Koi Pond Liners vs. Professional Construction

Why is there so much talk about pond liners? Which ones are UV protected, or stronger, or last longer? I am by no means an expert on liner technology, nor have I ever used them in my 26 years of designing and building waterfalls. If youre a liner guy disciple, Im sure youre thinking, Oh no, here he goes. To tell the truth, I have been minding by own business for over two decades, just watching, reading and listening to all the experts.

Ive listened to how pond liners are simple to install, and pond liners are inexpensive compared to concrete and steel, and pond liners are quick to install. Or pond liners last for 50 years, pond liners bring higher profits to pond construction and waterfall construction, and liners dont contaminate the water with alkali as does concrete construction. Yes, Ive almost sold myself on listening to the facts of the experts. Well, not quite, due to a few facts of my own. So, a pond liner is guaranteed for 40 to 50 years? I would have to agree with that, as long as you leave it in its box the whole time. Too bad a liner manufacturers warranty doesnt include damage from gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats or mice. Or tree, plant and weed roots. Or from stretching and punctures in the liner due to heavy rocks and other sharp objects. Startling fact: a puncture only the size of a pin hole can cause a pond to lose one drip per second, or 5 gallons in just 24 hours. Thats a pin hole, not a hole made by a pair of buck teeth on a burrowing mammal. Imagine along with me for a minute. You have spent $350 on a pond design and then $8,000 of your hard-earned money for a pond and waterfall. This water feature is impressive. They dug a big hole, piled up some dirt at one end, draped a large rubber liner over the whole thing, and placed giant boulders all around the fish pond and on the dirt mound. Smaller rocks fill in between the boulder and additional rocks cover the liner in the pond. Now, its two years later and youve just come home from a two-week vacation to find the pond half empty (or half full, if youre a positive person).

There must be a leak! How did this happen? Where is it? No problem, you think, I remember the salesmans pitch: If you should ever get a leak, just clean off the area around the hole, dry it off, and using the directions enclosed in the patching kit, apply this patching material. But theres only one problem: Where is the leak? or leaks? How do I find them? And if I do find them, and Im successful in patching them up, whats to keep it from leaking again? Okay, Im going to snap my fingers and youll wake up. Snap! Surprise! That was only a mental exercise with a happy ending. It wasnt real! Or was it? Yes, it was. The short story you just heard was true. One out of every eight projects we do involves replacing the leaky liner for an angry fish pond/leaky liner owner. Why am I finally speaking up now, after 26 years and well over 1,900 waterfalls and fish ponds? Because Im angry, too! Not at the liner guy who sells the pond liners, but at his disciples around the country who are bragging how much money they make in just one or two days. Im not upset at the fact that they make in two days what takes me six to seven days to make in constructing my fish ponds of rebar and 3000 psi concrete.

How Caulks And Sealants Are Used In The Modern-day Construction Industry

A trip to your local home improvement store can be an overwhelming experience for the average person, especially if you’re trying to figure out which caulks and sealants to use for your exterior home improvement project. Unlike the interior, the exterior faces high UV exposure, extreme temperatures and the requirement to stay 100% waterproof.

When you’re dealing with silicone caulks, you have a non-paintable surface, with poor UV performance. Although water based and latex caulks have good paintability, they also have high shrinkage, poor elasticity and poor UV performance. Synthetic-rubber (polyurethane) sealants and tri-polymer sealants (silyl terminated polyether sealants) can do it all: paintable, great moisture sealing, no or low shrinkage, and very good UV resistance. Many are also pre-tinted in popular colors. These include the popular NP1 (polyurethane sealant), Sonolastic 150 VLM, and Novalink sealants.

All of these sealant and caulk materials are heavily advertised and marketed with super flashy packaging, labels and all kinds of fancy logos. If you’re looking for a high performance caulk or high performance sealant, you can literally be confronted with hundreds of brands and companies that claim to have the best product for your needs. So what can you do, when you are bombarded with all kinds of choices?

Each brand of caulk generally has its own special and unique qualities. Although, it is in your best interest to read all of the labels and also follow the company specifications, for the use of the caulk and sealant, the very thing you want to know may not be found on the labels of the containers at all! Many of the best products are architectural / commercial grade and not generally available to the public.

