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Volume 6, Issue 4 Changes
in ULI's PDF Workflow
Noting the wide range of sophistication levels among ULI clients, and the corresponding variety of service expectations, Prepress Manager Heather Baker says the need for a redefined digital workflow has become increasingly apparent in recent months. At present, clients who elect a PDF workflow submit PDF files in order to bypass the preflight and proofing stages and realize a corresponding reduction in prepress costs and turnaround. However, Baker says, “the digital prepress department has routinely been spending a significant amount of time dealing with problematic PDF jobs. We see jobs where fonts are not embedded, graphics are missing, images are low-res or RGB ... but since these jobs are designated as having a PDF workflow, in many cases clients are not even seeing a proof when we make changes.” Given
that the final output may not match the publisher’s expectations,
unreliable PDF files pose considerable risks for both ULI and our clients.
To eliminate these risks, United Litho’s operations team has been
working for months to clean up the existing workflow. The certifed PDF workflow begins with the preparation of PDF/X-1a files, designed as a publications industry standard to facilitate the “blind exchange” of reliable digital data. “A basic PDF/X-1A file—as produced by Acrobat 6.0 and InDesign CS (3.0)—has all necessary fonts, no RGB images and no OPI links,” says Technical Support Representative Andrew Moore. However, there are other parameters that go unchecked by the PDF/X-1a process, such as image resolution and image compression, and these will require further review on the customer’s end. “I recommend that customers use Enfocus’ PitStop Professional—with ULI's settings—to preflight and certify their PDFs,” Moore says. “Although Instant PDF is cheaper, you don’t have nearly as many features.” He adds that the expense of the more robust application can be quickly recouped through the elimination of preflight charges. Moore cautions that there will always be room for error. “No matter what the format, your color usage may be off, your trim size could be wrong, or your file could become corrupted. And there’s certainly risk involved in overlooking error messages generated by PitStop. The best you can do is to use ULI’s preflight settings and pay attention to those error messages.” Clients who assume responsibility for supplying fully certified PDF files (as well as such other locked and complete file formats as TIFF-IT and DCS2) will be able to choose a locked-file workflow, either with or without a proof. Those who are able to create certified PDFs but can’t bring themselves to forego a final proof will eliminate file management and file preview charges while retaining complete control of their files. Technically savvy clients willing to accept full responsibility for the integrity of their files—and confident enough to skip the blueline cycle—will see the same reductions in DPP costs, with the additional advantage of a shorter schedule. A non-certified PDF workflow will be available to those who choose not to submit PDF/X-1a files. Their files will go through a full preflight cycle, although there will be no page-by-page file management (and no associated file management charges). This workflow includes a full reconciling cycle, and a complete proofing cycle will be required, increasing the integrity of the printed piece. Finally, clients who prefer to submit application files may continue to do so, with the understanding that those files will be subject to complete preflight, DPP, reconciling and proofing cycles. Although this workflow offers no price savings or scheduling advantages, it does require less time and expertise on the publisher’s end, and files do not need to be 100 percent “live”; ULI will perform pick-ups, place advertising and make modifications as necessary. “We expect that outlining the parameters of each workflow, and having a ‘menu’ of workflow options to choose from, will make it easier to match clients with the workflow that is right for them,” says Operations Vice President Chris Azbill. “By ensuring accurate and clear communication of expectations throughout the process, we believe we’ll be able to enhance productivity and increase our clients’ satisfaction with the final product.” The Trouble with Preflighting Have you ever thought about how flawed the preflighting process is? Why wait until your job is complete before looking for potential problems? Wouldn’t it be nice to have some software that alerted you to a hazardous situation, such as the placing of an RGB or low-res image as soon as it happens? Well, I’ve got some good news for you. Gluon, a company that makes prepress plug-ins and extensions, has made its “QC” software free to anyone who wants it. Apparently a proposed partnership with Markzware (makers of FlightCheck) fell through, and in response Gluon is letting this software go. It is installed as a Quark XTension and performs as advertised. You can control what situations warrant alerts via a small control panel. Editors might appreciate some of the text checking, such as punctuation outside of “quotes”, no spaces before punctuation , and sentence starts with TWo caps. This utility should be especially useful to