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| Fridays with Frank Romano - For Premium Access Members |
By Frank Romano August 10 , 2007 -- The word “workflow” is so over-used and so ambiguous that I doubt that anyone really knows what it means. I contend that printing is not “a” workflow; it is a number of workflows. Hear me out. Workflow is a discrete set of tasks that form a process, or a combination of processes used to produce a product, or a network of activity to accomplish something.
Every printing job begins as as an idea and eventually becomes a reality. Between those two points there are different steps taken by different people at different times in different places using different technology. One could say that it all adds up to a workflow, but that implies that all steps are involved in every job. There are certainly definable macro operations, each of one is made up of micro operations, and the end result of each macro operation becomes the input to the next macro operation. Marketing workflows It all begins when someone decides to use print and/or other media to promote a product or service, inform or educate an audience, or produce a product that will be sold. They go through processes that involve budgeting, media selection, and channel decisions. The end result is a general idea of what is needed -- a brochure, a flyer, an ad insert, a booklet, a postcard, etc. -- that will work in conjunction with TV and Internet ads and other media. It all begins because someone wants to sell something to someone else. The end result is a decision to move ahead on development of the material and the campaign. Creative workflows To translate the marketing goal into reality, graphic designers, writers, photographers, illustrators, and marketing people collaborate to bring the print product to life. It may begin as thumbnail sketches on the proverbial napkin or rough layouts done with a computer program. Designers once spent a lot of time doing comprehensives, which were simulations of the final product so that marketing and business decisonmakers could see how the final product would look. In the past, the creative workflow involved typesetters, color separators, stats, and paste-up mechanicals. Today, the designer has total control (and responsibility). Along the way they can output pre-proofs from digital printers of any kind for review and approval. The end result is a file that is (supposedly) ready for printing -- delivered to the graphic arts service. Business workflows On the origination side, services may be selected through some bidding process, purchase orders must be issued, and specifications must be established. Coordination and contracting with warehousing, fulfillment centers, mailers, or other services may be necessary.
On the service side there is the need to plan the job, order paper and supplies, coordinate other services if needed, estimate the cost and price, and schedule the job. Job information is metadata and specifications as well as in-process production performance information. Business information may include production related data, and non-production information like sales reports and credit information, billing, accounting, and tax -- plus supply chain stuff like ink, plates, and paper as well as chemistry and lubricants. All must be specified, purchased, inventoried, and managed. In most cases, all the material concerning a job is organized in a job jacket or folder, but some of the information is in a computer or computers. The goal of many MIS systems is to integrate these two sets of processes. Pre-press workflows The service (printer or pre-press) preflights the file to find any problems. This is an essential step and they apply a number of tools to accomplish it. In strong contract relationships (the job is done on a regular basis) the file is probably a PDF. In other cases, it may be a folder with the application program, fonts, images, and report. The first result of this process is a proof for the customer to sign off, the so-called contract proof. There could be multiple iterations in this workflow as the customer makes changes. The service may produce a pagination proof so the customer can verify folios and spreads. After approval, the final file is sent to the platesetter and plates are output. Some say the end result of prepress is the file and that platemaking is part of the pressroom. I contend that the end result of prepress is a press-ready plate or set of plates. Printing workflows The plates, paper, ink, etc. are delivered to the press and makeready begins. The proof is used as the reference point. Depending on the press, sheets may be run once on a perfector or twice (with a lag for drying). The end result of sheetfed printing is a skid or stack of printed sheets. The end result of web printing is usually a folded signature. For digital printing, a file is sent to the front end, stored, assigned a paper tray, and set up for various operations. The use of prepress data to establish litho ink settings was the first electronically-enabled linking of the prepress, platemaking, and press islands of automation. Finishing workflows The printed sheets are delivered to the bindery and cut, folded, bound, packed, and delivered to the loading dock or mailing area. If the signatures come off a web press, they are ready for for binding because they are already folded. Sheetfed sheets must be folded first unless the final products must be cut out of the sheet and then delivered flat, or cut and then folded (like simple 4-page brochures). The finishing system could also be integrated with the digital printer. Distribution workflows The finished products are processed for mailing inhouse, or trucked to a mailing service, or fulfillment service. In periodical, catalog, and direct mail printing, the addressing is done at the end of the bindery line. If a outside mailer is used, they would do the addressing on a mail table. The mailed pieces must then be delivered to the post office with the required paperwork and payment. Some products may be delivered to customer offices or warehouses for other services. Billing/Archiving workflows The job folder is sent to the billing department to check for operations that were performed above and beyond the order. This information may have been collected electronically as each person or operation that touched the job reported back to the MIS system. The invoice must reflect the original estimate plus changes and extra operations. Additionally, the ripped files may be archived so that reprints can be run without re-processing. Notice that some of these workflows exist irrespective of the printing process and that most workflow automation results from the elimination or integration of steps. All workflows are proprietary, no matter what anyone says, and adherence to real standards is erratic. The Internet is a network of networks. Print is truly a workflow of workflows. To the tune of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins.
- Back to Frank Romano's Main Page
He is the author of over 44 books, including the 10,000-term Encyclopedia of Graphic Communications (with Richard Romano), the standard reference in the field. His books on QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, and PDF workflow were among the first in their fields. He has authored most of the books on digital printing. His latest book is the 800-page textbook for Moscow State University. He has founded eight publications, serving as publisher or editor for TypeWorld/Electronic Publishing (which ended in its 30th year of publication), Computer Artist, Color Publishing, The Typographer, EP&P, and both the NCPA and PrintRIT Journals. His columns appear monthly in the Digital Printing Report. He is the editor of the EDSF Report. Romano lectures extensively, having addressed virtually every club, association, group, and professional organization at one time or another. He is one of the industry's foremost keynote speakers. He has consulted for major corporations, publishers, government, and other users of digital printing and publishing technology. He wrote the first report on on-demand digital printing in 1980 and ran the first conference on the subject in 1985. He has conceptualized many of the workflow and applications techniques of the industry and was the principal researcher on the landmark EDSF study, Printing in the Age of the Web and Beyond. He has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Times of London, USA Today, Business Week, Forbes, and many other newspapers and publications, as well as on TV and radio. He has partnered with InfoTrends on strategic information for the printing industry. He continues to teach courses at RIT and other universities and works with students on unique research projects. WTT Full Disclosure Statement: Unless otherwise noted, the author has no current business relationship with any of the companies named in this article. The views expressed by our contributing writers are their own and may not reflect those of WhatTheyThink.com. WhatTheyThink.com may have formal business dealings with companies named in Premium Access articles. However, these relationships play no role in the editorial content at this site. See our complete editorial policy by clicking here |
Frank Romano has spent over 40 years in the printing and publishing industries. Many know him best as the editor of the International Paper Pocket Pal or from the hundreds of articles he has written for publications from North America and Europe to the Middle East to Asia and Australia.
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