Sealant was originated through the needs for exterior finishing in the home building industry. Caulk was originally a term that was used to describe the sealant material used to build boats. Many companies and manufacturers these days are using caulk as an all-purpose word to describe paintable interior grade products. Sealants by definition have at least /-25% elongation capability over a long-term period and are UV resistant. Advanced sealants are 100% solids and offer up to 100% elongation.

Most of the general public use caulk and sealant interchangeably to serve the same basic purpose, which is to fill gaps between building materials and to shield materials from air and water.

Although sealants and caulk work the same basic manner, they both also fail for the same basic reasons. There are three major types of caulk failures that you will encounter. These are substrate, cohesive, and adhesive. The bond that is put between the substrate and the caulk can actually fail, making the caulk tear and break down. Caulked joint problems are also very common and are usually due to the substrate not being effectively prepared or using the wrong product all together.

So, before you choose a certain kind of product, you want to really think about how you will be using it and for what purpose. You will also want to consider the area or location you are going to apply the caulk or sealant.

For example, if your intent is to seal the area around the base of a toilet, sink, bathtub or shower, it will be imperative that you purchase a product that both mildew-resistant and durable enough to survive scrubbing and chemical cleaning. If your intent is going to be to use sealant or caulk between wood clapboards and vinyl windows, then you’ll need to purchase a product that is able to bond very well to both types of materials and is weather resistant.

You will also want to keep humidity, temperature and moisture in mind when you are shopping for caulk or sealant. Water-based caulks not recommended for outdoor projects, because these products do not withstand the hot-to-cold and cold-to-hot weather changes, as well as other harsh weather situations. If you are living in an area that is below 50F during the time you need to apply sealant, then you’ll probably want to use a silicone sealant, instead of polyurethanes, because polyurethanes are very difficult to apply in chilly conditions.

Other Applications: For sealing skylights, glass domes, greenhouses and such, Sonolastic Clear 25 is a popular product. For Kynar or siliconized paint finished metal roofs, a special sealant formulated to seal to these surfaces is a must. Products such as Duralink are popular. For repair of swimming pool tile grout lines, polyurethane sealants are excellent. Products like Ultra provide a very durable seal, which can survive in areas where grouts fail quickly. Ultra is also used as a pickproof sealant in security applications.

To the delight of many, who prefer the do-it-yourself project, certain caulks and sealants can be color-matched to paints, tiles, grout, wallpaper and even carpeting. The beauty of these products is that they can be color-matched while they are still in the product tube. NP1 is also available in many popular pre-formulated colors. Any good home building products store will be able to help you color-match your caulk and sealant to your desired color. Once the caulk has cured, then it will precisely match the color you were seeking to acquire.

In summary, let’s review your options again:

1. Water-based caulks are the easiest to work with. They have a smooth, thin and consistent flow, and they are easy to apply with almost any tool. These products cure quickly, have very little odor, and the clean up is easy with water.

2. Silicone caulks and sealants are good for interior or exterior areas, which will not be painted and are good for areas that will be exposed to extremely cold weather, certain metals, and glass. Silicone materials do not repair well (nothing wants to stick to cured silicone material, not even more silicone)

3. Synthetic rubber sealant is best used for areas with high movement and dissimilar materials. These materials can be painted and are designed for long-term exterior exposure. There is also less chance that the synthetic rubber bond will break during movement. Common applications are roof tile repairs, roof moldings, and roof to wall sealing, window frame sealants, and doorsill sealant.

4. Self Leveling Expansion Joint Sealant, such as SL1 and SL2, are used to fill and seal the expansion joint gaps in concrete and driveways.

5. Tri-Polyimer sealants, such as Sonolastic 150VLM are the next generation. Although somewhat more expensive, they offer superior exterior performance.

6. New Hybrid products are available that defy all classifications. Using these kinds of sealants can yield a lot of surprises, so be sure to read the instructions carefully. Some of these products tend to expand upon drying, so it is best to test them out in an inconspicuous location before actually using them on your project.

