrait of yourself in the upper left corner so clients and business associates can remember your face. One of the coolest aspects of the image upload feature is that you can replace your entire background with your image. No need to worry about centering your image or bringing your text to the foreground; it’s all formatted for you.

    Here’s how: While in your selected template, click “Add an Image.” Choose your file and agree to the “Rights Reserved” terms. Once your image is uploaded, check to replace your background image. The image replaces the entire background of the template, while leaving the text boxes in their original place.

    Play around with this feature, and try adding images to different design templates until you find the one you like the best! And let us know what you think… we’re always looking for ways to improve our site and the user experience. Happy printing!

    free image uplaod

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  4. Design Tip of the Week
     

    November 17th, 2009

    Today begins a new feature at the Pixxlz blog; the Design Tip of the Week. It’s a new way for us to help our customers by offering fun tips and ideas for designing on our site. It will also help you use our design tool better, so that together we create the best printed products.

    Designing With the Bleed ::

    All of our templates incorporate crop marks to indicate the final trim size of your document. When an image or text goes over the border, this is called the bleed. The term bleed is used for all objects overlapping the trim lines of your document. Therefore, a document slightly larger than the finished size is printed to accommodate the bleed and to make sure all important content is contained within the trim lines and not cut during finishing.

    When designing with our templates, you will notice that all four corners have crop marks which indicate where the cutter will slice the paper to the finished size. Even though the cut should be accurate, it is best to leave an additional 1/8″ between the crop marks and foreground objects to ensure that nothing gets cut off. Documents also look a lot better when you leave a slight margin.

    So when you go to design your next eco friendly printed product, make sure you consider the bleed and crop marks. You’ll be calling yourself a graphic designer in no time!

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  5. Pixxlz New Homepage Is Live!
     

    November 9th, 2009

    These are exciting times over here at Pixxlz, your eco friendly printer. We launched our brand new, redesigned homepage this weekend! Our goal was to make it easier for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for when they visit our site. So let’s take a look at the features on our homepage, shall we?

    First, you will notice we provide a list of products and services down the left side. Now, you can find and link to the exact product that you are interested in buying right away. We also label any ongoing sales with red sales tags for those of you who are looking for a great deal. Also listed are additional services that Pixxlz is offering to customers. These link to a description and encourage customers to contact us directly if interested. Like we’ve always said, we offer more than what you see on our site!

    Another great aspect of our new homepage is the slideshow of featured products and important notes about Pixxlz. Here, we highlight products that we think customers might be interested in, depending on the season and upcoming holidays or events, as well as brief information about our printing process and philosophy. It’s a helpful way to guide our customers towards products they might need or might not have considered before.

    In the upper right corner of the slideshow, you’ll notice an offer for a free sample kit. This is a helpful new option for our customers that are interested in eco friendly printing, but would prefer to see examples of our printed products before ordering. Who knows, you may even find a deal or two when you request the sample kit.

    Below the banner slideshow are two pictures of featured products. This provides a great visual of two of our finished products to give customers an idea of how their designs could look. These images are static, but will change routinely to showcase new products and designs. Right now, this space contains a picture of one of our new square business cards and a second picture of a holiday photo cards. Plus, we’re so proud of our low prices that we have them on display for everyone to see.

    So visit the new Pixxlz homepage and tell us what you think! We’re always open to comments and suggestions and would love to hear your feedback.

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  6. Eco Friendly Business Cards:: Sale Ends Today!!
     

    October 27th, 2009

    Attention: Deal-seekers and eco-friendly consumers!! Today, Tuesday, October 27th marks the last day of our fall business card sale. Act fast to enjoy our crazy-low prices. But for all our friends who don’t get a chance to capitalize on our blowout sale – have no fear. We enjoyed our sale so much that we decided to permanently reduce our prices! Starting at just $5.95, you can have fun designing your eco friendly business cards! And don’t worry; unlike some of our competitors, there are NO additional charges and definitely no hidden fees. It’s nice to buy things at their actual, advertised price sometimes, huh?

    What’s so fabulous about our new reduced prices? Not only are our prices among the lowest, but our products are eco friendly, meaning you can spend the same amount of green to go green! Eco friendly shouldn’t mean more expensive, and we do all that we can to be your eco friendly printer at affordable prices.

    Our standard stock is 30% PCW, with a coated, gloss finish. For an even more sustainable business card, upgrade to our 100% PCW paper, with a matte finish. Printed on our digital presses with chemical-free toner, either stock option is still a great way to print green. And if you’re looking to go super-eco, request a quote for larger quantities printed offset using soy-based inks.

    So if you’ve got some business cards ready to print, or if you’re in the market for a new design, check out our business card templates and create your cards today before the sale ends. And if you don’t get a chance, no need to stress. Our eco friendly business card prices will continue to blow you away.

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  7. Pixxlz Calendar Sale!
     

    October 1st, 2009

    Prices begin at just $6.95.

