Electronic Publishing articles from February 2001

Electronic Publishing archives from February 2001

Back to work.(Editorial)
February 1, 2001... KEITH HEVENOR It was just about a year ago that the industry was gearing up for DRUPA. Vendors were baiting us with previews and everyone anxiously anticipated the unveiings typical of that show. For two weeks, a few hundred thousand...

An era of invention.(Brief Article)(Excerpt)
February 1, 2001... 35,000 B.C. TO 1400 A.D. Imagine grinding down charcoal and chalk to create a pigment, painstakingly engraving letters in stone, or printing an entire book from woodcut blocks. It is difficult in this time of technological innovation and...

Xeikon focuses on fashion.(printed calendar for 2001)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Xeikon N.V. (Wood Dale, IL) recently released its 2001 calendar, printed on 20-inch-wide Durakote white polyester film using the Xeikon DCP 500 D wide-format digital color press. According to Xeikon executives, the calendar's Belgian...

Adobe upgrades InDesign.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Adobe Systems Inc. (San Jose, CA), demonstrating its commitment and responsiveness to customers, unveiled an upgrade to its In Design page layout application. Addressing five customer requests in the InDesign 1.5.2 release, Adobe amended...

Enfocus helps certify PDFs.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Enfocus Software (San Mateo, CA), a subsidiary of Artwork Systems, previewed its latest product, Enfocus Certify PDF 1.0. A stand-alone plug-in for Adobe Acrobat 4.0, Enfocus Certify PDF does not require the concurrent use of Enfocus PitStop....

ECONOMIC SURVEY.(International Prepress Association)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Profitability figures split Once again, results of the IPA Quarterly Economic Survey present a mixed picture. Those companies experiencing an increase in profitability and those witnessing a decline are nearly equal in number. One might be...

Image Capture is enhanced.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Phase One (Northport, NY) announced that it has enhanced its Image Capture application for the Macintosh platform. For use with the company's Studiokit, PhotoPhase, and PowerPhase digital scanning solutions, Image Capture has been enhanced...

ScenicSoft ships Pandora.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... A popular developer of imposition technology, ScenicSoft Inc. (Lynwood, WA) announced the availability of Pandora 1.0. The company's new prepress packaging and label imposition application, Pandora is tailored to packaging and commercial...

Microtek creates a combo.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Microtek Labs (Redondo Beach, CA) reported that it is now bundling its MN100 digital camera with its ScanMaker 4600 USB scanner. Comprising a comprehensive Internet-ready digital imaging solution, the new hardware bundle carries a suggested...

TSM releases image catalog.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Stock Market (TSM; New York City) released its Catalog 14, showcasing more than 2600 of its high-resolution digital images. Accompanying the 448-page catalog is CD 14, a Macintosh- and Windows-compatible, e-commerce-enabled compact disc...

WebCredit debuts its latest.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Internet payment service provider WebCredit Inc. (Boston) introduced its Web-based system for processing and reporting microtransactions. A growing trend expected to reach $480 million by 2003, microtransactions are defined as sales ranging...

Epson expands its offerings.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Epson America Inc. (Long Beach, CA) announced the Epson Expression 1680 flatbed scanner, its latest input hardware. Targeted specifically at professional graphic designers, photographers, and prepress personnel, the Epson Expression 1680...

Toshiba previews products.(FC22 and FC25P)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Toshiba (Irvine CA) recently previewed its newest color copier/printers. The FC22 is a printer/copier/scanner capable of outputting up to 25 full-color printed pages or 22 color copies per minute. One of the industry's smallest color copiers,...

Olympus debuts input tools.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Olympus America Inc. (Melville, NY) only recently launched four new digital devices, including two digital cameras and two digital voice recorders. Modeled after Olympus America's popular C-2020 model, the Camedia C-2040 ZOOM and C-3040...

A tale of two shows.(Comdex and the eBusiness Conference and Expo)(Brief Article)(Column)
February 1, 2001... In recent months, I've had the opportunity to visit tradeshows outside our industry. Comdex in Las Vegas and the eBusiness Conference and Expo in New York, although very different in nature, had a common theme. The commonality was online...

Web photo services--Internet bubble or sea change? Part III.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... After the PC and the Internet, the imaging industry is about to be engulfed by a third major wave of technological change. That "next big thing" is wireless communications, and it's unstoppable. Projections include: 400 million people worldwide...

Jim Ivy.(Ricoh Corp.)
February 1, 2001... Aveteran of Ricoh for 20 years, Jim Ivy joined the company in 1981 and has held several sales and marketing positions, including stints as senior vice president of the Office Products Business Field Marketing Group and executive vice president...

Ready to make the DIGITAL SHIFT.
February 1, 2001... Digital photography will break through in 2001 Professional digital photography just might be poised to take off. New cameras offer resolution equal to film, at a price that's competitive with film-based cameras. With prices for...