Print this article and take it with you when you are shopping for caulk and sealant. Review it and then follow any instructions on the containers of the products you buy. It is our hope that this quick tutorial will help provide some clarity on exactly what products you should buy for your home improvement or home construction project.

Above Ground Swimming Pool Liners Quick Buyers Guide

Whether your above ground pool is brand-new or has been used for many years, having a high quality liner that is in good condition is extremely important. Damaged or worn liners can become ripped or torn, leading to problematic leaks, while stained and faded liners can have a significant negative effect on the appearance of your pool. Whether you are looking for the very first liner for your new above ground pool or a replacement liner, there are certain factors and considerations that you should take into account in order to ensure that you choose the best liner for your above ground swimming pool.

Above ground swimming pool liners are constructed from durable vinyl and are widely available for both round and oval pools. Pool liners for above ground swimming pools are also available in two basic styles — beaded liners and overlap liners. Above ground pools are typically designed to use either beaded or overlap liners, so the type of liner that you will need will depend on the requirements of your specific pool. Naturally then, one of the first factors you need to consider when purchasing above ground pool liners is whether you need a beaded or overlap liner.

Once you know the shape and style that your new liner needs to be, it’s time to consider size. Fortunately, vinyl pool liners for above ground pools are available in many different sizes. For example, there are both beaded and overlap above ground swimming pool liners for pools with 48 inch walls and 52 inch walls and for pools that are 15 feet round, 30 feet round and many sizes in between. Also, some retailers of pool supplies offer custom sized liners for pools of unusual shapes or sizes or for pools with deep middles. So no matter what size your pool may be, there should be above ground swimming pool liners available that will fit your pool’s specific dimensions.

Other important factors to take into account when purchasing pool liners for above ground swimming pools are quality and durability. These two characteristics go hand in hand as higher quality liners will generally last the longest and will exhibit the greatest resistance against UV radiation from the sun as well as ice, snow and other harsh weather conditions. Pool liners for above ground pools are typically constructed from either 20 gauge or 25 gauge virgin vinyl. Both gauges will provide you with excellent durability but if your pool is used heavily each year or is frequently exposed to harsh weather conditions, you may prefer a 25 gauge liner over a 20 gauge liner. On the other hand, 20 gauge liners will be suitable for swimming pools with average or low usage.

While size, shape and quality are crucial considerations with respect to choosing above ground swimming pool liners, colour and design are also factors that should not be overlooked. This aspect of choosing a new liner can also be fun. Vinyl pool liners for above ground swimming pools are available in a vast array of different designs and patterns including solid blue, aquarium patterns, Atlantis patterns, swirl patterns and rock and boulder patterns. Liners with these designs can add a special touch to your swimming pool, giving it an eye-catching look and transforming it into an aesthetically appealing centerpiece for your yard.

Attractive Tarpaulins For Market Stall Covers And Fire Retardant Tarpaulins To Protect Against Fire

Tarps are the best and perfect material for Lorries or any traders who work outside. A tarp generally is used to protect people from the elements most specifically rain. Tarpaulins find wide application in market stalls and to protect against fire. Market stall covers helps your stall to stand out from the rest of the stalls with its eye-catching attractive colors. Flame retardant tarpaulins are invaluable when used to give a worker shelter against the elements when they are using flame whether that is through welding or another activity.

Market stall tarpaulins are UV stabilized to inhibit material degradation and color fade. They are produced with a dense weave and extra heavy polyethylene coating on both sides for super strength and durability. Market stall tarpaulins come in three different shades like, red and white striped, green and white striped, and blue and white striped. Red and super white striped tarpaulins are ideal for market stall covers, awnings and patio covers. These tarpaulins are strong, durable and eye-catching, helping your stall to stand out of the rest. They are UV protected, water proof, rot proof, shrink proof, flexible and easy to handle with eyelets at one meter interval and a plastic patch reinforcing the four corner eyelets. These market stall tarpaulins consist of a top and bottom layer with a polythene weave sandwiched between. Apart from being used as a market stall covers they find their application in external storage, agriculture, home and garden and building and construction.

