Features of this technology include:

• Seiko’s reputable banding reduction function is improved further. In addition to the productivity-oriented function, ColorPainter H-104s/H-74s is equipped with image quality-oriented function to be capable of versatile applications.
• Small texts and thin lines in short distance application are printed more sharply and clearly.
• Image quality of Spot colors and gradients is improved.

Our supplier then went back into their research & development lab, spent some time going over all the ingredients, obviously trying to reduce the flammability of the said ingredient. In the meantime we were kept informed on progress by Chasity Clark, our client liaison at the manufacturer’s office in Georgia, USA. Two weeks ago I received an email from Chasity with the subject line saying “YAY !!”. I opened and read it and then I went “YAY !!” They were not able to reduce the flammability of the “delinquent” ingredient, but in their quest to do that they came up with something completely new that was not flammable at all. (YAY !!) and now they have an improved Adhesive-Off product that – after several customer-conducted tests – is a significant improvement on the original Adhesive-Off.

Just today we received our samples of the new improved Adhesive-Off as well as the all new Super Vinyl-Off (yes new Vinyl-Off as well). We have just done a small test of the new Adhesive Off and we’re happy to report that the product is HOTT.. yes HOTT. You don’t believe me.. see for yourself then.

We’ve been bringing new products to market since 2002, and recently started developing and manufacturing our own products as well. But how we engage in the process of deciding what to bring into the South African creative space is what we really want to share. So here goes:

Packaging

One of the first things we look for in any product is “packaging”. The refers to design aesthetics, how components ft together, what the finished product looks like and the impression you get the first time you see it. In a nutshell we look at it’s outward image. Whilst image is not everything on the supply curve of the business, it’s everything on the demand curve. Customers will see your product long before they even realise they need it, and by the time they really need it.. they’ll come and but the “pretty” one they remember YOU were selling.

Value

This is VERY important to many customers. They are – and you always need to remember this – not buying a product from you. They buy a solution, ie. something that adds value to either their professional or personal endeavours. People have the tendency to think of themselves first, so the question that automatically pops up when you present your product is: “How will the product benefit ME”? Customers do not buy food from take-aways; they buy a full stomach. The buy the quenching of thirst when they reach for a cooldrink. So always find the products that presents the most in value not the lowest in price or highest in margin.

User experience

Equally important as value is the way your product engages its user, or how the user gets to engage with the product – whichever is more important to you. The product must be easy to interact with, easy to figure out and easy to learn to use initially. An example of this that I could never understand is why Aldus Corporation never had a font preview in their groundbreaking Pagemaker software. Around 1995 Pagemaker was more preferred than any other software for multi-page publication layout, ad if you were using a range of fonts then you had to know your fonts by name. The software did not have the functionality to show you a preview of what your selected fonts looked like. Pagemaker was then taken over by Adobe Systems but the font preview was still absent despite a more visionary company having taken over the license to develop the software. This has been to the detriment of Pagemaker (now Adobe InDesign) and the benefit of CorelDraw. CorelDraw also has a very gentle learning curve, so very little to no training is really necessary to use it. In fact CorelDraw epitomises user-friendliness. The easier a customer can learn to use your product and teach others to do so as well, the better that product will sell.

More one“Bringing new products to market” in the next post..

British Airways has always been in the business of connecting people and business. That’s why they created their most ambitious initiative to date: The Business Opportunity Grants program. They’ve partnered with some great companies that help businesses be more productive, efficient and agile. Their collaborative research with the Harvard Business Review proved the importance of conducting business in-person and its direct relationship to the bottom-line. The study shows that 87% of professionals think that face-to-face meetings are essential for sealing deals, while 95% said it’s the key to successful, long-lasting business relationships. So, it’s imperative that business people get quality face time with clients, no matter how far they need to travel.

With a history of supporting small businesses and a desire to do their part to keep companies moving forward during tough times, British Airways has proudly awarded Business Opportunity Grants to 50 South African companies. Each grant includes a year’s worth of business class travel anywhere British Airways flies. Additionally, each winning company receives business support from their partners. The idea for the grants was inspired by the collaborative research with the Harvard Business Review. We discovered the great importance of conducting business in-person and its direct effect on the bottom-line.

