Color Reproduction

• The methods of Color Reproduction have undergone radical transformations. All movement is towards a total digital base.The current methods are unrecognizable to someone involved only a decade ago.

• In addition the there is significant growth in short-run totally digital color some at the expense of traditional color printing methods.

• The move from proprietary systems to open platforms is increasing. Mac’s, Windows and Unix will coexist in the in the marketplace, if not in the same workplace.

• The success of open systems is highly dependent on standards such as PostScript, TrueType etc.

• The market in short-run color printing is exploding. You can just walk into Kinkos to see that runs of 1-10 can be profitable. The press runs for traditional processes are becoming shorter.

• The keys to production processes are becoming more and more software related.

• The performance of desktop systems will continue to increase exponentially into the foreseeable future. Memory and storage will continue to become faster and cheaper.

• Color prepress work, traditionally carried out by trained specialists will be done increasingly in small shops and even in homes.

• As prepress work is done by people who are not color reproduction specialists, there is more pressure on software developers to make applications simpler and more intuitive. The intricacies of color processing will become transparent.

• As the information age overtakes us, information is becoming a key business resource in all industries. Publishers will have to make decisions about how information is marketed, packaged and distributed.

• Business documents will increasingly be distributed electronically as well as in hard copy. As short-run color becomes economically viable, new products will become possible. Business documents will include color where it enhances the content.

• Products such as Adobe Acrobat aid in maintaining the appearance of color documents across different platforms.

• Traditional trade shops are finding their markets for scanning and page planning is being drastically reduced as economical desktop tools become more available. Some trade shops may evolve into digital color resource centers, offering a services such as image manipulation, access to digital libraries, digital camera studios along with powerful processing and communication facilities.

• The publisher now has a choice of how far downstream to take their work. The further downstream they go the higher will be the skill level of their personnel.

• The designer will play an increasingly central role in both creative and production processes. The network manager/system integrator is becoming a central figure in all stages of the process.

• Page layout and image editing programs have evolved to the point that desktop color is adequate for the needs of a large proportion of commercial printing.

• Competition in color reproduction is intensifying. Because of the explosion in digital communication, publishers are able to buy “print” anywhere in the world with instant delivery. Competition continues to drive down prices.

• Traditional graphics arts suppliers have held a clear lead in quality over desktop alternatives, but the gap is closing rapidly. Value-added services are becoming more and more the key.

• Good use of color graphics and photographic reproductions have become vital elements in any publication. Color conveys meaning, identifies brands and enhances content. Quality is important and poor color reproduction can cost real money.

• The current rapid pace of technology change is difficult to deal with in all industries. The unrealistic IRS guidelines for depreciation of desktop computers puts extreme cashflow pressure on companies.

• Being the first to adopt new technology is risky, but being the last can be fatal.