Most of you are aware of flame retardant tarpaulins, it have many usages and find its application in many trades like campers, builders, boat owners, house hold use and so on. Flame retardant tarpaulins are always effective and they are used by people to protect them against fire. One important and valuable reason to choose fire retardant tarps are they are thicker and you can choose them from many sizes that suits you the best. People take all protective measure to protect them from all elements, and then why not fire? Just because it has not happened yet and thinking it will not happen. To protect yourself and your property it is always best to choose for a fire retardant material that will offer maximum coverage and protection. It is all well and good being protected from rain but what if there was a fire; you and your goods would be damaged, so always choose for fire retardant tarps. The fire retardant tarps are great tarps to protect against static electricity. These flame retardant polyethylene tarps or fire resistant tarps are built with the highest of standards.

Buying Genuine Epson Projector Lamps Online

Epson is one of a number of projector brands for which it is possible to buy low-cost projector lamps online. Gone are the days of ordering Epson projector lamps from under-stocked retail stores, or ordering by post and telephone and having to wait for days. Now, you can log straight on to an internet store and pick from hundreds of products usually, with next day delivery.

Such stores significantly undercut retail store prices, since they dont have the overheads that the retail stores do.

There are also companies that specialise in supplying projector lamps of most brand types, including Epson projector bulbs, and many of these companies deal exclusively online cutting their costs still further and allowing even higher savings. They pare marketing and packaging costs down to the bone passing the savings on to the consumer.

Of course, if you choose to buy alternative projector lamps rather than the originals, you should be careful that their lamps are not dangerous fakes. Genuine Epson projector lamps are sourced from the OEMs (original equipment manufacturers).

People often ask: Whats the difference between Epson projector lamps and Epson projector bulbs? The answer is nothing but they are different to normal bulbs. Replacing a projector bulb isnt just a matter of popping a new one in the socket, like a light bulb. The key component is an ARC light (the same sort used in football stadiums). This is filled with mercury vapour at extremely high pressure a dangerous combination. The light is ignited by an electric spark and is then maintained at a lower voltage.

Mercury vapour bulbs are complex pieces of technology, with a variety of electrical components. The most important of these are ballasts which, after the initial arc has been fired, control the quantity of current being fed through the bulb. The bulb may also contain a starter, a third electrode and a thermal switch.

The vapour pressure has to be exact, and the ballasts calibrated very precisely, to ensure optimum safety and efficiency. Mercury vapour bulbs are fragile and easily broken, meaning theres danger from both flying glass and escaped mercury. Its also easy to damage the lamp and/or projector if you try to replace the ARC bulb yourself. For this reason, projector lamps are created as an integral unit, the bulb sealed behind a reflector which protects the user from heat, mercury and UV radiation (the heat inside Epson projector lamps exceeds that of the sun!)

Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous online retailers selling poor quality fakes. Often branded to look like the manufacturers original, they are usually recons, put together in sweatshops well away from the strict quality controls that Epson and their OEMs insist upon. So be very wary of online stores selling unfeasibly cheap Epson projector lamps. As you can see, manufacture is a highly specialised process, labour intensive and on a small scale.

If youre on a budget, use an online store that supplies original Epson projector lamps and is an authorised Epson supplier.

Koi Pond – Liners Vs. Professional Construction

Why is there so much talk about pond liners? Which ones are UV protected, or stronger, or last longer? I am by no means an expert on liner technology, nor have I ever used them in my 29 years of designing and building waterfalls. If you’re a “liner guy” disciple, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Oh no, here he goes.” To tell the truth, I have been minding by own business for over two decades, just watching, reading and listening to all the “experts.”

I’ve listened to how “pond liners are simple to install,” and “pond liners are inexpensive compared to concrete and steel,” and “pond liners are quick to install.” Or “pond liners last for 50 years,” “pond liners bring higher profits to pond construction and waterfall construction,” and “liners don’t contaminate the water with alkali as does concrete construction.” Yes, I’ve almost sold myself on listening to the facts of the “experts.” Well, not quite, due to a few facts of my own.

