PRINTING TECHNOLOGY: WHAT PUBLISHERS NEED TO KNOW.

Printing-savvy professionals tell how you can better use technology to stay on time and in budget when printing publications.

What must association publishers keep in mind while working with today's technologically sophisticated printing industry?

"As the printing world becomes more digital, it's incumbent that publishers accept the responsibility for tighter work flow, more training, and excellent communication with their printers," says Von Allen, customer consultant, Modern Litho-Print Company, Jefferson City, Missouri. In addition, he says, "Building strong relationships with printers will be as fundamental to your success as having compatible hardware and software."

So while technology will change the way you publish, it won't alter your need for collaboration. In fact, according to Roy Fuerstenberg, president and chief executive officer, Documation LLC, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, you'll realize much greater efficiencies when you work with your printer to jointly develop cost estimations and desired timelines for all your projects.

To this end--how associations can make better use of today's technology while building better partnerships with their printers--Association MANAGEMENT surveyed experts in printing technology for their practical, professional advice. Compiled within this article are their best tips for taking advantage of new technologies to ensure a smooth printing process--while maintaining timeliness cost-efficiency, and quality.

Preparing materials

The first step to containing costs and ensuring the accuracy of your association's publications is to pay careful attention to how you create your files and prepare and package the materials you send to your printer.

* When using a program such as QuarkXPress, remove the predefined base colors of red, green, and blue from the default color palette of master grids. Also remove any colors you may have defined in general, or in your template, that you did not use in the document. This will greatly reduce the processing time for your job.

* Keep in mind that if a printer receives RGB files, it will need to convert them to CMYK. This not only consumes time but also results in an additional expense to you.

* Mark color on each page of your publication and note any special instructions. This way, when your film is output, your printer has an extra check. For example, if you mark a page as CMYK and only two pieces of film come out, your printer will know that a potential problem exists.

* Always send fonts and graphics to your printer. For QuarkXPress, go to the File menu and click "Collect." This automatically gathers your fonts and graphics. For PageMaker, go to Utilities, then to Plug-ins, then to Save for service provider. Print the window and highlight the file to help your printer identify which is applicable for your job. This saves time in prepress, thereby keeping your job on schedule and within budget.

* Use a font-checking utility such as CheckPost to check actual font use in your files. A digital processor will call for any font that appears in the file, even if it doesn't show up in print, causing your digital files to process more slowly.

* Make sure that your margins do not vary from file to file, and make sure that the running heads and feet are in the same place. Consistency in margins is vital if your publication goes directly to film or plate. Likewise, set your page or document size to the trim size of your publication. Set your pages as facing pages, with even-numbered pages on the left and odd-numbered pages on the right.

* Be careful not to send your printer hard copy and electronic copy that don't match. Always compare the two, quickly scanning the first and last lines of each paragraph for discrepancies.

* Compress all e-mail attachments before sending. This will add CRC (error) checking, reduce transfer time, and help avoid cross-platform difficulties.

* If your printer also handles your mailing, provide a detailed memo that outlines total press run and where you want issues mailed. Refer to any disks and mailing labels that you include. It's a good idea to number your disks and sets of labels and to refer to them within the memo.

Handling art and ads

Special attention must be given to preparing art and advertising materials for your printer.

* Know what determines the quality of an electronic image. For instance, artwork used on a Web site is usually created at a lower resolution, often at 72 dpi. This resolution isn't suitable for print. Files for print reproduction require a higher resolution--at least 300 dpi. Using the correct artwork will give you better results in your print publications.

* When laying out a publication electronically, include all high-resolution graphics saved as TIFF or EPS. These formats were designed with printing in mind and are the only formats that will reliably and consistently produce high-quality output as expected. In addition, these formats are universal standards for the desktop publishing and printing industry, and service bureaus will be familiar with them. By keeping formats standard, problems are easily resolved and turnaround time is reduced.

* Use a graphics program such as Photoshop or Illustrator to resize and crop images rather than doing this in your page layout program. This will keep your file sizes smaller, facilitating their transmission to your printer.

* When scanning images, do so at the largest sizes for which you will use them and at the highest resolution you will need them. Then store the scans for future use. This allows you to reuse, resize, or repurpose the images for other publications or products--for instance, CDROM or Internet--without incurring the cost of rescanning them.

* To save on stripping costs, have your advertisers deliver ads in digital file formats. Then place all electronic ads into your digital page layout file.

* Never send a digital ad to the printer that you have not opened and checked, and always provide the same information with the ad that you do for your own digital files--proof, file construction data, fonts, and so forth.

Transmission tips

If you aren't yet sending materials via the Internet, consider doing so--but do a test run first.

* Check with your printer to see if it has an FTP site to which you can transfer text, artwork, photos, and complete documents. For transferring smaller files, you can access an FTP site through Netscape or Internet Explorer. To ensure reliable transmission of larger files, consider purchasing FTP client software such as Fetch or CuteFTP. Using an FTP site will shorten turnaround time and help you save on courier expenses.

* If you want to begin sending PostScript files to your printer, send a test file well in advance of your first live project. This will give your printer time to ensure that your files will work with the printer's equipment, thereby saying you precious production time in the future.

The importance of proofing

You'll save money and ensure the quality of your products by taking the proofing process seriously.

* If you outsource your publication, ask your designer to create a PDF file of the document for your review during the proofing process. This allows you to view all color placements without the expense of making color proofs. It will also save you money on courier costs, because these files are relatively small in size and can be transmitted via the Internet.

* Consider investing in a four-color laser printer for proofing images and page designs in-house. In many cases--particularly if you've brought scanning in-house--you can save money and time compared to viewing more expensive random proofs supplied by your printer. You can also use a color printer for generating internal bluelines. For most publications, considering what you'll save on alteration costs, you will recoup the cost of the printer within one year.

Technology reality check

When considering the benefits of any printing technology, focus not only on cost savings but also possible time savings and increased quality control.

* Always talk with your printer before purchasing new hardware or software. Not every printer supports every platform or software package, and your printer can likely tell you about the advantages or disadvantages.

* Don't assume that a new technology will always save you money. For instance, direct-to-plate technology seems to save money because it eliminates large format film. However, this technology requires a totally digital work flow, including, for example, conversion of all film to a digital format, which will cost you money. At the same time, having digital ads that you place does allow you control over the process, eliminating wrong pick-ups or incorrect stripping.

Printing Prediction

"The time may come when publishers personalize their entire publication not only by signature but also by article. Even the content of each article may be customized to an individual subscriber's needs and expectations. Additionally, press checks of the future may be done remotely with digital teleconferencing. And as for delivery, the U.S. Postal Service may be involved in only local delivery if the distribution infrastructure can be worked out such that publications are transmitted to multiple locations for printing in local imaging centers in the areas where they'll be delivered."

Mary Ann Morton, communications manager Cadmus Professional Communications, Richmond, Virginia 

"In the near future, 25 percent or more of printing will be conducted by the five largest printers in the world. Another 50 percent will be conducted by technology driven niche printers."

Roy Fuerstenberg, president and chief executive officer, Documentation LLC, Eau Claire, Wisconsin