Newspapers--The Front Page Goes Digital

NEXPO, headlining in Las Vegas this month, touts trends in digital asset management, imagesetters, new RIP releases and other digital prepress tools designed to make the front page move in digital directions.

BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO

Newspapers are at a disadvantage when it comes to reaping the full benefits of electronic prepress, at present, for the obvious reason: Experimentation can cost—and, with the front page at stake, few newspaper greats would push for thermal imaging innovation at the risk of an unplanned late edition.

However, are newspaper executives, who are in positions of operational and production management, taking note of the technologies driving thermal platesetting and digital color proofing trends in the commercial printing sector? Do newspaper printers have their eyes on the digital preprinting trends and digital asset management solutions impacting the modern commercial printer?

The answer is as obvious as the headline of this article—and as distinct as the contrast between black and white. Newspapers are curious, even optimistic, that the same movements in digital prepress, which have propelled production and quality for commercial printers, will hit the newspaper market with similar performance guarantees.

What are the areas of interest?

Digital asset management, preflighting, digital proofing, digital platesetting and the latest advancements in RIP technologies aimed at the imagesetter—not to mention the deep waters of the move to full pagination—are capturing the attention and investment dollars of today's newspapers.

A guide for all of this front-end fancy aimed at the newspaper industry is NEXPO, taking place in Las Vegas June 14-17. NEXPO is a true authority on which digital file delivery and digital asset management solutions, as well as which preprinting tools, are of substantial interest to the newspaper community.

Technology providers gearing up to show their wares will include Agfa, Apple Computer, Canto Software, Cascade Systems, ECRM, the Ultre capstan imagesetting div. of Heidelberg Prepress, Krause Newspaper Systems, Markzware, Optronics, PrePRESS Solutions, Purup-Eskofot, Western Lithotech, Xitron and X-Rite, among many others poised to bring digital prepress to the conventional newspaper environment.

To offer a look at the digital front-page follies expected at this month's NEXPO, Printing Impressions provides the following technological forecasts, status reports and product promises from a sampling of the technology providers bound for Las Vegas.

Digital Asset Moves
Cascade Systems is one digital asset management provider planning to target NEXPO. Cascade provides several workflow and content management solutions specifically for newspapers, including solutions that offer: display ad production tracking and management; Internet-based ad proofing and ad delivery; photo-desk capabilities; archiving, photo and graphic assignment and tracking; digital ad delivery and preflighting; page tracking; ad stacking; and digital library/archiving for all digital assets such as pages, PDF files, graphics, photos, text and multimedia with incorporated free-text searching.

AdXChange is an enhancement to the DataFlow system that provides a central point for receiving and distributing ad information through the Internet and other electronic services. For newspapers, this means the process of sending proofs to advertisers—and receiving their edits, changes and comments—is simplified.

AdXChange receives ads electronically from delivery services such as AP AdSend, 4-Sight ADS and ACI AdDirect in native file formats, as well as PDF, EPSF and TIFF formats, and converts each of these ads into a PDF.

AdXChange incorporates these ads into a PDF workflow, making the files a manageable size and readily accessible to users and advertisers. Through

AdXChange, advertisers can access a proof of their ad through a Web browser, fax or e-mail and approve it, or download the file and make the necessary changes.

These changes are linked to the original ad and AdXChange notifies both the advertiser and ad production when the changes have been completed. Because advertisers can view their ads from the Internet, they do not need to be in touch with the ad production department as often—this gives the ad production department more time to complete ads and meet deadlines.

Digital Output Hype
Imagesetters and RIPs will be, as always, major technology areas at NEXPO, with new solutions from Agfa, Heidelberg Prepress, IPTech, Optronics, PrePRESS Solutions and Western Lithotech vying for attention, as well as imagesetter and RIP solutions for other top technology providers.

Who will be showing what?

Agfa will show its POLARIS 100E imagesetter, as well as its entire Avantra family of imagesetting systems. Also, Agfa will introduce Phoenix, a new imagesetter designed specifically for the newspaper market.

