Digital Signage Is The Best Way To Diffuse Your Ideas To The World

We as a whole have always been curious and interested about what the future of our civilizations would be like. In fact since the 1950’s there have been many speculations about future trends in almost all aspects of life including advertising. It was not long ago when we began making movies, short video clips, wrote books about it and discussed it publicly, but perhaps nothing was as much as an attention catcher as the movies. Hollywood has often consulted with futurists about how the marketing community in general would project their clients’ products and what tools will they be using. Indeed about 10 years ago at least most the entire world knew that plasma screens or a three-dimensional hologram would be the most likely mediums for advertising in the next decade or so and this could not be any truer than what is happening now.

For nearly 150 years static advertising has been the defining attribute of the 19^th and the 20^th century, but now with the digital age has become us it introduced a revolutionary new idea – the digital signage.

Since the turn of the new millennium already the idea about integrated advertising has been brewing and in the 1996 Olympic Games the first attempt in digital advertising was achieved. They used a green and blue sheet to digitally embed and enhance images on live TV, but today, however, 30 – 40 inch plasma screens are the more suitable mediums to do advertising on and they are installed in almost all of the public places you can find, especially in developed countries.

Although the era of static advertising has not completely disintegrated surely the era of digital advertising or digital signage has just began and it is growing at a mind boggling rate. The reason is because of its instant advantage that its predecessor could not have. With digital signage you can have multiple ads projected on a plasma screen where as with traditional static advertising it will cost you time and money to do the same thing. Digital signage also allows you to make adjustments or changes on your ads within minutes or even seconds. It is cost effective and time-saving than the traditional way and finally you can broadcast your ads live in the network of integrated advertising. This includes the internet, TV, smart phones, local networks like malls, restaurants, fast food chains, subway train stations, airports, clubs, recreational centers and many more. Basically you could have a worldwide dissemination of the message you want to let the whole world know in minutes after conceptualization.

Even experts agree that this kind of advertising is very profitable for all business enthusiasts and veteran entrepreneurs alike. The disadvantages of digital signage have yet to be outlined, but for our readers’ benefit we will mention them. Perhaps the most obvious disadvantage is power outage, you can’t advertise digitally without electricity, but the city services has got you covered on that one. Number two would have to be network connection problems, this is because those plasma screens you see in the malls are all controlled centrally. Network failure means no display in simple terms, finally the most unlikely disadvantage a computer virus of sorts, but who would be interested enough in planting a virus on something that any hacker could not get anything out of?

The digital age is now and soon digital signage will progress into the 3D holographic displays that were once only seen in the movies.

The Evolution of Paper, Printing and Writing

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

In the past people wrote or carved symbols on stones or clay to leave behind some important achievements of their culture. Thousands of years had passed they invented a more elaborate way to write and this time on papyrus and animal skins and then a few centuries later they also made some engravings on copper or bronze. As time went on people became more sophisticated with the advent of new discoveries and new technology, they discovered how to make paper from wood pulp. Today, however, our society has become so advanced that we even made at least 50 different kinds of paper and all of which are of the best quality than what we had before.

Here are some of the few that we will be discussing in this article and they are synthetic paper, which is made from wood pulp and oil resin. Synthetic paper is best used for digital printing and it is already the second most demanded paper material in the market today. There is also vinyl paper which is almost made in the same way, but it adds nitrogen into the mixture of vinyl resins, plasticizers, and AZO compound to get the desired material. Another great paper material is the decal paper, it is a layered paper and other materials pressed together to make decal paper. It is great for marking things or makes stunning decorations of sorts on your car, boat, airplane or any of your favorite items since they come in all shapes and sizes. There’s also waterproof paper which is made from special coatings and fibers to enable it to resist water or moistly conditions. Waterproof paper is great for outdoors, packaging, writing in rainy or moistly weather, making labels and tags as well as some crazy art like raincoats and bird feeder which is a DIY craft. Repositionable sticker paper is also among the favorites, especially in company meetings, school presentations, scrap booking and card making. Sticker papers are also made almost the same way as other special paper and they are lined and coated with adhesives to retain their sticky properties.

There are other impressive papers that sometimes we have not heard of before like azurelaid paper, base paper, cast coated paper, chromo paper, fluorescent paper and many more. Although their names may appear strange or irrelevant, they are actually indispensible in our daily lives, especially in the industry and manufacturing sector. These many kinds of paper like other raw materials make up the backbone of our perpetually busy society.

Synthetic Paper: The New Canvas for Digital Printers

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

True that a mechanical printer could never be as talented as Michael Angelo or Vincent Van Gogh in terms of spontaneously making artistic paintings. However, it does an amazing job in printing awesome pictures and images that is so clear and accurate down to the last pixel. In today’s printing business quality is what’s most in demand and thanks to vinyl and synthetic paper, nearly all of the outputs are of top quality prints.

