Production director Keith Shilson said he made the move because he wanted to gain more control, rather than cost savings.
The firm bought a secondhand Scitex scanner from The Friary Press to scan its own images and has had an in-house studio for three years.
It only accepts digital files from advertisers. Instead of receiving 50-60 pieces of film for each monthly issue, it now creates PDF files to send to The Friary Press.
Art director Karl Equi also created a “how to” guide for advertisers, which included the magazine’s settings for Acrobat Distiller and QuarkXPress files.
“As long as advertisers read it and follow it through, nine times out of 10 it should be OK,” said Equi.
The Friary Press soft proofs imposed files before sending them to its Scitex Lotem 800V CTP systems.
Equi said the system gave the magazine, which also publishes three directories along with the monthly title, greater simplicity and speed when dealing with its printer.
Story by Gordon Carson
