Even though the technologies enabling businesses to create documents have become more accessible, there remains a hidden cost in the generation of print and electronic media—a cost easily offset with some simple tools and best practices

Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials by print giants like Xerox and Hewlett-Packard, in which they espouse how cheap print has become? Indeed, the cost to generate color print these days is, in fact, much less expensive for businesses than it was just a few short years ago.

Henno Jacques, a freelance designer in Holland, gets interviewed by Markzware Europe’s Arnold Roosch in this perfect example on why to use FlightCheck Professional (and ID2Q in his case):

FlightCheck Professional and ID2Q user review

Dutch version of this interview can be found here…

It is excellent how he is using FlightCheck to preflight everything BEFORE making the PDF. He also checks the resulting PDF/X file with FlightCheck Professional as well. Making brochures, booklets and the likes, he also has seen from experience that sending both the press-ready PDF as well as the open source file (where he uses FlightCheck to collect all fonts and images into one approved folder) is the best way to get the print-job to the printer. This way, if there are any last minute changes, corrections or press problems, they can quickly and safely make the changes and re-output the PDF job.

Going through my literal stack of print media, design and publishing titles on my desk, I came across a very interesting article titled, “Careless print costs money“. This was within the U.K. magazine named PrintMedia Management (June 2008, pg. 28, 66). It highlights how this key United Kingdom government department, COI or Central Office of Information, is taking the matter of print buying very seriously. They are doing what any advertising agencey, corporation or marketing company should also be doing, however may not be…

Mistakes do happen. Fonts, color and images quality are the prime culprits that damage smooth print workflows. These problems are just some of the topics covered as part of the Graphic Arts Institute [GAI] training program in San Francisco.

Located in the Northern California Print Center, which also is home to the Printing Industries of Northern California [PINC] and a number of other print-related businesses, the GAI’s in-plant uses a four-color 20-inch Heidelberg Speedmaster press to produce fliers, brochures, booklets and envelopes in print runs up to 8,000 units. Many of these printed pieces include information about PINC’s and GAI’s health program and health insurance program.

Just over a decade ago the way we produce print was irrevocably altered. The offset world became enlightened by computer-to-plate (CTP) manufacturing, and among quick print and copy establishments, digital production printing revolutionized their business model.

The transition from analog to digital in the print process happened virtually overnight — at least for print suppliers. They had to make capital investments in new digital tools. For print buyers, content creators and retail customers, the learning curve has been significantly steeper. Suddenly, they weren’t being asked to submit camera-ready content; rather, they were being asked for digital files.

Want to try a demo of Markzware’s FlightCheck Professional v6? You can download that here. Or would you prefer a personal demonstration highlighting the ins-and-outs of this powerful stand-alone preflight tool which can check and help you fix some 50 file formats (Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress, PDF, etc.)? You are always welcome to stop by either our Santa Ana, California or Rijswijk, The Netherlands offices for a 100% personal introduction. However, for those that can not cruise by, we now also have posted a video demonstration on our YouTube channel called MarkzwareTV, which highlights the main features and functions of FlightCheck for you. It is very useful, educational and fun. Watch it here today:

With the advent of digital workflow, new responsibilities emerge for the newspaper publisher and the ad creator

Ask most newspaper sales executives, and they’ll tell you just how competitive the market place is these days — how tough of a sell it is when other media forms are drawing the interest of advertisers like never before.

Newspapers must be able to compete with these other vehicles, present compelling circulation numbers, and provide excellent customer service to the advertising client. They must be able to accept, position, produce and print the advertiser’s copy and images, with particular attention paid to reproduction quality.

Here was a very interesting piece of advice on www.PubCom.com from Bevi Chagnon, within a chapter in their book on preflighting, in this case on the ground rules for DTP or Desktop Publishing. They recommend that designers or creators, as many printers will admit is true, send both a press-quality PDF as well as the collected native or original DTP layout:

Today, the majority of print shops accept press-quality PDFs, and for many
types of jobs, printers prefer PDFs rather than native files.
But I still recommend you provide both types of files:

Doug Rosen, product manager for Markzware recently made a nice little product overview movie for our tools which specifically work with QuarkXPress. You can watch the neat little movie, made in Apple KeyNote and finalized in iMovie here:

These products include;

ID2Q or InDesign to QuarkXPress conversion
MarkzTools, which fixes bad or corrupted Quark Projects
and
FlightCheck Professional- your preflight tool for checking some 50 file formats such as QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and PDF to name a few!

Now that a good decade has passed since the advent of computer-to-plate (CTP) printing, the industry has a good feel for what is working, and what isn’t.

Developers and vendors can be credited for quickly supplying the tools printers needed to make CTP work. Open file and language standards enable more seamless communication between technologies driving digital proofing, prepress systems and press room solutions. With highly automated workflows, it’s possible — now, more than ever before — to keep the presses running at a steady pace. That is, as long as there aren’t any bottlenecks in prepress.