someone new to the desktop publishing world. Both Macintosh and PC versions are available, but unfortunately it will not work with the just-released Quark 6. Straighten up! It never fails when you’re scanning a document. No matter how hard you try, the picture always ends up being a little crooked and you need to rotate the graphic ever so slightly to get it completely straight. Trying to “eyeball” the exact angle of rotation can result in an aggravating case of trial and error. Well, here’s a little tip to get things aligned using Photoshop’s measurement tool. Access the Measure tool under the Eyedropper tool, then click and drag the cursor on an object that is supposed to be straight. In many cases it might be the edge of your photograph, but it could also be a line of type or rule. Then, go to Image > Rotate Canvas > Arbitrary. Photoshop will automatically fill in the correct angle to make things right. Click OK and you’re done! Al Capone and Other Questionable Characters While saving your files on a Mac, you have lots of choices for naming conventions. One common one is to use the issue date, such as “My Magazine 10/03.” However, file names with certain punctuation can cause trouble later, especially if the file is ever sent to a Windows-based system (perhaps via FTP). If this happens, the transfer might abort or the file name might be changed automatically, resulting in an unlinked graphic. A better choice is the underbar ( _ ) or dash ( - ) as this is legal for both systems. Here’s a reference of legal and illegal characters: OS X: No colons; names may not begin with a period OS 9: No colons Windows XP/2000: Names may not contain / \ “ * ? < > | : Windows 98: Names may consist of letters, digits, spaces, and the following: $%'-_@~`!{}()#&+,;=[]. Those of you who currently make high-res PDFs for your magazine may be interested in a new feature in Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0. Upon loading a PDF, you can go to Advanced > PDF Optimizer and automatically make a low-resolution version for your web site without having to redistill your pages. This could potentially save hours! Easter Eggs Here are some fun things to try with the latest versions of your prepress software: InDesign 2.0: On the “About InDesign” page, type one of the following words: svg, mandel, bounce Mac OS X: Hold down Shift while minimizing a window. Photoshop 7.0: Open the Layers palette. Hold down Alt or Option and click the arrow on the top right corner of the window; then choose Palette Options. Quark 6.0: Hold down Option and choose “About QuarkXPress.” Then hold down Shift, Option and Apple, and click and hold on the window. Protection from Viruses and Hoaxes Although the Macintosh community has been spared the brunt of modern-day viruses, you should never open any email attachment unless it's from someone you know. Furthermore, I would open only attached graphics (.jpg, .gif, .tif, etc.), unless you've pre-arranged to receive another file type. Remember that it takes the anti-virus companies time to identify and develop remedies to new threats, so nobody is 100 percent secure even with anti-virus software installed. Windows users looking for a free anti-virus program should consider AVG, which is available here; it’s been updated to find the SoBig and Lovsan worms. A similarly frustrating email is one that threatens you with misinformation or urban legends. If you receive such a message and wonder if it's true or not, check it out at www.snopes.com. You might want to take a few minutes to visit this site and see if anything you thought was true actually isn't. Andrew Howard: Tenacity Squared Determined to let no machine get the better of him, Andrew Howard has spent his 18-year career in printing searching for ways to do the job better and faster. Since joining United Litho as first pressman in January 1998, Howard has had a series of opportunities to do just that. Operations Vice President Chris Azbill notes that Howard was initially brought on to strengthen the press crews, and was subsequently asked to move into the bindery to achieve the same end. “He’s one of the very few individuals in the industry who has excelled as both a first pressman on a high-speed web press and as an operator on high-speed bindery equipment,” Azbill says. “I think his accomplishments indicate his high level of professionalism, his outstanding technical and mechanical skills and his strong desire to succeed.” For his part, Howard says he likes the challenge of every job being different, and enjoys working with the younger members of his five-person team to help them think creatively. “I like to ask ‘why?’ a lot. If we’re doing something not because it’s the best way, but because it’s the way it’s always been done, we need to start thinking of alternatives.” Howard points to the tremendous amount of paperwork required just to get a job started when he first started working in the bindery, and notes that the process has since been streamlined so that jobs now move much more quickly. Asked to define his leadership style, Howard says it’s as much what it isn’t as what it is. “I learned early on how I did not want to be,” he explains. “I also learned that the more you listen to the members of your team, the better leader you are.” Operations Manager Tom Naquin says Howard’s leadership skills strengthen any team he’s on. “He can bring together three or four different individuals and mesh them into a team in a very short period of time,” Naquin says. “When the company is in a jam, Andrew will work overtime, many times on short notice. And no matter who you put him with, the crew he’s on will generally beat the standard for that shift.” Howard’s enthusiasm for his work is contagious, Account Manager Jenny Meckley says. “Andrew’s a bundle of energy! He comes in every day prepared to give 110 percent—and he expects the crew to give the same amount of care and attention to every job they do,” she says. “I’ve watched him push his crew to learn more about what they are doing than ‘just their job.’ And he’s always willing to take the time to explain why a job is running well or running poorly. That’s knowledge that I can put into practical use when talking with customers and planning jobs.” Meckley adds that Howard’s always been a favorite with customers, as well. “When he was on the press, we had customers who would alter their in-dates to ensure that their press observations would be with Andrew’s crew! Once he switched roles, we joked that all of those customers would be doing bindery observations,” Meckley says. Although passionate about his work, Howard is even more devoted to his family. “I spend as much free time as I can with my two boys, Clayton (8) and Braeton (15),” he says, and is very proud of his 17-year marriage to their mother, Kim. “Not too many people can say they’ve been married as long as we have!” An Extraordinary Service Experience: ASSEMBLY Putting together 176 pages (plus cover) six times a year with a staff of just eight is the sort of challenge that makes Cheryl West, managing editor of West Point’s ASSEMBLY magazine, glad to have extra help from United Litho. “Both Dave Briggs and Jenny Meckley try really hard, and give us a lot of feedback,” West says. “Dave jokes around, but he’s really sharp. I know he has a plan for us, and wants to save us money.” Briggs, who took over as Assembly’s account executive last January, notes that he’s already made half a dozen trips to the United States Military Academy in New York to visit the ASSEMBLY staff. “We have a strong relationship,” he says. “They like that we care enough about them to visit. ... And the more we talk, the more we’re able to help identify and assess their needs.” He adds, “ASSEMBLY is under budget constraints just like everyone else. So we’ve tried to help them with some cost management ideas. We act as an additional person on their staff, and are able to bring suggestions to the table to help in their decision-making process.” Colonel Julian Olejniczak, ASSEMBLY’s editor in chief, agrees wholeheartedly. “ULI employs technically competent people, and its sales and service personnel know how to communicate,” he says. Noting that ULI’s service is a cut above that of other printers he has worked with, Olejniczak is particularly pleased that Briggs has helped drive down the cost of producing ASSEMBLY. Cost-saving measures have included changing paper, rethinking the process for supplemental mailings (including how best to use ASSEMBLY staff for low-quantity supplemental mailings) and transitioning to a PDF workflow. While pleased with both the prepress savings and the shorter schedule, West notes that the changeover was not without its challenges. “We had a steep learning curve,” she says. “We had to learn a different way of organizing our files. After seeing some of the difficulties we had with our first PDF issue, [ULI’s Technical Support Representative] Andy Moore came to visit to help us with the second PDF issue. He’s been a great resource for us.” West is also a fan of Account Manager Jenny Meckley. “Jenny’s a trouper,” West says. “She’s been through thick and thin with us, and always bends over backwards for us.” Meckley responds, “That’s my job—to handle whatever comes up. And they’re very appreciative of the things United Litho does for them. They’re always willing to work with us and try new things.” Before coming to United Litho in July 2000, ASSEMBLY had what West describes as “big challenges” with the printing of its ads—with the result that she had to budget 24-26 sleepless hours for a press check for every issue. Since then, ASSEMBLY’s staff and its advertisers have made a lot of progress, West says. “We learned a lot when we came to ULI. Among other things, we learned that the ULI pressmen are good at what they do.” She did a press observation on the first issue ULI printed—and hasn’t done one since. Part of the learning process for the Assembly staff was a plant tour at the beginning of their relationship with ULI, and West has attended the web press and imposition seminar. However, she says, it’s been a little frustrating not to be able to take fuller advantage of the free training ULI offers. “Because we have to travel from New York to get to ULI, it’s not cost-effective for us to send staff to a single three-hour seminar,” West says. The
good news is that United Litho has heard her frustration and revamped
its training program, scheduling complementary
seminars for the morning and afternoon of the same day, to allow out-of-town
clients and prospects to make more efficient use of their time.
Copyright 1997 - 2008, United Litho, Inc. All rights reserved. |
