Our Latest Blogs

Our Solutions News Blog was envisioned to gather and share information from the very best to help you and your business to become more effective.

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One key part of being a great marketer is understanding how people think and knowing why they act the way they do. 10 principals.
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Which Social Network Should You Advertise On? Social media advertising is a great tactic to use to supplement your print advertising.
Dominion Blue Reprographics

Dominion Blue Reprographics

Monday, 17 January 2011 13:29

2010 Sustainability.. The Year That Was

It is difficult to sum up in just a few words all that the past year encompassed with respect to the business of the environment. It was a year of important gains, but also a time of setbacks and tragedy. In a way, the top newsmaker of the year was the environment itself. On the economic front, the news was mixed at best, but there were some important developments that bode well for the future.Despite lingering impacts of the economic recession, 2010 saw a virtual explosion in the global deployment of clean and renewable energy technologies. China became the world leader in wind and solar energy deployment, and renewable energy became the cornerstone of government strategies for low carbon economic growth in many countries. View Full Article. Share &/or Comment Γû║
Monday, 17 January 2011 13:00

Social Media: Glossary

  Learn the language of social media marketing. Are you confused by all the social media marketing lingo and terms? You'll want to click Here ► to view a glossary of terms. Master these and you'll be a social media know-it-all. Share &/or Comment ►
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 11:51

AutoCAD.. Returns to Mac

  After an 18-year absence, AutoCAD is finally coming back to Mac OS X. Autodesk, the company that makes the CAD program that has become the defacto industry standard, last released a native Mac version of its flagship product in 1992. Not only is AutoCAD coming back to Mac OS X, Autodesk is also bringing an AutoCAD app to the iPad and iPhone. This app will let professionals import, modify and export CAD files on the go. View Full Article. Share &/or Comment ►
Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainability are both hot topics in the AEC industry. These powerful trends are now converging as designers and contractors learn how to leverage modeling, analytical and simulation technologies to improve sustainable outcomes. View Full Article. Share &/or Comment Γû║
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 11:29

Eco-Innovation.. The Next Business Megatrend

Corporate sustainability is gathering momentum in North America. Companies like Wal-Mart and GE are indisputably proving the business case for efficiency with an environmental slant, and unprecedented numbers of corporations are jumping on the eco-efficiency bandwagon. Although it is still early days, indicators are that this trend could become a megatrend, influencing not only our economy, but our perspective on how companies should behave... View Full Article. Share &/or Comment Γû║
The 2010 North American Frost and Sullivan Award* for New Product Innovation of the Year has been awarded to Canadian company Solegear, for its 100 percent biobased Polysole plastic. According to Solegear, although many of today's biopolymers come from a natural feedstock, they are compounded using synthetic additives. Polysole, however, utilizes proprietary additives that are entirely natural and organic.

The non-toxic plastic has high impact and tensile strength, and can be efficiently processed using conventional techniques such as extrusion, blow molding and injection molding. Its biodegradation point can also reportedly be tweaked, so it can maintain its molecular integrity until product-specific compost conditions are met.

Besides being completely biobased, Solegear's polymer utilizes proprietary additives that are entirely natural and organic. The company has, thus, ensured that the there is no compromise on the renewable content of the material due to its compounding... View Full Article. Share &/or Comment Γû║

Tuesday, 13 July 2010 16:24

Print.. In The MIX : Fact-Based Research

Print in the Mix: A Clearinghouse of Research on Print Media Effectiveness brings together valuable information and research from a wide-range of credible sources on the role and effectiveness of print in the marketing media mix. Covering all areas of print, including direct mail, magazines, custom publishing, newspapers, and more, Print in the Mix's concise facts and top-line research summaries demonstrate print's effectiveness and role in generating return on investment -- alone and working synergistically with other media to drive results.

Here are just some of the ways companies are putting Print in the Mix's fact-based information to use:

  • We use Print in the Mix research to shape company media and marketing materials and presentations and sharpen focus on specific customer issues.
  • Print in the Mix has improved the content of our customer newsletter.
  • Because Print in the Mix's information is fact-based, our reps are able to talk specifics during the sales process.┬á This has been very helpful in addressing client concerns about the value of the print option and ROI.
  • We feature Print in the Mix research in our direct mail and email blasts to keep our customers in the loop.> Facts and figuresrather than opinion and anecdotal informationhelps solidify us as subject matter experts and a trusted source of industry information."
  • We've put your fast facts on our website.Put Print in the Mix's fact-based research to work for you. More. Share &/or Comment Γû║
Tuesday, 13 July 2010 15:59

Vancouver's.. Brave New Architecture

The acting director of UBC's school of architecture, Chris Macdonald, measures his words carefully. Ask him about the quality of contemporary building design in Vancouver, and the tall, blondish academic pauses for nearly half a minute before responding. And even then, his answer is somewhat oblique.

One of the things that's difficult for many contemporary architects is Vancouver had a moment of inventive brilliance after the[Second World] war, and in particular through the persona of Arthur Erickson, Macdonald responds during an interview at the Georgia Straight office. So there was this frisson, of a sort, of unprecedented brilliance in architectural design that happened.

Macdonald explains that Erickson's most celebrated projects, including the MacMillan Bloedel Building (1075 West Georgia Street)and the Simon Fraser University campus on Burnaby Mountain, were built in a different era. In the 1960s, strong-willed clients ofErickson's, such as timber baron H.R. MacMillan and former SFU chancellor Gordon Shrum, could focus on a design effort without facing interference from government panels demanding changes to the design to suit their tastes.

This city's history…had these emphatic moments of real accomplishment that could be measured against anything that was happening anywhere in the world, and certainly in North America, Macdonald says. Read The Full Story. Share &/or Comment ►

As we begin to forge our way out of this recession, the AEC industry will be faced with many new growth challenges. Providing the industry with a comprehensive and affordable online plan room is our part in helping you to face the challenges ahead. Plans and specs are not the only types of information critical to a successful Project. DFS is much more than just a plan room. Learn More or call us at 604.681.7504 to arrange a no obligation demo. Share &/or Comment Γû║
Thursday, 27 May 2010 15:27

BIM.. Here To Stay

If you've been fence sitting on the BIM Standard, perhaps it's time to play some catch up. The existence of the standard is a strong indication of the rapidly maturing nature of BIM processes and policies (refer to NBIM). Their vision is for an improved planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance process by using a standardized machine-readable information model for each facility, new or old, which contains all appropriate information created or gathered about that facility in a format useable throughout its life-cycle by all. To learn more see BIM ThinkSpace. Share &/or Comment Γû║
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