Ever wonder how long that plastic bag will float in the surf if you don’t remove it? Did you know a cigarette butt thrown into the harbor will take up to five years to degrade? If you find that hard to comprehend we don’t even want to mention how long a plastic bottle will float around the ocean.

Studies have shown that degrading plastics are leaching potentially toxic chemicals such as bisphenol into the seas, possibly threatening ocean animals, and us. Scientists have simulated the decomposition of polystyrene in the sea and found that it degraded at temperatures of 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) [1]. Researchers behind a new study, however, found that plastic breaks down at cooler temperatures than expected, and within a year of the trash hitting the water. Tons of plastics poison our seas and put not only the wildlife at risk but also humans as we consume seafood contaminated with micro plastics.

Let’s take the example of a plastic bag that you throw on the ground. There is a fair chance that the wind or the rain carries it to a waterway down the road or directly into the sea. It would ultimately end up littering a beach, killing an animal (a sea turtle or a dolphin will easily mistake it for a jellyfish) or slowly decompose into smaller particulates suspended in gigantic garbage patches in the middle of the ocean that keep on intoxicating the food chain and ultimately you! It may be on the West coast, East coast or anywhere in the world because of moving ocean currents. Plastic should be considered a new source of chemical pollution in the ocean[2].

So do you know how long it takes for garbage to decompose in sea water, not taking into account the chemicals / particulates released in the meantime?

It is simply unacceptable to leave a destroyed environment to our children. This type of poster needs be displayed at piers, beaches and schools near all oceans and waterways – then people will have no excuse.

It is estimated that approximately 44% of all seabirds eat plastic, apparently by mistake, sometimes with fatal effects[2]. And many marine species are affected by plastic garbage—animals are known to swallow plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish in mid-ocean. According to a study published in November 2010’s Environmental Science and Technology, nearly 2,000 polyester fibers can shake loose from a single piece of clothing in the wash and, unfortunately, those tiny plastic bits are making their way into the ocean. It is our responsibility to take care of our trash, reuse & refill where we can, and recycle as many items as possible.  Here are some plastic ocean facts from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).

A nice way to help is to organize beach clean-ups; it’s fun and meaningful. Become a sea-angel! Water is precious! The more people that know about your action, the more you are going to inspire and educate others.

Choose to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and help Save the Planet!

[1] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090820-plastic-decomposes-oceans-seas.html

[2] http://grist.org/living/2011-12-07-how-microplastics-cause-macro-problems-for-the-ocean/

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Find an Ink Cartridge Refill Store Near You (USA, Canada, France & Germany)

Premium ink refilling services are provided by major retailers in the USA, Canada, France & Germany.  To find the nearest refill store and ink pricing, refer to links below:

Sam’s Club USA 

Fry’s Electronics USA

Auchan, E.LeClerc, Cora & Intermarche France

Saturn Germany 

Worldwide Ink Refill Store Locator

Retail Inkjet Solutions (Ink Refill Equipment Provider)

How to Refill Cartridges:

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For questions regarding refilled cartridge usage, printer questions/problems, new cartridge support offerings or ink refill locations please Contact Us. 

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Purchase Refilled Cartridges On-Line

If none of our retail ink refill centers are convenient for you and you would like to try a refilled/remanufactured ink cartridge from our on-line web site, INKPLICITY, our ink cartridges have a high reliability rating, come with a 1-year warranty and provide free shipping for all orders above $30 (available to USA residents only).  These ink cartridges also provide ink level monitoring as the rear flex cable with embedded acumen chip is replaced with a new one. BONUS – you can save an extra 15% by entering code ‘SAVE15’ into the coupon/code field during cart checkout: https://www.inkplicity.com/

Select HP 60, 61, 62, 63, 901, 932/933, 950/951 and 952 refilled/remanufactured ink cartridges (made in the USA!) are also available directly via Amazon:

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Skillshare teachers Dan Rubin and Tyson Wheatley dish on making better mobile photos*

Interested to see other Popular Photography articles, click here. 

60 million new photos uploaded to Instagram every single day. If the iPhone changed digital photography when it was released in 2007—Instagram’s launch in 2010 revolutionized it.

1. Good Instagram Photos Take Planning

Just like shooting film or digitally—capturing good photographs for Instagram requires planning. Occasionally there are happy accidents, but according to Wheatley these are rare. “It’s about putting yourself in a position to get a good photo,” says Wheatley.  Location scouting, experimenting with angles and, of course, planning around the light remain very important for capturing a great photo for Instagram.

