No. 12 - 10/2007
ROTO date
Roto Smeets FOUR-MONTHLY Newsletter
As dry as the Sahara?
Meet Slim Jim, A5 plus
and square
Gutenberg, the trees
and the forest
Switched pages reach the
heart of the target group
PRE-MEDIA
Supplying ready-for-print or not-ready-for-print?
Tips, little things
worth knowing
& how to avoid pitfalls
Life can be so simple.
The data for printed
matter at Roto Smeets
can be supplied in two
ways: ready-for-print
or not-ready-for print.
If you want to make changes right up
to the last moment, it is best to opt for
ready-for-print type files. This type of supply is ideal for last-minute supply; the time
it will take to print is the shortest and it
will cost the least. There is one condition,
however, and that all files have to have
been thoroughly checked beforehand for
both content and colour. In addition, the
files must be Certified PDF files.
A person who has more time or wants to
have everything checked again may send
files that are not-ready-for-print. In that
case Roto Smeets will receive so-called
“open files”. These are files that are often made in QuarkXPress or InDesign, together with all accompanying images and
fonts. If required, Roto Smeets will adjust
the images, make colour conversions
where necessary, produce ready-for-print
PDF files and possibly also provide colour
proofs.
NOT-READY-FOR-PRINT SUPPLY
Should customers prefer to leave it to
Roto Smeets to prepare the files for print,
they may do so. We will make the necessary contract proofs to check if the result
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lives up to your expectations. If necessary,
we can correct images, layout and text.
Extra provision will naturally have to be
made for this in the time schedule. This
“lithographic” work obviously also involves extra cost. However, customers are
then ensured of optimal suitability for our
printing process.
Specific points to remember
At Roto Smeets we use of the following printing processes: gravure, web offset
and sheet-fed offset. The files have to be prepared correctly to achieve the best
possible quality. The following points will require specific attention:
• a technically correct layout;
• correct examination through pre-flight and visual checks of the PDF files that
have been delivered;
• a colour conversion and a colour proof fingerprinted to the type of printing
technology, i.e. with the correct colour profile.
Those who prepare the files will find all the necessary technical specifications,
PDF settings, colour profiles, etc. on our websites:
• www.rotosmeets.com;
• www.rsgrafiservices.nl or
• www.senefelder.nl.
The Roto Smeets pre-press specialists will ensure that this information is always
kept up-to-date and will comply with as many international standards and
guidelines as possible.
As dry as the Sahara?
Standards seem as dry as the Sahara. However, international agreements are
absolutely essential to achieve a predictable printing result. Which are the most
important organisations dealing with graphic standards?
ISO: International Standards Organisation (www.iso.org) has published, among
others, standard 12647-2 for the offset printing process.
ECI: European Color Initiative (www.eci.org) develops ICC colour profiles for
various printing conditions.
GWG: Ghent PDF Workgroup (www.gwg.org) publishes, among others, standard settings for the creation of PDF and PDF pre-flight files.
WorkWizz
makes life
easy
All Roto Smeets printing
companies have a centralised and automated system of digital delivery at
their disposal which goes
by the name of WorkWizz.
And what is Insite?
WorkWizz accepts files in two ways: supply
through FTP and on-line supply through
the websites. The advantage of these
forms of supply is that every PDF file supplied is logged in the WorkWizz database,
automatically and immediately checked
and delivered to the pre-press department
at the correct production site. This is a
unique service in the printing world!
INSITE
Besides these two types of delivery, as of
2008 and after mutual agreement, it will
be possible to supply to all web offset
plants through “Insite”. The advantage of
this is that the “ripped” data can still be
checked and approved before the plates
are made.
Together with the order manager and prepress department of each location, there
will be a decision on which type of delivery
is the most practical. The necessary information such as login and password will
also be provided.
ROTODATE
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What is and what is not checked?
Automatic
check
When our clients deliver print-ready PDF files via FTP or by means of our
websites, an automatic check is performed in our work flow to determine
whether these PDF files have been certified correctly and whether the result
is positive.
