Cost of Needlework Patterns

No actually they'd like to think that--but Microsoft threw a wrench in to
that with it's new format. While still in the beta testing stage--it's
going to be compatible with all formats but the RTF. LOL, Bill Gates just
doesn't want to lose a single penny.

We had a devil of a time getting our data base (at work) to be compatible
with all the different formats on servers. Got quite and educations on that
little 2 year project.

Dorsey in Va
"Dianne Lewandowski" wrote in message
...
Whew! Thanks for the explanation, she says, breathing a sigh of relief.

You bring up an important point: People who use something other than
Windows. I have this problem all the time: Word is the software used by
most. Mostly because it came bundled with computers and who wants to
learn - or pay for - something else. Even though it doesn't hold a candle
to WordPerfect. So, when people send me files, I can't read them. Rich
Text Format works most of the time. Part of this problem is that I'm
using an old OS (Win98 - first edition), and a huge segment of the
population is using more up to date Word. We have XP Pro on our server,
but you have to pay for every computer you put it on. Not gonna happen
anytime soon.

Anyway, compatibility is a HUGE problem. Now, people could save in ASCII
format . . . but most people don't think about it. And, you lose any
formatting you want to keep, which is why RTF is a good alternative. But
some Word users have told me they can't read RTF. Go figure. I thought
that was cross-platform friendly.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:
Oops! Sorry Dianne! I remember reading in the letters section about
problems relating to issues of the emag and since my own Mac sometimes
has display problems with your pdfs my mind just melded the two together.
LOL! Going back and reading I find that the problems in the letters
section were all due to content and/or downloading. I got the impression
that you had your hands full with troubleshooting (this is probably where
it stuck in my mind that the problems were pdf-related). Anyway, this is
kind-of related to my point in the my last message... (however
indirectly - lol!) that you had to troubleshoot for your downloaders. I
don't know if designers that want to make their designs available in this
way are prepared or even have thought of this little added hitch in the
plan.
As the editor of my local Guild newsletter (which some members accept as
an emailed pdf) I have experienced this kind of troubleshooting as well.
I work off a Macintosh and am fully aware that most people don't. Members
seem okay with the idea that I'm not an all-types-of-computers-guru so
sometimes I don't have the answers. However, I'm not sure if people who
were paying for files would be quite so patient. You never know what
people assume or what their expectations are.
Jeanine in Canada

p.s. Dianne - I figured that my display problems were just my Macintosh
being it's individual self and that's why I didn't contact you with the
occasional problem. All files print just fine! ;-) Must be ghosts in the
machine!

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

Jeanine3 wrote:

I like the idea but it does invite some problems as probably Dianne can
attest. (Her needlework Journal is downloadable in .pdf format and I
know there have been some problems with the way the pages display,
etc.)



There have been? Gee, I wish someone would let me know and tell me
exactly what display problems there are. That's a new one. :-) I've
gotten letters that there's errors on a page (wrong title/author), but
not any display problems.

My husband's the tech guru and sets these pages up for me in PDF. I
have to remake the html pages to fit, but as far as I know, and tests
we've done, there's not been display problems.

However, what I said earlier about printing costs and color matching
still holds true. If I had to actually print the magazine, you can bet,
without advertising dollars, it would cost a fortune. :-)

Dianne

--
"The Journal of Needlework" - The E-zine for All Needleworkers
http://journal.heritageshoppe.com

Yup you are correct--the newer Mac formats actually have this built into
them.
"Jeanine3" wrote in message
news:g3z9e.1083026$Xk.784722@pd7tw3no...
I thought the whole idea of pdfs was that _they_ were cross-platform
friendly. I don't know about the Windows computers but on the Mac in your
print dialogue box in many newer applications you can choose to "Save as
pdf" instead of printing. That way it would save all your formatting and
everything - no?
Jeanine in Canada

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

Whew! Thanks for the explanation, she says, breathing a sigh of relief.

You bring up an important point: People who use something other than
Windows. I have this problem all the time: Word is the software used by
most. Mostly because it came bundled with computers and who wants to
learn - or pay for - something else. Even though it doesn't hold a
candle to WordPerfect. So, when people send me files, I can't read them.
Rich Text Format works most of the time. Part of this problem is that
I'm using an old OS (Win98 - first edition), and a huge segment of the
population is using more up to date Word. We have XP Pro on our server,
but you have to pay for every computer you put it on. Not gonna happen
anytime soon.