Photo: Tyson Wheatley

2. Take a lot of Photos

Getting an amazing picture to share on Instagram doesn’t take just one shot. Both Wheatley and Rubin said they shoot throughout the day, often taking 10-20 frames of a single subject.

Rubin says he finds the new “favorite” photo feature in iOS 8 particularly helpful when he is shooting for Instagram. “It’s only been a week and a half that I’ve had iOS 8, but I started [using favorites] and now it’s part of my workflow,” he says. “It is very similar to my Lightroom workflow for my DSLR.”

3. Try Shooting Outside of the Instagram App

Rubin and Wheatley both typically use the native camera app on iPhone or Android, rather than the Instagram camera when shooting for the social network—it’s easy to access from the home screen, allows them to take multiple shots of the same scene without much fumbling, and offers for more control than the Instagram camera.

“Using the Instagram camera, you have basically got one shot. It’s closer to taking a Polaroid,” says Wheatley. “I want a little more control over the selection process.”

The native iPhone camera allows you to set focus and select what you are exposing for in your frame. Trying to shoot in low light? Rubin and Wheatley both recommended Cortex Cam for these situations.

4. Golden Hour and Blue Hour Still Count

While Cortex Cam can be useful for image capture in dark spaces it goes without saying that smartphones perform better in well-lit spaces.

“You always have to be really cognizant of light because lowlight and backlight are really problematic for the iPhone,” says Wheatley. “Golden hour and blue hour those are going to be your best time for creating photos. I think you need to think about programing your day around them. I know I certainly do.”

5. Hold Your Phone Horizontally

For Wheatley holding his phone horizontally, like he would with an SLR, is a no-brainer. “I find it’s easier to frame the image later if I’m going to be cropping it,” he says. “I don’t ever shoot in square because you can just be limit yourself in the editing process.”

6. Try Third Party Editing Apps and Edit in Phases

“Flexibility came into play the minute that Instagram allowed importing images from the camera roll,” says Rubin. “Once that happened it meant photographers weren’t restricted to just using the Instagram filter set.”

Rubin believes many of the current editing apps are a direct result of Instagram freeing users from the preset filters—and while VSCO is still the gold standard for most mobile shooters, there are plenty of other apps that are great for micro adjustments. Here are some of Rubin and Wheatley’s favorites.

–Snapseed: Free full feature editor, with a selective adjust option that allows you to place adjustment points on one area of an image and adjust brightness, contrast and saturation individually.

–TouchRetouch: $0.99 clone tool good for getting rid of blemishes in an image.

–Anticrop: $0.99, works like Photoshop’s content aware fill.  “Rather than cropping in, you are cropping out,” says Rubin. “It doesn’t really work all the time, but for things like skies and lakes, anything that is plain enough, it does a fantastic job.”

–Afterlight: $0.99 full feature editor, an old favorite of Rubin’s. Wheatley likes to use it to add a white border around photos that don’t fit the standard square Instagram crop.

–VSCO Cam: Free with In App Purchases. This full feature editor is the preferred photo-processing app of most mobile shooters and where Rubin and Wheatley say they do most of their major adjustments: sharpness, cropping, temperature, white balance, exposure, contrast and sometimes applying a VSCO preset. “I love the selection of presets, they suit my editing style and that helps me have a more consistent look to my images,” says Rubin.

Wheatley says he avoids doing any editing inside Instagram, but Rubin will occasionally use a preset in his final edit. “It’s a whole lot easier now because of the extra control. You can apply one of those filters and then you can dial it down,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll add the tiniest bit of Rise or Valencia, but at like five or six percent to give a slight edge when I post.”

7. Hashtags: Keep them Specific and Creative.

Hashtags can be incredibly effective, but only when they are used correctly.  Spraying your photo with 12 broad and random hashtags (#girl, #blessed, #love, #photo, #togs, #bestagram, #instamasters, #instagood) is not a smart. It comes off as spammy.

“Hashtags are part of what makes Instagram such a creative and fun place to be,” says Wheatley. “But if your strategy is to get people to see your photo and like it, then you are doing it wrong. If you are going to use a hashtag use one, and use the right one. Find a cool one or start your own.”

