Production Defining Digital (1,102 words)

by Ira A. Gold

As the world moves toward a more digital environment, so does the workflow in catalog production. Since the advent of the high-end color electronic prepress systems in the early 1980s, we began our trek into an end-to-end digital production workflow.

Digital workflow, for the purposes of this article, is a production process using the fewest possible analog steps and resulting in a final file in a PDF (Portable Document File) format, which allows graphics and text to be seen regardless of what programs were used to create them.

Shaping the Terrain

In many cases, today's digital workflow still includes a number of analog steps. Those steps often are the image acquisition or photography, proofing and plating. Most present production workflows include a major digital component.

The typical digital workflow starts with scanning photographic images, then modifying and color correcting them using Adobe Photoshop (www.adobe.com). The corrected images are placed into pages created in QuarkXpress (www.quark.com) or Adobe InDesign (www.adobe.com), along with the text and any illustrations that were either scanned or created in a computer illustration program. This step replaces the manual stripping of a page. In many instances, this is where the workflow reverts to analog, with the individual pages output to film for proofing, and stripped to a press form for printing, final proofing and bluelines.

Images

If we look at where technology is today, it becomes obvious that digital photography is fast becoming part of the landscape on the creative side of catalog production, replacing transparencies. This does not typically limit the art director's creativity, as digital photography allows more images at a far lower cost. The cost reduction comes from the elimination of scanning of digitally photographed images. Time also is saved as the wait for film to be processed and scanned is eliminated.

Along with digital photography, companies such as Plymedia

(www.plymedia.com) specialize in providing images for catalog production. Plymedia has a catalog of thematic background images and environments allowing a subject to be photographed in a studio, adding location backgrounds and seasonal environments without leaving the studio.

Proofing

Proofing using digital files has become commonplace during the past year or two, as people use either high-end devices such as the Kodak Approval (www.kpgraphics.com) or less-expensive inkjet systems. These proofing systems are driven by file applications such as QuarkXpress, Adobe InDesign or Acrobat PDF files. The last hurdle is getting the final material to press. Computer-to-Plate (CTP) is the final link from the creation of the catalog

to putting ink to paper.

Press

Although CTP has been around for at least four years, it's just now becoming a generally accepted method of plating. In order to make CTP work, you must have a system to create the press imposition. Helpful products include those from companies such as Dynagram (www.dynagram.com), Scenicsoft (www.scenicsoft.com)and Ultimate Technologies (www.ultimate-tech.com). The one thing they all have in common is the ability to use PDF files.

PDF's common thread provides the catalog producer with more than just an avenue for digital imposition; it allows the same file to output to various devices without modification. It's important to understand that a file created and designed for output on a desktop device is not a file you'll want to use for output to plate for production. However, a file created for the high-resolution CTP process can and will print on a desktop device, typically a PDF file.

PDF files are read using Adobe Acrobat; they can be created via two methods. The first method uses PDFWriter to print the application file to a PDF. The PDFWriter appears as a printer in the Windows printer properties selection or under the Macintosh Chooser.

The second method, which is the preferred way for high-res work, is via the Acrobat Distiller. The Distiller takes a PostScript file generated by the application and distills, or boils down, that file into a PDF.

The PDF may include OPI (Open Prepress Interface) links, which provide the connection to the high-res graphic files normally stored separately from the application file. OPI is an important part of the digital workflow as it allows us to create printing files that carry thumbnail or FPO (For Position Only) images in its final files. High-res files are merged at the last minute when imaging final film or plates.

If you've been following the steps to a digital workflow, we now have PDF file for print. This file can be repurposed for inclusion in Web pages by exporting or saving to other file formats. Don't get too excited; there's still plenty of work to make a good Web catalog. At least now you have an electronic base catalog to provide to your Web designers, so your e-commerce catalog can easily mirror your print version. Your PDF catalog also may be mastered to CD-ROM for distribution.

Wise Move

There are some economic reasons for the move to a fully digital environment. In an analog workflow, where the final pre-print element is film, the catalog producer typically must have film at the printer two to three weeks in advance of press time. Consequently, last-minute changes are difficult, to say the least. In a digital CTP workflow, the files may not be needed at the printer until a few days prior to printing. The required time for delivery of film or files to the printer is determined by printer.

Consider a product that won't be available but is in your catalog. A digital workflow may allow it to be replaced just prior to printing. Implementing digital photography not only will save time, it will save the cost of scanning the images and may reduce photographic costs.

A digital workflow provides automation and integration of many of production processes. The digital environment creates an efficient, predictable process, maximizing the flexibility in the creative and production cycle of the catalog. It provides a method of error trapping using available preflight software such as Markzware's FlightCheck (www.markzware.com). The software can be loaded into either a Macintosh or Windows PC to validate and verify that the created PDF files will print correctly. Vio Quickcut (www.vio.com) provides an online solution for preflighting files prior to submission to the printer.

The process of changing from a workflow that has some analog elements to a digital workflow can be done, but it requires analysis of your present process and a re-engineering of the workflow so you can maintain your present catalog production while moving into a digital workflow.

Ira A. Gold is president of Gold Associates Inc. and contributing

editor to Electronic Publishing. He can be reached at (973) 586-9343 or via e-mail at ira@goldconsult.com.