Author Archives: Brian Lawler

About Brian Lawler

Brian Lawler is an Emeritus Professor of Graphic Communication at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and was a Guest Professor at Hochschule München from September, 2021 to September, 2022. He writes about graphic arts processes and technologies for various industry publications, and on his blog, The Blognosticator.

Things I have never seen before

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Brian Lawler

Happy New Year from The Blognosticator! This last week I saw two things I have never seen before, and I thought I would share them with you. And, I have a few other musings to discuss, as you will see. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, Art, New technology, Panoramic Photography, Photography, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dear Blognosticator readers – all 60,000 of you

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Brian Lawler

We have reached a milestone on this 31st day of December, 2013: 60,000 readers! Your continued interest in the blogs has been inspiring to me, and I thank each and every one of you. A lot of interesting topics have … Continue reading →

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Pencil for Paper by 53

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Brian Lawler

It’s a stylus with a rubber tip on both ends. It works with the Paper app on iPads. I absolutely love Paper, the app by 53. I have been using it for well over a year on my iPad, and … Continue reading →

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’tis the season to make Biscotti and Photoshop masks

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Brian Lawler

Every year about this time I get out my recipes and I make a load of biscotti to give away as gifts, and a few for myself. I love biscotti, and I love making them. Years ago I was given … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Photoshop techniques | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

I’m going to be an energy magnate!

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Brian Lawler

In my spare time, between teaching and preparing for a photo exhibition opening in February, I have been installing solar panels on my roof. I had decided to do this several years ago, and had found the price of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, New technology, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The 32,767-pixel limit: I should learn to read dialog boxes!

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Brian Lawler

That didn’t work quite as planned. In my large scale printing project, I started late last night to print the first of 17 strips of my huge panoramic photo 44 inches by ten feet in length. My original photo is … Continue reading →

Posted in Color Management, Mistakes you can avoid, Panoramic Photography, Photography, Photoshop techniques | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A do-it-myself take-up reel for a wide-format Epson printer

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Brian Lawler

I’ve mentioned in a few of my recent blogs that I am preparing a photographic exhibition at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art that opens on February 14, 2014. I’m in the thick of preparation now, making prints, mounting … Continue reading →

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The Boy Mechanic rides a Faraday bike

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Brian Lawler

As a kid I read The Boy Mechanic cover to cover many times, so many, in fact, that it’s almost worn out, as you can see in the photo, below: This is my tattered copy of The Boy Mechanic, published … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, Gadgets, New technology, Photoshop techniques | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Resurrecting Ottmar Mergenthaler

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Brian Lawler

In 1960, John W. Reed, President of the Linotype Company, presented a bronze bust of Ottmar Mergenthaler to the students of Cal Poly’s Printing Department (now called Graphic Communication). The bust is about 2/3 life size, and is mounted on … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, People, Typography | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Making the Hong Kong GigaPan image

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Brian Lawler

I shipped my GigaPan rig and my Really Right Stuff carbon fiber tripod in my checked luggage to Hong Kong. My hope was that I could make a couple of beautiful panoramic images of the Victoria Harbor with Hong Kong … Continue reading →

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