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What software should I use to create my CD or DVD artwork?

May 30, 2010 t shirt
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After recording your album, having it mastered and pressed, you head over to your disc duplication facility’s website to place your order. Reading up on the ordering process you notice that you have the option to have artwork printed on the disc face, and can also have tray card and insert artwork printed. This is a great idea, as it allows you to give your project a more professional look and feel. You can either hire a print designer, who will hopefully already know all of the proceeding information. Or you can have a go at it yourself, utilizing one of the many different graphics creation programs available. If you are choosing to create your own artwork, read on.


There are many different programs out there that can be used to create print artwork. One of the more popular programs is Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator is a vector based drawing program, available for both PC and Macintosh computers. You could also use, CorelDRAW, Paint Shop Pro, or even Adobe Photoshop. I will go into a little bit more detail about what the differences are between some of these programs later on in this article, and why some of them are better suited for print design. Here is a list of 3 terms you should be familiar with before starting your artwork project.


1. Raster Graphics

Raster graphics are also known as bitmap graphics. This form of graphics image is a data file or structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or blocks of color, on a computer monitor, or other display device. Think of a raster images as a checkers board, with each square (pixel) on the board displaying a different color. This collection of colored dots (pixels), in turn form the full picture. The quality of a raster image is determined by the total number of pixels (resolution), and the amount of information in each pixel. Raster graphics are practical for photographs and photo-realistic images because of the way that they display images. Pretty much all photos you will find on the internet, and all photos you take with your digital camera will be raster images. You may want to use photographs for your CD or DVD’s artwork, but you must mind a few certain things:


A. DPI - I will go into this a bit further in the “DPI” section of this article. In a nutshell, any photograph that you would like to use for print must be 300 DPI (dots per inch) or higher. DPI refers to the density of pixel information in a photograph.


B. Color Mode - There are two basic modes of color: RGB and CMYK. All you need to know really is that all print artwork must be created as a CMYK document, as this refers to the colors of ink that a printer uses to recreate your artwork. If you create your artwork as an RGB document, the printed document will most likely shift in color. For more info on this, please refer to my last article. What do you need to start a CD duplication project?


2. Vector Graphics

Also known as geometric modeling, this form of graphic uses geometrical primitives such as points, curves, and lines to represent images. Instead of displaying blocks of color to represent a photo vector images rely on set points to determine the outline of an object, using mathematical formulas to determine the curve of the lines between said set points. Vector graphics are ideal for simple or composite drawings that do not need to achieve photo-realism. I suggest that you used vector objects for all of your artwork’s areas that are not photos.


3. DPI

Dots per inch, (DPI) is the number of individual dots of ink a printer can produce within a one-inch space. This translates as, the higher the DPI, the sharper the image. Although, most commercial printers will tell you that anything over 300DPI would be considered “print-quality”. I recommend that you make sure that your artwork is at least 300DPI, with 600DPI being the optimal setting for your artwork.


After all this technical mumbo-jumbo, you’re probably scratching your head, still unsure of what program to use to create your artwork. The truth is you can use pretty much any graphics program to create your artwork, providing that you correctly set the DPI and color mode of your document. Personally, I usually use a combination of Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator to do all of my print artwork. I edit all bitmap images in Photoshop and create all of my vector content in Illustrator, combining the two in Illustrator. My advice is now that you have the basic background knowledge, experiment to figure out what works best for you!

Jason Cole and http://www.DiskFaktory.com offer great tips and information regarding CD Duplication. Get info about DVD Duplication as well by visiting http://www.diskfaktory.com/tips/CD-duplication-tutorials.asp

T-Shirts For Web Shop

May 28, 2010 tshirt
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The internet is a great place to build a business. Even if you are young or old, you can get into the web shop business and build a loyal fan base for your products. If you desire to sell shirts, there are a lot of ways you could go about it.