Michael Phillips, newspaper market manager for Agfa, reports that Polaris 100E will produce 85 plates per hour with slip-sheet removal, designed for newspaper environments. The unit is currently in beta testing with USA Today. Agfa will also bring to NEXPO IntelliTune, a color management solution designed for newspaper printers, and Sherpa, a new digital color proofing device.

Driven directly from the Apogee PrintDrive, the Sherpa produces a proof with the same file used to output the final plate or final film. This configuration allows the system to respond to the demands of the high-speed, high-volume environments to provide an imposition proof. That makes Sherpa an ideal digital solution for any computer-to-plate or computer-to-film workflow.

In configuration with the Apogee Proofer RIP, the Sherpa becomes a revenue-earning addition to any prepress or commercial printing operation, delivering higher quality than any other printer in its category. With the Apogee Proofer RIP, the Sherpa can be used for final color checking.

The Sherpa, in conjunction with the PosterShop Agfa Edition RIP, is specifically designed for wide-format poster printing. The features and benefits of this total system are well suited to poster printing and provide huge opportunities for trade show displays, signage, POP displays and more. RIP features include file cropping and resizing, color correction and print management.

The high-speed capstan printer uses a highly efficient piezo-electric ink-jet system that conserves ink with no loss in quality. Agfa pairs the Sherpa with the high-performance, Windows NT-based Agfa Apogee Proofer RIP, which automatically queues and spools jobs. ColorTune color-management software, which runs on the Proofer RIP, generates accurate, ICC-compatible, application-independent color profiles for proofing in any workflow.

AgfaJet media rounds out any one of Agfa's Sherpa configurations. Agfa offers several grades of AgfaJet premium-coated ink-jet proofing and poster media. AgfaJet photographic base media is double coated, satin on one side and glossy on the other.

ECRM, which will be exhibiting in the Konica booth, is targeting newspapers with wider format and holographic-based imagesetters. At NEXPO, ECRM will cast light on the StingRays, Makos and Marlin. ECRM offers a full range of solutions for newspapers of all sizes.

ECRM's Eric Carlson, product marketing manager, casts his opinion on the digitally progressive newspaper market.

"Progressive newspapers today are looking at imagesetting systems capable of producing double-truck or panorama pages, page-pairing capabilities, faster throughput from the imagesetter and workflow solutions. In addition, more and more newspapers are increasing their use of color throughout the paper and, in some instances, taking on commercial work," Carlson reports. u Heidelberg's Ultre effort will show its new PostScript Level 3 RIP. Also on display: Ultre's best-selling four-up, CTP-capable 5800 imagesetter; 5400dri, bringing hard dot quality, simplified workflow and reduced costs; and the 5400 delivering professional quality with exceptional speed, repeatability and reliability. Complete workflow solutions include RIPs, imposition and trapping products.

"Ultre's commitment to the newspaper market—a market we've been close to for so many years—remains strong as ever," reports James Martin, worldwide vice president of sales and marketing for the Ultre Division of Heidelberg Publishing Services.

IPTech will show TurboRIP, a multi-platform, high-speed raster image processor for the Windows-NT platform. It combines Adobe PostScript 3 and PDF support with IPTech's intuitive Java user interface to create a robust, high-end solution for the prepress workflow. TurboRIP accepts jobs through the Windows-NT print system and spool folders, and supports a wide range of imagesetters.

IPTech will also promote CanOPI, which eliminates the need to manipulate large, high-resolution image files by generating For Placement Only (FPO) sample images for use in page-layout applications. This process speeds up the printing process by keeping memory-intensive, high-resolution images on the server. At print time, the high-resolution image replaces the FPO image while retaining all design adjustments previously made.

Also, ImpozeIT from IPTech will be showcased. ImpozeIT's intuitive graphical user interface gives it an ease-of-use not found in other imposition applications.

"Newspapers are going to go big on CTP—and big on thermal CTP, once thermal delivers the rate of productivity that newspapers require, at least 100 plates per hour. Also, the trend today is for the same RIP to drive the imagesetter, proofer and direct-to-plate system. Newspapers, like general commercial printers, want total consistency throughout the prepress workflow," reports Olivia Favela, vice president of sales and marketing at IPTech.

