Reader question follow up: printing labels

I thought I would round up the advice and feed back I received with regard to printing labels. One comment and several private emails provided good tips. Dick Fisher left a comment with some good advice...

I have used Avery and Staples own brand labels with total success. Using "Word" and selecting "tools" then "envelopes and labels" leads to a dialogue box which allows the printing of a single label or a whole page to your selected label type. It is also possible to carry out a mail merge - pulling in addresses from a database direct to the labels. Through the whole process, it is possible to preview the document before printing so wasting expensive paper should be a thing of the past! I currently use an Epson R800 printer and have also printed custom cards and envelopes on this and HP Laserjets. As for where to buy labels, I would suspect that any establishment selling paper should sell labels! Best of luck.

So Dick was able to create his labels using Microsoft Word. Of course the other alternative is OpenOffice which also has templates for creating labels.

Another good tip is for when you are checking to see if the printer is aligned properly, the text is within the label itself. Print out your tests on blank paper. Lay that on top of the label sheet and then hold them both up to a light source. You should see the outline of the label and the text. You can now check to make sure the text is in the right place. Saves you using up lots of label sheets.

Dick mentions in his comment mail merge with a database to print out labels. This is a handy for marketing etc. Capture names and addresses in a database then use the word processor to take that information and automatically create a label for each one. Great for gite and holiday rental owners sending out information and marketing leaflets to existing and potential new clients.

19 November 2008 | Questions | Comments 0

Iris - the new browser for Windows Mobile 5 and 6

If you have a mobile deice running Windows Mobile 5 or 6 then you might want to take a look at this new browser. Iris from Torch Mobile is currently in Beta (still ironing out the bugs) but provides a better web surfing experience than Windows Mobile Internet Explorer.

I installed Iris on my Windows Mobile PDA (HP iPaq Rx4240) direct from the Torch Mobile website. It comes as a CAB file so you wont need a PC to transfer the file across for installation.

The browsing experience was impressive. My PDA has a touch sensitive screen and I use a stylus to control actions. Once I got a website on the screen, I noticed a lack of scroll bars. To move around the page I held down the stylus and dragged it around. Double taps zooms in and out of the page however you can select zoom level from the 'page' menu. The zoom function is animated so instead of jumping to a bigger or smaller view, it grows or shrinks. A very nice touch indeed.

The loading time of web pages is fast and the animation and scrolling is smooth which I find amazing considering underlying processing power of my Hp iPaq.

Another benefit is that Javascript is built in. This means that at last I can now access my Google Adsense account in full. The supplied Internet Explorer mobile does not.

The history function from the 'navigate menu' displays stacked pages (similar to how Vista displays running programs) of websites you visited in the past. Again a nice touch.

The browser is in beta so there are bugs and strange happenings, though I have not encounted any so far.

If you have a Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device (phone or PDA) with touch screen then you will proberly get the most out of it.

18 November 2008 | Browsers | Comments 0

Reader question: What is the best way to print labels?

I have received a question about label printing and I am seeking your help. I don't have much experience with labels but I do know that you can buy them on sheets for printing.

• Where do you buy label sheets in France?
• Do you use office software or a dedicated program?
• Which printer have you used to successfully print labels?

Please leave your hints and tips in the comments below.

15 November 2008 | Questions | Comments 1

The Matrix: it runs under Windows?

What would it be like if the Matrix was a Windows application?

15 November 2008 | Just for fun | Comments 0

Apple release Safari update

Apple has released an update for their web browser, Safari. The 40Mb download is available by either the normal updating system or from the Safari product page. It fixes a number of issues including protection from phishing websites and provides better identification of online businesses.

More details on the security updates can be found in tech note HT1222 and tech note HT3298 provides the details on the fixes.

14 November 2008 | Web Browsers | Comments 0

Google gives SEO advice to beginners

Google has released a PDF document covering optimization for search engines. The Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide is aimed at those who are new to search engine optimization (SEO) and covers the 'best practices' used inside Google.

Our Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide covers around a dozen common areas that webmasters might consider optimizing. We felt that these areas (like improving title and description meta tags, URL structure, site navigation, content creation, anchor text, and more) would apply to webmasters of all experience levels and sites of all sizes and types. Throughout the guide, we also worked in many illustrations, pitfalls to avoid, and links to other resources that help expand our explanation of the topics. We plan on updating the guide at regular intervals with new optimization suggestions and to keep the technical advice current.

