BtoB Media Business - April 2008 - (Page 14)

FEATURE Image Zoo/Images.com Printing trends Technology is revolutionizing the relationship between publisher and printer BY MARK J. MILLER the publisher and printer side, it’s not quickly implemented,” she said. “The promise is there.” UBM will be looking more into implementing JDF this year, she added. JDF and other improvements in automation are allowing printers to offer publishers such things as totally proofless printing jobs. “We’d have to do everything on our end to be sure everything is fine before it goes, but then, once it does, that’s it,” said Kelly Bracken, production director at Bobit Business Media. “We’re considering it and will do it with a few books, but it’s scary.” 2. Going green Printers are making big strides in going green, including working with paper mills that are Forest Stewardship Council-certified and offering soy-based ink. “That will continue to grow as oil rises and petroleum-based ink prices rise,” said Steve Frye, principal consultant at Frye Consulting, which provides printing advice. Printers are also trying to eliminate internal paper waste and cut down on publishers printing unnecessary copies, Frye said. Blanchard noted that RBI is trying to shorten its press runs in order to combat rising costs. It’s doing this, in part, by eliminating comp copies and replacing them with digital editions. Companies can also keep costs in line by cutting down on the number of undeliverable issues. Frye noted the U.S. Postal Service has decided to stop giving discounts to publishers that have a large volume of undeliverables, providing extra incentive to companies to get their mail files in order. “Printers are definitely working on trying to be more environmentally sound,” said Jackie Bland, managing director of Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization, which is just setting out to study how the environmental movement and magazines intersect. T he rise in paper and distribution costs is putting greater pressure on printers to help publishers save money in the production process rather than see more titles cease publication or go completely digital. Here are key areas to keep an eye on this year. 1. Automation on the rise One way of eliminating costs is through greater automation. Reed Business Information is finding success with its implementation of JDF (Job Defining Format) at Fry Communications, said John Blanchard, VP-manufacturing at RBI. JDF provides a common language to facilitate the flow of a file through the production process. RBI has “achieved efficiency and accuracy improvements as well as opportunities to co-print,” through the use of JDF, Blanchard said. Those successes have prompted RBI to pursue a JDF implementation at another of its printers, Cadmus Communications, with a pilot program expected later this year. Adoption and rollout of JDF is complex and time-consuming, said Marie Myers, senior VP-manufacturing at United Business Media. “Because of the level of integration required both on 3. Uptick in tools While printers have been providing various production tools to publishers for many years, a new era has arrived in which printers 14 | Media Business | April 2008 | mediabusinessonline.com http://mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - April 2008

BtoB Media Business - April 2008
Contents
'CSO's' 'Red Gold Rush' Takes Top Honors
Smaller Publishers Make Big Moves Online
Key Printing Trends to Keep Tabs on This Year
Sales & Marketing
M&A
Online
Events
People
Benchmarks
Economic Downturn Presents Opportunities

BtoB Media Business - April 2008