Re: [WinMac] Re: WinMac Digest #190 - 01/08/99
Dan Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Sat, 09 Jan 1999 12:31:19 -0500
Matt:
Let's look at your analysis, inline.
At 10:56 AM 1/9/99 -0600, Matt Shannon wrote:
>>Subject: Re: [WinMac] Graphic production, which is the better platform?
>>From: Liam Helmer <liamh@axion.net>
>>Date: Thu, 7 Jan 99 18:18:08 -0800
>>
>>
>>>The people who put out our newsletter for our company are using Macs
>>>to do all the design and pre-press stuff. Our company is moving
>>>towards being PCs. The question is, should the artists switch to PCs
>>>or keep using their Macs? I know some of this is a matter of
>>>preference but I need some hard facts on the pros and cons of each for
>>>this kind of work. Does anyone know of any studies or where I can find
>>>more info? Please let me know. Thanks.
>
>I work for the Marketing department of a printing company. Not long ago
>we were looking at getting a lot of new prepress equipment (new
>imagesetter, RIP, proofers, etc...) We were going to need to upgrade our
>Macs within another year or so and it was decided to go ahead and upgrade
>those at the same time as the equipment purchase. The IS manager casually
>brought up the question of replacing those 5 macs with PC's. The reaction
>from the prepress department was incredible. Everyone of them said they'd
>quit if they had to switch to PC's, including the manager.
This is a management problem: Who is running your company, the employees
or the owner/manager(s)? This is more like the inmates running the asylum...
>This was an emotional reaction and I came up with more factual
>reason's for them not to switch to PC's.
>
>1) Files received from outside sources come from who knows what! Macs are
>better equipped to deal with Windows app version files than the other way
>around.
Very true
>
>2) They'd have to learn a whole new OS and quickly, which would put more
>of a strain on IS and add more cost to the company.
Not really: If your company is already running x86, **even in other
departments,** then the switchover is almost seamless. After all, once the
operator launches the application the OS gracefully bows out. In fact,
PageMaker, Photoshop, Illustrator, FreeHand, and (I think) QuarkXPress use
the same manual for Mac & Windows.
>
>3) We would have possibly had to hire all new prepress department.
Again, this is a *managerial* problem: Who's running the asylum?
Also, ask yourself this hard question: Are these rebellion-prone employees
worth keeping in the first place? After all, they are not the business
owner... They are the employees.
>
>4) PostScript output from a Mac is generally much more reliable than PC's.
False: PostScript is, and always has been since its inception in ~1982,
platform independent. Just download the latest PostScript drivers from:
<http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/LIBRARY/pdrvmac.htm> or
<http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/LIBRARY/pdrvwin.htm> for
Mac and NT, respectively;
>
>5) Color correction is built into the MacOS in the form of ColorSync.
>This is not the case on the PC. Color correction on the PC is different
>for each and every application.
If you use Adobe apps across the board, then you can use the Kodak Color
Management System across the board.
>
>6) The PC's we'd have to get were more expensive than the Mac's we'd have
>to get.
I *strongly* doubt that. If you compare Apple's "Steveified" tech support
and warranty to similar PC manufacturer support (such as H-P), then the
cost for Apple machines is actually higher. Sure, IBM and DIGITAL/Compaq's
commercial products cost more than H-P... But you get MUCH more in service
and support.
>
>So basically it cost us much less to stay with Macs than switch to PC's.
And how many times per day do the Macs have to reboot?!
Yours truly,
Daniel L. Schwartz,
Electrical Engineer.
Dan's Macintosh Consulting
Suite 1306
1840 Frontage Road
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-2205
609-795-8965
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