13 November 2008 | Website promotion | Comments 1

Website Rebuild: Heidiwoodhead.com - formatting the text with CSS

To format the text I have used CSS only, it also controls what is termed as 'roll-overs'. That is when a hyperlink background changes, either colour or image. No javascript has been used to make this happen. Standard HTML has been used and the CSS changes the behavior, for example font style, colour and spacing.

By using standard HTML we are also taking in to account search engine optimization (SEO). For titles I used H1, for subtitles I use H2, for paragraphs I used P. For the menu I used a unordered list UL. Search engines take in to account heading tags (H1, H2 etc) and give importance to words within heading tags, H1 taken as the most important. However we will get more into SEO in the next step.

You can see the page and view the source code while following this article.

Possibly the most complicated bit of code is for the menu. Several lines of CSS has been used to create the 'roll-over' effect but still using simple HTML. Lets take a look at how it was done.

The HTML is as follows...

<ul class="nav">
<li><a href="index.htm">Home Page</a></li>
<li><a href="page2.htm">Accueil français</a></li>
<li><a href="page3.htm">Translation Services</a></li>
<li><a href="page4.htm">Interpreting/Spoken Services</a></li>
<li><a href="page5.htm">Contact</a></li>
</ul>

A single reference to the CSS command is made in the HTML for a list UL – class=”nav”

Lets break down the CSS and explain what the commands for the menu do.

.nav li {list-style-type:none;font-size:14px;font-family:"Century Gothic","Century School Book L",Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:normal;color:black;margin-bottom:4px;border-left:5px solid #d8e1e5;padding:2px;display:block;}

We specify in the CSS that any LI (list item) in the list (UL) is to be formatted. That way we do not have to add CSS to each LI. In other words the formatting 'cascades' down (hence the name, CSS – cascading style sheets).

The CSS command states the font to be used, remove the bullet points, place a border only on the left, pad out the line with 2 pixels and display it as a block. The block part is important when it comes to changing the background colour, more on that in a moment.

.nav li a:visited {text-decoration:none;}
.nav li a:active {text-decoration:none;}
.nav li a:link {text-decoration:none;}

The three lines change the way the hypertext link is displayed. Again the 'cascading' effect allows a single reference to change any hypertext link. In this case I have specified no underlines.

.nav li a:hover {text-decoration:none;background:#d8e1e5;display:block;}

This single line makes the 'roll-over' effect happen. When the mouse hovers over a hyperlink inside the list, it changes the background colour. The 'display:block' combined with the first CSS command I mentioned above makes the whole line line change colour and not just the background of the words. This I think makes for a better effect.

For the rest of the CSS, I changed the way the heading tags, other lists and the paragraph tags behave.

h1 {font-size:32px;font-family: "Century Gothic","Century School Book L",Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:normal;color:black;}

h2 {font-size:22px;font-family: "Century Gothic","Century School Book L",Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:normal;color:black;}

p {font-size:14px;font-family: "Century Gothic","Century School Book L",Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:normal;color:black;}

li {margin-bottom:5px;list-style-type:square;font-size:12px;font-family:"Century Gothic","Century School Book L",Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:normal;color:black;margin-bottom:5px;}

By specifying in CSS a way for the menu list to look, it has it's own identifier, I can alter how all other lists are displayed and make sure they all look the same without creating a new identifier.

Take a look at the page and it's source to try and match what you see on the screen to the CSS code.

In the next step I will examine search engine optimization and see what we can do to improve it.

07 November 2008 | Projects | Comments 1

Play golf with out leaving your chair

Would you like to play a round of golf but can't escape the house or office? Like to play a tournament or a round friends but can't get away from the computer? Well here is a website that should help.

World Golf Tour is a complete golfing game that you play in your web browser. It is multiuser so you can play with or against friends. The graphics are superb with great action and easy for beginners to play but takes a lot of practice to master.

It is free to sign up to the site. You can create your own profile and take part in competitions with prizes. Sounds like great fun.

31 October 2008 | Just for fun | Comments 1

Email scam wants your website details

Just received an email which looks very important and real however it is a scam. It claims to be from Network Solutions who register domains such .com etc. In fact it you have a .com domain, the registration process may of involved them.

The email states that the registry information may be incorrect and you need to login to check or change it.

