CONTENTS
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1. TECHNOLOGY MOVES ON IN NEWPAPERS
2. SYSTEM FOR MAGAZINES
3. SMART LAYOUT UPDATE
4. MORE FONT INFORMATION
5. BOOK OFFER
6. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
7. UTILITIES/UPDATES
8. HINTS
9. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
10. LAST WORD
All Format subscribers can get a 10% discount on any of our books ordered from us or our US distributor. Quote the voucher number of 11204101. If ordering on our web site, enter this number in the voucher box and hit the recalculate button; your discount will be shown when the page is revised. See <http://www.worsleypress.com/wpstore/>
1. TECHNOLOGY MOVES ON IN NEWPAPERS
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It is a decade ago that an owner of several small newspapers told me that new equipment wasn't a problem when he could show that it would repay itself in 3 to 6 months; no accountant can argue against that. Then it had been the choice between introducing QuarkXPress or PageMaker, not whether they bought new computers and software, and how they could get people up to speed in the new systems as quickly as possible. That was in the days of "sneaker net" -- and soon misplaced disks and time spent moving from one part of the offices to another forced a decision to install a network. Again, the only point to be made to the money men was in how short a time such a move would repay itself.
From a new report into computer technology in the newspaper industry it seems we are in for another round of similar moves. The next steps are not "if", they are just "when". The moves are taking place in the middle range of newspapers, the regional dailies and mid-size groups. They will soon flow down to the smaller publishers, provided there are sources for them to get the systems in place.
The report, by Summit Media Partners, titled "Strategic IT Investment by Newspapers" is available at <http://www.summitmediapartners.com/staticpages/index.php?page=20030417074825516>
One changes already in hand is that digital cameras have moved into every level, from the sports photographers who can send back pictures while staying at the venue for later shots (one paper was lucky enough to have a major stadium so near that they could log into the office's own wireless network) to the ad reps and journalists with off-the-shelf models usable without fear of film and developing costs. I suppose an amateur who takes enough shots is likely to turn in usable ones, and those back at prepress can work wonders in Photoshop!
Coupled with this is the change to direct computer-to-plate technology giving later deadlines and better overall quality.
In one area however the demand is there, but the technology is not, at least for those who cannot afford to write there own. The report details a demand for letting advertisers enter their ads themselves, via web based interface. One 150,000 circulation daily that has developed its own web interface for advertisers "would love for our reporters to have safe access to our editorial system from anywhere in the world." But the world is also their own backyard: this paper’s competitive advantage is the depth of their suburban news coverage. Web based remote editorial would reduce commuting and improve deadline performance.
It isn't in the report but it seems the industry has learned from the days of exclusive newspaper systems. Now they want off-the-shelf answers. There is also increasing centralisation, such as in billing and classifieds -- though one newspaper chief tells of frequent transfers of essential data files to the individual newspapers; if something goes wrong, everything can be run locally.
Three-quarters of respondents "think the newspaper business will see integrated editorial systems for both print and electronic media in the next 2 to 3 years," and 66% "Totally Agree" that "It would be a good idea to have an integrated editorial system for both print and electronic media."
And while no respondents specifically mentioned open-source software, a lot did mention use or consideration of Linux and other open-source software for at least part of their systems, especially when they undertook internal integration projects.
A majority, though only just, 53%, thought that they would be able to create revenue from web-based content.
The Dallas Morning News reported linking subscriber and advertiser data with demographic information to back up print ads with direct mail -- the example quoted an ad for swimming pool repair targeted to homeowners with houses of a certain minimum age that also have swimming pools. This had already started to produce "significant" revenue in its first trial year.
The report also notes that while publishers may outsource services such as web-hosting, IT is coming back in-house.
The major conclusion is that newspaper IT managers are no longer content to wait until the “newspaper systems vendors” bring new products to them, but instead are seeking out sources of technology. What effect that has downstream for smaller publishers and those in allied fields, such as magazines, have yet to be seen.
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The recent Magazine Design Conference in New York run by the Society of Publication Designers had continuous InDesign training sessions in a computer lab provided by Apple. Speakers included creative director Geoff Waring tell how Glamour UK used InDesign to give their startup magazine "a creative lead over the competition". Details magazine was names "Magazine of the Year". See <http://www.spd.org>
2. SYSTEM FOR MAGAZINES
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We included a reference to Pholium in our Format newsletter No.70 a few months ago <http://www.worsleypress.com/format/format70.htm>. The first working site at <http://www.digitaliq.com> is now active.