If this is not the case, the files are automatically checked by a pre-flight PDF
program. This is a purely technical check,
based on international directives set by
the Ghent PDF Workgroup. If there are
any mistakes, they will be reported imme-
Some matters may, however, require an
extra check even after the PDF files have
been delivered to us. One such instance
is when the PDF files have been made by
a third party without the customer having seen them and the latter still wishes
diately, by e-mail if required.
to check everything himself at the last
minute, or if the customer still wants to
see if the latest price corrections or language versions are definitely correct.
It is even easier to see whether the files
have been approved (a green tick) or rejected (a red cross) on the delivery site by simply using a web browser.
CHECK UPON CHECK
Roto Smeets does not check the delivered PDF files for colour, content or
layout. That is the responsibility of the
person who delivers the print-ready version. That is why we advise people to
check the PDF files extremely carefully
before sending them to us.
It is possible to do so quite reliably with
a recent version of Adobe Acrobat Professional or with the free Adobe Reader.
In this respect it is important to activate
“Overprint Preview”. This is how the
PDF will also be printed.
It is possible to check beforehand
whether the colours are correct by making PDF colour proofs (or having them
made) by means of a reliable proofing
system which is suited to the chosen
printing technique and paper type.
CERTITUDE ABOVE ALL ELSE
The most efficient working method is for
the colour, content and format to have
been checked before the PDF files are
sent to the printer. This will also shorten
the total processing time at the printer’s.
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EXTRA CHECKING POSSIBILITIES
In such a case, the following checking
methods can be used:
• a contract proof - to check the
colour;
• a sample print-out per page - without
colour check;
• a proof of the printed sheet - without
colour check;
• a printed proof of the printed sheet
- with colour check;
• a PDF check - this is a PDF check
which is made of ripped data, check
through Insite. With this, the ripped
result can be seen, checked and approved.
✔
To be kept in a safe place: the delivery check list
For print-ready delivery
• check the PDF file beforehand for text, layout and colour;
• check to see that black body text has not been made up of various colours
and that it is not located in non-printable areas;
• when checking in Acrobat, ensure that Overprint Preview is active;
• use the correct PDF profiles from our website for the PDF check;
• have RGB-CMYK colour conversions done with the correct ICC profile from
our website for thorough colour check;
• have a contract proof with the correct ICC colour profile made;
• it is preferable to deliver via FTP or through our websites;
• after delivery, take a look at the result of the technical check on our website;
• if not approved: correct the file and send a new version;
• even more checks? If so, which? Make timely arrangements and bear in
mind the extra processing time and possible extra costs.
For non-print-ready delivery
• give us warning in good time that you want us to take care of the “lithography trajectory”;
• if you do the RGB-CMYK conversion yourself, ensure that the correct colour
profile is used;
• if necessary, carefully check the contract proofs we have made;
• when checking in Acrobat, ensure that Overprint Preview is active.
FOLDING
Remarkable sizes
make for optimal communication
Is it possible to print special
sizes which will be extra remarkable? Yes! Allow us to
introduce you to A5 plus,
Slim Jim and Square.
Print must be remarkable. This can be achieved in
many ways, and a different size can work wonders.
Furthermore, in the case of large runs, it is usually
economical to utilise the optimal web width. An
additional factor is that there will be a substantial
reduction in press time. Combine all these factors,
and your brochures will be printed quickly and
economically.
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A5-PLUS
Take for example the A5 plus format. With 16 pages in 150x210
mm net portrait size with a glued
spine, the result is an attractive
and trim little booklet. We can do
this on paper
of a minimum of 45 gsm and a
maximum of 70 gsm.
The production time remains
limited because no extra postprocessing is required. To make
matters clear by way of an example: the files for a
brochure with a run of 2.8 million are delivered on Monday afternoon.
The order will be delivered at about lunchtime on Wednesday!
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SLIM JIM
s
Slim Jim’s size makes it stand out head and shoulders above the other post. When we
talk about Slim Jim we refer to a brochure of 24 or 32 pages with a size of 175x285
mm. This portrait format is also glued on the press and trimmed to net size. A great advantage is its short production time. The paper weights here are slightly higher than in
the case of A5 plus: a minimum of 52 gsm and a maximum of 80 gsm.