So, a pond liner is guaranteed for 40 to 50 years? I would have to agree with that, as long as you leave it in its box the whole time. Too bad a liner manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t include damage from gophers, ground squirrels, chipmunks, rats or mice. Or tree, plant and weed roots. Or from stretching and punctures in the liner due to heavy rocks and other sharp objects. Startling fact: a puncture only the size of a pin hole can cause a pond to lose one drip per second, or 5 gallons in just 24 hours. That’s a pin hole, not a hole made by a pair of buck teeth on a burrowing mammal.

Imagine along with me for a minute: You have spent $350 on a pond design and then $8,000 of your hard-earned money for a pond and waterfall. This water feature is impressive. They dug a big hole, piled up some dirt at one end, draped a large rubber liner over the whole thing, and placed giant boulders all around the fish pond and on the dirt mound. Smaller rocks fill in between the boulder and additional rocks cover the liner in the pond. Now, it’s two years later and you’ve just come home from a two-week vacation to find the pond half empty (or half full, if you’re a positive person).

There must be a leak! How did this happen? Where is it? No problem, you think, I remember the salesman’s pitch: “If you should ever get a leak, just clean off the area around the hole, dry it off, and using the directions enclosed in the patching kit, apply this patching material.” But there’s only one problem: Where is the leak? or leaks? How do I find them? And if I do find them, and I’m successful in patching them up, what’s to keep it from leaking again?

Okay, I’m going to snap my fingers and you’ll wake up: “Snap!” Surprise! That was only a mental exercise with a happy ending. It wasn’t real. Or was it? Yes, it was. The short story you just heard was true. One out of every eight projects we do involves replacing the leaky liner for an angry fish pond/leaky liner owner.

Why am I finally speaking up now, after all these years and waterfalls and fish ponds? Because I’m angry, too! Not at the “liner guy” who sells the pond liners, but at his disciples around the country who are bragging how much money they make in just one or two days. I’m not upset at the fact that they make in two days what takes me six to seven days to make in constructing my fish ponds of rebar and 3000 psi concrete.

My ire stems from having to charge $8,000 to replace a $6,000 liner pond that lasted only two years. (A pond liner with padding didn’t stop a tree root which traveled 25 feet to do its destructive work.) For only an additional 16% in cost, that client could still be enjoying his original pond, stress-free, for his lifetime and that of his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The main features touted by pond liner promoters are simplicity, low cost, quick installation, and extremely high profits. In an article published in his catalog/magazine of liners and accessories, the “liner messiah” has obviously taught his disciples well, as you can read in this excerpt:

“If you hire us to install your pond, you get a choice of buying it with or without a stream. We offer no other choices! The pond we build covers an area of 11 by 16 feet, has a maximum depth of 2 feet, and a beautiful waterfall. We’ll build your pond in one day. The basic pond costs $5,100 and if you want to connect the falls with a stream, you’re looking at an extra $1,000. That’s it. End of story. No mas.”

That’s what Ernie Selles, president of Patio Ponds and disciple of the “liner guy,” said. Another quote from Ernie in the same catalog is, “I get out of bed every morning and look forward to going to work in a way that I never had before.” I noticed he didn’t mention how well he slept.

Let’s do the math on Ernie’s installation. The pond, stream, and waterfall cost is $6,100. The actual retail cost of the kit is only $1,000. $5,100 profit for only one day of labor. Notice: unlike our package, they offer no lights, no autofill, and the pond is only two feet deep. Yet three feet minimum are required for koi fish. A two foot pond affords no protection from predators such as raccoons and herons, and the shallow depth is affected easily by rapid temperature changes, causing undue stress on the pond’s inhabitants. They do not like to construct ponds over two feet deep, because they are more susceptible to cave-ins.

We would build the same pond with a depth ranging from 3 to 3 feet, with no shallows for dining predators. It is constructed of rebar 18 inches on center with a shell of 3000 psi concrete (sidewalks and driveways are typically 2000 psi). This 7 sack, 60% pea with fiber mix is so dense that it’s waterproof. However, we still coat it with ThoroSeal. The pond is equipped with two anti-vortex bottom suction drains, a skimmer to remove surface debris, and an out-of-pond pump that produces 5000 gallons per hour at only 2.6 amps, compared to the liner guy’s pumps which are only 4200 gallons per hour at 7.6 amps – over twice the cost of energy! In addition, you have to pull his heavy cast iron monster pump out of the water to clean out debris.