Personalized t-shirts need only a plain shirt that you can buy in wholesale in many outlets or suppliers. You can put personal designs or customized designs depending on your services. These could be one of a kind, meaning it cannot be repeated anymore or it could be a selection for a season. If you want a seasonal t-shirt selection, then you can have a t-shirt printing company to do your bulk prints.
If you plan on selling various brands, you can go to many outfit suppliers available everywhere. You talk to them, check their websites and get a catalogue of the designs they offer. There are many suppliers that provide brands for various retail chains so send a letter and also ask for a quote and know the policies and shipment aspects before making any business.
If you want, you can also design your own t-shirt style. You can have your designs manufactured in a local company and depending on your budget there are a lot of options with this path.

Getting t-shirts could be through the easiest ways or the most elaborate methods. Depending on your budget the most important thing is to make sure that the quality is great. Check also for recurring styles and trends of customers and make your inventory bigger or smaller based on those results.

Find out more information on finding affordable and quality Webshop T-shirts suppliers.

Men’s Robin Jean T-Shirt Ts1108Ny A Symbol Of Comfort

May 26, 2010 shopping
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It is very important to wear something and that something should look good on you .Men like to wear some dress which is easy to wear and also comfortable. Comfort is the important factor which comes into our mind. I suppose when you decide of buying something. Just relax here is a fashion accessory for you on ballersonline.com which I think you all men have been liked for a long time. It is a gem of a product which I have seen after a long time.

Men Robin Jean T-shirt is the product I am referring about. There are times when you will not like to wear a shirt and would like to dress up with  a little bit of casual approach but having a tremendous fashion element in the product that will make you feel happy an excited about wearing it. Robin Jeans T-Shirt is an amazing product. I think once you have a feel of this product you will surely buy this quality product. The quality of material, the stitching and the color are of excellent quality. The T-Shirt is no doubt the best one which is available I think you can have a feel about the product by visiting Ballersonline.com and see the product for yourself. It is now presently available in two colors. The two colors in which the T-Shirt is available is RED and BLACK. The T-Shirt look marvelous in both the color and I think whichever you choose, you will be choosing a quality product at a reduced price. Though its regular price$135.00, it is now available at $95.00. You should not miss this offer to possess a quality product. The short sleeve T-Shirt in two colors on of RED and the other BLACK has been preferred by men for reasons for more than one. How can you deprive yourself of a T-Shirt which is of so high quality and looking gorgeous in the two colors?

The T-Shirt is of round neck which will give you an attractive look which fits around your neck in a proper manner., Another important feature of Robin Jeans T-Shirt TS1108NY is that at the back of the T-Shirt you will find the inscriptions by stitching of two wings and in between them is written (ROBIN’S JEAN)) by stitching with the help of thread and just above it-”City of New York” is also written with the help of thread.

Because of all this features added to the T-Shirt, it has enhanced the beauty of the T-Shirt and you will look great in any color you choose. It is a quality product and you can b e rest assured no compromise has been done to retain its quality. Take a little bit of care while washing the T-Shirt. Make sure to use quality detergent so that it does not damage to the T-Shirt. The half sleeve T-Shirt will help you to feel cool even during the hot summer days. The comfort you will get in using this shirt is not to be found in any other.

So just go ahead and buy Robin Jean T-shirt which will give you the desired fashionable look which you have been deprived so far. Wearing this T-Shirt you will also get the much necessary attraction and I am sure you will feel proud of buying such a quality product.

http://www.ballersonline.com/robins-jean-t-shirts-ts1108ny-p-161.html

Funny T Shirts for Improving the Mood

May 24, 2010 t shirt
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No matter who you are or where you are from you probably enjoy the feeling of being able to express yourself with your own look. Regardless of whether we enjoy it or not, individuals will judge us by the sort of clothing that we are wearing when we step out of our door and into the world. So why not express yourself in a option that will show one has a great sense of humor?  Funny tshirts are a superb way to let everyone that you come in contact with knows that you are somewhat of a comedian.