8. Connect with the Community

“I don’t think it can be understated that the real power of Instagram is the community,” says Wheatley. “That’s not just about meeting people, but being inspired by people. I think a lot of the photography you see has been born from the community.”

Both Wheatley and Rubin say that the online Instagram community is incredible and something that many people aren’t actively engaging with. “That is such a deep layer to this app,” says Rubin. “There is a massive world of people who are enthusiastic about what they see. Not necessarily photographers … but people who want to get together and wander around with their cameras.”

Attending an Instameet (or hosting your own) can be a great way to start connecting with that larger Instagram community. “Reach out, see what is going on and be a part of it—even if it’s just every once in a while, it can be fun,” says Rubin.

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For questions regarding refilled cartridge usage, printer questions/problems, new cartridge support offerings or ink refill locations please Contact Us. 

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Buy Remanufactured Ink Cartridges

(…save an extra 15% off your total ink cartridge purchase by entering code ‘SAVEME15’ at checkout)

*Source – PopPhoto.com: BY JEANETTE D. MOSES ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2014/09/8-tips-improving-your-instagram-photography?src=SOC&dom=fb

How advanced can printing get? In many ways, the future has already arrived. 3D printers can create products with the press of a button. Colors and texture exist on a level that people 10 or 20 years thought impossible.

So where do things go from here? Without further ado, here are 9 predictions for the future of printers.

1.       Universal access, from any device. Imagine printing any image, from any device, to any Wi-Fi connected printer. Engineers are working on the next generation of on-demand printing.

2.       3D printing will become even more capable. The incredible detail and life-like “prototypes” of today have only scratched the surface? What does that mean?

3.       3D printing will put many third-party manufacturers out of work. With no need for in-house engineering and design, 3D printers will eliminate many shops.

4.       But…3D printing will be ever-more regulated. The bad guys are out there. Weapons are just one item that will catch the eye of the authorities.

5.       The printers of tomorrow will (literally) draw the lines in crucial freedom of speech debates. With the ability to create products out of thin air, expect heated debates about who needs what.

6.       Phones and mobile devices will also serve as printers. Think it’s crazy? Having the internet in the palm of your hand seemed outlandish just 10 years ago.

7.       More colors are around the corner. The palette is always expanding. And the printers of the future will provide color & clarity on a whole other level.

8.       Printers will become smaller. Hey, if we’ll be printing from our cell phones, there’s no reason why office printers will remain bulky. More advanced technology means that, eventually, printers will be no larger than a stack of 50 sheets of paper.

9.       Dependable, affordable ink suppliers will still be in demand. And, for the present day and tomorrow, Retail Inkjet Solutions, Inc. (RIS), with the retail in-store InkCenter, will lead the way.  We’re here to help you any way we can!

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Find an Ink Cartridge Refill Store Near You (USA, Canada, France & Germany)

Premium ink refilling services are provided by major retailers in the USA, Canada, France & Germany.  To find the nearest refill store and ink pricing, refer to links below:

Sam’s Club

Fry’s Electronics USA

Auchan France

LeClerc France 

Intermarche France 

Saturn Germany 

Worldwide Ink Refill Store Locator

Retail Inkjet Solutions (Ink Refill Equipment Provider)

How to Refill Cartridges:

For questions regarding refilled cartridge usage, printer questions/problems, new cartridge support offerings or ink refill locations please Contact Us. 

Contact Us

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Purchase Refilled Cartridges On-Line

If none of our retail ink refill centers are convenient for you and you would like to try a refilled/remanufactured ink cartridge from our on-line web site, INKPLICITY, our ink cartridges have a high reliability rating, come with a 1-year warranty and provide free shipping for all orders above $30 (available to USA residents only).  These ink cartridges also provide ink level monitoring as the rear flex cable with embedded acumen chip is replaced with a new one. BONUS – you can save an extra 15% by entering code ‘SAVE15’ into the coupon/code field during cart checkout: https://www.inkplicity.com/

Select HP 60, 61, 62, 63, 901, 932/933, 950/951 and 952 refilled/remanufactured ink cartridges (made in the USA!) are also available directly via Amazon:

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Printer ink is one of the most expensive liquids you can buy

According to Consumer Reports, common ink costs between $13 to $75 per ounce, or about $9,600 a gallon. Dollar for dollar, that gallon of ink costs about the same as 2,652 gallons of gas, or 2,791 gallons of milk. Most people don’t buy ink by the gallon.

