Online Proofing Up to the Task

Professionals who live, breathe, and have that unique passion for publishing are, with good reason, tough on new technologies. After all, we are ultimately talking about art. And the people who make this art their livelihood are, at times, just as obsessed with the details as sculptors or musicians. There is no room for compromise.For these people, rocking the boat in the slightest is disturbing. They might be cynical about new tools and methods, and will, therefore, subject them to the toughest tests. When a technology passes those rigid tests, however, the marketplace will 'do a 180' as they say, and rush to take advantage. It happened with CtP, PostScript, and PDF. And today it's happening with online proofing. The early resistance to online proofing could be attributed to the misconception that all of its proponents were asking graphic arts professionals to compromise the contract proof in a number of ways. The greatest area of concern was, legitimately, color fidelity. This could be why online proofing was the last analog frontier to be conquered, and merged into otherwise all-digital workflows. The single, hard-copy contract proof was (and remains) the 'point of no return'—the most critical and tangible evidence of job approval. The fact is that the best, most sophisticated online proofing solutions available today don't force compromises. What they do is get stakeholders to the final proof much faster than conventional analog methods—and with the color fidelity and high resolution even the toughest customers require.Online proofing technology has clearly advanced, and now addresses the chief color proofing concerns for publishers. In fact, leading online proofing solutions such as KPG's MatchPrintVirtual, powered by RealTimeImage's technology, are SWOP certified!Online proofing providers have figured out how to harness the power of the Internet to make the proofing process an easy, collaborative, and rapid step in the publishing workflow.The benefits are numerous and powerful. For instance, the ability to get sign-off on a proof in a few hours instead of days translated, literally, into multi-million dollar profits for consumer goods companies.Magazine publishers have reduced proofing cycles significantly, saving a full day, in some cases, out of a six day proofing cycle. Today online proofing has moved beyond proof-of-concept to becoming a must-have tool for competitive advantage.As demand for faster turnaround and higher frequency increase, especially as variable printing gradually takes off, publishers need the ability to proof artwork efficiently, quickly, and with color accuracy.For a growing number of professionals, the color that can be achieved via calibration and management of displays is more than sufficient to make them comfortable going to a final proof on-screen.For example, by allowing the use of any ICC profile for customized screen calibration, offering a patented online densitometer for accurate remote measurement of color channels (CMYK, RGB, spot colors), and providing a color-book reference, RealTimeProof offers a color-accurate online proofing solution for calibrated color monitors and local hard-copy output devices.For others, on-screen proofing is more than adequate for interim proofing cycles, but for final proofs, they still prefer hard-copy output. Online proofing solutions from companies like RealTimeImage, KPG, and R.R. Donnelley fit into either scenario.Our RealTimeProof technology enables users to produce a high-resolution hard copy by printing directly from their browser, using any type of local proofing device, from ink jet to high-end digital proofer.All users can then view color-accurate, high-resolution soft proofs in seconds, and produce hard copies as required in minutes, regardless of geographical distance or time differences.Some magazine publishers are already ahead of the curve in implementing online proofing. For example, U.K.-based AutoSport magazine has been using online proofing successfully for years. Today it boasts a complete, 100% online proofing workflow, without producing even one hard copy throughout the process!Beyond technological advances in online proofing, external trends are helping to fuel its adoption in the publishing segment. The choice to print regionally, as well as the practice of large magazines and newspapers to use several different vendors internationally and nationally, makes online proofing an ideal solution, providing publishers with crucial flexibility.Some leading online proofing applications, such as our RealTimeProof, offer a simple and efficient mechanism for secure file transfer as an added value to collaborative proofing capabilities.Publishers can continue to get into the latest stages of the proofing cycle (after the agency and creative have completed the initial proofing steps) using online proofing for quick and efficient contract proofs, and then distribute ready-to-print files to their printers.In this way, online proofing offers the most efficient and cost-effective way to conduct the publishing workflow in its most critical segment: the final signoff before getting to print.Online proofing has also become extremely affordable. ASP-type 'hosted' solutions offer the approval and distribution mechanisms publishers require, and are being offered with no upfront costs and low monthly subscriptions based on usage.As 2004 unfolds, so do the opportunities for publishers to take advantage of online proofing—a technology that has matured, and become more cost-effective, for competitive advantage.- Yehuda MessingerYehuda Messinger is with the Graphics Arts Division of RealTimeImage Inc., recently acquired by Kodak Polychrome Graphics.

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Online Proofing Up to the Task

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Publishing Executive Staff