The airline had an overwhelming response to the initiative and Sytech Supplies was one of the lucky winners of the 50 Grants on offer to companies in South Africa. The standard of the entries were exceptionally high and there were more than 1000 applicants in South Africa. Thanks to our Technical manager, Richard Haarhoff, and his lovely wife’s ability to accurately articulate our company’s long term objectives, Sytech Supplies was chosen as the standard of our entry demonstrated how business travel would allow the company to achieve its goals and aspirations for 2010.

Winning this grant will enable management of Sytech Supplies to travel abroad to events like the coming FESPA 2010 and other major international industry events.

Katia has been working with Triline since its inception and is a co-founder of the unique way finding system. Katia was instrumental in helping Triline develop prior to its acquisition by Rowmark, LLC. She is now directly responsible for all sales and customer relations in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Previously, she held a position in customer/supplier relations in a textiles business she helped to establish.

Equipped with a vital knowledge of international relations, Katia attended the College for Commerce and Tourism in Milano, as well as the British and Regent Schools in Saronno, Italy.

Katia has a strong, profound knowledge of the Triline system, which gives her the ability to keep the design updated, reliable and technologically advanced. She is passionate about the product line, and is dedicated to listening to your needs and finding the best design solution for you.

The soccer fan jerseys arrived earlier this week and today is the first Friday almost everybody in the office was all dressed up in bright yellow soccer garb. So it’s official. Sytech Supplies is 100% behind Bafana Bafana in this 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. We will don our yellow Bafana Bafana fan jerseys every Friday and every day during the games later this year.

CEO - Malcolm Groger	Arthur..
Markus Mellenius	Scelo, Madiba and Mondli
Vish	Brian and Zandi
Trevor	Richard
Dane	Pat

GCC now provides a total solution – Rhinestone Transfer System which includes the SmartCut pro software from DAS and a professional cutting plotter from GCC. The SmartCut pro software which includes powerful functions and user-friendly interface is the best choice to make templates for the Rhinestone application. The Rhinestone system comes not only with the software but with the Stone Stencils Volume 1 graphics library. Combined with GCC high quality cutting plotters, GCC Jaguar IV series or Puma III series, the total solution becomes a perfect production tool for the garment customization business. With this simple system, you can expand your business easily.

To see what this system can empower you to create, have a look at the PDF brochure, which you can download by clicking HERE .

The Triline system of wayfinding signage is a modular sign system based on aluminium profiles and other synthetic components. In its assembled form it serves as a complete solution for interior and exterior signage, offering South Africans a high-quality modular sign system. “Think of the Triline system as “a professional business partner always ready to take care of your every need”, says Arthur Van Wyk, head of Brand Marketing at Sytech Supplies. “This system offers you tailored solutions to all your needs in any public or private environments, thanks to its modern, aesthetically pleasing, elegant and ingenious design. Its materials and accessories are of a superior quality, guaranteeing both the durability and stability of the product”, he adds.

Triline is a state of the art modular architectural signage system that not only has anti-theft and anti-vandalism features, but also offers amazing results in the field of timeless design and technical application possibilities. For project managers, whether your project is big or small, simple or complex, choosing Triline is choosing aesthetic durability, because it enhances the image of your project and contributes to its professional appearance. Professionals in project management, architecture, interior design and sign making have already acknowledged their understanding of the technical advantages of Triline. They quickly noticed that the concept behind the Triline systems offers an inexhaustible versatility for creation of architectural building signage, synoptic panels, exterior and illuminated signage. Triline brings eye-catching solutions with an amazing technical simplicity. Moreover the system remains price conscious without making concessions to the quality. Like a range of fashion garments, the complete system is broken down into these lines:

DeSign – a complete line for interior and exterior signs in a flat design, selected to be the trend for the coming decade. The DeSign product line excels through its elegant simplicity. It is classic in approach and extremely multi-functional, thus being suitable for applications in every architectural context.

Alliance – the product line is derived from DeSign but was given a more contemporary look. Alliance emphasizes your wishes to express dynamics and spirit of enterprise.

JazZ – revolutionary, curved and modular, this product line is the “head honcho” within the Triline gamut. The Curved, futurist-like concept provides an extra dimension in wayfinding.

Hi-Tech – accurate design with unique characteristics is what makes this a highly flexible, modular and dynamic, convex sign system. With your imagination, creativity and the Hi-Tech range, any kind of construction can be realised, from directory signs to double sided or triangular totems. The Hi-Tech range can also be combined with the standard profiles of the DeSign range.