SQUARE
A great combination can also be made by using various
printing techniques. A square brochure of 48 pages with a
net size of 204x204 mm is stitched on press and trimmed in
the same production process.
We print smaller runs of up to about 400,000 copies in web
offset, whereas the medium-sized runs of up to about one
million copies are best printed on a small gravure press and
runs of above one million are best printed in double production on a wide gravure press. The paper must be at least 48
gsm, and no heavier than 100 gsm.
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PRE-MEDIA
MILIEU
Switched pages
reach the heart of
the target group
Veronica Magazine is the best sold weekly in the Netherlands, with over
900,000 subscribers and newsstand SALES OF AROUND one hundred thousand
copies per week. In one fell swoop, the advertiser KPN launched a new product in it: KPN Interactive TV.
“You have to offer your advertisers more
than just space on a page.”
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Snapshot of Veronica Magazine
• Run: one million + • Frequency: weekly • Newsstand sales: 100,000 +
• Average pagination: 160 / 180 pages • size: 190 x 270 cm portrait
More than one hundred people work at
Veronica Publishing House. Raymond
van Kasterop is the sales manager. He
is continuously looking for opportunities
to expand the magazine even further.
“Merely selling advertisement space
no longer works these days. You have
to offer your advertisers more than just
space on a page.”
One of the special Veronica Magazine campaigns took place at the end
of August, which is the traditional
opening of the television season in the
those various elements in one strong
campaign.”
Netherlands.
“In our magazine we paid extra editorial
attention to the new radio and television programmes coming up. KPN, the
largest telecom provider in the Netherlands, started KPN interactive television at about the same time. Together
with media consultants MindShare,
we searched for ways of combining
interactive TV offer. What we had to
ensure was that the address files contained no duplicates. You do not want
to send your subscribers the magazine
twice. Besides, that would create more
printing and postage costs, in short, the
efficiency of the campaign would be seriously affected. After having applied a
few selection criteria, the extra requirement was set at 232,000 copies.”
COMMUNICATING CLEARLY
Finally, the campaign team decided to
increase the broadcasting magazine
run and to adapt the contents in various places in the issue. For this reason,
the edition was provided with a six page
cover featuring an advertiser on the inside pages.
“In the extra run, that fold-out was replaced by a KPN advertisement on their
This additional version included a special
letter from KPN with a clear explanation
of the aim of the campaign. Raymond
Van Kasterop: “From experience we
know that you have to communicate
these campaigns very clearly, otherwise
we or KPN will receive numerous telephone calls from people asking questions. We also included a reply card
so people could easily subscribe to our
magazine.”
BIGGEST AND BEST
Roto Smeets took care of the change of
content, inserted the KPN letters, printed the correct addresses on the wrapper
and ensured that the distribution ran
smoothly via TNT Post.
“The campaign has only just finished, so
it is still too early to say anything about
the outcome. In the autumn we will
have a look at what could have been
improved, but for the time being all the
partners are happy with the results. Our
increased run has helped us recruit subscribers and advertiser KPN has had a
unique opportunity to promote its new
product at the core of their target group.
This explains their enthusiasm. Removing duplicates and selecting addresses
went extremely smoothly. Roto Smeets
delivered excellent work with the dedicated pages in the extra run and the
distribution. In my opinion these campaigns are certainly worth repeating,
because we definitely want to remain
biggest and best.”
7
Guten
Shrinking rainforests,
global warming and
other
inconvenient
truths
are
making
things quite difficult
in the graphic sector.
Where does Mr Gutenberg stand on the environmental issues of
today? Advisor Henry
van Gorkum helps us
see the forest through
the trees.
One of the experts who has been involved in environmental matters for
many years is Henry van Gorkum. He
is as good as retired, but still has a link
with Roto Smeets as an advisor.
