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Dear PrintMedia,Since the magazine I work for went fully digital last year and changed printers, I am having a hard time matching colors in-house with the print. As quality control manager, I am responsible for making the match, but the differences are pretty significant. Is there a good resource or tool to make this system work better? I tried consulting a few vendors, but I'm not sure which is best or whether we have the funds at this time to make a serious investment. Help? -Quality Out of ControlDear Quality Out of Control,Always remember: Calibration! Calibration! Calibration! Your question is a common one when it comes to newly digitized workflows: that is, how to make the digital file match the printed page. In a past issue of PrintMedia, we tackled this question in a case study with S & S Worldwide catalogs where creative director, Mike Fosso, similarly advocated for calibration in "Past Imperfect" (September 2000). For your immediate needs, Pantone offers some sound (and free) advice about color theory and tools on its site: www.pantone.com. The company also offers PANTONE Personal Calibrator software to help set up manufacturer standards between you and your printer. According to PANTONE, "In many cases, the number of colors in an image will exceed the capabilities of the device used to display the image." That's why calibrating your desktop or imagesetter to match your printer's digital press is the key in solving your dilemma. Otherwise, you may also want to check out www.swop.org. The organization, Specification Web Offset Publications, is dedicated to getting everyone on the same page when it comes to file formats, which can also contribute to many color mismatches, according to SWOP. Dear PrintMedia,In the past few months my department has suffered many staff cuts. We've lost about five people during this rough time. I was one of the people who had to leave. Now, I am looking for work in the industry, but not sure I am finding the best resources. Do you know of any good online sites for the media industry? -On the DoleDear On the Dole,Besides logging onto your favorite magazine publisher sites, which often list their most recent job openings (such as Hearst, Meredith, Cahners and Ziff Davis), there are a few other Internet sites that are geared towards media professionals, although the best place to start is probably the telephone. Call your contacts and ask if they know of any openings. You may also want to try the other four people who were laid off. They may have some useful connections. Below is a list of Web sites that offer media-related employment classifieds:Mediabistro.com: You can search this site by industry (i.e., online and new media vs. print publishing) and location (although be warned that while the site lists several states, it is New York-centric). Mediabistro also offers interesting industry news, resume postings and automatic application process for many ads.Magazine.org (Magazine Publishers of America): The premier site for magazine industry news, the MPA also has access to a job bank (maintained by Mediabistro), as well as job fair events and other resources for careers in publishing. You can also keep up to date on the latest magazine launches if you're interesting in starting over with a new publisher.Editorandpublisher.com: Editor & Publisher magazine compiles employment opportunities throughout the publishing industry in print and online, including graphic design, newspaper and distribution openings. The site is easily searched by location, job description and key words. While it is geared more towards the newspaper industry, there are choice listings for production jobs.AJRnewslink.org: American Journalism Review's job bank tends to focus on editorial listings, although it can be a really good resource if you're interested in searching publishing opportunities by location. For instance, you may find a great human resources contact at a publication. It never hurts to inquire as to whether there might be an upcoming opening and/or unlisted one. Sometimes placing your resume on file with a company is a good way to get a call back. Many publishers will look to the file before they even list newly available jobs.Hotjobs.com: Though it's a more generalized job search engine, Hotjobs allows you to search by industry, including magazine publishing and production. If you like Monster.com, then Hotjobs may also work well for you. It's an up-and-coming job bank.Do you have a question for InSights? Please e-mail printmedia@napco.com or write: North American Publishing Company, InSights c/o PrintMedia, 401 North Broad Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19108

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