People who are in the business of printing are continually finding new methods of printing things, like for example T-shirt printing can now be done digitally. Some of the prints on kitchen wares and beer mugs are also digitally crafted as well as fine quality prints on the top layer of cakes and pastries. And because of this ever increasing demand and new ways of printing the printing industry is pushing further forward. The printing merchandise is also widespread in its variations, for example printing presses for books and print media is also catching up with the times. Books, magazines, newspapers, and other reading materials are also using synthetic paper recently. We truly are now in the age of synthetic paper!

Arts and crafts have also employed the use of synthetic paper, waterproof paper, vinyl paper and other types of special paper. Lately school teachers and government educational institutions encouraged and inspire children to draw fresh ideas from nature-friendly materials as well. Huge corporations also make quite an investment on these special papers as well, especially in their office use and for marketing purposes.

The discovery of paper was probably one of the most important achievements mankind has ever known. It is estimated that about nearly 37% of our technological society would cease to function if we lose our trees forever, because we would no longer have the raw material needed to make paper. Even synthetic paper still uses 50% or more of wood pulp, so unless we can duplicate wood pulp artificially our way of life would be so different if this was to happen. It was very prudent also for man to realize that he needed to recycle things and not waste them, it is after all more efficient that way.

Advance technology plus efficiency makes our lives leisure and not a burden and digital printers and synthetic paper is exactly the combination of the two wisdom.

Will We Ever Stop Using Paper?

There are probably 1.5 billion desktop and laptop computers in the world and by most standards it is easier to type the words on computers than to write them on paper. So why do we still need paper products and destroy our forest just to get wood pulp to make paper? This is a very complicated question which needs a complex explanation to satisfy the answer.

The Current Data

It is estimated that the whole world consumes about 300 million tons of paper each year, this translates to 150,000 trees that are lost annually too! It also means that we destroy about 214.2 acres of forest per year, 300 years ago we had 1.6 billion hectares of tropical forest, but now only 50% of that remains. The trees that were cut down could not be replaced in time, since we use more than we can give back to nature. Mother Nature is no sorcerer, no she is not, she follows the laws of the seasons and unfortunately she cannot grow trees in five years for us to harvest.

Are Computers a Viable Replacement?

Through technology we have overcome obstacles that were prevalent in the past, suddenly people are living prolonged lives, our household chores are now done in minutes and our lives became more convenient. The calculator became the computer and it got smaller, but smarter. Technically speaking a computer can serve as a viable replacement for paper, but what seems to hinder us from doing so is our cherished traditions, economy and our ignorance. Although computers are not perfect either, they are vulnerable to shocks, impacts and data corruption. But if handled with care these machines are designed to last for a decade or so and the data they contain can be transferred electronically so that they won’t be lost.

Why Use Paper Then?

Economic-wise the idea of replacing papers with computers is not a very good idea at all, although it can be done in a transitional manner to prevent an economic crash. It would be safe to assume that there must be at least one printing press in every city and these industries heavily rely on paper to keep their business running. They also employ several hundred workers and those people need their jobs to provide for themselves and their families. So if we were to instantly let go of paper to save our forest, we would inadvertently cause a lot of people to lose their jobs and their business and our global economy would take a dive in an hour or so.

Conclusion

Like all transitional period the minute we ultimately decide to let go of paper would take a process for a hundred years or so. However, we are seeing the beginnings of that happening now, especially with the introduction of devices such as the digital full touch screen displays like iPad and similar products. Hopefully we would still be in time to save our trees in the foreseeable future and it is also note worthy that we recycle paper and other materials and use synthetic paper as well.

Unusual Uses of Materials Where You Least Expect Them

You may have encountered some weird and obscene things that seem out of this world, although sometimes you couldn’t help but appreciate the effort given into making those weird things.

So without any further let us begin.

The raincoat made from waterproof paper is probably one of the strangest things that hit the world recently, yet at the same time it’s also one of the coolest! Personally I would love to go around the country or the world and write a memo or have someone from each city write something on it as I travel. That’s a very fulfilling thing I think, which will make you feel that you’re a part of something big.

Decal art on cars maybe something common these days, but there are those that are rare, but are real head turners also. For a thorough examination I recommend that you watch street racing or movies or documentaries about them. They offer some of the best decal designs on pimped up cars in some underground racing.

Vinyl paper art that makes paper dolls of aliens, Cyclops and some other indescribable items that sometimes scare little children. Fortunately though they are only sold or some are DIY designs also as memorabilia and not to be used as toys for kids.

You may also have encountered some weird sticker art that defy explanation, but even so some creative artists have gone through great lengths to make extra-ordinary art out of the material. Most of the sticker art are made for propaganda or advertisement, however, some are really dedicated to weirdness just like those that do say outright the messages they wish to convey, but are subliminal.

Synthetic paper in many respects is very similar to vinyl paper and because of this most of what can be done with vinyl paper could also be duplicated with synthetic paper. With the exception of one innovation, which is the synthetic paper clothing, a stylistic cloth that is even used in fashion shows by top models and designers.

