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July, 2008 Issue
Articles:
 Excel – Making Excel Do Your Data Entry
Printer Terms
PowerPoint – Keeping Your Notes With You
 Excel - Making Excel Do Your Data Entry
 When doing any kind of data entry in Excel, you can take advantage of the auto complete setting that gives you the ability to type a couple of characters and Excel will automatically match and fill in that word/phrase (if it’s been used in any row above it).
The tricky part to remember is it only works when your list is continuous. In the example shown here, when I went to type in “Co” in the fifth row “Connecticut” appears automatically because it’s been entered already (in row two). Hit enter (or arrow down) to enter Connecticut in that cell or keep on typing if you want to enter something different (like Colorado). Warning, if you skip a row in your list and type “Co” it won’t trigger the auto complete. Because skipping a row makes the system clear any references to the list items around it and you would have to type the full text.
Printers’ Terms
 Have you ever talked to a printer and they asked you “Does the piece bleed?” or “Will this job need to be kiss cut?” Your reaction is – what are they talking about, I just need something printed!
Knowing these terms can help you avoid any misunderstandings. So, get ready to learn some standard print terms.
Bleeds – this is when the color on your page extends (or bleeds) right to the edge of the paper vs there being a border around the edges of your piece. In the example shown here, the blue bar in the top example is at the edge of the paper - on the left and bottom (that’s the bleed). In the bottom example you notice the empty border around the blue bar (no bleed).
When setting up a piece with bleeds it’s required that you extend the color or graphic out at least 1/8” on all sides from the print margins so that when the piece is trimmed the bleed is achieved.
Die Cutting - the process of cutting irregular shapes into paper to create such things as labels, boxes or cartons. An example is the cut out on the top of any facial tissue box - that is done by die cutting.
Dummy - a preliminary mockup of your piece. It could be as simple as blank paper to show the final size, or it could be the final content printed and folded or put together by hand to get an idea of how the piece will be. For example, when we create a tissue box for a client we will print the sheets that make up the tissue box, trim, and fold the printed piece to form a box so the client can see what the final product will look like.
Kiss Cut - a die cut that barely cuts through the paper. The die “kisses” the surface and doesn’t cut through the backing. An example of this would be if you were having oval stickers printed - a cut would be made on the adhesive part, but not the backing sheet.
Web Printing - Web printing refers to printing on a press on paper that is feed from rolls (webs) of paper vs sheets of paper. This term originated before the world wide web and has no connection.
PowerPoint – Keeping Your Notes with You
 Did you know that in PowerPoint there is a place to keep your notes for your presentation? Perfect for those that can’t remember what to say with each slide or to provide references for a scientific presentation. The notes area is generally found under the slide itself on the bottom of the screen.
If you don’t see the Notes Area below the slide itself, look for the thin bar above the bottom of the screen until you get a doubleheaded up/down arrow (we’ve shown it in red in the illustration, but it will be black). Drag that bar until you can see the notes area.
Fun Fact for July: U.S. astronaut Neil A. Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, July 20, 1969. He placed the United States Flag on the moon on this date.
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