High-end digital cameras.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... If you are in the market for a high-end digital input solution, you have a variety of digital cameras from which to choose. The following chart, provided by Future Image Inc., offers a glimpse at the multitude of models presently available...

Color That Pops.(Pantone's Hexachrome color printing)
February 1, 2001... Printers and professionals collaborate, creating projeds with impact. PROJECTS THAT STRIVE TO capture attention--such as our cover this month, or packaging, displays, and brochures--are good candidates for printing with a High-Fidelity...

SWOP looks at CTP methodology.(computer-to-plate)
February 1, 2001... ONLY BY STUDYING AND DEBATING PROCESSES CAN WE BEGIN TO IMPROVE UPON THEM In the beginning, there was chaos. It was creative chaos and it produced some great results, but it was not organized and was not predictable. Printing/publishing...

PDF color secrets.
February 1, 2001... Excellent color is attainable in a PDF workflow. Now that Acrobat and the PDF specification offer a reliable option for color output, users must better understand how to manage color and how to produce accurate files with consistent...

New Heidelberg solutions expand printer's services.
February 1, 2001... OnLine Printing accommodates more customers while improving efficiency. Short-run, on-demand printers received a boost over the past five years when digital prepress and printing technology enabled them and their customers to save time and...

Direct marketing goes Bazzirk with digital print.(Personalized Web Response)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Response rates soar to 67 percent as marketers get personal with customized brochures and personalized websites. Communicating one-to- one with potential customers can be a challenge amid today's cacophony of direct mail, email, and phone...

I think it might look better in red.(Column)
February 1, 2001... Have to make a serious color change? Like, turning a green product brown? Keeping realism in such a massive alteration isn't easy with conventional methods. Here's an unconventional one that works better and faster. The hungry farmer hands...

The making of a final proof.(Fujifilm's Luxel FinalProof 5600)(Brief Article)(Column)
February 1, 2001... Fujifilm's Luxel FinalProof 5600 offers analog quality in a digital proofing device. The present condition of NASDAQ notwithstanding, technology has been advancing at a blazing fast pace. Although it can complicate the lives of those who...

Style sheets made simple.(Xpedient's XTension)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... Xpedient Corporation reduces a sometimes harrowing process to a mere keystroke. I must admit that, in my years as a QuakXPres user, I hadn't devoted much thought to editing style sheets. For that reason, I was at first a bit skeptical...

Digital lab systems.(Noritsu America Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Noritsu America Corporation (Buena Park, CA) debuted two new digital lab systems for photo imaging. The QSS-27711DLS is a fully digital minilab resulting from the joint efforts of Noritsu Koki and Eastman Kodak. The QSS-277711 is combined with...

High IQ.(new software tool)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... printCafe (Pittsburgh) unveiled a new software tool to help printers analyze their performance and integration strategies. By utilizing questions and data based on information used in industry-standard ratio and performance studies,...

Supertrap.(Prinergy workflow management system )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Heidelberg (Kennesaw, GA) is planning to release the PDF trapping tool from the Prinergy workflow management system as a stand-alone application with two versions. This new product will run on the Macintosh or PC platform as an Acrobat plug-in,...

Fiery X4 print controller.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Kyocera Mita America Inc. (Fairfield, NJ) and Electronics for Imaging (Foster City, CA) announced the availability of the new Fiery X4 print controller for the Kyocera Mita Ci7600 full-color copier/printer. Some of the new features of the X4...

Kodak digital camera back.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Kodak Professional (Rochester, NY) introduced its new Kodak Professional DCS Pro Back digital camera back, designed for commercial location and tabletop photography as well as high-end portrait work. This medium-format camera back features...

It's a snap.(SnapScan e25)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Agfa (Wilmington, MA) launched a new "e-generation" scanner--the SnapScan e25. This new scanner offers 42-bit color depth at 600x1200 pixels per inch with no interpolation. In an effort to simplify the scanning process, the SnapScan is equipped...

"iMazing" ink jet.(Epson Stylus Color 777i )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Epson America Inc. (Long Beach, CA) unveiled a new four-color printer created to match the new colors and design features of Apple's new line of iMacs and PowerMac G4 computers. The Epson Stylus Color 777i offers 2880dpi resolution with up to...

PDF-to-XML conversion.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Texterity Inc. (Southborough, MA) announced the release of a service for automating PDF-to-XML conversion. TextCafe 1.0 accepts PDF, Quark, and Word files and converts them to XML, HTML, and Open e-book formats. This service was initially...

New swatchbook.(Georgia-Pacific Papers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Georgia-Pacific Papers (Atlanta) introduced a new swatchbook featuring full-color, fold-out imaging paper and details of the company's line of high-performance papers. The swatchbook provides a reference tool that assists in matching a paper to...