We live in a world that sometimes takes everything too seriously. The proper tee saying would lighten the mood a bit. You should even notice that one has brought a chuckle to some of the persons who seemed a bit gloomy at first contact. What better option to show that you love to make individuals laugh. Who cares if they are laughing at you, it is worth it just to make the day a bit more intringuing.  If one is looking for t shirts that have comical slogans to add to your wardrobe, there are many ways that you will find them.

One of the greatest ways is to look online. There are several companies that specialize in just this kind of thing. Some businesses will even print whatever words one wants on your own t shirt. This is a extremely cheap method to express what is on your mind without even saying a single word.

28 Essential Music Sites To Promote Your Music

May 22, 2010 t shirt
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If you have good music, people will listen and buy your music. But they need to find your music. I’ve done all your homework below and give you the 28 Essential Music Sites To Promote Your Music which will increase your income.

The sites below are broken down into categories to help target your music exposure needs.

Artists Bare Essentials

1. GoDaddy.com – Every band or artist needs their own website URL. There is so much you can do with it (I will cover it in a future post) to compliment your marketing efforts that it is well worth the $8.99 a year. GoDaddy is the best company for URLs with great customer service and cheat prices. I have used this company numerous times.
2. BandZoogle.com – This is a website that have band/artist templates for your music. You do not have to know how to build websites. They have it all for you. You can even sell your own music on the site among other services.
3. Bravenet.com – This company offers many free services and premium services that can help you build your marketing efforts. Most importantly, they have many interactive tools you can add to your own site or add to your social networks. It has a FREE email list tool to start collecting your fans emails. This tool is invaluable and I will post about the importance of email lists in the future. I have used this company numerous times.
4. FanBridge.com – This is an artist-specific company that helps build your fan base with email list tools. There is a free service and premium service. Use the coupon code MARKSTONE for a free upgrade.

Getting Your Music On iTunes & Other Sites

1. Tunecore.com – This is the premiere site to get your music on iTunes, Amazon and other valuable sites. Tunecore has just merged services with Amazon and will now print your CDs and open up merch stores for your music. This service will start on July 1st. But for now, get your music on iTunes. Over 70% of people use iTunes for their digital downloads than other sites. I personally know unsigned bands that make over $5,000 a month off iTunes alone. There is an annual fee for each album you download. But you get to keep 100% of your royalties while other sites take a percentage. You can also get 30% OFF your fee’s by using the code beheard30.

Social Networks

1. MySpace.com – This has been the mecca for all bands and artists. MySpace even has its own label called MySpace Records. They sign artists in all genres and they usually sign bands that create a big buzz on their site. Registration is free.
2. Purevolume.com – This site has better streaming features than MySpace (MS streams have ads and randomly don’t work). This site is free to register and includes all genres but mostly caters to rock bands. They actively scout good music on their site to feature on their front page. This site gets over 10,000 visitors a day. There are social networking features available as well.
3. Twitter.com – This is the latest social networking phenomenon. Fans can see what the band and each individual member are doing throughout the day. Direct fan-to-band interaction takes place which is HUGE in building a core fan base. This is free to register and is a must in any musicians marketing plan. I will post about Twitter and your music marketing plan soon.
4. iLike.com – This site helps announce any new songs, new shows, new blogs or new pictures that you post up. Anyone who has iTunes (which is about 70% of the music population) get automatic updates on their iTunes player if they have your music in their iTunes. iLike has a sidebar that you can download attaches to your iTunes. Once you register for iLike, tell your fans about the sidebar so they can stay up-to-date on your bands every move.
5. Lastfm.com – This is another site that intergrates with your iTunes player. When you open a free account and download the Last.fm Scrobbler, everything you play gets registered by Last.fm. They use all that data from everyone’s iTune players to give you top played lists and stats on your songs. This is a good tool to see what songs are most popular on your albums. You might think you know what song is your most popular but Last.fm will tell you what your fans listen to the most.
6. Facebook.com – This is largest social network site in the world (2nd in the U.S. behind MySpace). It is starting to improve its music applications so this is definitely a site that you need to register for.