    Now that summer has ended (sigh…), people need something else to look forward to. Enter: the holiday season! I know I know, it’s only the first day of October. And while I definitely disapprove of putting your decorations up before Thanksgiving, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan your gifts ahead of time; especially if the price is right. That’s why we’re starting our calendar promotion early this year. We’ve cut our prices for annual wall calendars! Starting at just $6.95 for 5 calendars, these calendars are a steal!

    Personalized monthly and annual calendars are super easy to make at Pixxlz.com, where our templates guide you through the editing process. Use our templates as they come or edit them to get a truly unique calendar. Our calendars are a great gift for your family, friends, or co-workers. Order duplicates and spread the love. That’s not in the realm of re-gifting is it?

    What’s so great about our calendars? Well, by now you already know that they are eco-friendly. Printed digitally using chemical-free toner on recycled paper, the printing process we use to create your calendars is reason enough to feel good about your holiday present.

    Need help? Pixxlz customer service is easy to reach and happy to help you with any of your design problems.

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  8. Eco-Friendly Posters With A New Perspective
     

    September 29th, 2009

    Decorating a new apartment isn’t easy… I know from experience. You want to personalize your space with meaningful pieces while staying within your budget. Prints of your own photographs are often a perfect solution. I love taking and printing pictures, but lately I’ve been looking for creative new ways to capture a shot. That’s why I thought this concept from photojojo.com was so clever! They suggest taking a picture frame off the wall and incorporating it into the actual shot. Any size, any shape or color, this is a really interesting way to create varying perspectives into your photograph and really get creative with the process. Frame the subject of your photograph or something in the foreground of the shot; it’s completely up to you!

    Get creative with editing!

    And not only is it fun to stage the pictures; you can also get artistic with the editing process. I love changing the tone from color to sepia or black and white. What about changing only the framed part of the picture?

    Why not take your creativity the extra mile… at Pixxlz.com; you can turn your picture into an 11″ x 17″ poster. We can even mount it for you! Posters from Pixxlz are easy to create and super inexpensive. But don’t give all our secrets away…

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  9. Pixxlz Business Card Blowout Sale!!
     

    September 8th, 2009

    Pixxlz is excited to announce our business card blowout sale! Our prices are so unbelievably low you’ll probably expect some extra charges to be tacked on as you design. Well expect the unexpected, my friends. What you see is what you get at Pixxlz, and what you get is high quality eco-friendly business cards at the lowest prices around. With this limited time offer, you have the opportunity to stock up on the business cards you already use or test out a new design and see how you like it. At Pixxlz, we’re always updating our templates so try a new one out! Never had your own business card? Try our mini business cards on for size. They’re on sale, too! And at these prices, you can even afford to go the extra distance and upgrade to 100% PCW stock. Our world will thank you. As will your wallet.

    Need some business card inspiration? We love checking out The Business Carder, where people submit photos of the coolest cards out there. Just don’t let your boss catch you; this site can be addicting!

    At Pixxlz, we strive to offer the best customer service. So let us know what you think! We’re always looking for template suggestions or recommendations on how to make your experience with Pixxlz more enjoyable.

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  10. Custom Printed Notebooks – Another Unique Green Product from Pixxlz.com
     

    August 31st, 2009

    Custome NotebooksSummer is quickly coming to an end and school is right around the corner. I’m not embarrassed to admit that back-to-school shopping was one of my favorite parts of August… and when I say that I obviously mean shopping for my school supplies. That’s why I am SO excited about Pixxlz newest product: custom printed notebooks. These are perfect for kids to bring to their first day of classes, displaying cool designs and their name printed on the cover or pictures of their favorite summer memory. In addition to being a great classroom accessory, our custom printed notebooks are made from recycled paper, with the option to upgrade to 100% PCW stock. At Pixxlz, it’s easy for customers to be creative! Choose your two favorite photos from a family vacation, and our custom printed notebooks become the perfect keepsake to take you through the winter months. If pictures aren’t your thing, choose from our pre-designed templates, or create your own.

    Click here to make your own custom printed notebook now!

    Pixxlz Custom Printed Notebooks are Environmentally Friendly:

    As the world goes green, it can still be hard to limit the use of paper in the classroom. Pixxlz is dedicated to creating printed products that are environmentally friendly through the use of soy-based inks and minimal waste creation in the printing process. A great way for kids to reduce their own paper consumption is to use both sides of paper. Smaller notebooks also help reduce waste, like our 4.25” by 5.5” custom printed notebooks!

    If you’re still concerned about your paper consumption, check out the Paper Calculator offered by the Environmental Defense Fund. It’s a great way to see how the paper choices you make can be altered to better help the environment. Thedailygreen.com calculated that switching your annual order of 100 tons of copy paper to a paper with 50% recycled content could save 173 tons of wood, 100,000 pounds of greenhouse gases, hundreds of pounds of toxic air and water pollutants and more than 50,000 pounds of solid waste.

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