Tips to troubleshoot an ADSL connection

When testing ADSL internet issues there are a few tried and tested options.

1. Call the ISP and find out the line length - that is the length of cabling from the local Telstra exchange to your premises MDF (Main Distribution Frame).
If your distance is 1km or less - you should be getting top speed.

2. Log into your router and confirm the sync speed your modem is reporting is what the ISP is also reporting from the DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer).

3. Get the ISP to run line and loopback tests.
This usually means 2 sets of tests - first with the modem connected, then with the modem disconnected.
If there is a difference in either line length or resistance, the ISP will lodge a fault on your behalf.

4. Perform an isolation test.
Unplug everything but the modem and retest - that will determine if another device is interfering.

5. If the ADSL line is shared with another phone/fax, there should be a ADSL filter - swap it and get the line retested.
A bad filter can destabilise your connection half your speed!
If the line is dedicated to ADSL - don't use a filter at all.

6. Swap the modem/router.
These days I recommend Draytek routers as I have found them to hold a stable connection and reliably reconnect after a drop-out.
Older routers can have a range of issues from not being ADLS2+ compatible to simply not performing as well as other models.
I have found the Netgear DGFV338 to be very unreliable these days. It used to be my preferred router, but after a few years, with ISP upgrades it can no lover hold a stable connection and has issues reconnecting.

If you get the ISP to lodge a fault and send out a technician, if the issue is between the DSLAM and the MDF - the ISP will cover the cost.
If the issue is from the MDF to wherever your modem/router sits - you will generally be charged and will then need to get an electrician or cabling specialist to rectify the issue.

D Revolution sorts these issues for companies on a regular basis.
Having problems - give us a call.

FontExplorer updated - better late than never

Linotype updates FontExplorer. It is now compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 and CS5.5

It is good to see some competition is the font management market.
Whilst I personally prefer and recommend FontExplorer, this time round, Extensis were much quicker releasing an update for Creative 5.5 as well as Lion.
The FontExplorer update will fix the issue with hollow boxed "A" characters in Safari and other "webkit" based software.
If you are a print designer using Apple's FontBook - call us. Font management setup correctly can greatly improve workstations speed and application load times.

I tripled the speed of my website in 10 minutes

Using a CDN to increase website speed

D Revolution has hosted it's own website with CMS, DAM, GTD and HelpDesk for 2 years now off a single ADSL connection - first with TPG and now with iiNet.
Advantages are total control and really fast website updates.
Downside are the speed of ADSL uploads and limited threat control - you don't have team of people looking at routers, firewalls, logs etc…

As a test, I signed up for Cloudflare on Friday night.
They are a CDN (Content Delivery Network) which also has threat control built in.
The process was easy (much easier than utilising either Google or Amazon as a CDN on the cheap) - sign up, let Cloudflare copy my DNS setting then change my NS records to point to CloudFlare.

Now when you visit drevolution.com.au, the static content has already been cached and minified (redundant data from javascript/CSS and HTML removed).
The website loads off one of the closest Cloudflare web servers by using GeoIP information.
A downside of this approach is the closest CloudFlare point of presence in in Singapore.

Whilst it messes with the logs on my web server as most of the access requests are from Cloudflare - web surfers, it does not affect my Google Analytics or GoSquared LiveStats reporting.

So far, website speeds have at least increased 300% and I started block threats from China and Russia easily from the control panel.
If your website is hosted with an ISP or hosting company - you WILL NOT get the same speed increase.
Reason is simple, bandwidth to my site was 1600Kb upstream (ADSL2 using to Annex M) - way lower than the cheapest hosting plan.

Being only 4 days in, it is too early to call this a total success or to even recommend the service, but it is off to a good start.
Add a comment and let us know what you think of the speeds...

Colour Management redux

Our most visited and searched for blog post of all time is the one from November 2009 on Print Standards and Colour Management.

Since that time, new software has come out and standards have progressed. It's time for a revisit.

Below is a basic guide to implementing colour management for offset printing.
If you need help with colour management - contact us.

NOTE: Colour management and production standards is a large and complicate field.
Currently, there are standards for offset printing (ISO 12647-2) and digital proofing (ISO 12647-7)
A standard is being drafted for digital production (ISO 15311) but it is not ready.
In leu of this, some printers are applying the offset printing standard to digital work.
For print nerds - this has stirred up quite a debate!

Screen Calibrating

If you are evaluating colour on screen (who isn't these days) - it is essential the screen is calibrated.
There are a lot of tools on the market ranging from quite cheap, to "sell your car to pay for it".
For calibrating a single workstation - I recommend getting hold of the DataColor Spyder3 Pro.
If you are calibrating a range of machines and need to be able to keep them in sync, get hold of the DataColor Spyder3 Elite.
There is a good review of the Spyder3 Elite at Northlight-images.

Adobe Creative Suite Setup

Adobe CS5 and CS5.5 both now include the latest ISO colour profiles.
Abobe Bridge is used to set colour management across the Creative Suite. Personally I don't use it for anything else unless you are tagging metadata for a D.A.M (digital Asset Management system) a topic for another day…
In Adobe Brigge, go to > Edit > Creative Suite Color Settings..
Select "Europe PrePress 3" and hit Apply.

