PROOF POSITIVE

Colors mixed with gold metallic inks tarnish more than silver metallic inks and, therefore, are harder to match and control.

 

March 2011

Lighting the Way • Get a Spot Shine • Send the Right Message • Good Night, Sleep Tight

 

Lighting the Way

Each year Sentinel is determined to examine our facility and identify areas of inefficiency that can be improved or updated. This February, we installed energy efficient lighting throughout the facility. More than 100 fluorescent lamps were reconfigured allowing us to move away from energy inefficient ballasts and traditional bulbs containing mercury. The installer, Efficient Lighting Consultants, managed the disposal of the ballasts and old bulbs.

Because of our lighting renovation, we will save approximately 27,344 KWH per year, which equates to 1,807 gallons of oil not burned, or 14,051 pounds of coal not burned.

The environmental benefits from the project are:

• 56 pounds of Sulfur Oxides (Sox) emissions avoided
• 15 pounds of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions avoided
• 30,051 pounds of Carbon Dioxide (Cox) emissions avoided

It’s a brighter world at Sentinel, and Sentinel is continuing on our way to making a better environment.

 

Get a Spot Shine with Our New 800

During the week of March 14th, we are thrilled to announce the installation a new Xerox Color Press 800. The Color Press is a high volume, high quality print engine that fosters a number of excellent features.

Our machine will have a fifth print station to allow us to print a Clear Dry Ink. This “spot toner” will allow us to create a number of unique effects. Designers now have the opportunity to enhance photos, logos or variable images, create a pearlescent or metallic appearance, apply digital watermarks to add artistic effects or enhance security, and even enhance the print quality of textured stocks. The Clear Dry Ink is presently unique to the Color Press and we look forward to having fun with its uses.

With a resolution of 2400 x 2400 the Color Press gives us the ability to print cleaner gradations, crisper text, and consistent neutrals. With 150 years in the printing industry, we continue to challenge our digital solutions to provide us with higher color fidelity and consistency, and we see that the 800 will answer our challenge.

Another unique attribute of the Color Press is it’s use of “low melt” EA Dry Ink which uses no fuser oil. The result is a smoother lay-down and finish, more representative in offset than the digital world. The ink is grown, and the particle size is so fine that it has flow properties similar to a liquid. The creation of this new ink creates greater consistency, better quality, and more efficient use of toner. EA toner reduces the energy investment per page by 60-70% as compared to conventional toners.

We look forward to showing you the output from our new engine, and know you’ll enjoy the results.

 

Send the Right Message

Before you hit “send,” wait a minute. If you haven’t evaluated your e-mail style lately, it might be time. Like most professionals, you probably use e-mail for work on a regular basis. But over the years, you may have become a bit lax and adopted a style that’s less than professional.

Depending on your company culture, that may be no big deal for in-house e-mails. But when you’re e-mailing clients or others outside of your company, you want to send the right message.

Here are some common mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

1. A vague subject line. The subject line not only lets the recipient know what the message is about but also provides him or her with a reason to read it. Some get hundreds of e-mails each day—the subject line acts as the window into the message and can also indicate its urgency, so be specific with what you write there.

2. No sign-off. A signature at the end of your e-mail should include your e-mail address, physical work address and phone number. Including these details gives recipients multiple means of contacting you.

3. Too casual. “Im writing re: the meeting @ 3.” See the problems? What you write is a reflection of your professional self, so take the time to craft complete sentences, use proper grammar and check your spelling.

4. SHOUTING. Some people feel like they make a bigger impact with all capital letters. What they may not realize is this is the online equivalent of yelling, so avoid the temptation of using the caps lock button.

5. Striking the wrong note. Unfortunately, it’s easy for tone to be lost with the written word, especially in shorter messages. An attempt at humor, for instance, may be read as something offensive or inappropriate. If you’re not sure how something will be interpreted, leave it out.

 

Good Night, Sleep Tight,
Don’t Let the Time Change Bite

Daylight Saving Time equals springing ahead—and for many people, that can mean falling behind.

Losing just one hour in your schedule can disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm, interrupt sleep patterns and negatively affect your daily routine.

It may seem like losing one hour should be no big deal, but it appears to be significant as evidenced by the increase in auto accidents in the two days following the Daylight Saving Time shift. Moodiness and exhaustion are also common, which can lead to fatigue and irritability. And for parents, this loss of sleep can mean a disruption in their children’s natural sleep systems. To make it through the time change on March 13 with little to no problems, think ahead before you spring ahead.

Schedule gradual sleep adjustments. Make sure your sleep schedule is regular for most of the week. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday go to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal. A regular schedule lets your brain know when it is supposed to sleep.

Don’t take naps over the weekend. The extra sleep will mess with your nighttime schedule.

Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can suppress deep sleep. Alcohol may make you sleepy, but it will not let you sleep deeply. Try to avoid these substances within three hours of bedtime.

Exercise 30 minutes each day. Regular exercise relieves tension, uses excess energy and helps the mind unwind after a hard day at work, allowing for restful, uninterrupted sleep.

Make your bedroom a haven, not a workplace. A quiet, dark and cool bedroom is the perfect environment. Remove distractions such as televisions and computers. Consider unwinding with relaxation exercises 20 to 30 minutes before bed—this will prepare your mind and body for the night ahead.

 

Something to think about:

The only states that do not observe Daylight Saving Time are Arizona and Hawaii. Arizona found that any savings in lighting costs were more than offset by the extra cost of air conditioning for that extra daylight hour. Hawaii follows the lead of many tropical areas that do not benefit from DST as the amount of daylight doesn’t vary much near the equator.

 

Lighting the Way •  Spot Shine  •  Send the Right Message • Good Night, Sleep Tight