iPad: Is it the end of the world as we know it? Keeping in mind that I wrote about the rumored tablet device by Apple three months ago, it was with some satisfaction that I listened to Steve Job’s announcement concerning the iPad on January 27. As I visited with attendees at a newspaper conference in Minnesota, the interest in the new device was evident as one publisher after another approached me to get my opinion on its potential effect on the newspaper industry.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2010

Ontario Papers Share Success While Upgrading Technology I spent a good bit of my afternoon thinking about the current state of newspapers. In a discussion with a trusted friend and colleague, I once again was challenged to rethink the traditional role newspapers have played and consider a world where most of what we read is provided online by other sources. Then I remembered a group of newspapers based in the small town of Prescott, Ontario. With a decrease in the number of industry-related conferences, I’ve found myself visiting more places like Prescott of late.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, January 2010

Front Page

Is Apple ready to change the way we read newspapers? Jeremy Horwitch, editor-in-chief at iLounge.com, thinks it’s a done deal. Brian Lam of Gizmodo.com says he has sources from major newspapers and book publishers who have told him they’ve been in conversation with Apple about the new device. Daniel Lyons, in the October 15 issue of Newsweek, seems to think the new apparatus might warrant all the speculation, even though it’s yet to be released.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, November 2009

Adobe Soundbooth: Professional quality audio At heart, I’m a print guy. Sure, I get invited to speak and write on online topics quite a bit, but it’s the written word that I love ... written on paper. However, I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck and I know the importance of having a Web site that doesn’t feel as if it was designed by a seventh grader. Newspapers usually sense the importance of videos, animated ads and headlines on their sites. But they often overlook an important aspect: audio.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, October 2009

The future of newspapers? Things are starting to get clearer I’m seeing good things of late. People are starting to come out to conventions and training sessions again. Newspapers tell me they’re starting to refill positions that were cut last year. There’s an air of confidence in the industry, be it ever so slight, that gives me sincere hope for our future.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, October 2009

Fun Videos for Your Newspaper in Education Page I ran into Paul Niemann at a newspaper conference in Missouri a few months ago. It seems that Paul has made a living writing a series called “Red, White & True Mysteries” for newspapers in the Midwest region of the United States since 2003. Primarily used in N.I.E. (Newspapers in Education) programs, these mysteries are based on famous Americans. The idea is that children can read the information about a famous historical figure, then try to guess who it is.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, September 2009

Looking for recipes and more for your newspaper website? Check this out. For those unfamiliar with Family Features, they provide free editorial content spanning a variety of themes. Materials are developed in conjunction with nationally recognized sponsors and can be used as provided or customized to meet your needs. Basically, they provide stories and other material related to food, lifestyle, gardening and other topics. While this material might not be for every newspaper, a lot of papers of every size are using Family Features on their websites.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, September 2009

Readers fill mailbox with questions about Acrobat, InDesign, OSX and Cameras My inbox has been especially full lately. That makes it harder to answer every question personally, but I try to answer as many questions as I can. Let me share a few I’ve received over the past few weeks: From Mark in Pennsylvania: Kevin, We have a PDF, created by InDesign and cropped in Acrobat...  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, August 2009

Soundslides: The Best Way to Create an Audio Slideshow for Websites Two years ago, we started offering Soundslides classes at the Institute of Newspaper Technology and they were a big hit. Everyone seemed surprised at how easy it was to create an audio slideshow for a newspaper Web site. So now, almost two years later, it seems like a good time to kick the tires and take the latest version of Soundslides for a ride around the block.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, July 2009

Get your scissors and tape ready. Kevin is making a list! Each year, I release a list of hardware and software recommendations for newspapers. With newspapers spending less this year, I’ve trimmed this list to items which tend to be of most interest. So get your scissors and tape ready. Here’s my 2009 list of recommended hardware and software for newspapers.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, May 2009

Metro Offers Product to Increase Revenue on Newspaper Websites One of the questions I get asked the most when I’m speaking to groups of publishers is, “How can I make money on my newspaper Web site without spending a fortune?”   I’m going to tell you how. Get a pen. I’ll wait.      Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, March 2009

Two Great Online Journalism Tools As convention season approaches, I tend to do a lot of research to prepare new information. Two weeks ago, in Indianapolis, I addressed the publishers of the state on my latest topic titled, “Online Journalism II: The Sequel.”  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2009

Video formats confusing to this newspaper designer Charles, a newspaper designer from Kentucky, just sent a question via Facebook asking how to convert files from his Sony camcorder to a format he could use in Adobe Premier CS3, an application used to edit videos on both Macs and PCs. It was a good time for Charles to ask that question because I recently faced a similar challenge after purchasing a Hitachi high definition (HD) Blu-ray camcorder. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, June 2009

Hard Drives & Computers ... What I buy when it's my money. Man, I hate having to spend my own money on computer stuff. I get used to receiving software, utilities and other gizmos from companies all the time to review. It can get addictive. Then something breaks or gets old and I have to come back down to reality.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, January 2009