Anyway, compatibility is a HUGE problem. Now, people could save in ASCII
format . . . but most people don't think about it. And, you lose any
formatting you want to keep, which is why RTF is a good alternative. But
some Word users have told me they can't read RTF. Go figure. I thought
that was cross-platform friendly.

Dianne

Jeanine3 wrote:

Oops! Sorry Dianne! I remember reading in the letters section about
problems relating to issues of the emag and since my own Mac sometimes
has display problems with your pdfs my mind just melded the two
together. LOL! Going back and reading I find that the problems in the
letters section were all due to content and/or downloading. I got the
impression that you had your hands full with troubleshooting (this is
probably where it stuck in my mind that the problems were pdf-related).
Anyway, this is kind-of related to my point in the my last message...
(however indirectly - lol!) that you had to troubleshoot for your
downloaders. I don't know if designers that want to make their designs
available in this way are prepared or even have thought of this little
added hitch in the plan.
As the editor of my local Guild newsletter (which some members accept as
an emailed pdf) I have experienced this kind of troubleshooting as well.
I work off a Macintosh and am fully aware that most people don't.
Members seem okay with the idea that I'm not an
all-types-of-computers-guru so sometimes I don't have the answers.
However, I'm not sure if people who were paying for files would be quite
so patient. You never know what people assume or what their expectations
are.
Jeanine in Canada

p.s. Dianne - I figured that my display problems were just my Macintosh
being it's individual self and that's why I didn't contact you with the
occasional problem. All files print just fine! ;-) Must be ghosts in the
machine!

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

Jeanine3 wrote:

I like the idea but it does invite some problems as probably Dianne
can attest. (Her needlework Journal is downloadable in .pdf format and
I know there have been some problems with the way the pages display,
etc.)




There have been? Gee, I wish someone would let me know and tell me
exactly what display problems there are. That's a new one. :-) I've
gotten letters that there's errors on a page (wrong title/author), but
not any display problems.

My husband's the tech guru and sets these pages up for me in PDF. I
have to remake the html pages to fit, but as far as I know, and tests
we've done, there's not been display problems.

However, what I said earlier about printing costs and color matching
still holds true. If I had to actually print the magazine, you can
bet, without advertising dollars, it would cost a fortune. :-)

Dianne

Very good point--ok scrap the one time print directly to the computer's
printer--sounds like the file route is the more popular choice.

Dorsey in VA

"Karen C - California" wrote in message
...
Dorsey Clement wrote:
What if after paying say $6.00 for a pattern/patterns you could down load
the pattern so that it printed once directly to your printer.

Good in theory, but I've heard numerous complaints on my various lists
that some people don't have a printer, or their internet access is from
work and they're not allowed to print personal stuff, or the chart needs
to be printed in color and they only have a B/W available to them.
Personally, I have a B/W laser and a separate color printer; the color
printer can print *either* black or color -- if you use both in the same
print job, the black comes out Army green. And the ink's not
waterproof. So, if I have to do the entire print job on one printer, I
have to settle for either a B/W cover photo or a green chart, neither of
which would make me happy.

Then there's the issue of what happens if someone gets knocked off-line
while downloading, or has a printer malfunction? How do they get what
they paid for without paying a second time?

Right after 9/11, Nathalie e-mailed me a memorial pattern, which
overflowed my elderly printer's feeble little memory. I never did get
it to print out, and I've been working with computers since 1982, so I
know more printer tricks than the average swan-wearing granny. Her DH
is a professional geek, so he tried things on her end, I tried things on
my end, I spent hours downloading tweaked variants via dial-up. At
best, I think I got the first inch of the chart. So much for her idea
that she was going to distribute this chart free via the website. You
don't want your customers getting as frustrated as I was when I told her
to just give it up, I was not wasting any more time and paper on it.

Dorsey Clement wrote:

Yup you are correct--the newer Mac formats actually have this built into
them.

Again, only for some programs. The newest version of MS Word
does not write .pdf files--and I suspect that's true of most word
processors.

Best wishes,
Ericka

I had a very narrow foot and just couldn't purchase shoes anywhere. In
the 1970's I was paying $80 to $100 for fine Italian dress shoes. Not
sure where you shopped. :-) I don't remember leather bags for $5.
Dianne

val189 wrote:
Dianne Lewandowski wrote:
In 1958 I paid $50 for a pair of good shoes. That was one

week's pay (less taxes).


wow - I can remember when THIRTY bucks bought a good pair of Italian
imported shoes around 1960. You must have really adored those
shoes....
and how about 5 bucks for a leather bag or bottle of cologne?