PrePRESS Solutions will highlight its Panther FasTRAK metal platesetting system.

"Over the past year, we have pioneered high-speed imaging of double-truck broadsheets to film on the revolutionary PantherPro/62 imagesetting system—the first capstan device with this wide of an imaging format; the max width is 24.625˝. And, over the past several months, PrePRESS, in cooperation with Mitsubishi, has been pioneering the introduction of polyester platesetting to the U.S. newspaper market," reports Rob Campbell of PrePRESS Solutions.

"Smaller circulation papers have been successfully using PantherPro/62 systems to image single and double-truck broadsheets, as well as tabloids, directly to Mitsubishi SilverDigiplate," Campbell continues. "With the use of special lockbars, these digital plates can be mounted on popular newspaper web presses and will produce high-quality copy for run lengths up to 25,000 impressions. The benefits of CTP are now accessible to papers of all sizes and, most importantly, it is affordable."

Optronics will show its ColorSetter imagesetters. Lately, in order to meet speed requirements for the newspaper industry, Optronics has a patented screening and imaging technology that allows very high throughput with very pleasing image quality. This SpeedScreen technology can allow newspapers to output plates at required line screens at lower resolutions.

Using SpeedScreen, newspapers can output a plate in a minute and a half, which is fast enough for most papers to deliver plates in a tight time crunch. Although all newspapers can benefit from platesetting technology, Optronics execs say they see a considerable niche opportunity among small- to medium-sized newspapers, using the Optronics eight-up Aurora PlateSetter and SpeedScreen.

Western Lithotech will highlight its DiamondSetter platesetters, available in two image formats. DiamondSetter 347 CTP laser platesetter provides new automated capabilities, producing up to 226 single-page plates per hour. DiamondSetter 347 uses two integrated FD YAG laser-imaging heads that provide reliable plate imaging. The 347 CTP platesetter scans at a rate of 1˝ per second at 1,200 dpi.

Outside NEXPO: MassTransit Talks Telecom Language

Group Logic, the Arlington, VA-based graphics arts software publisher, is targeting the newspaper market with its new enterprise-server version of MassTransit 3.0.

The enterprise-server version of Group Logic's high-speed file transfer and remote proofing software enables users to manage file transfer workflows spanning multi-plant printing and prepress facilities, corporate graphic arts and marketing groups, and other large, widely distributed graphic arts organizations.

Group Logic created the enterprise-server version of its software to meet the increasingly critical needs of enterprise-wide, data-delivery workflows. Built in conjunction with major printing and prepress firms, the enterprise version offers the following key benefits: full automation of file-transfer workflows across the corporate WAN; centralized management of diverse communications links; centralized management of distributed corporate-network-based, file-transfer servers; sophisticated logging and log-analysis capabilities; open programmable interfaces for customization; robust Windows NT and Mac OS server and cross-platform client software for Macintosh OS, Windows 95, 98 and NT.

A major feature of MassTransit Enterprise is its ability to centralize management of telecom links. The MassTransit Enterprise server includes interfaces to virtually all of the common telecom devices, services and protocols—including the Internet, FTP, ISDN, WAM!NET and other file-transfer vehicles. This feature enables printing and prepress firms to set up a central location for all telecom links.

Files arriving at the central server from remote customer locations are automatically forwarded to remote internal plants using a corporate frame relay, virtual private network or other network. Files transferred to remote customers from individual plants are forwarded through the central server.

Centralized communication also gives all of a newspaper's plants access to a broad set of telecom methods managed at a corporate location, instead of requiring each plant to have its own.

"Customers who need to do lots of ad delivery are finding MassTransit 3.0 expands their flexibility—as just one example, Gannett's Springfield, VA, plant," reports Andy Lewis, director of marketing and sales, at Group Logic. "For newspapers, digital ad delivery is a key area where products such as MassTransit can be great solutions, allowing newspapers to be notified via e-mail or fax when ads have been sent digitally—allowing newspapers to both better receive and track ads."