Community newspapers and their printers transition to the digital production workflow with the aid of inexpensive software tools

There was a time not long ago when the print world shook a little in its boots. The digital age was upon us, and stressors like the Internet threatened to make print virtually obsolete. Looking back, it was a silly fear, for not only has digital content proved not to be a threat to the printed word, digital content creation and production has proved to be one of the greatest enablers to those distributing print.

A mere decade ago, to print a newspaper required Mechanicals  and film used to image plates for the printing press. No longer is that the case, as content now remains digital from conception (thanks to desktop publishing and graphic applications) to final imaging of printing press plates. The industry no longer has to accept the added cost and time it took to create film, and all the nasty environmental repercussions of film have been virtually abolished from the publishing process.

While print continues to be one of the most effective and popular forms of communication, that’s not to suggest that print publishers haven’t endured recent hard times — especially publishers of small-circulation newspapers and other publications that rely heavily or solely on advertising support.  Read more... (1154 words, estimated 4:37 mins reading time)