The Impact of New Technologies of Print Media
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This document is downloaded from DR‑NTU (https://dr.ntu.edu.sg) Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The impact of new technologies of print media Chhabra, V. N. 1988 Chhabra, V. N. (1988). The impact of new technologies of print media. In Consultation on New Printing Technologies for Small Newspapers : Trivandrum, India, 14‑17 June 1988. Singapore: Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/85984 Downloaded on 26 Sep 2021 23:04:21 SGT ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library The Impact Of New Technologies Of Print Media By V N Chhabra Paper No.6 ••// ASIAN MASS COMMUNICATION RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTRE 39 NEWTON ROAD.SINGAPORE 1130. REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library - V N Chhabra The Statesman Ltd New Delhi The Impact of New Technologies on Print Media "Freedom of the Press belongs to those who own one" — A J Liebling Not since Gutenberg's invention of the movable type in the 15th Century has there been an innovation with so great a potential to revolutionise communication as computerisation. The Information and communication technologies in which advances will dictate the pace of changes in print madia are : * Integrated circuits (ICs) or microprocessors, which are the operating controls for electronic devices of all types. * Software which is the 'brains' directing the operation of sophisticated systems for enhanced data based management, pagination, advanced colour separation. * Speech processing systems which would bypass (or substantially reduce) the need for keyboard based input of material. * Optical storage system such as high density optical media for archival storage or compact discs for publishing. * Inpage processing systems such as electronic cameras, proof systems, colour separation, pagination equipment and automated integrated demand' printing. * Computer output printers such as the laser printer, which will be part of remote comrunication (Printing) systems. * Electronic displays, which will be basic elements of high quality portable electronic readers such as electric book, and lastly * Data transmission systems such as fibre optics. local area networks, high compression facsimile (FAX) end oatolliteo. The primary beneficiaries of the future technologies will be the publisher? t*ith nominal capital investment. ATTENTION: TTMhe Sinsg agroupore Copp yriwilght Acl t apbpelie s ablto thee u ste of thiincreass document.e N anityasng Tcontroechnological l Uonivfe rsity Library quality, publish in a variety of media to Dottor servo more focused market nitches and reduce editorial and production costs. In many cases the'in-houso publisher will be able to docreaso the time to produce and distribute e finished print product. The in-house publisher will, for the firr.t time, be able to effectively integrate available office automatic systems with hi<>h quality print production system. Print no longer has a monopoly on the presentation and processing oi intonation as the g rowth of television and dota basescbmon3trates. Electronic developments have provided users with new products — publishers i'ith new ways to reach th^ir markets — ways that the recipient finds easier to use than print. Now technology has ooenod the way for a wide range of alternatives. Technology ha;-- also revolutionised the production methods of print production. Colour ocanninq, pagination systems, digitisad tyoosetting, computerised Job bidding and preparatory systems illustrate a few of today's appl icstion. Electronic developments have provide- now communication systems b-tween publ iohetr and printers. These methods arc more ->conomical and efficient and result in batter quality. Many ro .'uco opcrrtor skill requ 1 remert s while some require higher lev 1 of manag-vnent skill. Th<J emergence o£ lithography as the daminent printing process, conversion of hot m^tril * to digital typesetting , the rSvancos in ir^is ink nnil register co-itrols an"1 the automation of binding operations h<">v< rlso coetributed to the change, vise of 1 riser- based f^cslmllo rind roniiitor nr^ntor., - 3 - plate makers or cylinder etchers and colour separation equipment is expanding. Sophisticated ink and web control systems are available. Binderies are applying computer controls for address imprinting. Folder counting and collection and paper cutting operations have been automated. The driving force behind these changes has obviously the need of the ATTENprinterTION: The S;in gatechnologpore Copyright Ayct aphapliess toprovide the use of thdis dothcumee nmeant. Nanyasn gt Toec hnsatisfological Uyn iverthessity Libera ry needs. The impact of new technologies has been gradual but persistent. The rate of expected technological improvement does not indicate that sudden breakthroughs will occur. This perhaps explains that in many countries, old and new technologie co-exist alongside. In India, according to a recent survey, letterpress continues to be a dominant printing process for majority of small printers. The pace of change in the newspjaper industry was however influenced by the fact that the manufacture of hot raetol equipment and essential inputs like linotype parts, matrices and storeo flongs was discontinued. Lead was dead in Europe, the major source of such equipment. Impact of Technological Change on the Newspaper Industry • • • The technological changes have impacted on the newspaper industry in a substantial manner. The automation of type setting, shift to offset printing, growth of word processing and improvement in image manipulation and handling have transformed the Industry to doing business in a manner radically different from the past 100 years or so. Growth in technology has enabled segments of the industry to survive and become more prosperous. The number of letterpress printers has declined dramatically; not all have closed shops many have adopted new technologies and have undergone major changes. Products of new technology covering critical news paper publishing and printing tasks can be grouped as follows i Create t These devices speed up the capture of information. They includei •Portable Computers which permit stories to be key entered at remote sites and sent via telephone lines to the home office word processor or phototypesetter. - 4 - * Electronic Cameras will pormit still photographs to bo taken and sent electrically to the home office graphics processor. * Wire Service scanners which ie an automatic ATTENTION: The Singapore Csysteopyrighmt A ctt aop pliescas to nthe uthse eof thwiris doceu mcerviceent. Nanyangs T ecenhndol ogselecical Univetr siteny Ldibr ary partially format information* Manipulate These devices permit the editing, transformation, storage and merging of information. They include cempund document processors, t/hlch permit the manipulation and merging of text with graphics and allow manioulation and addition of colour. Format These devices speed up the page layout and desion and Improve the appearance. They Include * ffutemetic layout system which employs arti ficial intelligence to design a peps layout. Printing & Distribution These devices transmit the information to be copies to the printing plant, xp provide prepress proofs, prepare plates and perform the reproduction and/or finishing, * Soft end hard Copy Electric preorens systems which'permit previews of the page layout. * Laser plate makers which prepare the plates from an olaetrically otorod renditions of a page* * satellite Printing slants which permit local or regional px replicetion. Process Integration Those systems lir.k together the above operations and permit the automation of tasks, reduce the labour content, Improve quality and reduce the lead time for production. They includei * General process integration from creation of copy to distribution providing linkage and automation of flow of information between all procesuaa in the oyetera. — ^> - State of the Art Facing the challenge from colour television and electronic media newspaper publishers worldwide have been in the ATTENTION: Tforefronhe Singapore tC opiynrig ht adoptinAct applies tog t heth use of latesthis documt entechnologiest. Nanyang Technologic.a l UEnhanceniversity Libdra ry image processing in the use of colour, Improved operating controls throught the printing plant, the potential of electronic linking of the publisher, type setter and printer in layout and proofing decisions are bringing about beneficial changes and improvement in print quality. Elements in colour advertisements can now be exchanged electronically and various combinations viewed on a screen to see how they will look on a page; pictures can be picked up and computer enhanced for reproduction in magazines. Japanese equipment is available for recording photographically images from a video, colour and typesetting are being integrated to permit one- stop page generation. Data compression and satellites have made whole page transmission in colour feasible around the world. Two leading U.S. weekly magazines do so every week by printing simultaneously throughout the United States, in Europe, Australia, Japan, Hongkong and Singapore. •U.S.A. Today* which, according to its publisher William D. Rinehart, represents print medial answer to colour television, prints full colour on every pace. Entirely made up pages are transmitted facsimile to some 13 cities and printed simultaneously on receiving