SpLendid – an inventive, slim and decorative system offering a nearly unlimited scale of interior signs. A light source, providing extra attention, can be integrated at the drop of a hat.

Exterior – a solid, everlasting and multifunctional. It was created for demanding exterior (but also interior) compositions. This versatile system, merged or not with other materials, result in creative and durable formations.

Totem Multifunctonal – the most flexible product for the multiple applications solutions, a feature that only Triline Systems is offering to the market, satisfying to a wide range of demands.

Pylon Light – the new wayfinding solution in creating elegant and “smart” environments with high technology design and providing an optimal flexibility of the products in their applications.

The Triline Signs wayfinding system is now officially available in South Africa and is already earmarked for use in a number of projects in and around the country. It is also available via the Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth regional offices of Sytech Supplies. Arthur Van Wyk says that he is available online via most social platforms (Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, MSN Messenger, Skype and Twitter) or via the telephone (0861SYTECH)and email to answer any questions customers and prospects might have regarding Triline Signs. For a good look at how the system can benefit your company, a free product catalogue can be downloaded for viewing at this link: http://bit.ly/9RgcbV .

So why should you buy version X5 from Sytech Supplies? For a good few reasons actually, but here are the most important ones.

Accessing Design Assets

Built-in content organizer

Speed up your workflow with Corel CONNECT, which instantly finds graphics, templates, fonts and images on your computer.

Blank Document/Image presets

Find the right template for the job with the redesigned New From Template dialog box, which includes an enhanced preview feature.

Template search and enhanced preview

Choose from a range of preset destinations, document sizes and color settings with the Create New Document/ Image dialog.

High-quality Thumbnail previews

Easily find and organize CorelDRAW® and Corel PHOTO-PAINT® files.

User Interface

Enhanced Welcome Screen

Quickly access recently used documents, templates, learning tools and inspiring designs.

Locked Toolbars option

Prevent toolbars from moving by locking them in position. You can unlock and reposition them on your screen at any time.

Customizable workspaces

Customize command bars and button arrangements to suit your workflow, or use preset work-spaces similar to Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop.

Windows® 7 Touch support

Navigate with your fingertips with support for the latest touch-screen technology from Windows.
(Touch-screen computer required).

ENHANCED! Windows® 7/Windows Vista® look & feel

Design in the modernized and more intuitive working environment of Windows 7, which features new icons, menus and controls

How’s that for features that exceed expectations and anticipations? We’ve been playing with the latest version of CorelDraw since the trial was launched, and the only real challenge is not even with the software itself. It’s related to physical machine memory. It doesn’t work too good on computers with less than 2GB of RAM. Kinda reminds me of CorelDraw 4 in 1995. Overall, This version of CorelDraw is by far the most bug-free. Now the only other thing to establish – over time – is whether it is more stable than versions 12 and X3.

With over fifty brand new features, CorelDRAW X5 boasts enhancements in the areas of asset and colour management, web graphics, learning resources and truckloads more content than before. With increased speed, more accurate colour control, enhanced vector illustration tools and new Web capabilities, it’s a must-have for any designer. The new version focuses on innovations that matter the most to users in a wide variety of industries including sign making, graphic design, fashion/apparel design, wide format printing, marketing and print production.

Included in the new box sets you can expect:
CorelDRAW, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Corel PowerTRACE, Corel CAPTURE, Corel CONNECT, Barcode wizard, Duplexing wizard, Bitstream Font Navigator, SWiSH miniMax, PhotoZoom Pro, 10,000 high-quality clipart and digital images, 2,000 vehicle templates, 1,000 high-resolution digital photos, 1,000 OpenType® fonts, including 75 Windows Glyph List 4 (WGL4) fonts and 10 engraving fonts, 350 professionally designed templates, guidebook, Quick-reference card, Help files and 2 hours of training videos on DVD.

Sytech Supplies has been the leading supplier of the CorelDraw Graphics Suite to the signage, digital graphics, outdoor display and now also the architecture industry.

Click here to compare Coreldraw X5 to the previous version.

Click here to read the Coreldraw X5 graphic novel.

Click here to download a trial version of CorelDraw Graphic Suite X5.