Gifts

[ConsAreLiars]

So I got a decent printer and my job had this party and so for a gift I made a couple of one page calendars (one cute animal and one landscape, since tastes vary) by adding the 12-month calendar data to a photo.

Also, a while back I gave some old Sierra Club calendars to a housing program. It served those among the most vulnerable and dysfunctional members of the local homeless population, at least those who could be recruited. Individual calendar pages with the art were offered as bingo prizes (the pick what you want system) and turned out to be quite popular. It was a reminder to me that all of us humans appreciate beauty, and those of us whose lives are hardest may appreciate it more than we who are luckier may realize.

Anyway, it occurred to me that that I could churn out a fair number of these calendars (or just plain prints) and give them to that agency. There are lots of groups and organizations serving people whose lives are hard. People here might want to experiment. Give a few prints (or calendars to some worthy organization, and see if the time/cost you invest in that effort is worth the trouble. I suspect that "in the end, the love you make is equal to the love you take," but even without that karmic reward, you might make a few people's days a bit brighter.

[RagingInMiami]

1. Sounds like a good idea

How much does it cost you to make the one page calendars?

[ConsAreLiars]

2. The cost is probably around $1.50 for the ones I've made.

A pack of 100 sheets of 8.5X11" paper is $25-30, if I recall correctly. Extrapolating the 4X6" ink prices at http://yahoo.pcworld.com/yahoo/article/0,aid,119573,pg,6,00.asp to 70 sq. inches gives a cost of about $1.17 for the ink. Smaller images and larger calendar print could bring it down to half that, and probably make it easier to use as a calendar.

[RagingInMiami]

3. So you do this at home?

I was under the impression that you took it somewhere to get it done.

[ConsAreLiars]

4. Yes, I finally have all the componants needed for a home darkroom

of the digital variety. Well, calibration gear and a better monitor would help, but other than gaining more skill, I now have what I need.

My image processing software has a option to generate calendar text (a month or a year) in various sizes and shapes, but I have also seen downloadable calendar templates on the net.

I've always felt the cost of decent prints from slides was prohibitive and the resulta too unpredictable, so its nice to be able to directly control the "interpretation" to paper.