[WinMac] DTP files [WAS:Re: Desktop Publishing Tools]
Daniel L. Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Sat, 20 Mar 1999 14:42:32 -0500
Dear Alex,
So YOU'RE the one who created those files that crashed the RIP at deadline!
... And YOU'RE the one that created a 3 column 60 row price list table in
QX with 180 text boxes, making editing virtually impossible!
... And YOU'RE the one that inserted a 23 MB TIFF into a document, rotated
it 90 degrees and then cropped out two-thirds of it, causing the proofing
RIP to choke!
And **I'M** the one that takes the blame when a deadline is missed because
the artist didn't know even the basics of page layout!
----------------
This sort of reminds me of the joke:
Pat: Do you know what the difference is between a shower curtain and
toilet paper?
Mike: No.
Pat: So YOU'RE the one! :)
----------------
All kidding aside, I've seen all of the above events... One of them was
for a major magazine!
Today's RIP's are a lot more "forgiving" than in the past - Both in terms
of accepting "garbage" input as well as CPU "horsepower" to compensate for
errors; but they can still choke, either bringing on a complete crash, or
take forever to "grind up" the file into a rasterized image.
THIS is why, as a secondary part of the interview process of an artist, I
always ask them to bring a copy of several of their design files on a
SyQuest or ZIP drive. Yes, there are literally hundreds of ways to create a
given page, and most of them will work. But some will not work at all, and
some others can cause headaches downstream in the prepress process.
I've been called upon at two customers' locations to aid in the
interviewing process. Granted, I don't have an eye for art (EXCEPT
typography, which is my hobby). However, I looked at the files to see how
they were assembled... Not so much whether they are "perfect" but whether
they are "reasonably usable:"
A) Can they be easily edited;?
B) Do the links to the graphics match up;?
C) Does the file rasterize cleanly, without errors?
-> AND GUESS WHAT?
These rules apply equally for Web page (HTML) as well as Desktop
Publishing (PostScript®), since the underlying fundamentals are virtually
identical!
Cheers!
Dan
At 12:37 AM 3/20/99 -0500, Alex wrote:
>> Like I said in a previous post, I pay attention to my files. In fact, if
>>you want to hire a graphic artist, ask him/her to bring a couple of files
>>with them... Not the printout, but the actual file. This way, you can see
>>what their work habits are.
>
>Ohhhh, this one really made me laugh. And I must say it's one of the most
>ridiculous things I've ever heard!
>
>That's like hiring a tech support guy based on the fact that he strokes
>his zeros with a diagonal line...
>
>Obviously you've never had to hold down a graphic design job in your
>life. Do you think people will look at a shitty brochure and say "well,
>this is really hard to read and the color choices suck, but it says here
>in the fine print that the designer keeps a very tidy computer, O.K.
>we'll go with this guy!", C'MON!
>
>In graphic design the botton line is the final output (for whatever
>medium) not the steps you took to get there. So much so that design
>houses and advertising agencies will hire good designers who don't even
>know how to turn a computer on and will have computer experts on staff to
>help them out in that field. Personally I don't like this solution, I'd
>rather the person took the time to learn a little about the technical
>aspects of his job (which would also be to his advantage) but that is not
>the reality of the situation.
>
>The fact that a graphic artist might keep a tidy computer doesn't mean
>Sh*%$ if his designs suck!
>
>Alex Dearden
>pata@doglover.com
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