Artist Press Kits

1. SonicBids.com – This site offers EPKs (electronic press kits) for artists but also helps “book and license your music,” according to their site. I have never used their services but I know it is very reputable in the music industry.
2. PowerPressKits.com – Again, I have never used this company but they offer free press kit building. They even have different templates for you to use.

Websites For Your Music Reviews

1. AbsolutePunk.net – This website caters to anything in the rock genre and will cover hip-hop/rap. The crowd here can be tough on artists but getting any exposure on this site helps. The staff is rather huge so it is easy to get one or more of them to respond to your emails. If you have the stomach, get your music reviewed on this site. Music industry people are on this site multiple times a day.
2. Pitchfork.com – This site is the mecca for indie/singer/songwriter music. The owner was even listed as one of the Top 200 most influential people by Time Magazine. Again, this crowd can be tough.
3. PunkNews.com – This site caters to the true punk crowd and, again, can be a tough crowd. If you’re a punk band and what street cred, get posted/reviewed on this site.
4. Stereogum.com – This site caters to the singer/songwriter/indie band crowd.
5. BrooklynVegan.com – This site caters to the NYC music fan. Covers more than music and even has a Sirius satellite radio show.
6. TheDailyChorus.com – A smaller blog that has a lot of music industry attention. This blog covers music mostly in the rock genre from hardcore, emo, indie, punk and “scene” music.
7. GlobalGrind.com – This caters to the hip-hop culture and is more of a social network for hip-hop artists and fans. There are unsigned hip-hop features.

Sell Your Merchandise Online

1. BigCartel.com – This is a very popular e-commerce site that will sell your music merchandise (T-shirts, etc.) on their site and handle all the payments for you. You simply collect the orders and ship them out. This gives you full control of the shipping process. You can create a store or use one of their templates.
2. DistrictLines.com – This site not only makes custom stores for some artists but they print your merchandise as well. They cater to bands in the rock genre but also have pop-culture icons as clients.

Companies That Make Your Merch (CDs, Tshirts, etc.)

1. Discmakers.com – This company is one of the kings in the CD duplication business. Their rates are very competitive and they also do a lot more than just CDs. You can get your Tshirts, stickers, buttons and a host of other things printed.
2. DistrictLines.com – They will not only make custom merch stores for you but they will also handle your printing needs.

Other Merchandise Companies

1. LoudBytes.com – This site allows you to purchase download cards, stickers or buttons with a code on each. This code can be redeemed on their site for your music. You can sell these items at shows without ordering physical CDs. You sell the cards to your fans and they will download your music off LoudBytes. They even have hangtags for your Tshirts. If you have physical CDs and want to sell a couple of B-sides, this is the most economical way to sell a song or two.
2. Dropcards.com – This is also a download card website that embeds a code into each card.

Music Discovery Blogs

1. Kings Of A&R.com – This site is heavily scouted by music industry people. This site covers all genres of music and if you feel like your music is good enough to be featured on the site, email Dean, the owner of the site.
2. TheDailyChorus.com – Another music discovery site that is scouted by the music industry. This site mainly covers music in the rock genre. The staff of this site is a lot bigger than KOAR so it’s easier to get the staffs attention.

I will explore many of these sites in greater detail to show you how you can improve your music marketing plan to obtain new fans which will increase your revenue.

Did I miss any valuable sites? Leave a comment and let me know or email me at:  markstone424@gmail.com!

I’m a music industry veteran that loves the quickly changing music landscape and writing about it. I am always blogging about the latest music marketing trends (secrets) to help musicians achieve their goals. Please visit my free blog at: http://musicmarketingsecrets.blogspot.com

Getting to Know Your Digital Printing Choices

May 22, 2010 shopping
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Take heart, this article isn’t going to try to sell you anything. Its goal is just to help you become better informed about your choices when it comes to digital printing.  One thing everyone agrees on is that digital printing is ideal for short-run garment decoration (although I do know of companies that use it to print jobs that run in the hundreds) and has opened up new markets and new profit opportunities for a lot of companies.

