The way that the printing industry produces the written word is a marvelous thing. CTP (computer to plate) technology is one method which makes it easier to write articles etc and then get them onto the pages of the newspaper in one easy move. Prepress equipment is also used to do the same kind of process.

The older style of printing used to entail people putting individual letters, backwards, into a plate which was then inked and printed, one at a time, onto a sheet of newsprint paper. Although these guys had a great way of reading everything backwards, this was rather slow and time-consuming for sure.

Nowadays though, everything is done on the computer. Digital methods are getting better all the time and this also means that it is getting cheaper too. The programs being used are becoming more refined with several people able to work on the publication at one time. Even those reporters in the field can update and upload their reports from laptops which ensure that the news stories are bang up to date. This makes it very exciting for those breaking stories and also explains how we see it in print before the news channels can put it out every day.

Once all this work is entered onto the computer, there is still need for a copy editor to check for mistakes since any mistakes that got through could be rather embarrassing for everyone concerned in the process. The proofreader will then get an actual copy, in paper, of the end result and he will scan this to see if any errors are missed at this stage. He will also make sure that photos fit the captions and that people in the photos are who they are supposed to be.

Although we are all used to the ubiquitous spell checker on our computers, the bad or difficult thing about the English language is that although some words may sound the same, spelled differently they can add a touch of comedy to a serious pieces. No editor would like to think that his publication is being laughed at so any mistake of this nature is not allowable for sure.

It is good to see so many publications around these days, from specialist magazines to ones which deal with some rather emotive subjects, but without all the modern equipment that we have, it is highly unlikely that they could be produced at the right price.

With the advent of the twenty-first century, and with all the new technology that seems to be cropping up every day, it is obvious that we can look forward to a long and bright future with publications on just about every subject under the sun, at a price that most of us can afford. Indeed, the young ones who are now graduating school are finding that writing, journalism and photo journalism is such an exciting career these days that more are opting for these classes at an early age. Long may it last!

Author Bio: Stewart Wrighter recently reviewed printing equipment and was impressed with the technology used today in prepress equipment. He had a CTP or computer to print installed in his office.

Category: Business
Keywords: prepress equipment,CTP