We would also include a state of the art Aqua Ultraviolet filter and UV light – the best money can buy. The liner guy’s filter needs to be disassembled in order to clean it by hand. The Ultima II filter requires the simple turn of a handle to back flush the debris. This system has been operational in my water features for nine years with no problems. We include an ultraviolet light in our system that kills the bacteria that create smells, kills pathogens that cause disease and algae spores that turn the water green. This light has a wiper arm that cleans the internal lens without the need to open the light.

We also offer an automatic electronic water level control system, the “AquaFill” by Aquamedia Corp.com that keeps the water level of the pond constant. Pond liner installers use floats that are mechanical like the float in a toilet tank. Mechanical fillers can corrode and stick, causing overflows and even poisoning the fish with excess chlorinated water. However, the AquaFill does not stick or corrode.

Not only are all our ponds designed a minimum of three feet deep, we build caves for the turtles and fish to hide in. With pond liner construction, rocks cannot be cemented to the liner and consequently many are loose, creating a hazard if someone were to step on them. Kids will be kids and I promise they will eventually be running up and down the falls. We have no loose rock because they are all cemented in place with Aquamedia Mortar Mix, which is not only three times stronger than regular mortar, it is very dense. As a result, alkali will not leach out into the water and create a pH problem. Regular mortar mix is porous and water passes through the joints of the rock, carrying with it cement residue. This in turn creates stain trails high in pH, easily poisoning the fish.

In conclusion, as an educated customer, would you pay $6,100 for a rubber pond liner or spend the same amount or a little more to get a shell made of concrete and steel that not only would never leak, but would last for decades. So what are we as contractors looking for? Exorbitant profits or peace of mind with long-term, happy clients?

It is more enjoyable for me to get a call eight years down the road from a content client than to get a complaint of a leaky pond. What does the “liner guy” disciple say? “Sorry, we only have a one year warranty”? Or do they go back and remove all the rocks, pull out the pond liner, clean it, repair the leaks, and replace all the rocks and equipment at no cost? Liners or professional installations?

If you say pond liners are professionally installed, then why is the very same liner kit sold to homeowners and do-it-yourselfers? The reason is, it doesn’t take an experienced professional to install one.

All you need is “a garden hose and a shovel”!

Look before you leap, and ponder before you weep. Happy koi, peace and joy.

Start an Internet Retail Business and Make it a Real Success

Internet marketing is an amazing way to get a vast range of prospects brought extra locally to your automotive repair shop. It lets persons who usually wouldn’t have the chance of seeing fix shop speedy entry to you at the touch of their fingertips. Specifically when they need it most. Now it’s just up to you. Are you heading to use the greatest marketing instrument to its your advantage?

On the internet businesses swept the world in modern several years. One particular is ready to obtain nearly almost everything they anticipate as a result of the Internet, this kind of as clothes, house wares and even foods, etc. Then it is also feasible to acquire eyeglasses at World wide web eyeglasses merchants.ts.

Eyeglasses offered in Online glasses stores are considerably less costly than people sold in native optical stores. The expense of a pair of eyeglasses in regular stores contain the the common cost of the eyewear in addition to lease, expense of put on and tear, additional price for stock, and needed service cost. Compared with regular ones, Web glass outlets get rid of a fantastic vast majority of these bills, then half of the price tag will be saved. This is the major purpose for the popularity of On-line optical merchants. What’s a lot more, Web glass retailers offer you excellent comfort for those who do not have ample time going out for procuring.

However, in talk of obtaining glasses, especially prescription glasses, a single would experience puzzled how could one particular achieves to purchase a suitable pair considering that it is a will need to for us to try out them on to look at the dimensions and vision previous to purchase.This is indeed an question have to have to inquire, but if ample preparation is produced, it does function. To start with, get your prescription in a professional eyecare center. On the prescription record, detail info concerning your eyes and eyesight will be integrated, these as the pupil distance. Then you could get the appropriate eyeglasses in accordance to people details secondly, measure your head circumference so as to guarantee the entire body of eyeglasses will not be too broad, resulting in frequent sliding. Normally you will be encouraged to obtain a pair of the equivalent type to the 1 you are wearing or have worn thirdly, make convinced what varieties of eyeglasses you will need, together with the colour, content and some other trimmings, and so forth.. For example, if your operate usually requires you to go out usually, UV resistant lenses are required. For some other puzzles, you could seek the advice of professional opticians On-line. This is a free support.