 

First of all, let’s define the technologies available today that are considered digital. In no particular order they are: Sublimation, direct to garment or ink-jet to garment, ink-jet transfers, CLC (color laser copier transfers), and print/cut. All of them have their advantages and their limitations. 
With sublimation, everyone knows that it won’t work on dark garments and that it is primarily designed for use on polyester or polyester-blend garments. Application on cotton is possible with some pre-treating. There has been progress made in the development of sublimation systems that permit more flexibility, but the technology has a reputation as being difficult to perfect. It remains an excellent method for customizing hard goods such as mugs, mouse pads, coasters and more. 

 

There has also been a lot of excitement over direct to garment printing and many people have invested in this ink-jet based system that prints directly on textiles. Some limitations of direct to garment technology include its cost, not all print successfully or easily on dark garments (so do your homework), the need for pre-treating on dark garments and sometimes on light colors to make them brighter, the lack of opacity and brightness, the length of time needed to complete a garment—especially dark garments, and the skill level needed to run the equipment. Some direct to garment printers are designed to print on tile, wood, golf balls and mouse pads, but not all of them.  Direct to garment printers achieve best results on cotton but can be used on silks, blends and some other fabrics but can’t really be used on polyester without a pretreatment. However, all that being said, it is still one of the most popular digital printing methods on the market today. 

 

Ink jet and CLC transfers are known as the most inexpensive, entry-level, anyone-can-do-it technology in the digital garment decoration arena. There are dozens of different papers available that can take artwork from your computer desktop to a t-shirt in minutes. Again, you are limited by the substrates to which the papers will apply, and it is still difficult to find a paper that does a fantastic job of printing on darks. There is also the issue of ghosting, unless one uses precise hand-cutting to trim the excess paper or uses paper in combination with a cutter that does it automatically. 

 

By taking that type of thinking to the next level, a list of digital garment decorating methods to consider would not be complete without print/cut technology.  While virtually unknown as a technology to the average personalization specialist, this technology has had years of proven performance in the garment manufacturing sector—you’ve probably encountered print/cut applications on brand name performance wear, shoes, nylon bags and more without even realizing it.  Print/cut technology is probably the best-rounded of all the digital technologies available today. It gives you all the advantages of the previously mentioned digital methods, with virtually none of the disadvantages. 

 

One of the biggest reasons for the excitement over print/cut technology is its versatility—not only can you print on a wide variety of garments with print/cut, you can also use it to print everything from helmet stickers and window clings to vehicle wraps and banners. Print/cut technology incorporates technology originally designed for use in the sign industry, a wide-format, eco-solvent printer that instantly prints and then automatically contour cuts full-color, photorealistic logos, designs and names in any quantity “on demand.” These images are printed on specially developed digital media that can be heat applied to any fabric, of any color. 

 

With a print/cut system, there is virtually no limit to the jobs you will be able to do.  In the textile world – literally anything that can be fit under a heat press can be decorated, from caps and nylon bags to performance wear and swimsuits. It even works on leather. There is no need to pre-treat the garment, there are no limitations as to the type of textile that can be printed and there are even specialty media available, such as puff and metallic that allow you to create full-color fashion effects that are not possible with any other digital printing method. The recent development and availability of new digital media is what is propelling this previously unknown garment decoration method into the spotlight.  
Better yet, the technology has been tested for many years in the sign industry as being durable and easy to operate. It’s just a matter of using the correct digital media for the job on hand. Its greatest limitation would be the cost of the equipment, but with more and more business owners ready to invest in something that can be used as an alternative to screen printing and embroidery, print/cut is becoming a popular choice, especially thanks to the introduction of more media designed specifically for use with the print/cut system. 

 

It’s probably only a matter of time before you invest in some type of digital garment decoration technology, if you haven’t already. Whether you’re a screen printer, embroiderer or plan to specialize solely in digital printing, there’s a method available that meets your needs. And if you still unsure about making a large investment, go on-line and join in an industry user -forum chat. Benefit from the experience of current users of the technology you are most interested in and weigh all the facts. I’m not promising you still won’t feel confused, but at least you won’t feel alone!  

