Recently, Mozilla released a new update with Adobe Flash disabled, by default. Flash had two unpatched hacking vulnerabilities. Abode rushed out an update and Mozilla re-enabled it, however, you get a warning message before it plays. Facebook’s CSO is calling for the end of Flash, while Google announced they would block auto-playing Flash elements with the new stable Chrome release. http://bit.ly/1HRewN4

How does this reflect on your digital publication? If your publication is vintage and still using Flash elements, it’s time for a change! We’re ahead of the game and have been for some time, creating digital publications in HTML5. HTML has been around for over 20 years, it allows us to embed video clips and other multimedia tools. One of the main benefits is that HTML5 does not require a plugin, it can run on any computer or mobile device. Don’t be limited with the use of Flash.

Take your digital publication to the next level and give users a full experience. Call our friendly sales team at 888.391.0202 or email at sales@dirxion.com and they can help get you started.

Kennametal is the trusted innovator in metal cutting technology. Founded in 1938 they are the American supplier of tooling and industrial materials. The corporation has become a world leader in the metalworking industry. Kennametal is here to be a part of your team. With over 12,000 employees serving 80,000 customers in over 60 countries they continue to lead the way in future innovation.

The newest asset to their customer-centric motto is their digital catalog in 14 different languages. The Beyond Drive Campaign is just a preview to the Big Book that will come out next year. Looking for something specific and need more specs now, view their interactive digital catalog.

http://catalogs.kennametal.com/app.php

Just a few blocks from Dirxion, you’ll find one of the top music publishers, MorningStar. MorningStar provides services to dealers, specializing in publishing music for churches and schools. Initially, when they contacted Dirxion they wanted a digital solution allowing users to follow sheet music while listening. Were we able to deliver? You bet!

We LOVED the idea and our developers came up with a seamless solution. I could go on with a description, but just listen along in the demo below to get the awesome experience!

Sometimes, Google discontinues products which customers find really useful. Recently, they started alerting catalog publishers about discontinuing their digital catalog production later this year, some time in August. By the time that date rolls around, some of you may be out of luck with where to host and produce your digital publication. While no public announcement has been made, there has been an email circulating with some of the following information:

The Google Catalogs publishing service will be permanently discontinued on August 4, 2015, with any published material or embedded hosted material remaining live until this time. However, support will end on May 4, 2015. This includes assistance with catalog creation, help with website embedding, and answering other support related questions.

Online catalogs have become an increasingly important part of your online store and the end of Google’s catalog self-serve product may have caught some by surprise. Hopefully, you knew about the shutdown, but you may not be aware of a wonderful promotion we have for existing Google Catalog customers. We want to provide you with an opportunity to try the Dirxion Compass Digital Catalog without making a long term commitment. And we are introducing a one-time Proof of Concept opportunity to you, right now!

This allows you to experience how a full-service provider presents the digital catalog to your online shoppers and witness the performance improvement of a Dirxion Compass publication. From helping you pronounce Dirxion (it’s pronounced dīˈrekSH(ə)n, by the way) to providing performance feedback, we do it all.

Google Catalogs and Dirxion are not created equal. Do-It-Yourself software will always have it’s place, but can limit the possibilities and customization that current tech allows. From the very beginning in 1996 we set out to make an innovative custom product with our strong development and production teams. You may not see our developers front and center, but they are hard at work staying ahead of the industry and creating new features! All you have to do is sit-back, relax and enjoy the ride.

You’ll still be able to get many great online products from Google, but a digital catalog will no longer be one of them.  Don’t get caught up in the uncertainty of trying out a new DIY. We hope you take this opportunity to go in a new Dirxion.

Simply stated, a widget is anything that can be put “on top” of a web page. Now the technical definition, it is a rich media application that can be embedded onto a page within your digital publication adding more value.

Grab a user’s attention and engage them with the widget of your choice. It can be as simple as an image ad showcasing a sale, new product or even a discount code. Ballard Design makes great use out of their ad widget by including a special offer on page 2 that they can update at any time. For a more interactive ad, you could use a video in your widget, much like the Dublin, Ohio Visitor and Event Guide. After scrolling through a couple pages, you can see the interactive video they created. Makes you want to dance a jig and drink a pint!

