The aim of the specification is to increase photographers' confidence in digital image supply and to eliminate scanning in the workflow.

Debbie Read, IPC production director and PPA pass4press committee chairman, said: "Publishers don't want to be doing scanning, and at the quality end of the market we're still scanning over 50% of images. If we can gain photographers' trust with the standard they will submit digitally."

Pic4press, like pass4press and proof4press before it will be a mixture of specifications and guidelines for working practices.

The PPA is working with the Association of Photographers (AOP) and the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA) about the specification.

It is also testing target CMYK colour space ICC profiles from the ECI, and establishing ink weight and separation settings. Guidelines will include how publishers should handle images in their internal workflows.

The Magazine Production Conference 2004 takes place on Thursday 25 November. As well as sessions on pass4press and digital images, it will include sessions on paper, whether publishers should use in-house or external pre-press suppliers, finishing and a panel discussion of industry heavyweights moderated by PrintWeek editor at large Jo Francis.

The conference will be followed in the evening by the PPA Magazine Production Awards 2004.

Contact: www.ppa.co.uk

Story by Barney Cox