...and "Pleasing" Color In Terms of Popularity

Insofar as pleasing color is concerned, the aforementioned survey indicates that desktop ink-jet printers are the number-one preference for color proofing, followed by color copiers and simple Acrobat PDF or Quark files attached to e-mail. In the pleasing color category, single-sheet color proofs and digital halftone proofs were much farther down the survey list. This is likely because both of these latter systems are expensive in terms of equipment as well as media, and printers see no point in using them if they don't need to. If a simple ink-jet color print will satisfy the customer, then so be it. As printers have known for a long time, it's the customer who defines the level of proofing that's acceptable.

As for the "PDF or Quark attachment" proofing method, survey data indicate that in all of the graphic arts markets that TrendWatch covers—design and production professionals, publishers, and printers—this is the proofing method that is on the rise the most.

In general, the proofing methods that are increasing in popularity are inexpensive, "pleasing" color systems such as PDF files, desktop ink-jet systems, and so on. Digital halftone proofing use is increasing to take care of critical color jobs, while waning proofing methods include the Matchprint (not surprising, as film gets used less and less) and dye-sub proofing systems (which have in large part been replaced by ink-jet devices, primarily for cost reasons).

This begs the question of whether "critical" color itself is on the wane, and "pleasing" or good-enough color is becoming increasingly the rule of color printing. This will all in large part be decided by cross-media issues. Those proofing methods—and even those approaches to color printing—that can adapt to the "create and proof once, use many" workflows that cross-media requires will be the ones that prevail.

TrendWatch Report, presented exclusively for Graphic Arts Monthly readers, is contributed monthly by TrendWatch, a Cahners Business Information company, as part of its in-depth survey of U.S. printing managers. The Spring and Fall surveys have been conducted since 1995.

TrendWatch, a registered trademark of JW2 Ventures, Inc., applies reliable sampling methods to a statistically accurate profile of various printing industry segments. The results garnered from each of the surveys are derived from about 3,000 mailed questionnaires.