The Pholium online publishing system is provided for a monthly fee, and is said to give small magazines an advantage to advertisers in seeming "more established and legitimate to advertisers" as well as easing the task of keeping content fresh. They add: "Anyone who knows how to use Word and email can get the hang of it pretty quickly. Some of the most popular features include an events calendar, email newsletters, online subscription and billing, and online advertising. The site can be integrated with a current design."
3. SMART LAYOUT UPDATE
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WoodWing have announced new releases of their publication systems based around InDesign 2.02. Smart Connection offers an integrated workflow solution with Adobe InDesign and InCopy. Instead of passing around a paginated document for copy fitting you can now send a story for editing while the design of the document can continue. You can even send different stories from one page to separate editors, at the same time. Smart Connection Light with InCopy has a suggested price of US$529, the Pro version is US$
Smart Layout 2.5 adds text drive workflow features enable editors working in InCopy to create structured article including all components like headline and intro. The editor can insert new components easily specifying the width in columns and depth in lines. Once completed the designer can drag the InCopy document onto the page and have a complete article with the components in separate elements. Other new features include flexible column handling designed especially for magazine publishers. The new version also includes automatic XML tagging. Smart Layout 2.5 is expected to ship before the end of May 2003 at around US$499
Details: <http://www.woodwing.com/>
4. MORE FONT INFORMATION
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Thomas W. Phinney explanation of the differences between the various font formats has been updated on the Worsley Press website. It is at <http://www.worsleypress.com/pubprod/hints.htm> where it is the fourth item down: "TrueType, PostScript Type 1 & OpenType: What’s the Difference?". Or get direct access at <http://www.worsleypress.com/download/TT_PS_OT.pdf>
Thomas, who is fonts program manager at Adobe, comments: "There is a remarkable amount of superstition and misinformation out there."
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The Unicode 4.0 specification has been released in beta format. This is the standard for where characters go in fonts. More information is at: <http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode4.0.0/>
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Adobe's Character Access Charts now include one for Open Type, available at <http://www.adobe.com/type/main.html> (scroll to the bottom of the page, centre column). Includes names of characters and symbols plus Windows and Mac shortcuts.
5. BOOK OFFER
=============
Our US distributor has a few too many copies of our book "Newspaper Production using PageMaker 6.5" <http://www.worsleypress.com/pubprod/np-pm65.htm> so we are making a special offer to US and Canadian subscribers to this newsletter. Call Florida Academic Press on Tollfree 888-511-5125 before the end of July 2003, quote reference WP-Web and add that you are a Format subscriber to get this book for just US$22.00 including postage to anywhere in the USA or Canada. If you use PM6.5 with no plans to upgrade this saving of more than $11 is good value, still including full access to the password-protected website and our email enquiry service. If you plan to upgrade to PM7 then our "Publication Production using PageMaker" will be the better buy.
5. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Colin van der Pauw wrote: "Any way of getting color WMF vector graphic files (available on clipart libraries) to color separate (CMYK) in PageMaker. They only want to print out on the black plate."
Colin also asked about a customer's PageMaker 6.5 files created in Windows 98 with many fonts, TIFF(rgb), and WMFs. "When I import into my PageMaker set up to colour separate for litho printing (cmyk) WMFs sometimes move to the centre of the black for no apparent reason."
We replied: Most WMF graphics, especially the clipart kind, are RGB, and when printing via postscript these are printed to the black plate only. The only convenient way of conversion we know is to use the batch facility of Photoshop -- set up an action to convert a file from RGB to CMYK and then use the batch facility to apply this action to all files in a folder. If the PageMaker file is set to automatically update links, these will come in the next time the file is opened. Actions can be similarly applied in Illustrator but I'm not sure that it can be automated to the same extent with an internal batch function.
We can't explain why WMFs move on a separation, but they are a format to avoid if possible, so converting to a TIFF (or EPS in Illustrator) as part of a batch conversion should solve this as well.
Does anyone have a better answer?
