Icons are used everywhere; right from software applications, to internet browsers, to operating systems to websites and even in print media. But businesses have to waste a good deal of money and time in manufacturing icons on their own. Professional icons are tough to create and need expertise in terms of creative artists, lots of time and software. But just as in any other field today, here again there are specialized organizations dedicated to manufacturing and supplying ready made icons. This article is meant for those of you who intent to purchase readymade XP icons for your applications
So what are XP style icons?
XP style icons are the in-thing now-a-days and are preferred above all other icons. This is because of the fact the XP icons look more professional and blend effortlessly into your applications. Some basic features of xp style icon are as follows;
Features of XP style icons
What kind of XP icon should I go for?
While purchasing XP icons online you got to be sure of your objectives. There are different types of icons available and each one is specific to a particular application. The different formats, sizes and colors in which XP icons are available are discussed below along with their usage.
Formats in which XP icons are available
Sizes in which XP icons are available
XP icons are available in four different sizes that include 16X16 pixels, 24X24 pixels, 32X32 pixels and 48X48 pixels. 16x16 pixel icons can be used in toolbars, menus and applications, 24x24 pixel icons can be used only in tool bars and display menus, where as 32x32 and 48X48 pixel icons can be used in applications.
Colors in which XP icons are available
XP icons can be brought in four different colors (monochrome, 16 color, 256 color and true/8 bit color) depending on your needs. All icon creators will provide you with icons in 256 and true colors. You can decide on the icon color to use in your applications based on your customer needs. Monochrome and 16 color icons are rarely used today.
What should I get after purchasing and downloading the icons?
After purchase you should get your XP icons in two formats (.ico and .gif), each format in two colors (256 colors and true colors) and each icon four different sizes (as mentioned above). So in case your purchase an icon package having 100 icons, you should have 100 X 2 X 2 X 4 = 1600 icons. Some icon developers may also provide you icons with drop shadow effect and without drop shadow along with the above. Vector icons are not provided by all vendors and those who do provide vector icons would do so only on request. Some good vendors who offer vector icons are icongalore.com and iconpharm.com. In addition Jpeg and PNG format icons are offered for free by some vendors on request while purchase.
Can the icons be modified after download?
Most icon creators would give you rights to modify the icons after downloading. Icons can be modified in terms of changing the icon color, changing transparency, attaching or removing drop shadow, changing or adding text to icons etc. Some good software programs using which you can modify XP icons are 'GIF movie gear' and 'IconXP'. In case you plan to modify your icons after purchase you should buy icons in vector format (.ai format). Modifying other types of icons is not possible.
What is the typical price range of ready made XP style icons?
The price range in which XP icons are available differs based on the icon creator, formats provided, individual or packaged purchase, terms of usage etc. A non-exclusive XP icon can cost you up to US $30 per icon where as an exclusive XP icon can cost up to US $300. 'Icongalore.com' offers the cheapest XP style icons. Their non-exclusive XP icons come for as low as $3/icon and exclusive XP icons come for $80/icon.
Exclusive VS non exclusive icons
Exclusive icons are those that offer you with complete rights over your purchased icons. Exclusive icons are sold only once and will not be resold under any circumstances. Non exclusive icons on the other hand will give you only usage rights. The original copyrights of non-exclusive icons will remain with the icon creator. This means he can sell the same icons to different customers.
But the thing to be noted here is that exclusive icons are way costly than non-exclusive ones. In this case making use of fresh non-exclusive icons from an icon creator should be more than enough unless you want to brand your applications using exclusive icons. In most cases non-exclusive XP icons will do just as good and are recommended.
Why should I buy icons when I can make them on my own?
Creating icons from images is an easy task. There are many programs available in the market that will allow you to perform this conversion in minutes. But icons created in this manner cannot be used for professional purposes. Professional icons should be individually designed and should blend effortlessly into the software making it easier for your user to browse through. Creating such professional XP style icons is a time consuming task and requires much expertise. This is the reason why you should consult professional XP icon creators for your icon needs.
Where can I find quality icons online?
There are many websites that sell XP icons. Some of the most popular ones include, xp style icon (offers the cheapest unique XP style icons), visualpharm.com, xp style icon, xp style icon, xp style icon and xp style icon.
About the author
xp style icon is an all-in-one xp style icon. This website sells computers and computer related products, fashion accessories, apparels, health and beauty products, electronic goods and toys.
Elk Grove (east OF 53) limousine shuttle .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareMicrosoft Business Solutions main middle market ERP application - Microsoft... Read More
Spyware is like the new technological nuclear weapon on the... Read More
.Net Framework is a platform or development environment to seamlessly... Read More
Spyware is software or hardware installed on a computer without... Read More
ERP is the acronym of Enterprise Resource Planning. Multi-module ERP... Read More
I suggest that you do not spend a lot of... Read More
Fleet Maintenance Management is a critical position in any company... Read More
Logistics automation is often considered as barcoding extension to Sales... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains and Microsoft Retail Management System (Microsoft RMS)... Read More
It's not very often I get excited about a software... Read More
CD and DVD replication is a process that works by... Read More
Is your PC is slow and wimpy? Then you need... Read More
In the Clinton era the status quo was simple: you... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains is now standard mid-market ERP application, serving... Read More
Are you lost in the mess of documents that get... Read More
Former Great Plains Software Dynamics/eEnterprise, and currently Microsoft Business Solutions... Read More
Microsoft CRM has built-in conversion tool, however you should probably... Read More
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular,... Read More
2005 ? Back to the Future.What does the future hold?... Read More
Assertion facility is added in J2SE 1.4. In order to... Read More
Disclaimer: All the thoughts expressed are my views only! Your... Read More
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more... Read More
As seeing large number of implementations ? in our case... Read More
One day, you suddenly realize that your computer started to... Read More
A UNIX Shell is in simplest terms, a command line... Read More
Dekalb transportation to O'Hare ..Corporate ERP/MRP selection might be tough one, especially considering very... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Small Business Manager is Great Plains Dexterity... Read More
Formatting and reinstalling windows 98 is very easy if you... Read More
Looks like Microsoft Great Plains becomes more and more popular,... Read More
It's not very often I get excited about a software... Read More
CD and DVD replication is a process that works by... Read More
How would you like to prevent spyware and adware from... Read More
Some introduction into Great Plains Software products, now Microsoft Business... Read More
The term "document management" and "paperless office" is the subject... Read More
What is Tripwire?Tripwire is a form intrusion detection system (IDS)... Read More
When you own a small business, time is money. And... Read More
Before September 1995, Microsoft Windows was an MS-DOS program. DOS... Read More
Your computer cost you from hundreds to thousands of dollars,... Read More
Software Engineering is the Systematic Approach for analysis design implementation... Read More
The major reason I recommend getting your hands on real... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is very popular ERP/MRP applications... Read More
IBM Lotus Notes with Domino email server is traditional document... Read More
Not all of us have the luxury of working both... Read More
Lotus Notes Domino is very efficient in electronic document workflow... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon and CRM... Read More
The purpose of Project Management Software is to provide an... Read More
No matter how much you enjoy your favorite screensavers, sometimes... Read More
We will base our prognosis on our Microsoft Business Solutions... Read More
We've all seen the ads on TV for Netzero 3G.... Read More
A wiki is an editable text-based website. But you don't... Read More
Software |