 

Martin Borley is Vice President of Target Transfers Ltd

a GroupeSTAHL Company.

info@targettransfers.com

www.targettransfers.com

Tel:+44 (0) 1376 326351.

Involved in developing provincial standards, QianJiang pants enterprise strength highlights

May 19, 2010 tshirt
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Hanjiang Zhen is “Chinese trousers town”, December 10, from the town’s weekly weaving, Le Conte snakes, geckos, Wang, Po-wei and other key garment enterprises are mainly involved in the formulation of provincial standards for leisure trousers into effect. The industry believes that Hanjiang Zhen as a “China town trousers” have higher gold content! This reporter learned that Han Jiangzhen casual trousers more than 100 garment enterprises have an annual output of more than 50 million. Latest statistics show that: Hanjiang Zhen-scale enterprises this year, added 10, scale enterprises GDP 3.968 billion yuan, 20.6% Bi Zeng.

Shishi, head of Quality and Technical Supervision that the Hanjiang the pants business, after several years of development, has formed a large industrial scale in the country has a greater influence, Shishi clothing industry has become an important chain of Central to weeks weaving, Le Conte snakes, geckos, Wang, Po-wei at the core businesses involved in the development of standards pants embodies the clam strong strength of enterprises in Jiangxi pants. Han Jiangzhen garment industry began in the early 80s of last century went through a difficult stage from scratch. With the industrial development and technological progress, clam Jiangxi pants in terms of quality, brand, quality and style is novel, exquisite fabrics, quality and cheap such as lions and even to become the leading domestic trousers, in the unique aspects and advantages of industrial clusters. Trousers production covering spinning, weaving, dyeing, washing, finishing, garment making, supplies, production, marketing and other areas related to supporting more than 300 companies, employing 30000 people, pants zipper required, trademarks, interlining, buttons, sewing New Zealand lines, computer embroidery and so on in the Hanjiang and the surrounding areas of production and sales.

    Many companies scramble to recruit star play a corporate image ambassador, and frequent appearances CCTV, TV and other TV news media, some trousers enterprises have also become a famous brand at home and abroad a number of garment processing base trousers. Hanjiang invested more than 10 billion yuan every year to introduce the latest equipment, clothing, develop new products, the first use cad / cam systems, multimedia ssis network system, as well as smd 3D-aided design systems, area business owners and clothing industry, trousers matching fountain, Jet No shuttle looms warp knitting machine, circular knitting machines and textile chemical fiber, more than 4,000 sets of advanced equipment.

Hanjiang Zhen Ding Cong Ling party secretary said that the bigger and stronger Hanjiang leisure trousers industry is the town government has been the main objective, in the beginning of this year the town government to strengthen its efforts to support these enterprises to participate in industry standards development, and introduced the related support policies and measures. Today, the clam pants Jiangxi provincial companies have made the industry standard, which indicates that trousers companies have the upper hand in brand innovation, the next stage, the Hanjiang Zhen will continue to increase efforts to support these enterprises to develop industry standards for national trousers . Li Huaizhong mayor said the town will continue to increase business with the help and support, forcefully enhance the level of business R & D to push the enterprise benefit Zaishangtaijie for Shishi make more contributions to economic development.

I am a professional editor from China Suppliers, and my work is to promote a free online trade platform.
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There are many ways to make a gift certificate into a wonderful gift for anyone

January 2, 2010 shopping
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A great gift to give anyone is a gift certificate. This is a wonderful choice if you are pressed for time or simply can’t figure out what to buy for someone. You can buy them for malls, restaurants, spa treatments, hair cuts, retail stores, and specialty shops. You can get gift certificates for most any dollar amount you desire so it really helps you to be able to stick to your budgeted spending limit.