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Jan Jan Yager asked about our "Publication Production using PageMaker": Does your book go into how to scan a picture into PageMaker, how to merge separate files into one file (the book I need to merge was originally done back in 1999 and I made each chapter a separate file; I now need to merge everything together into one complete file), how to convert PageMaker files to pdf, and what to do about the paging "glitch" when you put the front matter with the regular book (the pagination starts at 1 instead of roman numerals so the Index is thrown off since the book no longer starts at one).
We replied: The book does cover scanning, but it is not a major section. I'd recommend reading Real World Scanning Halftones by Blatner and Roth from Peachpit Press. It isn't one of those huge computer tomes -- 274pp -- and should also be in most libraries.
Our book does not cover direct scanning into PageMaker into PageMaker because this is not an effective method. It is far better to scan into a graphics program (Photoshop or similar) which give control over the scanned image before placing into PM.
While merging a PM file is not covered in the book it has been covered in this newsletter. However, I would question the benefit of putting all chapters and sections into a single file. They can be printed together via the "print all publications in book" option in the print dialog, and similarly Exported to PDF using the "all pages in book" option.
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C MIller replied to our answer to the question in the previous issue from Guy Halligan who asked whether InDesign had a 'build booklet' feature to create 2-up printer spreads?" We answered with details of several scripts but forgot another possibility: InBooklet, an InDesign plugin from ALAP (http://www.alap.com/). It can either create a booklet in the printer stream, or create a who new document in booklet format (much the way PageMaker's "Build Booklet" worked). US$99.99
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Tom Kostes asked: "Is it possible to Place a JPEG in a PageMaker document? Is there a plugin?"
We replied: "Standard JPEGs should import without trouble. The problem is with progressive JPEGs (which are probably most of those made for web pages). Check that you have the JPEG filter installed. If it is a progressive JPEG, open it in any picture editing software, such as Photoshop etc and resave it as a baseline or standard JPEG.
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When Jennifer P asked why she was getting one blank page at the end whenever she print some files we asked whether it was a Hewlett Packard printer, which it was. There are lots of references to the problem on various web sites, but there doesn't seem to be an answer other than to use a different printer driver or PPD. Seems that "different" is the key as I'be seen references to it being solved by using newer drivers, and older drivers. Anyone have a better answer?
6. UTILITIES/UPDATES/PLUGINS
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Jonathan Bressel's NoteMaker script for PageMaker which assists with footnote and endnote production is now available at <http://www.makingpages.org/pagemaker/tips/footnote.html> It remains shareware, meaning that there is a charge is it continues to be used after a trial period. The script renumbers reference notes if others are added or deleted, even across separate text boxes. The latest version even kerns syperscripted references over punctuation.
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Do you think your full color flyer or book cover is beautiful? What you see may not be what someone else sees. Now there is a free plug-in for Photoshop that simulates the effects of color blindness. It might surprise you how different your book covers look to a color blind person. Download the plug-in at: http://www.vischeck.com/
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Creative Pro's website includes a regular feature on XTensions and plugins, though it is mostly for Macs. The latest crop includes a US$50 plugin to clear the clutter on InDesign by opening palettes which can be affected by the currently chosen tool. "Visual Infinity's Grain Surgery 2" for Photoshop 5.5 and be·ter is a US$179 plug-in which removes film grain from an image, or adds it if that is the effect you need. Grain Surgery can also remove compression artifacts and halftone patterns."
It can also "make a digital photo appear analog." See <http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/19435.html>
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New updates to InDesign on the Adobe website include an updated Excel import filter which overcomes problems with European number separators, and a Text update which fixes some text formatting oddities, particularly with placed Word or RTF files containing Macintosh or Windows system fonts with bold or italic styling applied. There's also an update for Mac OS X users who have more than 1.5GB of installed RAM. Strangely they have hit some "Not enough memory" messages!
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Adobe Systems has posted an update patch for the full version of Acrobat 5.0 and 5.05 -- Windows only -- that fixes a potential security vulnerability discovered in the final testing of Acrobat 6.0. The free Reader is not affected. The download is 1.7MB from <http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=2121>
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Users of Windows XP should avoid XPHotfix Q81493 -- it slows the operating system to a crawl (though programs within it seem to operate at normal speed). The hotfix (a recent update) will appear as a separate item in the Add/Remove programs dialog, so is easy to get rid of.
7. HINTS
========
In QuarkXPress an anchored box cannot be placed within an anchored box but you can do it in QXP 5 if you create the text box, then nest a picture box and apply text wrap to that. Group those two boxes, then cut the group with the Item tool. Change to the Content tool, click an insertion point in the text, and paste.