There are far stranger things in this world than what was presented here, just like the three-wheeled van, the peanut butter stick, the spherical umbrella, dancing robots, shoes with CD player and audio system and a whole lot more. Whether or not these things have significance is irrelevant, the best thing about them is that they provoke our thoughts and sometimes make us laugh or scoff at the idea. This only shows that we are truly diverse in everything we do which reaffirms our individuality.

Paper Toys

Tired of buying your children expensive toys that they’ll eventually grow tired with as well? Then why not make the toys yourself?! There are dozens of websites that offer some of the best DIY projects which will make you look like a pro once your kids see the finished product.

For instance this website offers a variety of DIY projects which are, believe it or not, made of paper. The step-by-step guide can be downloaded via PDF file and you either read and follow the instructions directly on your computer or have it printed. The PDF guide contains a lot of steps needed to be done to get the desired outcome and sometimes it requires you to draw and paint each individual parts, but if you’re good with Adobe Photoshop or similar software you can do the paint or all of the parts digitally. If you are going to use Photoshop, then I’d suggest you use synthetic paper, because it yields high quality results.

Animals

You can do various kinds of paper animal designs and to spice things up make an animal design of the favorite animal of your child. The paper animals include a Dalmatian dog, a squirrel, a chipmunk, a sting ray, a cat, a lizard, a pig a fish and many more.

Ultra Realistic

A number of ultra-realistic paper crafts can also be found in this website and their main attraction is a twin engine sports motorcycle. It looks so real that it almost resembles the real thing! All parts are cut and assembled separately, but the finished product looks like it was welded and screwed with real engines and leather seats.

Sports Cars & Cool Vehicles

The Ferrari 350 classic is also one of the featured miniaturized paper vehicles offered in the website and they too look great. Other featured vehicles are the Lamborghini Diablo, the famous Batmobile and some classical cars as well.

Other Stuff

Those things from the galactic empire from the star wars movies can also be found here and it includes Darth Vader’s super maneuverable space craft, the walking tanks, as well as Han Solo’s ultra fast space ship. Mech Warrior’s Shadowcat mech is also among the many selections, the M1A1 Abrams tank, a 737 jetliner, Queen Elizabeth’s glamorous crown and many more. With all this information available for free you can even handle pre-school classes and teach them this the entire season! Of course aside from experimenting with synthetic paper you may also use other kinds of paper such as the waterproof paper, sticker paper, decal paper and vinyl paper.

Making Halloween, Fairytale Creatures, Comic Book Characters and Other Costumes

We all must have gone through our childhood stage and it is certain that at least some of the events in the past still rings a bell every now and then. It is almost apparent that we celebrate our traditions in every season that passes by. Traditions like Halloween, Christmas, fairies and dwarfs and even weird comic book characters. We often see children in costumes whenever it’s Halloween, birthday occasions or when they play out the roles of their favorite comic book characters.

In case you have something in mind for your kids for a certain occasion like those mentioned above, then we would suggest that you explore your creativity. This may also require you to put on a new hobby which is sewing, but if you are really that busy you can just have it tailored on clothing shops. However, we recommend that you do the masks, heads or any trappings that will make the overall look, familiar. It is more fun that way and it will give you a sense of fulfillment once you’ve done it and see your kids happy about it.

For Halloween costumes you can use various clothing for any scary look you or your kids may want to imitate. It could be white linen sheets for ghosts, long black dresses for witches, a monk’s hooded overcoat and many other materials as long as you are creative enough to bring the best out of them. You may also use make ups for blood, pale face to resemble the dead, wounds and scars and obscene looks. Now this is the best part, some of the characters that your children would want to portray will require them to wear masks or head gears. You can do a number of these things with synthetic paper and other materials such as card boards, sticker paper, spray paint and poster paint. You can just look up in the internet for thousands of do-it-yourself masks and head gears, so there’s no need to worry if you do not have much experience on this at all. If you do have experience in making masks for kids or it’s just a hobby you happened to pick up somewhere in your life, then we invite you to go crazy and do the best you can! You can also make additional props if your kids’ characters need weapons or tools, which would make them emulate their character better.

For fairytale creatures you don’t need to put on heavy clothing since fairies are believed to be lightly dressed, but are nonetheless colorful and attractive. Mostly the heavy work done will be on the props like wings, wands, staff, silver dusts and other things that are related to the myths.

For superhero costumes you may need to spend a bit on it, because they are complicated and colorful, unless of course the hero’s costume is pitch black. Making superhero costumes even for kids will be very demanding, but there isn’t any parent who wouldn’t want their children to look great. Always remember that whenever you’ll do a superhero costume, just keep things simple and only go with the familiar. So if a superhero character has a gun, retractable wings, jet boosters, laser weapons or plasma charge on his hands, then only focus with what they commonly use. If you’ll complicate things it will leave you with a longer period of time with the designs and you might not make it in time for when your kids will need it.