Premedia (or prepress, if you prefer) has evolved quite significantly from the days of film stripping, vertical cameras and contact frames. Premedia, as we know it today, has been shaped by the advancement of digital technology. It can be a challenge to keep up with the pace of technological change sometimes, especially when technologies that we need to cooperate with one another don’t always change in symbiotic ways, or at the same rate.

As the wide-format printing industry recovers this year, technological advances in print head technology, print equipment and inks will help to drive the market forward.

As Alcan’s Masters said, “Digital printing is king.” As a direct result of our current economic situation, companies have shifted away from analog to digital technologies in order to accommodate short run jobs.

Benefits and things to consider when choosing a web-to-print solution

It was 2007 when “green” went mainstream; and in the past several years, it has captured the public consciousness. There were 2,400 trademark applications for terms and phrases with “green” in them and 900 more with “eco.” The number increased in 2008; there were 32 per cent more applications for trademarks containing “green” and 98 per cent more containing “eco.”

While many companies are touting their green credentials – in response to public pressure – some are venturing into “greenwashing” without true sustainable practices in place.

In many cases, a coating is the final touch on a printed piece. Not only is it that lasting effect that really makes the colours "pop," but it also has added value in protecting the document. Coatings can keep fingerprints, scratches and scuffs at bay, while adding a glossy finish that creates depth to the piece and draws the reader's eye. There are different types of coating for different applications, including varnish, UV coating, and aqueous coating. Lamination is also an option, but that's another story for another day.

Thanks to big advancements in monitor technology, software development, Internet connectivity speeds and customer interest, soft proofing has celebrated a significant uptake in the last few years as an extension and/or alternative to traditional paper-based proofing methods. One doesn't have to look too hard to find articles and literature heralding the colour accuracy and competency of soft proofing systems.

The most common and annoying problem to deal with in a PDF workflow is adding new text to a PDF. Whether there are pages that need to be numbered or slug information that needs to be added for proofing or printing, something that should be so simple can be complicated within a PDF. The same is true when trying to automate the simple addition of text to PDF files; Javascript allows only certain commands to be automated within Acrobat and is subject to the same errors encountered when adding text manually.

With the rapid growth of 3D design technology in product development and online consumer 3D print services, and the growing adoption of 3D software in architecture, interior design and manufacturing, there is a strong demand for 3D printers to produce these prototypes. Purchasing a 3D printer may be a little too expensive for some companies, therefore setting the stage for current printing companies to add 3D printing to their list of offerings. Let’s explore different 3D printers currently being used in the marketplace.

In this first of a series of articles, we would like to look at the heart of all inkjet printers – the print head. With a better understanding of inkjet printers and how they work, you will be able to capitalize on this technology to propel your business to the next level in an ever-changing graphics world where inkjet is quickly becoming a predominate technology in many areas.

A previous article talked about PDFs received from an online source and how parts of the production process could be automated. Some items that are not so easy to automatically fix can have automation assist to reduce the manual work. Adjusting bleed and page size in a PDF is one example.