In the premier issue of The Scout, we listed the extensions of file formats that we commonly send and receive at Next Year’s News, along with their meanings.

In this issue, we highlight common file formats that you would NEVER receive from Next Year’s News — and should probably regard as suspect when coming from us or anyone else. In this age of spam, bugs and viruses, it is a good practice to only open files that come from a trusted source — and if the message looks unusual, it’s always best to ask the sender about the message before you open the attachment!

Sometimes harmless,
sometimes not:
.asf >> Advanced Streaming Format, a file format used for streaming media online

.aiff >> Audio Interchange File Format, an audio format commonly used in the Apple Macintosh operating system

.au >> The audio file format most commonly associated with Java, a widely used Internet language

.bas >> Basic Source Code file
Many of the printers we work with are converting to computer-to-plate (CTP) technology — but few have completely abandoned the longstanding film-to-plate method of pre-press production. As the printing industry gradually converts to CTP, we will still have choices between the old and new methods. These choices have an impact on the production process, as well as the finished product, of our projects.

CTP is the process of digitally imaging files from the computer and sending them directly to the printing plate. The printing plates are then loaded to an offset press and printed by usual methods. This eliminates the step of converting digital images to film, which was in turn used to “burn” printing plates.

The Pros and Cons
Computer-to-plate is beneficial as it combines two steps in the conventional pre-press process. Eliminating the step of film production cuts turnaround time and saves the cost of films. Revisions can be made easily and more cheaply during the digital proofing stages prior to the generation of plates. It is also environmentally friendly, holds truer color value and has tighter registration than the traditional production process.

The downside to CTP is the digital proofing system, which replaces the traditional blueline, matchprint and/or color key. Even though digital proofs are printed in color, color accuracy and color trapping have yet to be perfected making it much more difficult to detect many kinds of printing flaws prior to the actual press run. This technology is improving constantly, but until it is refined, CTP will require much more intensive oversight at the press-run stage than conventional printing.

Quality Control
At Next Year’s News, we want your print projects to look their best. Until CTP color proofing systems improve, we are using CTP only for projects where pre-press color control is not a factor, or where a rush delivery outweighs all other concerns. For all color-critical projects, we use conventional films, and a pre-press proof that provides accurate color representation.We also supervise the press run of all color-critical projects to ensure optimal quality.
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