When you register a domain you give information like your name and address. The company hosting your website may also provide some additional information and it all goes forward to the details held against the domain name.

The email is hoping you will be convinced and click on the address given. The address does not link to Network Solutions but to a faked page that captures important data about you and your site. It looks to record any personal information that they can later use and my guess is to possibly take control of your website.

Below is the copy of the email I received so that you can see what you may get. Any hyperlinks have been removed.

Dear Network Solutions® Customer,

On Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:05:23 +0100 we received a third party complaint of invalid domain contact information in the Whois database for this domain. Whenever we receive a complaint, we are required by ICANN regulations to initiate an investigation as to whether the contact data displaying in the Whois database is valid data or not. If we find that there is invalid or missing data, we contact both the registrant and the account holder and inform them to update the information.

Please note: ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) regulations state that the WHOIS Administrative Contact may initiate and approve domain name registration transfers from your Network Solutions account to other Registrars. If you are not listed as the WHOIS Administrative Contact a transfer can occur without your knowledge if Domain Protect is not enabled for the domain name registrations listed above.

To change the WHOIS Administrative Contact Information for any of your domains, please login to Account Manager:

1. Log in to Account Manager at: http://www.networksolutions.com.
2. Click on the "Profile & Accounts" tab in the left navigation menu to be taken to a page listing your account details.
3. Click on "Accounts" and select the account you wish to edit.
4. Click "View/Edit WHOIS Contacts" to make your updates.


If you believe someone requested this change without your consent, please contact Customer Service.

If you would like to order additional services or to update your account, please visit us online.

Thank you for choosing Network Solutions. We are committed to providing you with the solutions, services, and support to help you succeed online.


Sincerely,
Network Solutions® Customer Support

30 October 2008 | Email | Comments 0

Include ADSL research before buying a house in France

So you are thinking of moving to France. You know the area you want and the style of house. You have told the estate agent to look and now have a short list of properties. But have you left something out?

Can you get ADSL?

The internet is becoming an indispensable part of modern life. With a move so far from friends and family, you will need the internet to keep in touch, possibly to run your new or existing business. It is all very well finding out if the property is going to be suitable for you but you also need to find out if ADSL is going to be available and which Internet Service Providers you can choose from.

So how are you going to do that?

The first important piece of information you will need is a phone number for the property that you are interested in. Hopefully the estate agent can provide that to you. There is also another reason why the number is important. It is easier for France Telecom to re-enable a phone line if you can tell them what the previous number was.

So with that phone number you can now find out some important information with regard to ADSL. I use a site called DSLValley, it is a French site but it is easy to use. Enter your phone number with no spaces in to the box marked “Saisissez votre numéro de téléphone pour tester votre éligibilité ADSL“ and click the graphic underneath marked “Tester Mon Eligibilite”

Here are the results for my phone number...

• Numéro de téléphone : xxxxxxxxxx

• Code NRA : SFR47

• NRA (commutateur local) : ST FRONT SUR LEMANCE

• Distance vous séparant du central : 4408 m (détails)

• Taux d'atténuation : 45.40 dB

• Débit ADSL (estimation) : Moins de 2 Mbps

• Débit ADSL2+ (estimation, si disponible) : Entre 4 Mbps et 6 Mbps

• Nombre de lignes téléphoniques : 1 000

• Type de DSLAM :

So the local exchange is located in St Front sur Lemance, just up the way from me. It is just over 4Km away. I can get ADSL with speeds less than 2Mbps and ADSL2 at 4Mbps or 6Mbps.

The important part is the distance, if you are over 7Km away from the exchange then the chances of you getting an ADSL connection are very very slim.

The ISP's available to me are Orange, Alice and Neuf. However it also informs me that not all of the services are available, such as TV and very high speed connections.

There are still many places in France where ADSL is not available. Some villages are looking to setup WIMAX, a form of WIFI with huge coverage but that is still some time away. Broadband via a mobile phone is another option but again coverage can be poor in many places. Satellite communications is another alternative but currently very expensive.

I was recently told by reader that France Telecom had told them that ADSL would be available at their new property. However once they moved in they found that there was no possibility of a connection because of the distance to the exchange.

Make sure your property research includes ADSL availability, get your estate agent to help. If there are other properties close by, you could ask them if they have a connection and what kind of speeds they get and just how reliable it is.

 

29 October 2008 | Internet | Comments 0