A copywriter can copy the copy he writes by making a carbon copy using carbon paper.  You can also send a carbon copy by email, sort of.  You may think you know what a copywriter does and what copy means but dig deeper to find their connection with desktop publishing. And carbon paper? Some of you may never have actually used it but it's still in use even in these post-typewriter days.

We often spend a lot of time choosing fonts, colors, and the perfect pictures for our desktop publishing projects. But we all have our own preferences and biases. Even our choice of text alignment or how we crop a photo can say one thing in our mind but come across in a totally different way to someone else.  So what can we do if we can't please everyone?

"It's not always easy knowing how any one person will see your designs so we have to think in broader, more typical terms."

Read about using image editing and layout to control perception.

On a semi-related note. Whether or not you run your font, color, image, or layout choices by another person please try to get another set of eyes to check for glaring errors such as typos in your important projects. I was reading a self-published book this week on a subject that interested me greatly. It would have been a lot more enjoyable if the author had taken just a little more time with the proofreading. I find myself bringing up this topic over and over again. The occasional error slips by all of us but when every page of a not-so-lengthy book has one, two, or three typos, missing words, and incomplete photo captions it says to the reader "I don't care about you." Makes me less enthusiastic about reading their blog or any future books. I'll step off my soapbox now. Feel free to jump on yours and sound off in the comments on any related topics.

Did you make any desktop publishing resolutions for 2012? If I may make a suggestion (resolutions work any time of year) how about brushing up on your writing skills, creating some cool new personal projects with QR codes, and expanding your desktop publishing vocabulary. The topics we covered this month will get you off to a good start.

Desktop Publishing Glossary Terms Added or Expanded This Month:
Some of these terms, such as brochure or contrast aren't necessarily unfamiliar words but you may pick up some new ideas from the mini-tutorials that make up most of these glossary pages.

• Book Jacket
• Brochure
• Collaterals
• Contrast
• Desktop Printer
• Hypho

Our readers continued to sound off about PrintMaster and The Print Shop and how the newest versions don't live up to their expectations for Broderbund products. "User Unfriendly," "Childlike," and "Little to Like" are some of the descriptions used. The only thing keeping the average ratings above 1 star (out of 5) are the better ratings from the older versions of each program (before 2.0 or 2011).

• Reader Reviews: PrintMaster (average rating stands at 1.5 stars)
• Reader Reviews: The Print Shop (average rating stands at 2 stars)

What's Happening In the Forum this Month:
I've written before about printing the color white but reader mykstor poses a question about an Epson printer model that offers a white ink cartridge and wonders if there might be a way to make that cartridge work in other older Epson models. Boomwater needs some font id help. I ran it through WhatTheFont using my iPhone app and it appears to be Klavika Basic-Bold. Do you agree? PrincessSacl has a chicken or the egg question asking "What comes first, the creative brief or the contract?" Ladychrisie has posted her makeover of our business brochure for critique. There are several replies. Do you agree or have something to add?

More Things I Blogged About in January:

• Orange You Glad It's 2012? (Pantone Color of the Year is a sassy shade of orange)
• Biblical Quotes and Italics (Readers address scripture quotes)
• Reader Question: Color for Representing Iron? (What colors goes well with black iron?)
• Typography Sketchbooks (A book review)
• Pictures of Money (Interesting artwork using paper money)
• Reinventing the Keyboard (Touchscreens are changing the way we input)
• Star Wars Snowflakes (Some sci-fi inspired paper cutting)

Although we sometimes get a bit of snow where I live, I prefer it when we don't. But I do like the kind of snow made of paper. Take a look at these Star Wars Snowflakes. Darth Vader never looked lovelier.

For more fun with snowflakes: Make Snowflakes Out of Words

Now, if you're considering incorporating snowflakes into your desktop publishing projects you may run into the problem of printing the color white but snowflakes don't necessarily have to be snow white. Try icy pale blue, shimmery silver, or warm up those flakes with glittery gold.