1. Poster Prints from Facebook
     

    April 21st, 2011

    Pixxlz is re-defining the way consumers interact with and transform their photos. Pixxlz has recently launched a revolutionary Facebook application for the world. Facebook and non-Facebook members alike will have access to the easy-to-use app that allows users to upload photos within Facebook to be printed as posters. Once uploaded, the customer will be able to choose from sizing and customization options, before finalizing their order in a secure PayPal commerce checkout. The Facebook interface caters to all ages: both older individuals who are accustomed to traditional order forms and younger persons who have grown up with Facebook
    With the company’s recent move to South Boston’s Innovation District, Pixxlz thinks that now is the perfect time to unveil the unprecedented venture in the photo sharing and print eco-space. “We understand that print is becoming an end of life product,” says CEO Grover Daniels, “but if we can find ways to work with the technology of today instead of against it, we can still play an important role with people and businesses. And that is exactly what we are doing with the Poster Prints App.”
    The Facebook application can be accessed by all at facebook.com/Pixxlz.

    Category: Keeping It GreenComments (0)

  2. Unearthing Awareness at Pixxlz
     

    April 20th, 2011

    Earth Day is one of those holidays that fall into the cracks, somewhere between St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. Here at Pixxlz, though, we consider April 22nd one of the most important days of the year. A concept that started out as a day dedicated to inspiring awareness and appreciation of the Earth’s natural landscape has now made its way into the agendas of many organizations. More and more people are making the conservation of the Earth a top priority in both their personal endeavors as well as in their business ventures.
    Providing customized printing products in the most environmentally conscious ways is our mission at Pixxlz. As the printing world has evolved, so has the role of the Earth’s natural resources within the industry. Pixxlz has found several printing alternatives that have diversified our customers experience and reduced our environmental impact in the process. One major transition that we have been reinforcing is the move away from hard (paper) proofs towards soft (digital) proofs of projects. With the great advancements of technology, it only makes sense to save paper and create copies of projects digitally, making storage and distribution all the more easier.
    Our implementation of electronic PDF’s is another step towards environmental conservation. At Pixxlz, we offer sophisticated flip page PDF files for our business clients as an alternative to paper documents. This way, our customers can achieve the same level of professionalism in their presentations while maintaining the tangible life-like feel and saving paper.
    When it comes to submitting files, we believe that digital is better. We offer a number of ways to submit work, all in the absence of actual paper. We have created an online submission form within Facebook that easily allows our customers to communicate with us, without ever leaving the social networking site. In addition, our website provides the same infrastructure for those who wish to submit files in a more familiar way.
    Pixxlz also uses soy-based inks as well as environmentally sensitive printing plates and hybrid delivery vehicles. As you can see, our environmental agenda transcends paper. We have found several ways to reduce our impact on the Earth, and for that, today is a celebration!

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  3. 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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  4. Hope on the Horizon for Print
     

    April 7th, 2011

    If you have read this week’s bfsdaniels | copycop blog, then you already have learned all about the way digital and print are working seamlessly together through the process known as “web-to-print.” The print-digital relationship is an interesting one. In some aspects they are competitors, in others they are compliments, and in even more ways they are platforms for one another.
    By now, it is common knowledge that many print publications are going out of business. Newspapers and magazines have fallen throughout the world in alarming numbers. With the advancement of technology, we can now access all of our news digitally via the internet. Digital technology is not just a threat to print, though, it is also a catalyst. Digital takes and it gives.
    A prime example of this phenomenon is the VizitMe digital photo frame (produced by Isabella Products, a strategic partner of Pixxlz for three years). Through using this digital frame, consumers can share pictures with anyone at anytime over their private network. It is a visually centered social network for family and friends. Users have personal accounts created for them in which they can add photos from their computer and mobile devices to be shared exclusively with who they choose only. With VizitMe, your parents do not have to wait for you to get back from Florida to see pictures of their grandchildren at Disney World – they can see them instantaneously. VizitMe was even recently featured on a segment of the Today Show.
    VizitMe’s technology creates new opportunities for the printing industry. Its architecture lends itself to a sharing aspect, in which many people have access to the same images. Expanding on this concept, these people now have access to printing these images. Just as they created a social network for image viewing, they created opportunity for a social network for printing. Instead of reaching out to the individual who took the picture for a copy, any approved user of the device could theoretically print the picture on their own.
    As stated before, digital is a thief and a philanthropist. Where it destroys opportunity, it also creates many more. Only time will be able to tell where digital will take the industry, but for now, we are very excited about this revolution in the printing world.

    Category: Keeping It GreenComments (0)