Russell-Field redesign.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Russell-Field (Bellwood, IL) recently updated its website, www.russellfield.com. Designed to be a resource to the industry, the website offers new-product releases, suggested product end uses, and company information. Visitors have the ability...

Roland products.(Roland DGA Corp.'s Provence Rag Fine Art Paper and Studio Series Enhanced Black ink)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Roland DGA (Irvine, CA) announced Provence Rag Fine Art Paper and Studio Series Enhanced Black ink. Both are optimized for use with Roland's six-color Hi-Fi JET printers and CAMJET printer/cutters. The Provence Rag paper is made of 100-percent...

A clear view.(Sihl USA's US 140 2-Way Window Film)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Sihl USA (San Jose, CA) now provides US 140 2-Way Window Film, an alternative to clear, static cling film for inkjet printable window graphics. This film is a 5-mil reverse print transparent polyester film with an ultra white diffusing layer....

Expanded Xiekon papers.(Mohawk Paper Mills' Options Pale Ivory and True White 96)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Mohawk Paper Mills (Cohoes, NY) expanded its line of Xiekon papers with the addition of two new whites. Options Pale Ivory and True White 96 are both patented Inxwell papers. They are available in 80 text and 80 cover in 12.5x15-inch and...

RasterPlus updates.(Graphx Inc.'s RasterPlus Macintosh Edition 4.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Graphx (Woburn MA) re-engineered its RasterPlus software fr Mac users. RasterPlus Macintosh Edition version 4 supports Polaroid and Agfa film recorders and Fuji photorealistic printers. RasterPlus Macintosh Edition also offers an improved...

Tips for usable sites.(Macromedia Inc. introduces customer information service)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Macromedia (San Francisco) launched an initiative to assist its customers using Macromedia products to create more usable websites. The company has enlisted designers and experts to compile techniques that lead to better usability, and it has...

A "big shot".(Nikon Inc. and Altamira marketing campaign)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Through the magic of digital photography, Nikon Inc. (Melville, NY) created the world's largest single digital image. During the Thanksgiving holiday an ad featuring a 65-foot dinosaur was posted on the side of a building in Times Square. The...

Zbrush.(Pixologic's ZBrush 1.1)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Pixologic (Los Angeles) introduced ZBrush 1.1 for the PC and Macintosh. ZBrush is a painting application that aims to simplify 2D and 3D digital imagery workflow. This tool is based on Pixologic's "Pixol" rendering technology, which employs...

Oce Color Copy.(Oce Color Copy 5.0 and Oce Color Copy Lite)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Oce (Chicago) has upgraded its Color Copy software. Oce Color Copy Version 5.0 and the all-new Color Copy Lite Integrate scanning with large-format digital printing using a single button. The key new features of the software include TWAIN...

Laser printer preview.(Samsung Group. Digital Information Technology Div.'s ML-7300 and ML-4600)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Samsung's Digital Information Technology Division (Rancho Dominguez, CA) introduced two new laser printers--the ML-7300 and the ML-4600. The ML-7300 is a business-class printer with 1200dpi resolution, 2lppm printing speed, and built-in...

ECRM imaging.(ECRM Imaging Systems' Bluefin imagesetter and WildCat XL platesetters)(ScenicSoft Inc. marketing campaign)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... ECRM Imaging Systems (Tewksbury, MA) amended its product line with new imaging systems, including the Bluefin imagesetter and WildCat XL platesetters. Among the company's latest releases is the Bluefin imagesetter, targeted at publishing...

Pleasing palette.(Corel Corp. updates Painter 6 Natural-Media program)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Corel Corporation (Ottawa, Canada) has updated its popular Painter 6 Natural-Media program. This newest version includes an improved palette of tools such as the soften, sharpen, blur and highpass (a Gaussian blur or convolution with a circular...

ABBYY offerings.(new products from ABBYY Software House)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... ABBYY Software House (Fremont, CA) announced a number of new products. ABBYY FineReader 5.0 Professional and FineReader 5.0 Office recently debuted in the U.S. FineReader 5.0 Pro is the company's upgraded OCR technology with improved...

Picking up speed.(personal computers from Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Hewlett-Packard Company (Palo Alto, CA) presented PCs featuring the Intel Pentium 4 processor across the consumer and business platforms. The HP Pavilion 9795C home PC and the HP Vectra v1800 are the first PCs to have the new processors. The...

Ken Orvidas.(illustrator uses Umax PowerLook)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... When Ken Orvidas of Woodinville, Washington, is creating illustrations for clients including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report, he says, "The important things are the concepts and problem solving. It's a...

No one ever predicted the Spanish imposition.(predictions of the Internet age)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The two major futuristic novels of the 20th century were George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Neither envisioned the world we live in, but Huxley might have been closer to our fate than Orwell: Huxley No one wants read...