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A bug in InDesign? Several users have reported that grouping items may create a bogus wrap area. Somehow an empty frame on one page can be found to be linked to a group on another page. One user on the InDesign List reported finding that the empty frame showed up only when the graphic was ungrouped though it had been causing a "hole" in text on the other page as a result of text wrap. He reported: "While the empty frame showed up when I ungrouped the graphic, as soon as I deselected the group it disappeared. Never to bother me again! I hope!"
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If you have to do a job which involves multiple copies in a layout, such as business cards or even filler ads, export the original single copy as an EPS or PDF. Then place that however many times it is required. When you have to update the original, just export it again under the same name. When you reopen the multi-copy file, or the publication, and either have automatic update turned on, or select to update the links, all the changes will be made. This works in most layout programs.
8. SOURCES OF INFORMATION
=========================
<http://www.scantips.com/> has information about scanning.
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For those who interested in more XPress 6.0 news: <http://www.printondemand.com/2003-05-02.1051901460.html>. One extract: "In continuing with the streamlined workflow process, the use of layout spaces has been added to QuarkXPress 6, which allows for a more flexible workflow. A QuarkXPress 6 project can contain a collection of layout spaces which allows QuarkXPress 6 users the ability to create layouts of varying sizes and orientations within a single multi-page document. Style sheets, hyphenations settings, and lists can be shared among layouts. Each layout can consist of up to 2,000 pages. Saving a multi-layout file backwards into Quark 5 also separates the file into individual documents."
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<http://www.paperspecs.com> has a database of most papers available in the USA, including stock sizes and stock envelope sizes that can be available. It is free but they do want to know some info on prospective users database; you can take a test drive without giving much away.
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Deneba, the Canadian company which owns Canvas software, has been acquired by ACD Systems, the US firm which makes digital imaging software including the shareware viewer program ACDSee. See the CreativePro news story at <http://www.creativepro.com/story/news/19462.html>
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<http://www.hardcovermedia.com/lab/> this site has free decorative fonts that could be useful for ads, flyers etc... Beware the somewhat noisy opening to the site...
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The University of Chicago has a some useful intepretations of the Chicago Manual of Style for copy editors at <http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html>. The opening page states: "Even at nearly 1,000 pages, The Chicago Manual of Style can’t cover every detail. In this forum we interpret the Manual’s recommendations and uncoil its intricacies."
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Many online reference works are available at <http://www.bartleby.com/reference/>. That recommendation came from Editorium Update, a useful reference in itself; see back issues at: <http://www.editorium.com/euindex.htm>
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Techdictionary.com gives thousands of explanations of computer, Internet and telecommunications terms, acronyms, emoticons or smilies, chat abbreviations, filename extensions, HTML tags, and domain suffixes: <http://www.techdictionary.com>. That suggested source came from the Internet Update email newsletter at <http://www.mkdsoftware.com.au/>
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"Advanced Find and Replace in Microsoft Word" is a free download at: <http://www.editorium.com/ftp/advancedfind.zip>. Editorium also reminded us of Jean Hollis Weber website <http://www.jeanweber.com/> and told us of her article "Escape from the Grammar Trap," <http://www.jeanweber.com/about/grammartrap.htm>, which suggests editors too often focus on details and not the bigger picture; how to distinguish between essential and nonessential rules.
9. LAST WORD
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Woody's Windows Watch commented that in an effort to boost wireless devices sales Logitech has released a study setting out the supposed bad effects of corded devices, which stated, with a straight face, on Cnet <http://news.com.com/2100-1003-998433.html> that the average respondent spends over 7 minutes a day organizing their desktop. A link is made between the length of cables on a desk and the amount of time spent tidying up, ignoring the possibility that most desktop clutter is from humans. There’s no mention of the hassles such as extra cost and battery charging. The same study adds that all the cables strung out would go half-way to the moon. Woody asks what’s wrong with that? "We should be aiming for accumulated cables to reach the moon – not just half way there". <http://woodyswatch.com/>
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Wondering how your "color management" process stands in comparison with others? A survey by TrendWatch reports that of the 63 percent of printers and prepress houses that say they have such a system in place, half use what is best described as "eyeballing".
Gordon Woolf
The Worsley Press
Hastings, Australia.