REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS -- Service With a Smile

Any new idea is bound to meet some resistance, but this one has the added burden of raising the specter of George Orwell's "Big Brother" or HAL from "2001: A Space Odyssey" movie fame. Added to that are the warnings sounded about viruses, firewall integrity and privacy in the wired age.

Remote diagnostic capabilities have followed the course of the overall digital revolution in printing, moving from prepress to presses (offset and digital), and now on to postpress equipment. Information can be pulled from the electronics and controls already being incorporated into modern devices, so installation of additional sensors isn't a requirement. However, a PC may be needed to run the diagnostic routines on a scheduled basis and before calling the service center when a problem arises.