Thankfully, possessing to the fast advancement of World-wide-web market, improvements have been drastically reached in the World-wide-web company, which include those Internet glass outlets. In some shops, check out-on process has been applied. It is a procedure which allows you to upload your head photo, and you could decide on different eye wears to “try them on” on your head photo. Consequently, buying eyeglasses On-line would seem much more probable and reliable.

This sklepy internetowe the major motive for the popularity of On-line optical shops.

Edgar E. Kneel is the lead IT specialist for an World wide web sklepy internetowe and blogs about his experiences and strategies in his blog Web Retailer Weblog [http://www.internetretailerblog.com/Blog site/Multi-Keep_Net_Retailing.aspx] – Multi-Retailer Internet Retailing.

What Is An On-line Store And How Does It Do the job?

When To Use Embossing, Spot Uv And Foil Stamping On Business Cards

Business card enhancement features like spot UV, embossing, and foil stamping can truly help differentiate your business in the minds of your customers and clients. But which one is the best? Read on to find out.

Embossed Business Cards

Embossing is where certain elements of your business card are raised by virtue of them getting pushed through from the opposite side of the card. The effect is similar to a credit card, where the account number is raised on the front and recessed on the back.

Embossing works well for text or even a water seal type of logo effect, however it does have limitations.

For one, you do not want artwork in the embossed area; you want the embossed areas to be clear of artwork on both sides or else the artwork and embossing will become jumbled and will look awful.

Additionally, most printers are not able to precisely line up embossing with ink. The exact embossed areas could shift 1/16 1/8 during the production process. So for example, if your card has a black background, the embossed areas must be black as well. You would not be able to have, say, white text embossed because it is not feasible for the embossing to line up with the underlying white text perfectly every time.

If you want your business card enhancement feature to allow for color that is different from the cards background color, consider either spot UV or foil stamping.

Spot UV Business Cards

Spot UV is where specific areas of your card are treated with a glossy coating. This effect does not impact the underlying color, it only makes the treated areas slightly raised and shiny relative to the non-glossy business card stock.

Typically, spot UV does not have the same alignment problems as embossing. With todays technology, spot UV can be precisely lined up against any ink-based design element. So here, if you had a black background with white text, you could have the text treated with spot UV so that it is shiny, raised, and white.

Spot UV works only on non-glossy cardstock, as doing spot UV on glossy business cards will not create a visible effect (everything is already glossy). Silk business cards are the best option for spot UV, because they are non-glossy and extremely durable.

Foil Stamped Business Cards

Foil stamping is where specific parts of your card are coated with a layer of metallic foil. It is typically offered in gold, silver, green, red or blue.

The foil stamped areas are not limited to only the cards background color like embossing. However, although color can be utilized, you are limited to the foil colors offered by the printer.

Also, foil stamped business cards are usually subject to the same shifting that could occur with embossed business cards, so it is important not to have any artwork in the stamped areas.

Which One Should You Use?

Generally speaking, none of these enhancements are available on glossy business cards. All 3 are most effective on silk business cards, so if you plan on utilizing a silk cardstock, your options are wide open.

Of the 3 options discussed, embossing is typically the least preferred because of the aforementioned color and artwork limitations. Additionally, embossed business cards are usually the most expensive of the three.

Foil stamping is also relatively expensive, but at least this feature offers more color options. The downside is that the foil can sometimes flake, peel or appear blotchy. Additionally, foil stamped business cards tend to become worn at an accelerated rate as they get pulled in and out of a wallet.

Most often, spot UV business cards provide the best bang for your buck. This option is by far the least expensive of the three, offers the full gamut of color availability, and is not subject to the same flaws as foil and embossing.

