IDEA Central
NEWS YOU CAN USE IN CONTENT PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND MANAGMENT
August 2006
Virtual Proofing on Its Way
During the fall 2005 Spectrum conference, held by industry standards organization the International Digital Enterprise Alliance (IDEAlliance), 42 industry representatives from across the supply chain—agencies, prepress, printers, publishers and technology partners—met to coordinate an industry-wide initiative on virtual proofing. Participants anticipate that new workflows based on virtual proofing will be a reality for much of the industry in three years or less.
A virtual proofing workflow means proofing without any hard-copy proofs. No half-tone laminate proofs will be produced. No inkjet proofs. And on-press proofing is definitely out.
According to the initial work of the IDEAlliance Virtual Proofing Taskforce, benefits of virtual proofing include lower cost, quicker delivery time, improved accuracy, improved consistency and more reliable accountability.
Ultimately, the goal is to make print media more competitive. To learn about participating in the Virtual Proofing Taskforce, contact David Steinhardt at DSteinhardt@Idealliance.org.
IDEAlliance Launches Master Printer Database
IDEAlliance has launched a Master Printer qualification program that identifies printing companies qualified to create proofs and print to the G7 proof-to-press process control methods developed by the General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography (GRACoL) Committee in 2005.
Printers that have participated in IDEAlliance press runs and training events throughout 2004 and 2005 are among the first to be listed in the database, including: Amp Printing, Brown Printing Company, CRW Graphics, Foremost Graphics, Integrity Graphics, LAGraphico, L.P. Thebault, Quad Graphics, Rex3 Printing and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Paper Inventory Database Posted for 2005
IDEAlliance has announced the availability of its Paper Inventory report, which quantifies the paper being held in printers’ warehouses, whether owned by printers or publishers. Since the manufacturing capacity within the group of reporting companies is dynamic, consumption data also is reported, enabling translation into days of inventory. The impetus for the initiative is an ever-repeating paper cycle in which lack of visibility for paper inventories contributes to unnecessary buying that leads to a tight paper market and price increases. The price increases then lead to budget reductions in print volume by publishers and utilization problems for printers. The resulting consumption decrease and corresponding inventory de-stocking creates utilization problems for paper companies and price declines. See the chart below. (The complete report is available only to IDEAlliance members.)
Survey of Publishing Technologies
IDEAlliance is conducting a publishing technologies survey to assess the state of publishing technologies and standards. The survey focuses on digital media assets, both for archive and for product delivery, systems in use today and new systems on publishers’ wishlists as well as the awareness and adoption of leading technology standards.
2005 Paper Inventory Trendline Printer Paper Inventories in Short Tons
Inventory % chg Consumption % chg Reserves
January 968,539 -0.006 713,888 -0.106 254,651
February 1,024,474 0.058 708,028 -0.008 316,446
March 1,055,764 0.031 727,048 0.027 328,716
April 1,041,808 -0.013 777,398 0.069 264,410
May 1,066,373 0.024 640,748 -0.176 425,625
June 1,006,378 -0.056 680,162 0.062 326,216
July 1,123,801 0.117 791,198 0.063 332,603
August 1,121,227 -0.002 792,378 0.001 328,849
September 1,090,693 -0.027 797,109 0.006 293,584
October 1,073,438 -0.016 894,484 0.122 178,954
November 1,037,509 0.033 786,091 -0.121 251,418
December 1,020,370 -0.017 706,744 -0.101 313,626
Median 1,052,531 751,273 301,258
During the fall 2005 Spectrum conference, held by industry standards organization the International Digital Enterprise Alliance (IDEAlliance), 42 industry representatives from across the supply chain—agencies, prepress, printers, publishers and technology partners—met to coordinate an industry-wide initiative on virtual proofing. Participants anticipate that new workflows based on virtual proofing will be a reality for much of the industry in three years or less.
A virtual proofing workflow means proofing without any hard-copy proofs. No half-tone laminate proofs will be produced. No inkjet proofs. And on-press proofing is definitely out.
According to the initial work of the IDEAlliance Virtual Proofing Taskforce, benefits of virtual proofing include lower cost, quicker delivery time, improved accuracy, improved consistency and more reliable accountability.
Ultimately, the goal is to make print media more competitive. To learn about participating in the Virtual Proofing Taskforce, contact David Steinhardt at DSteinhardt@Idealliance.org.
IDEAlliance Launches Master Printer Database
IDEAlliance has launched a Master Printer qualification program that identifies printing companies qualified to create proofs and print to the G7 proof-to-press process control methods developed by the General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography (GRACoL) Committee in 2005.
Printers that have participated in IDEAlliance press runs and training events throughout 2004 and 2005 are among the first to be listed in the database, including: Amp Printing, Brown Printing Company, CRW Graphics, Foremost Graphics, Integrity Graphics, LAGraphico, L.P. Thebault, Quad Graphics, Rex3 Printing and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Paper Inventory Database Posted for 2005
IDEAlliance has announced the availability of its Paper Inventory report, which quantifies the paper being held in printers’ warehouses, whether owned by printers or publishers. Since the manufacturing capacity within the group of reporting companies is dynamic, consumption data also is reported, enabling translation into days of inventory. The impetus for the initiative is an ever-repeating paper cycle in which lack of visibility for paper inventories contributes to unnecessary buying that leads to a tight paper market and price increases. The price increases then lead to budget reductions in print volume by publishers and utilization problems for printers. The resulting consumption decrease and corresponding inventory de-stocking creates utilization problems for paper companies and price declines. See the chart below. (The complete report is available only to IDEAlliance members.)
Survey of Publishing Technologies
IDEAlliance is conducting a publishing technologies survey to assess the state of publishing technologies and standards. The survey focuses on digital media assets, both for archive and for product delivery, systems in use today and new systems on publishers’ wishlists as well as the awareness and adoption of leading technology standards.
2005 Paper Inventory Trendline Printer Paper Inventories in Short Tons
Inventory % chg Consumption % chg Reserves
January 968,539 -0.006 713,888 -0.106 254,651
February 1,024,474 0.058 708,028 -0.008 316,446
March 1,055,764 0.031 727,048 0.027 328,716
April 1,041,808 -0.013 777,398 0.069 264,410
May 1,066,373 0.024 640,748 -0.176 425,625
June 1,006,378 -0.056 680,162 0.062 326,216
July 1,123,801 0.117 791,198 0.063 332,603
August 1,121,227 -0.002 792,378 0.001 328,849
September 1,090,693 -0.027 797,109 0.006 293,584
October 1,073,438 -0.016 894,484 0.122 178,954
November 1,037,509 0.033 786,091 -0.121 251,418
December 1,020,370 -0.017 706,744 -0.101 313,626
Median 1,052,531 751,273 301,258
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
