2001: The Creative Year in Review

Features: Written by David Blatner Sandee Cohen Bruce Fraser Brian P. Lawler Eric J. Adams Pamela Pfiffner George Penston Susan Glinert Stevens David Morgenstern on December 30, 2001

We asked the writers and pundits who contribute to creativepro.com to review 2001 from the perspective of product releases and news events for creative professionals.

Under the Desktop: Platform Playoffs

Features: Written by David Morgenstern on December 19, 2001

The most bitter grudge match in the computing arena is still to be found between Mac and PC fanatics who advocate their platform over all others.

The Photoshop User's Gift Guide

Features: Written by Jim Patterson on December 18, 2001

With less than a week to the major gift-giving holiday of the year, it's time to switch into high gear. This column is for the digital photographer's spouse, significant whatever, loved one, and person with a worried frown on his or her face. It's the annual PlanetPhotoshop Holiday Gift List for Digital Photographers.

Nikon Coolpix 885: High-Res Features at Low-Res Price

Reviews: Written by Ben Long on December 17, 2001

Shooting to bolster the lower end of its digital camera line, Nikon released the Coolpix 885, an update to its earlier 880 model that includes many design elements of the less-expensive, lower-resolution Coolpix 775. Aimed at users who want a high-resolution camera in a small package, the 885 packs a lot of features -- many borrowed from Nikon's higher-end Coolpix 995.

The Art of Business: Creating Your Future, One Month at a Time

Features: Written by Eric J. Adams on December 16, 2001

A set of nebulous resolutions usually fails to help us create the future we want, especially when it comes to your business. A more practical and effective device is a yearly action plan that details goals, tactics, costs, and expectations for the coming year.

dot-font: Industrial-Standard Typefaces

Features: Written by John D. Berry on December 13, 2001

The new type specimen book from FontShop, for the FF DIN type family, set me to thinking about so-called undesigned typefaces, especially those derived from the letters used on highway signs.

For Position Only: What's Wrong with this Picture?

Features: Written by Anita Dennis on December 12, 2001

This year, determined to use the technology I so regularly write about, I decided to send out digitally printed Christmas cards to friends and family. But I leapt headfirst into an online printing service only to find that hindsight is indeed 20/20.

How to Buy a Digital Camera

How-Tos: Written by Ben Long on December 11, 2001

If you've been contemplating buying yourself, or someone else, a digital camera this holiday season then you've probably already discovered that there's a huge array of cameras out there. With seemingly every camera and electronics company in the world making digital cameras, trying to figure out which one is right for you can be maddening.

The Creative Toolbox: Illustrator's Almost-Perfect 10

Reviews: Written by George Penston on December 10, 2001

Adobe has released Illustrator 10, which marks Adobe's first product release to offer both Windows XP and OS X compatibility (it also runs on Mac OS 9 and on several flavors of Windows). .... underneath the slick veneer of the interface, Illustrator 10 brings an assortment of new tools and features to foster creative freedom and boost productivity.

Photoshop Freebies

Features: Written by Pete Bauer on December 7, 2001

Did you know that Adobe gave you some presents when you bought Photoshop 6? In this column, we'll take a tour of some of the extras you'll find in your Photoshop folder and on your Photoshop CD.

iWant an iPod

Reviews: Written by Ben Long on December 7, 2001

You don't have to be a Macintosh user to be impressed with the design of Apple's new iPod MP3 player. Like the best of Apple's designs, the iPod not only looks cool, it also does some things that are so obviously right, it's hard to figure out why no one thought of them sooner.

Under the Desktop: Thanks for the Memory

Features: Written by David Morgenstern on December 6, 2001

Many content pros seek performance gains, usually through the purchase of a new machine with a faster processor or perhaps with multiple CPUs. ...Yet, processor speed is not the only route to improving performance. According to Adobe engineer Chris Cox, the key to speed in Photoshop is straightforward: "The more RAM the better."

PageMaker's Lucky Number 7

Reviews: Written by Susan Glinert Stevens on December 4, 2001

When Adobe announced it was updating PageMaker, some page-layout watchers wondered why. The good news is that users who are comfortable with PageMaker will find some welcome enhancements in version 7. Others looking for a great leap forward will be disappointed.

The Art of Business: Winning Back Lost Clients

Features: Written by Eric J. Adams on December 2, 2001

If success in the design world can be boiled down to one simple equation, it might be this: Business prosperity is directly related to customer loyalty... you should spend a good deal of your time doing two things: cultivating customer loyalty among current clients; and refocusing your business development efforts on reengaging past clients rather than seeking out new ones.

Columnist: Titanium PowerBook a 'Fashion Victim'

Reviews: Written by Dennis Sellers on December 1, 2001

Despite its plethora of awards and mostly widespread critical acclaim, at least one columnist isn't enamored with the Titanium PowerBook G4. Stephen Somogyi, who pens the ZDNet AnchorDesk column, writes that the TiPB is gorgeous but has some major flaws, ones that haven't been fixed in the latest revision of the professional laptop.

Hands on with the Epson C60 and C80 Printers

Reviews: Written by Jim Dalrymple on November 29, 2001

3?¬3?targeted to different markets Epson's C60 and C80 Inkjet printers share many of the same features.

For Position Only: The Threat to Direct-Mail Advertising

Features: Written by Anita Dennis on November 28, 2001

The Changing Face of Production Management

Features: Written by John C. Dunn on November 26, 2001

With technology determining much of what you can and can not expect on press, understanding that technology was never more important. Today's production folks are expected by many companies to incorporate all the skills and knowledge of a scheduler, a trafficker, a print buyer, a Production/Project Manager, and a prepress manager.

Kodak RFS 3600: Film Scanner With a Split Personality

Reviews: Written by Bruce Fraser on November 19, 2001

The Kodak Professional RFS 3600 Film Scanner isn't at all bad, but it gives the impression of being a work in progress that's still trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. The schizoid appearance it presents to the world is mainly due to the fact that the scanner ships with two very different drivers.

The Art of Business: Juggling Mixed Messages

Features: Written by Eric J. Adams on November 18, 2001

Working with just one person within a company is hard enough, but when you receive conflicting messages from several contacts within the same organization, the true challenge begins. Here are a few do's and don'ts for turning a no-win situation into a win-win -- or at least a draw.