Let's face it, the lines that once clearly separated so many industries have become considerably more blurred...
The separation between Pre-Press Shops and Printing Houses diminishes as they begin offering similar services. Just because the lines are getting blurry doesn't necessarily mean that it's time to contemplate glasses. Let's face it, the lines that once clearly separated so many industries have become considerably more blurred in recent years thanks to the onset of increased competition and advances in technology. Remember when, once upon a time, if you needed building tools, you went to a hardware store; if you needed a container of milk, you went to the grocery store; and if you needed a birthday card, you went to the local card/gift shop? These days, superstores like Wal-Mart, many of which offer sizeable grocery sections, offer something for everyone. Although some of these places can seem downright overwhelming, people with little free time to spare appreciate the convenience of one-stop shopping.
When it comes to pre-press and printing, the lines have become blurred, too. No doubt there are many of us who don't have to think too hard to recall those primitive days when the designer was left waiting for copy from the typesetter before they could paste-up the mechanicals. From there, the boards would be sent off to a service bureau for film and color separations before handing over the final materials to whichever printer might be handling the job.
Enter digital technology. In many ways it has redefined, and in fact, is still redefining creative arenas such as the print industry. Some pre-press houses, like TR Digital Production, which once served as a simple resource for film output, now offer clients a complete range of communication services, from digital photography and internet design and maintenance, to digital file correction and even digital offset printing. "Clients used to come to us for camera ready art," notes Forrest Robinson, one of TR Production's founding partners. "Since then," he adds, "we've been on the cutting edge and sometimes the bleeding edge of technology, trying to expand our capabilities and secure our future."
To understand the bleeding edge, one has only to wander TR's corridors where once expensive hardware lies unused, a victim of technology run amok. "The frustrating end of this business is that things become obsolete so quickly," Robinson cites. "Four years ago, we bought this MacIntosh Quadra for about $12,000. It's probably worth about $500 now. From an expense standpoint, you can't buy everything that's coming out on the market, either. Sometimes you have to even skip a generation or two of enhancements." But like the industry itself, success relies on being able to keep up with the changes.
Change, Robinson notes, is what put him and his one time engineering partners into business in the first place, and it may be the very same thing that threatens the company's future. He says, "Designers are having to adapt to web projects and are also feeling a pinch from the development of easy-to-use, pre-designed templates. Photographers have been threatened by royalty free CD's, which can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. You can't stop change. You just have to move on with a viable set of services to offer."
Capturing a larger portion of the job...
While Kudzu Graphics initially opened its doors as a design and pre-press house, it now offers printing, bindery, and mail fulfillment services as well. "What happened," notes Kudzu Partner Michael Prosser, "was that our clients would ask us for suggestions when it came to printing their project. So we began handling that end of the job, serving in essence as print brokers. When it became too much of a headache, we decided to bring that service in-house. Now we've got several traditional offset presses to handle client needs. More and more, companies like ours are looking to capture a larger portion of the job. It makes sense because it's much easier to work with one vendor versus separate designer, pre-press house, printer, and mailing house. It creates far less logistical nightmares for the client."
There is also far less risk for potential financial loss caused by printing companies bringing pre-press services in-house. "Once printers started to see that the disk is what controls the job," TR Production's Robinson notes, "they wanted a piece of the job, too." "Since so many printers have taken the pre-press service in-house," Prosser adds, "we've seen the number of printers using Kudzu for pre-press diminishing."
Dispelling the Digital Mystique...
Buzzwords rule, at least for a brief period. First, there were those who didn't want to hear about digital anything, according to Buck Bell, founder of Station to Station, which offers digital pre-press, conventional printing, large format printing, and digital photography. "Then people became junkies, wanting everything to be done digitally," Bell comments. "Now the thrill that comes with any new technology is gone. Clients just rely on us for graphic production savvy in general."
Which is why when it comes to printing, Station to Station offers traditional offset over digital printing. Says Bell, "It became evident to us that as printers were becoming more like us in offering pre-press capabilities, we had to be more like them. But that said, we promised we'd never go into digital printing unless it enhanced the quality of what we were doing, and it didn't." So one year ago, when Station to Station purchased its first printing equipment, the company opted for conventional presses. We simply felt that digital print quality was beneath our standard. Our thought was that we're not great because we're digital, we're great because we know how to incorporate the best digital tools to achieve high quality print pieces. That's what our clients were interested in."
A new marketing niche...
According to those who have acquired the tools, digital printing isn't about taking away business from area printers, but creating a new market, a market filled by companies which used to settle for 2-color because they couldn't afford four-color. It's geared to firms that prefer to create a number of targeted pieces in smaller quantities, rather than print more copies of a single piece. Says Imagers' Marketing Technologist Frank Gibson, "Digital printing does several things. First, it lets the little guy finally promote his business in a cost-effective manner. It also enables marketing people to target specific, smaller segments of their market." TR Production's Robinson agrees. "We've leveled the playing field," he responds. "It used to be that smaller companies couldn't afford four color graphics, and designers couldn't afford to support those clients. Now the designer has at their disposal the same equipment that the big guys do. Are we taking business away from larger printers? No. Essentially, what this technology has done is create a new market."
An important alliance is how Gibson views the relationship between his firm and larger print houses. "A large print house," he notes, "would lose money on the projects we do, but if they want to offer a more turnkey service, they can benefit from our investment in equipment and our expertise when it comes to using that equipment."
