The right way to edit a PDF in Illustrator CS3 Tutorial

Read this tutorial
http://www.graphic-design-employment.com/how-to-edit-pdf.html

Basically, in Acrobat, show your Advanced Editing palette, select the 'TouchUp Object' tool right click or control click on your document and go Edit Page, which opens the temporary file in Illustrator and do your edits. No importing, exporting, saving as etc etc.

I found this very useful because the PDF I wanted to edit had extra bleed and crop areas around it, (not visible in Acrobat) but visible in Illustrator, when you go just File>Open the PDF and edit it that way in Illustrator. But, when you save it, Acrobat now shows the bleed and crop which isnt what I want. Sure, I could probably just move the Illustrator artboard in a bit, and when you save back as a PDF I think CS3 automatically crops to the artboard size. But, that would require fiddling around with the artboard size, realigning the artwork, its just a hassle and Id prefer to alter the original file as little as possible, I dont want to have to think about crop areas and read up about all that just to make a few text changes to a document.

Apple Mail Setup Tutorial

Im going to write a tutorial soon on how to setup apple mail for IMAP/POP email accounts cause it takes freaking ages every time and the help menu isn't much help.

This is a good primer
http://superfluousbanter.org/archives/2007/04/setting-up-imap-in-apple-mail/

Ill also write a tutorial on the ins and outs of moving your hosting and what needs to be done to keep everything working as normal.

Heres a quick troubleshooting tip anyway till then (this is also covered in steps in link above)

If sent messages isnt being saved to sent folder in Apple Mail

1: Clicking and highlighting the IMAP "Sent" Folder
2: Clicking the "Mailbox" menu at the top
3: Choosing "Use This Mailbox For" -> "Sent

Read this
http://kb.mediatemple.net/questions/230/Apple+Mail+%28Mail.app%29+not+saving+to+Sent+folder

Further to that, when you are starting to work on a new computer, eg setting up you new userspace, and you have mobileme / .mac account, you can setup the syncing to grab your email setup preferences etc and setup your mail by syncing the prefs.

I did this today and it worked, except that the Apple Mail sent, trash, and drafts folders weren't setup to show sub accounts at first.

The problem MAY have been because I didn't choose to sync keychains, was paranoid things would get all scrambled if I did that. but anyway, what seemed to fix it was syncig from my old computer to the cloud, and then to my new computer from the cloud (just clicking sync on the old, then the new)then i reopened mail, and after entering my mail account password, boom, out popped my sent and trash etc subaccount folders. i had ALREADY synced them both, but for some reason, doing it again, and entering the passswords for the account on the new computer made it show subfolder properly.

I do remember having this trouble last time i synced to a new computer with a new user space, and these links might help if double syncing dosnt work in the future...

http://www.pkshiu.com/loft/archive/2007/08/apple-mailapp-strangeness-on-multiple-accounts-sent-mail

this is what i think worked last time i setup a fresh user space... allocating the sent, trash etc folder, but cant remember how to specify for which account...

http://alex.clst.org/dbd/?p=1241

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1508

it best to check and test your new email is actually sending, and make sure its properly IMAPPING with your hosts webmail, by going online and checking what is in your apple mail is also appearing online and visa versa.

Typography Links

OMG - DETAIL
http://jontangerine.com/about/aside/

NICE OLDE WORLDY
http://o.rang.es/

http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/minimalistic-web-designs/

http://ilovetypography.com/

SIFR FONTS YOU CAN USE
http://sifrvault.com/

http://www.typetester.org/

AHA - THE MISSING LINK - THE LOOK I AM LIKING IS SMALLCAPS FONT VARIANT - GREAT DISSECTION HERE
http://www.3point7designs.com/blog/2008/06/02/10-examples-of-beautiful-css-typography-and-how-they-did-it/

COOL ZEBRA EFFECT COULD BE USED IN A SITE HEADING
http://www.webdesignerwall.com/tutorials/css-gradient-text-effect/

SiteKreator -free wesite maker and hosting

This looks half decent - http://www.sitekreator.com
Has a free site option - with 10MB hosting - Has a banner to the sitekreator website but whatever its subtle.

Its a software hosting marriage again, so you can only host it with them. Can see this is a great option though for those 'No-budget' jobs, or a temporary solution to get things up and running until a business makes money.

To see whats possible - heres a great artist portfolio that uses an image gallery and youtube videos in the template. Also has customised the template it seems. http://www.timandrewart.com/ It dosnt seem that slow eithier - could just be my internet today.

also, they offer licensing schemes, if you want to resell the software to your clients, which could be interesting.

But yeah, best of all it is free site and free hosting. So it surpasses wordpress blog sites because you still need to host them. But then again - thye dont have a 'free site' ad on them.

HTML Email mailto: link with auto-filled subject

Test Page

This below dosnt work (Apple Mail dosnt get the subject line)
info@yourdomain.com

This works using Apple mail, Safari, FF, also On PC - MS Outlook, from IE6, IE7, FF, Also Opera and Opera Mail and Netscape 8 with Outlook. Havnt tested Entourage.

info@yourdomain.com

info@yourdomain.com

IE6 fixes

Double margin thingo

display: inline; /*IE fix -- http://www.positioniseverything.net/explorer/doubled-margin.html---*/

From Drupal - zen theme fixes

Horizontal navbar or menu

s floated next to each other - not sitting in line in IE6 

  ul.themenu li a,
  {
  _display: inline; /* Otherwise the blocks mistakenly get 100% width in IE5 */
  _di\splay: inline-block; /* Otherwise the blocks mistakenly get 100% width in IE6 */
  }

  ul.themenu
  {
  _width: 100%; /* Otherwise IE5 treats the ul as floated */
  _w\idth: auto; /* Reset to auto width for IE6 */
  }

Checklist for launching a new website

This is good!
First 2 points are GOLD

Order domain name

If it’s a redevelopment of an existing site find out as much about the domain as possible including what needs to be done to change it. Domains names are notoriously difficult to work with because they are usually ordered by 2 types of people:

1. Your new client who doesn’t know anything about domains. They won’t know how to change it nor remember the login details. Your client will want you to deal with the registrar but the registrar will only deal with the client.
2. A previous web developer. This person will be pissed off that there portfolio piece will soon cease to exist and will usually not be cooperative.

... read more here http://imgiseverything.co.uk/2007/11/15/an-essential-checklist-for-launching-a-new-website/