From: Chuck <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I want to upgrade my s900 to perform graphic design and burn CD's.
--- Hi Chuck. In addition to the good advice you've already been given (more RAM, bigger hard drive, a few classes), I recommend buying a printer that can handle post script fonts and eps images. One that can handle 11" X 17" paper and larger will save you a lot of "tiling" headaches. The HP�deskjet 1220cps is an example. When you get to the point of sending your files--which you will always need to include the fonts--the service bureau will have the least problems with postscript fonts. Although there is a new "open type" on the near horizon that will be cross-platform. Adobe is probably the best bet for these. You can read about open type here: http://www.adobe.com/type/opentype/main.html You'll need software to handle all the fonts you'll acquire over time and Extensis' suitcase is a good one (at least up to OS 9.x). Font Reserve by DiamondSoft is another example. I have a PowerLogix G3 400MHz PCI card in my home S900. I intend to upgrade to a Sonnet G4/800. My philosophy is to buy the best/fastest upgrade you can afford at the time, because hardware and software change so quickly. Don't worry too much about what prices _might_ do. Some will fall dramatically the week after you make a purchase (like monitors) and some tend to level out and stay about the same for years (Wacom tablets come to mind). I added an internal SCSI Yamaha 8424CDRW to go with my S900's original CD player some time ago and, by shopping around I got a very good price on it and an IOGear USB card was thrown in for free. Since most printers and scanners seem to be USB and/or Firewire these days, you'll need a card that can handle those connections. Most, but not all, listers advise against "combo" cards in our machines. My favorite 'shopping around' sites are http://dealmac.com/ http://www.nextag.com/ and http://www.price.com/mac/index.html Depending on your future clientele, you'll probably only use a home scanner for "position only" and have a digital shop or your newspaper do quality hi-res scans for you. On jobs that are color critical, it's a good idea to have said shops create a proof for you for your client's "final OK". Your home printer will seldom exactly match the "final" proofs from a printer/digital shop. When you get that far, after training, you'll want to always be clear what the client is responsible for and what you are responsible for. For example, who will proof read the piece, you or the client? You will have to learn how to estimate jobs: your turn around time as well as what you charge. Those, and a few thousand other pointers will get you on your way ;-) Dave Stephens __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com -- SuperMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | Service & Replacement Parts [EMAIL PROTECTED] | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> SuperMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/supermacs/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/supermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