From now, all the Creative Suite programs have a common colour management setup.

This sets the RGB profile to Adobe RGB and the CMYK profile to Coated Fogra 39
Whilst you could go to the ECI website, download ISO Coated v2, install it, create your own Colour Setting File in InDesign then sync with Bridge, there is not a lot to be gained!

QuarkXpress Setup

Since I have only 1 client left actively using QuarkXpress...

NOTE: Whilst there has been an ISO colour standard for offset printing for a number of years (12647-2) not everyone can achieve the standard.

If you are a designer, advertiser or anyone ordering commercial offset printing, using a print company that is ISO, PSO or (even) GrayCol compliant / certified will produce the least number of surprises - and also allow for jobs to be printed (and matched) worldwide.
The Australian Colour Standards website maintains a list of compliant or certified offset printers.
For digital printing, On Demand in Melbourne has achieved PSO certification for digital output.
If you are a digital printer that is PSO or ISO compliant - let us know

If you are a commercial printer - get certified, get compliant, and get on the list!

Lastly, we appreciate any comments. Let us know if want more details...

End of an era - Quark sold

Quark obituary and a personal perspective/retrospective

If you have background in publishing that spans more than a few years, you would have used or seen QuarkXpress.
Quark - the maker of QuarkXpress has been around since the early 80's.
I started using QuarkXpress at version 3 in 1993 whilst working for a PrePress house in Leichardt.
At the time, there was QuarkXpress, PageMaker (which was greeted with distain in Graphic Reproduction) and proprietary systems like Scitex.
After working in the "trade, followed running the TAFE School of Graphic Arts computer labs and teaching, I landed a job at Mitsui Computers as the lead QuarkXpress tech support for Apple systems. Funny thing was, for a distributor involved heavily in graphic arts, I was the only person with a trade background!
I manned the phones during the transition to version 4 which coincided with changing the codebase from Mac Development and porting to Windows to dual development using common code base.
Boy was It was BUGGY!!
Quark did eventually fix most of the bugs then went to release the disaster that was QuarkXpress 5 in 1992 with no OS X support (which had been released the previous year)
Quark died that year (although it took a decade to realise it).
I think the several things killed QuarkXpress.
Dealing with Quark as a company had always been difficult as an end user and working with the company was incredibly frustrating.
Site licensing, education sales in groups of 10 with dongles, bizarre support and proof of ownership requirements led to a LOT of user hostility.
The head of Quark - Fred Ebrahimi exclaimed that "the Macintosh platform is shrinking," and suggested that anyone dissatisfied with Quark's Mac commitment should "switch to something else." That did not win a lot of friends!
Adobe (who had offices in Australia - not just a distributor) were sending technicians into publishing houses like ACP, Fairfax and Pacific Publications to help them migrate away from QuarkXpress with huge discounts was the final straw.

Incidentally, when Mitsui Computer closed down, myself and another technician Nick Stathis made a play to become the distributor for in Australia.
We even had a conference call with Fred Ebrahimi and taking on the distribution.
It looked like we would get it and at the last minute, Cyrosh Ebrahimi - nephew of the CEO, decided he needed some sun and took on the distribution via Elite Software.

I started Desktop Revolution Consulting in 1998 and at the time had 2 users on InDesign.
Fast forward 13 years and I have only 2 clients using QuarkXpress!

Comment and let us know what you liked or hated about Quark - their software or the company (or even dealing with support people like me!)

Update on Lion compatibility from AdStream and Linotype

Here are the official responses from AdStream regarding QuickCut and Linotype regarding FontExplorer X Pro.

AdStream Support - Jamie Davidson (Head of Print and Online)

I’m happy to advise that at this stage adstream have had no reports from our customers of compatibility issues with OSX10.7 and our Quickcut product suite.

Linotype Support - Dejan Grbic

Unfortunately we have no official statement about this issues. We will release FontExplorer X Pro 3.1 very soon, which will contains new Plug-Ins for CS5.5 and some bug fixes for Lion.

Lion - one week on...

If you design for a living, here what works and what breaks.

Adobe Creative Suite - range of issues, some cosmetic, some workflow breaking.
QuarkXpress 9 - update due late August. Looks it will be the first layout tool to go full screen!
Extensis Suitcase Fusion - Lion update released August 1. Still debating if it fixes the font issue in Safari.
Linotype FontExplorer - Waiting for Lion and CS5.5 compatibility.
QuickPrint/PageStore - Waiting answer from AdStream.

Some random observations.

Since OS X programs like TextEdit now auto-save, I am finding I am using textedit almost like "Stickies"
That is, I am keeping random bits of information in multiple unsaved files - a bit like Evernote.

I am finding I am using gestures all the time. From swiping left to see Dashboard, to swiping up to see Mission Control, to pinch to zoom to increase text size in Safari.
Looks like there is finally a decent use for Magic Trackpad.
NOTE: If you use a trackpad, buy a PogoStylus and Inket to turn it into a Wacom tablet replacement - will be trying that in the coming weeks.