We buy ink in those cute little cartridges that snap into our printer. If they have a fancy brand name stamped on them, we pay an average of $27 per cartridge – or more. To counter these painful prices, many people shop online where the average price for a refilled cartridge is around $17.50. But online customers aren’t always happy. Packages get damaged, cartridges spring leaks and online returns can be frustrating. But the bottom line remains – quality. Poor ink quality and worn out cartridges purchased online can deliver poor printing results.

Sustainable savings can help grow your busine$$

Business owners welcome the day-to-day savings that refills provide and gain a competitive edge; by passing along their savings they attract more new customers.

Think ‘refill’ not landfill

People want to save money. They want convenience and given the choice – most people want to do the right thing by going green. Since RIS has established its first in-store ink refill station over 13 million cartridges have been reused multiple times and avoided early burial in landfills, where each plastic unit takes 450 years to decompose. This reuse of resources represents over 1,500,000 gallons of oil saved in manufacturing new plastic containers.
Add yourself to the equation. Just like remembering to bring your own bags to the grocery store, or buying long-life light bulbs, or a fuel-efficient car, you can make a choice about refilling your printer cartridges instead of throwing them away and buying a big brand high-priced replacement. Make a choice that makes a difference.

Save money. Save resources. We’re all in this together.

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Find an Ink Cartridge Refill Store Near You (USA, Canada, France & Germany)

Premium ink refilling services are provided by major retailers in the USA, Canada, France & Germany.  To find the nearest refill store and ink pricing, refer to links below:

Sam’s Club

Fry’s Electronics USA

Auchan France

LeClerc France 

Intermarche France 

Saturn Germany 

Worldwide Ink Refill Store Locator

Retail Inkjet Solutions (Ink Refill Equipment Provider)

How to Refill Cartridges:

For questions regarding refilled cartridge usage, printer questions/problems, new cartridge support offerings or ink refill locations please Contact Us. 

Contact Us

—

Purchase Refilled Cartridges On-Line

If none of our retail ink refill centers are convenient for you and you would like to try a refilled/remanufactured ink cartridge from our on-line web site, INKPLICITY, our ink cartridges have a high reliability rating, come with a 1-year warranty and provide free shipping for all orders above $30 (available to USA residents only).  These ink cartridges also provide ink level monitoring as the rear flex cable with embedded acumen chip is replaced with a new one. BONUS – you can save an extra 15% by entering code ‘SAVE15’ into the coupon/code field during cart checkout: https://www.inkplicity.com/

Select HP 60, 61, 62, 63, 901, 932/933, 950/951 and 952 refilled/remanufactured ink cartridges (made in the USA!) are also available directly via Amazon:

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Each year, about 10 million empty ink cartridges are thrown away in Canada*. This waste ends up in landfills, which puts an enormous strain on the environment – not to mention creating huge piles of garbage.

*Canada estimates based on InfoTrends & Wikipedia article data, 2003-2014.

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Find an Ink Cartridge Refill Store Near You (USA, Canada, France & Germany)

Premium ink refilling services are provided by major retailers in the USA, Canada, France & Germany.  To find the nearest refill store and ink pricing, refer to links below:

Sam’s Club

Fry’s Electronics USA

Auchan France

LeClerc France 

Intermarche France 

Saturn Germany 

Worldwide Ink Refill Store Locator

Retail Inkjet Solutions (Ink Refill Equipment Provider)

How to Refill Cartridges:

For questions regarding refilled cartridge usage, printer questions/problems, new cartridge support offerings or ink refill locations please Contact Us. 

Contact Us

—

Purchase Refilled Cartridges On-Line

If none of our retail ink refill centers are convenient for you and you would like to try a refilled/remanufactured ink cartridge from our on-line web site, INKPLICITY, our ink cartridges have a high reliability rating, come with a 1-year warranty and provide free shipping for all orders above $30 (available to USA residents only).  These ink cartridges also provide ink level monitoring as the rear flex cable with embedded acumen chip is replaced with a new one. BONUS – you can save an extra 15% by entering code ‘SAVE15’ into the coupon/code field during cart checkout: https://www.inkplicity.com/

Select HP 60, 61, 62, 63, 901, 932/933, 950/951 and 952 refilled/remanufactured ink cartridges (made in the USA!) are also available directly via Amazon:

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