Principles In Business Card Creation

Business cards or also known as the calling cards are considered as one of the most powerful tools in marketing today. If you have to get good market recognition, you need to have effective business cards. It is always a must for you to send or give out your business cards to many people in many different places to get good market reach. Your business cards are your representative so it important that you have it designed and printed well. Likewise, your cards need to use high quality materials to give you a professional and reliable image. If your business card is lacking one of these things in one area, the whole purpose of investing your money in creating and printing these cards will just be a waste. To improve your skills and know-how about business cards, below are some of the principles that you can consider.

There are usually so many different online printing companies that offer different business card designs. But most of these designs are common and have been used by many other businesses. So, be sure to choose a unique and memorable design. Look for a good online printing company who will design only for you and always ask them to guarantee you that they will not use the design that they have made for you to their other customers.

1. Do not stuff so many things when it comes to your business cards. Keep in mind that your card does not have enough space, so always make it simple, attractive, and professional.

2. When you hand your business card to someone, he or she will first look at your business logo. Therefore, it is very crucial to highlight the logo of your business. Be sure to create an attractive and compelling logo.

3. The choice of color and especially the background always matters. You can always use the colors which are related to your business theme. If you do this right, you will have a good and suitable business card for your business.

4. Using effects on your business card is also a great idea. These effects can include lamination, matte filing, embossing, UV coating and the ink rose. All these said effects will aid your business card to look better and become a good marketing tool that will effectively promote your business in the market.

5. There are so many different online printing companies that are available in the internet nowadays. Check out each of them; always check their online portfolios to know how capable they are in handling your printing job. Once you are satisfied with their work sample, it is now time to check their prices. Do they have a reasonable price? Do they give some discounts for first time customers? These are the things that you should always think off for you to attain a good and high quality business card even with just a limited budget.

There are also some online printing companies that offer bundled packages in printing. Trying these offers will help you save money since these offers are sometimes budget friendly and provide a good output. Always keep in mind not to make any compromise when it comes to the quality of the printing. If some printing company asks for a high fee in printing your business card templates, you can also consider getting their service since they will also provide you with a first class output.

Ways to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Today people are getting more interested in making energy-efficient houses for many different reasons but ultimately to save money. There is one thing that has stopped many people from making their house more energy-efficient. They wonder if doing it will cost them too much money which would defeat the purpose in the first place.

Sure, if youre planning to install a solar water heater or rebuild your house to be more environment-friendly, you can take out your wallet and make sure therere no holes inside, but really, making your house energy efficient is neither too expensive, nor too time-consuming.

In fact, some simple steps that you can take will easily do the job for you.

Turn off lights and fans/A/Cs when youre not in the room.
Set youre A/C temperature at 78 fahrenheit. That is cool enough to keep you comfortable. Keep it at a temperature that wont use up too much electricity. Also, if the weather outside is pleasant, opt to open a window rather than turning on the A/C.
Plant trees and shrubs outside your house. Another thing you can do is to extend your window sill on whichever side youre more comfortable with, and place pots there.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs. CFLs are not only more energy-efficient, they also last longer. In fact, CFLs are so energy-efficient that if you leave the room for short periods of time, leaving the light on will consume less energy than turning it off. Sometimes, however, people are not comfortable with the light that CFLs give out. In such cases, just remember that yellow light takes up a lot more energy than white light, and that tube lights are also a healthier option than bulbs.
Make sure your walls are properly insulated. This prevents the heat outside from filtering in on hot days, and the heat from inside filtering out during winter. If your house has no wall insulation, blown-in insulation will help save enough energy to be cost-effective.
If you are changing your windows, consider replacing them with energy-efficient models. If replacing your windows is not an option, consider installing a UV blocking window film.
Repair all leaking faucets and pipes. This should save you quite some water. Remember to turn off the tap when youre brushing your teeth or washing dishes, etc. Also, install energy efficient shower heads.
Make sure your air conditioner is always running at peak efficiency. Clean air filters at least once a month; dirty filters consume a lot of energy.
And lastly, schedule an energy audit for expert advice on your home. Conduct a home energy audit to determine the largest savings potential for your house. You can either conduct one yourself, or call an independent auditor for a more detailed examination.