--
"The Journal of Needlework" - The E-zine for All Needleworkers
http://journal.heritageshoppe.com

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 23:36:38 GMT, Rachel Janzen
wrote:

and a big issue of combatiblilty

Not picking on ya but oh does this sound funny.... =)


Jenn L.
--
http://home.comcast.net/~sewunicorn/
http://community.webshots.com/user/jaliace

Current projects:
Nordic Needle Rose (Silver Lining)
Starry Night (Vincent van Gogh via Cross Stitch Collectibles)
Lady of the Flag (Mirabilia)
Weight loss to date: 18.5 lbs

I'm guessing she had a bad cold when she wrote this so of course it
sounds funny! ;-)

Jenn Liace wrote:
On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 23:36:38 GMT, Rachel Janzen
wrote:


and a big issue of combatiblilty


Not picking on ya but oh does this sound funny.... =)

--
Brenda

What about misterinkjet.com ? I paid $20 for a set of color inks for my old
Canon printer, and $20 for a quart of black ink. The printer died before I
ran out of ink! I have a new Lexmark all in one now and when I need new ink,
I'm headed to www.misterinkjet.com !
Kim (no affiliation, just a happy customer)
--

Kim's Stitching Shop is Going Out of Business!
Please visit the site to see more information.
April will be the final month I place orders, so get yours in now!
www.kims-stitchingshop.com


"Karen C - California" wrote in message
...
Dianne Lewandowski wrote:

While your thoughts are intriguing, the cost of printing on the computer
are tremendous. While the cost of printers has gone done considerably,
the cost of the ink is quite high. I just spent $90 to replace the
cartridges on my printer; my husband spent $115. And they don't last
long.


That's the problem a friend ran into. Someone at church thought it
would be helpful to her -- being deaf -- to be able to chat on-line and
e-mail, rather than trying to communicate via phone, so when they
upgraded their computer system, they gave her the old one, printer
included. It was great until she started looking at a huge chunk of her
monthly income to replace the ink cartridges when they ran out. I was
able to find them for a couple bucks less at one of my sources, but
still, well beyond her budget, and I wasn't in a position to buy her
such an expensive gift.

Karen C - California wrote:

That's the problem a friend ran into. Someone at church thought it
would be helpful to her -- being deaf -- to be able to chat on-line and
e-mail, rather than trying to communicate via phone, so when they
upgraded their computer system, they gave her the old one, printer
included. It was great until she started looking at a huge chunk of her
monthly income to replace the ink cartridges when they ran out. I was
able to find them for a couple bucks less at one of my sources, but
still, well beyond her budget, and I wasn't in a position to buy her
such an expensive gift.

So enjoy the computer without the printer. If printer cartridges are
too expensive, don't print things out. How hard is that?

You may not have meant it that way, but it certainly comes across that
your friend resented the gift because of the cost of ink cartridges,
instead of being grateful for the parts she could use. I hope that's
not the case.

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dianne Lewandowski wrote:



Well, we just had to buy a new printer. Our three-year old one bit the
dust (more cost to repair than to purchase new). So, we squeezed out
$100 for a new Epson C86. That's the same as my Epson C84 (two years
old) which I paid more for at the time.

There is a difference in price breaks. Mainly the fineness of the
printing and the speed. If I'm printing lots of booklets for EGA or
customers, I don't want to wait all day! And, I need as good a color
rendition as I can get.

To use our printers requires 4 different ink cartridges. I had an old
one that used only one cartridge, which was about $40 or so.

Actually, what I really wanted to get (to replace the one that broke) is
one that prints 11 x 17. But I can't afford it.

We did not buy the most expensive printer, I can assure you. And I know
that our C84 and C86 print much better than my old Epson with a single
cartridge. There really has been huge improvements in print quality the
past couple of years.

My HP51510 has lovely print quality, prints using two cartridges at $40
for the two, and doesn't seem to suck up ink at the rate that your Epson
does. So while your point about the cost of printing is well taken, I
don't think you can generalize from your experience to the rest of the
world. It clearly wouldn't cost me as much to print something as it
costs you. There's also the convenience factor to be considered. I
don't have to leave the house to print a pattern on my printer, nor do I
have to pay shipping and handling charges.

Elizabeth
--
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~living well is the best revenge~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The most important thing one woman can do for another is to illuminate
and expand her sense of actual possibilities. --Adrienne Rich
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*