One of the newest concepts regarding gift certificates is Visa and MasterCards. You simply select the dollar amount you want to put on the card and the recipient can use it to withdraw cash or to shop at any store they desire. This is a good choice because it gives the recipient more choices as to how to use their gift. This is also much saver when you have to mail a present then sending a card with cash in it.

Some people debate that giving a gift certificate is very impersonal and isn’t a good idea. However, for most people who receive them, it is a better option then getting clothes you don’t like or a gift you will take back to exchange. There are actually very few people who are offended by receiving a gift certificate as a gift. In fact, many people prefer it.

You can purchase gift certificates at various retail stores, even for other places than their store. As a convenience you can select the gift certificate you want and have it activated at the check out. You can also conveniently purchase them online at the particular places website.

Another great place to purchase gift certificates online is at gift certificates . com. They feature an array of gift certificates to choose from as well as the dollar amount. You can choose to have them shipped to you or directly to the person you are giving it to. They will even allow you to send a personalized message along with the gift certificate. In most cases they don’t have an expiration date so they are more useful.

There are many ways to make a gift certificate into a wonderful gift for anyone, for any occasion. This is a perfect way to get your shopping done quickly without having to carry around bulky packages or ship them. You will also be able to stay on budget and be assured that the person receiving your gift certificates will have a gift they truly enjoy.

Paul Ingersole is an Australian based business person who enjoys writing.Paul discovered a great system that makes small continuous recurring profits using the internet.You can see Google Sniper at Paul’s website

http://www.guruswipe.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/shopping-articles/there-are-many-ways-to-make-a-gift-certificate-into-a-wonderful-gift-for-anyone-1655862.html

Controlling Sales of Counterfeit Shoes

October 21, 2009 Uncategorized
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As the number of counterfeit shoes continues to increase, trading officers around the world are working overtime to keep the counterfeit market under control.  Shoes were the number one clothing item seized by United States customs officials and Homeland Security officers in 2008.

Selling and purchasing counterfeit goods is illegal, and both vendors and consumers can be prosecuted.  Arrests of tourists purchasing fake designer pumps and handbags along the Italian Riviera have become increasingly frequent.  Most of the time consumers know when they are purchasing a fake; they seek out a pair of fake Gucci pumps or fake Chanel ballerina flats as an inexpensive alternative to owning the real designer item.  But as the manufacturing of counterfeit items becomes more sophisticated, an increasing number of consumers who think they are purchasing the real deal are actually being duped.  Many counterfeit shoes to hit the US market are actually manufactured at the same factories where the genuine shoes are made.  New Balance, for example, went to court with one of the owners of its factories outside of Hong Kong after they discovered the factory had been making hundreds of thousands unauthorized “New Balance” shoes.  Counterfeit shoes that are manufactured at the same factory as the genuine product are said to be made during the “third shift” or “midnight shift”.  The nickname is apt.  Often a Nike or other brand name factory will shut down in the evening and then reopen in the middle of the night to produce counterfeit shoes using the same equipment. 

In September of 2006, United States Homeland Security officers seized more than 135,000 counterfeit Nike running shoes.  These 135,000 pairs of shoes had a reported retail value of 16 million dollars.  The shoes were being smuggled into the United States from China in 15 large shipping containers.  Six people have been arrested in this international counterfeit scheme, which included smugglers from China, Mexico and the United States.  They had hoped to smuggle the shoes into the United States using fake documents.  They are now facing up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 250,000 dollars. The US Homeland Security and Justice Departments are describing this as one of the largest counterfeit smuggling rings uncovered in recent history.

Nike and other companies who outsource their labor to Asia are prime targets for counterfeit manufacturing schemes.  In addition to the counterfeit shoes being smuggled into the United States in large quantities, the fake shoes are often imported (sometimes unknowingly) by individuals who purchase them over the Internet.

Jane Barron works for OddShoeFinder.com,a free online website that helps people find mismatched footwear.Get more information on deformed feet, corrective shoes or foot length difference.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/shopping-articles/controlling-sales-of-counterfeit-shoes-1361849.html

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