InDesign CS4 Includes Incredible Features For Designers Excuse me, but I have to sit down. It’s time to let you know about a few of the new features in Adobe Creative Suite 4. And after taking a fresh look at these applications, I need to catch my breath because some of the features are incredible. No, make that unimaginable. No, let’s stick with incredible. Wow.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Mailbox Filled with Questions From Readers Wow. My email is full of questions from readers these days. There are questions about InDesign, Photo Editing, hardware and more. Some days I just can't respond to all of them, so let me take a crack at a few of them here.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, April 2009

Question & Answer: Kevin Solves Problems For Readers Just like everyone else’s, my inbox needs to be emptied on a regular basis. Here are some of the questions I’ve received from readers in the past few weeks.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, November 2008

Retrieving Data From Corrupt Drives is Possible with Data Rescue II Gary Rudy, IFPA director, sent a panicked e-mail a couple of weeks ago. Seems the camera card that contained all of the photos from the IFPA national convention bit the dust. After sending the card to an outfit that specializes in getting data from corrupted drives, he learned that the cost for this service was a mere $700. He e-mailed to ask if there was a less expensive way to retrieve the photos.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2008

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Now Shipping Milestone Release Radically Improves Creative Workflow Efficiency; Redefines Collaboration Between Designers and Developers Click Here for More ... Adobe Press Release

New & Upgraded Products Plentiful in November I can’t remember a time when so many exciting upgrades and products were released at once. After speaking to a room filled with newspaper owners and publishers at the National Newspaper Association convention this week, I was a little overwhelmed by the number of folks ready to make wholesale changes and upgrades in their operations.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, October 2008

After all these years Acrobat still has a few tricks up its sleeve OK. Stop what you’re doing. Seriously, stop. What I am about to tell you is worth a few minutes of your time. I get software upgrades constantly. Designers and paginators salivate when they come by my office and see all the software on my desk. Right now there is a glut of products from Adobe, Extensis, Subrosa, Quark and a few others lying there. Sometimes I have to force myself to look at another upgrade. But that’s what I do. And I don’t take this duty lightly. So, against all natural tendencies, I keep inserting those disks and installing those new versions. And a day like today makes it all worth it. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, September 2008 - 4 opinions posted

QuarkXPress 8 Release Full of Surprises for the Design Professional Quark 8 or Acroabat? I’ve been in a dilemma about which application to review. I’ve had boxes sitting on my desk that contain the just released versions of both applications for the past week. When I woke up this morning, I was sure I’d be writing a review of Acrobat Professional 9. But I just can’t help but feel there’s something calling me to try out Quark’s latest offering. OK, QuarkXPress 8 (QX8) it is.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, August 2008

Kevin Announces List of "Must-Have" Items for Newspapers It always surprises me when I visit a newspaper and see one of my columns posted on a bulletin board. I hear it all the time. “I’ve been trying to get the publisher to buy (fill in the blank) for years, but couldn’t get him (or her) to budge. Then I showed them your column and, voila, they ordered it for everyone in the building!”  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, July 2008

RecoSoft offers tempting PDF2ID plug-in for designers and ad departments Been wishing you could open those PDF files directly into InDesign? Notice I said "open," not "place." A big difference. Your dream might have come true. Learn what Kevin thinks about PDF2ID. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, June 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Kevin Answers Questions About Old & New Software There seems to be a recurring theme in my e-mail lately. Problems related to outdated and just released applications seem to abound. Fortunately, my e-mail includes enough variety to keep things interesting. Let me share a few of the calls for help I have received over the past few weeks. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, April 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Kevin Reviews Photoshop Elements, Drive Genius 2 and Publisher Miracle Worker Help! My desk used to be under this pile of software somewhere. I keep stacking software boxes on my desk as they arrive from vendors and putting them off any longer is not an option.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, May 2008

Stop The Press! The Kindle e-book reader from Amazon could have a huge impact on the newspaper business. Read what Kevin has to say about his two months using this device. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp

Newspapers flip over pocket size camcorder I asked a couple of buddies - one at a large metro paper, the other at a mid-size daily - what camcorder they were sending with their reporters these days. I got the same answer from both, which led me to shell out a few dollars (yes, out of my own pocket!) for a Flip Ultra. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2008 - 1 opinion posted

Association membership has its benefits I hope newspapers never forget the value of their associations. Instead of spending $650 to attend a class that’s not even structured with newspapers in mind, association members find training through various regional and national associations for less than they’d spend taking the family to the movies (with some popcorn and drinks). Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, February 2008

You'll Need to Sit Down For This One: Open Microsoft Publisher Files in InDesign! Are you sitting? Don’t read any further unless you’re sitting. The news I’m about to share requires that you be in a seated position before reading any further.  Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, December 2007 - 1 opinion posted

Create Pagination Workflow With Remote Users Utilizing InCopy CS3 If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ve probably heard me mention InDesign’s companion application, InCopy. Paginators know InDesign as one of the tools of choice for creating newspaper pages. For others, like editors and reporters, InDesign can be overkill. This is where InCopy comes in.  Click Here for More ...

Two Alternatives for Editing Photos for Newspapers GIMP and Photoshop CS3 offer different angles on editing photos. While not as powerful as Photoshop, GIMP includes many functions used by newspapers. Users of Photoshop, however, won't want to miss the free download of Photoshop CS3. Click Here for More ... by Kevin Slimp, January 2007