New, digital methods also enable clients to transport files, eliminating the need for expensive couriers and overnight deliveries. On one hand, notes Gary Rosenberg, General Manager of Seven Worldwide (formerly Wace), clients can set up a site for viewing digital proofs in the comfort of their own office, without having to be on-site at press checks, although the color viewed can't be used to make color corrections. It also permits clients such opportunities as printing abroad with complete confidence. Says Seven Worldwide Business Development Manager Marsha Wyatt, "We had one client who wanted to print a job in England to avoid printing it here and facing customs, import tariffs, and potential damage. We did all the digital pre-press work here, then transmitted the files to one of our companies in England." What it all boils down to, according to Rosenberg, is simple. "We used to be just a trade shop. Now, we're more a business partner, helping companies create the best methods for maintaining their images."
Tools are only as good as the people who use them...
One myth Fred Robinson tries to dispel is that if it's done digitally, it's perfect. "Perfection seems much easier to achieve than it really is," he remarks. "But there are a lot of issues that come into play, many of which revolve around the variable skill levels of individual operators and equipment maintenance."
In addition, there is the fact that the technology end of things tends to make the process more difficult for some digital service buyers who aren't up to speed on "computer-ese." Says Seven Worldwide's Wyatt, "Recently, I went to a meeting of the Print Production Association where the topic was pre-flighting disks for production. Although some people may have wondered why the topic was being discussed, it's an incredibly important one because print production people need to know why they've got to be literate and recognize whether or not all the files are there. The reason they need to know is because once it gets here, and we go to pre-flight, we can lose anywhere from five to twenty-four hours if something's wrong, or if we're missing information."
A Printer's eye view...
As far as he's concerned, Tom Jefferson, Superintendent of Pre-Press and Electronics at Williams Printing, doesn't feel threatened by pre-press companies which have added digital printing to their existing service offerings. In some respects he believes the threat is the other way around. "Trade houses in general," Jefferson notes, "over the last seven or eight years have struggled a bit because printers have brought pre-press services in-house. It's easier for us to maintain control of the schedule and our presses when we do pre-press here." While it may be easier, Jefferson admits it's also more stressful because the company is always worried about keeping the presses running, placing more urgency on pre-press work. "To some degree," he adds, "we compete with trade shops when it comes to pre-press work, but we don't compete with their digital presses. Those are not the types of jobs we do. The work we're doing is more high end, high quality, larger run work. Digital hasn't reached that level yet."
Looking from the outside in.....
When Mary Barton Productions, an Atlanta based print management consulting firm, was asked to provide a speaker for the writers and designers who make up the Freelance Forum, the company decided to poll members to determine the evening's direction. MBP discovered there was an overwhelming interest in learning more about digital production; when to use it, what it involves, what the quality is like, and when it's more effective to use traditional offset. "Digital certainly has its advantages," says MBP's Mary Barton. "If you need quick turnaround on a four color job where the run is short, color isn't critical, and you don't mind that the paper stock is limited, digital makes sense. But when you start getting up to 2,500 pieces, I can use traditional offset, turn it around in three days, get a higher quality product, and have more control over the product."
Control comes with more traditional press checks to ensure the printed piece is being produced exactly to specification. "Although you can get proofs with digital printing," Barton notes, "it's not the same as doing a press check. A color copy proof may not be entirely accurate, and if you want a press proof, which gives a good idea of what the job will look like, it can be expensive."
While she believes the Heidelberg DI offers solid print capabilities for short runs, she also believes, like other digital printers, it has its limitations. "First of all, with digital presses, some of which use toner versus real ink, you're limited to size, paper selection, and you're likely to see a color shift where the first and last sheets may not be exactly the same." Although she's happy for the new options it represents, she remarks, "At this point, I think a lot of people are more fascinated by the buzzword rather than the actual process. I've had clients in the past, for example, who wanted their work done digitally, no matter what. In some of those cases, traditional offset made more sense."
Given her druthers, when it comes to larger runs where quality control is critical, Barton believes it makes more sense for the printer (if they offer pre-press services) to handle pre-press needs as well. "Printers know what film will reproduce best on their presses. Additionally, if I get film from somewhere else and it's not in register, the printer will say it isn't their fault. Even if the pre-press company stands behind it, we still have to pull that job off the press until we get new film."
More client power...
That the distinct line that separates pre-press and printers is blurred isn't important by itself, believes Imagers' Gibson. "What's significant," he believes, "is that customers are empowered to do so much themselves." "They've got more creative control," adds Imagers founder Fred Lines. "They can make changes up until the last second." There's also another customer benefit, according to Gibson. "In a previous technology, there was a time when the printer who had the film also owned the film. Perhaps a customer ran 100,000 copies on that first run, but the next time they needed it to be printed, only a few thousand were needed. While that particular printer may not have been a good fit for that size run, the customer was held hostage. That's no longer the case."
What the future holds...
According to Imagers' Gibson, the current digital press equipment available is all for small format work, twelve inches by eighteen inches and under. "But a year from now," he offers, "these systems will have big brothers. Xerox, for example, has just announced a DocuColor 100 to print larger format work digitally. If we buy something like that, we will be competing with the larger print shops."
With the state-of-the-art technology it uses to run its presses computer to plate, bypassing the film to plate method, and guaranteeing the most accurate registration and fit on press, William's Jefferson isn't too concerned about the recent innovations in digital presses. "There is one Scitex press in Beta testing now," Jefferson discusses, "a twenty-six inch press, that would offer the level of quality that would be competitive to us, available in 2000." At some point in the future, if the quality meets their standard, Williams might be interested in adding digital presses, too.