R Stahl uses ad widgets to connect with their customers offering live chat. Dollar Tree promotes coupons and uses the widget to present terms and details. So clever

If you’re considering an ad widget, first find a size that works best for your product. For the best viewing experience we recommend the following dimensions: The prime sizes for desktop are 249 pixels x 600 pixels , 1566px x 600px, 249px x 929px, and 643px x 832px. The best size for a tablet is 600px x700px. And for a smartphone 250px x 250px usually has the best resolution. Second, decide if you want to host the widget or simply send us an image. Finally, think about what you want the widget to do. These are just guidelines though, if you would like to discuss further, we are more than happy to chat!

Take your digital publication to the next level and give users a fuller experience with an ad widget. Call our friendly sales team at 888.391.0202 or email at sales@dirxion.com and they can help get you started.

We’re celebrating Earth Day, this marks the 45th year it’s been nationally recognized. In 1996, Dirxion advocated to help make the planet a little greener. We knew print was too important to disappear, but if we could help companies eliminate some of their print by offering a digital product, our green mark would get a little bigger. In the past year, we’ve digitized close to a million pages, I’d say that is a lot of trees. And that is just in one year, imagine what we’ve done in the past 19 years!

We’re still on the green track, every year we try to add something new. From adding small green touches to our website (www.dirxion.com) to getting rid of the vending machine and have a self serve vending area. We also share books in our community library, eliminate screen savers, recycle, and have plants everywhere! What green changes will you make this week?

Calling Dirxion should be one of them! Go green today and show mother nature some love!

Nordson, the world’s leading precision fluid dispensing systems manufacturer, just made it faster and easier for customers to find exactly what they are looking for. They just announced the release of Engineered Fluid Dispensing Product Catalog Sixth Edition. Not only is the catalog digital, it’s available as an app for offline use and it supports nine languages!

Nine languages? That’s right and that’s just the beginning of what this powerful tool can do! Find specific products and parts numbers through the keyword search. Quickly access additional info to products such as direct EFD web linking, data sheets, videos and add to cart. Request quotes through the cart, you can even share your cart with an EFD sales person. You can even create a mini-brochure! View the catalog up close and personal at catalogs.nordsonefd.com.

Typography matters in the digital age. Preparing type for digital display is slightly different than preparing for print. The digital side deals with a much lower resolution. Therefore, fonts intended for web use can include wider letterforms and heavier thin strokes. If you plan to use smaller fonts, it’s best to use a font with more open spacing.

Another element to consider is point size. Different fonts set to the same point size do not display the same visually.

In this case, to make the best visual decision, view your product at 100% and let your eyes be the judge. Usually, the best size is between 11-14 points and don’t be afraid to use half points; i.e. 11.5pt.

We would like to showcase a few digital publications with great typography – Soma, Sun Valley Bronze, Richmond Travel Guide and David’s Bridal. Each publication has a variety of fonts, and they display beautifully in the product and reflect brand personality.

A step beyond plain text is foreign language characters. We support up to 13 languages! This section could get a little lengthy, I’ll save it for another blog post. Stay tuned!

These are just a few suggestions to help improve the overall readability. Our process allows us to work with fonts of any type as long as they are embedded in the pdf. As always we love providing tips to our customers.

If you have any questions or would like a free demo please contact our sales team at 888.391.0202 or email us at sales@dirxion.com.

View the new Soma eCatalog!

80% Of all women are wearing the wrong bra size. Yikes that’s a lot! Use Soma’s fit guide to find your size, then shop the digital catalog.

From helping you pronounce Dirxion (it’s direction by the way ) to providing performance feedback, we do it all.

Not all digital publishing houses are created equal. Do-It-Yourself software will always have it’s place, but can limit the possibilities and customization that current tech allows. From the very beginning in 1996 we set out to make an innovative custom product with our strong development and production teams. You may not see our developers front and center, but they are hard at work staying ahead of the industry and creating new features!

In our line of business, applications with options are better suited to meet customer needs. The customizable elements of our platform and premier service provides a competitive advantage for our customers. Customers as diverse as Baker Furniture and Super Bowl champs New England Patriots have requested and received custom interface design elements to match their style.

Lawson Fleet Solutions recently implemented a slick catalog solution to ensure users can easily navigate to their desired products. The guide starts off with ‘hot dots’ that direct you to the primary product page, which then leads you to a page of related products. From there you are able to explore Lawson’s products with their e-commerce site viewable within a lightbox keeping the user in the catalog. Lawson required diligenceand precision for the creation of this digital catalog so that it is a great solution when users need to find exactly what they want quickly!

We want to hear your ideas and vision for your digital publication. Call our friendly sales team at 888.391.0202 or email at sales@dirxion.com and they can help get you started.