I'll take point. Interested parties to meet for 15 minutes (one beer?) next Wed.

Alum. binders would be awesome. I'll grab plastic pages at Costco. I can provide the initial print run as well (at least for 20-30 pages).

We need to design a clean, simple template with branding. I'll have a go this weekend.

Moving forward, I'd like to see a platform agnostic web form that can generate and archive (and tag?) the desired PDF document. Maker logs in, fills out the form (including a 1-3 graph writeup) and hits "submit". A quick look from an "editor" and the project is available for print and for an online "blog book". This is beyond my expertise--any takers or suggestions?

I also suspect that we should start looking for an economical (to operate) color laser printer--or befriend one. My photo printer is relatively inexpensive to feed (bulk ink system and Kirkland photo paper--and we can use coated inkjet paper for our project) but in the long run a project of this importance shouldn't depend on the "kindness" of an individual member.

Well done, rigger. You can count on my support.

As to a template, I thought about that: it will be nice for many, but I'd like to encourage others to design and print their own project pages, as I would prefer to do. The pages, if professionally presented with appropriate key info, can be an expression of the individual or an extension of the work being presented. What are others thoughts on that? I guess I was thinking an individual would supply the page to be inserted, unless they needed or wanted help with that.


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I have no objection to custom pages, in fact I love the idea, but I want an easy solution for those for whom creating such a page isn't "fun".

Also, it would be good to find a way to include those pages in the electronic archive for online viewing, printing more portfolios, etc. (Scanning is an obvious possibility).

When you get enough pages done I'd be willing to dust off my binding skills to put together a hard cover vol. 1.

The printer in the office is a color laser.

If someone could provide the template, I can do the programming to take data from a DB and lay it out on the template. I hate GUI programming, so someone else can mess with that. it needs to be 300 dpi, cmyk, or a vector img. SVG or PNG preferred. No proprietary formats.

I like this idea a lot. I'll be seeing you Wednesday!

Count me in, this is excellent.

I like idea of custom pages Lots.

Is there any chance we could do that, but have some kind of small info box, maybe a printed sticky label, that has some info in a standard format? That way people could look at a variety of custom pages, but see the same spot in the same place for project name, member name or handle, etc.

Also, do we have a size standard for pages?

Riley

We can have multiple templates with differing layouts and/or have the user upload their own template. Its possible to have the user drag n drop the elements but I say just have the user do it with their own software... GIMP & inkscape FTW!

We'll have a fast meeting at 7:30 tonight in the Conference Room.

I need it to go quickly because I'll have Wiley (my nephew) in tow and we have some snap-circuiting to do.



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8.5 x 11 to be accommodated by off-the-shelf page protectors and binders.

I love the idea of a bound copy for our library but I think the aluminum 3-ring binder(s) will be the road dogs.

No real objection to providing "help" to those who want to roll their own but I also don't want to go out of the way to provide "change for the sake of change". (I can provide years of "desktop publishing" as evidence to back up my thinking).

Minimize production. Maximize content.

As I see it we should provide a fill-in-the-blanks template that produces a PDF page (and possibly a web-ready page too) Anyone who has the desire to go custom probably has a specific idea in mind and can apply or recruit the skills necessary to create the page. The only restriction being no larger than 8.5x11 (portrait orientation) and with strong encouragement that it follows the general layout of our template OR is designed in such a way that the relevant information is easily identified.

If they can't provide a PDF for the archives (handmade page?) we'll scan the original. I'd suggest the original be filed foruse in the bound book—or framed and hung on the wall— and we use copies in the road volume(s).

On a side note, if I had to use GIMP for anything, or Inkscape for more than a simple vector conversion I'd stab my eyes out (with an acid dipped nail) and swallow the barrel of my gun. But that's just me.

Hope to see a good group tonight. Let's keep it tight.


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