EVER SINCE “AN INCONVENIENT
TRUTH”, THE FILM BY AL GORE, THE
ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN HIGH ON
THE POLITICAL AGENDA. WHAT IS
THE SITUATION AT ROTO SMEETS?
“Our environmental history goes back
much further than this film. Since the
end of the 1980s, we have played an
important role in the establishment of
the EPA (Environmental Policy Agreement) between the Dutch Government
and the graphics industry. This Agreement was signed in 1993. The environmental objectives of 2000-2010 have
been included in the Agreement. Roto
Smeets has always achieved these objectives.
“In 1994 we published our first eco balance sheet. One of the questions that
presented itself was how much energy
is required to manufacture one thousand tonnes of printed matter. We have
converted the most important environmental criteria into ratios. As we have
8
berg,
the trees
and the forest
been doing this for so long, we are able
to distinguish a trend. This indisputably
shows the great lengths that we have
gone to in order to drastically reduce
the amount of energy and also the
emissions per thousand tonnes of printed matter that are produced. In fact, we
are talking about reductions of between
seventy and eighty percent.”
DOES THE REDUCTION SEEM TO BE
LEVELLING OUT WHEN YOU START
LOOKING AT THOSE FIGURES? ARE
FEWER EFFORTS BEING MADE?
“Above all in the early years, things
went at quite a pace. After all, the lowest hanging fruits are the ones picked
first. After that, the decrease does indeed even out, but we are still succeeding in improving the ratios in the
field of paper, solutions, additives and
energy. We are constantly looking for
improvements in our operational process. This means an advantage for the
environment, and what’s more, it saves
money.”
DOES THIS SEARCH FOR IMPROVEMENT TAKE PLACE UNDER PARTICULAR PRESSURE FROM THE CUSTOMERS OR THE AUTHORITIES?
“We started the eco balance sheet because we believe in it. Roto Smeets is
right in the centre of the community.
We are active and achieve results. That
is the factor that stimulates us to continue. At the same time, we see that
the customers’ consciousness of the environment is on the increase. Which is
great of course. We also go along with
movements when customers ask us to
do so and when we ourselves are not
ENVIRONMENT
fully convinced of the use of, for example, a hallmark such as that of Nordic
Swan. We spar not only with our customers, but also with the authorities.
The European and national authorities
implement regulations, but personally
I believe much more in developments
such as ISO 14001, in which you link
borders. It goes without saying that
we look for opportunities to effect the
transport as smoothly as possible. But
it is difficult to find better alternatives
which are as quick, flexible and environmentally friendly. However, together
with the transporters, there is a constant
search for alternatives and the possible
the improvement of your processing directly to a complete environmental policy on all fronts within your enterprise.”
consequences for the environment and
the processing time.”
DOES ROTO SMEETS PRINT ON PAPER COMING FROM PRIMEVAL FORESTS?
“Within our capabilities, we ensure that
all raw materials, including pulp, come
from production forests. I regularly visited our suppliers in Finland to see with
my own eyes the efforts they made to
operate their enterprise in a sustainable
way and to have discussions with all
parties concerned. You must not forget
that the timber industry is of enormous
economic importance there. At the same
time, they have a particularly highly developed environmental consciousness.”
FROM AN ENVIRONMENT POINT
OF VIEW, IS IT WISE TO TRANSPORT
PAPER FROM SWEDEN OR FINLAND
TO A PRINTING COMPANY IN THE
NETHERLANDS, PRINT THERE AND
SUBSEQUENTLY TRANSPORT THE
PRINTED PAPER BACK TO SWEDEN?
“The environmental issue does not
stop at a random country border. Roto
Smeets has to serve a large hinterland
which extends far beyond the country
IN THE GRAPHICS BRANCH, THE
TERM “CARBON FOOTPRINT” IS INCREASINGLY BEING HEARD.
“In England, a consultancy carried out
research into CO2 emissions in the
whole chain from forest to the processing of old paper for a newspaper and
a weekend supplement. It appeared
that seventy to eighty percent of the
emissions were emitted when paper
was produced. This is logical, because
a particularly substantial amount of energy is required in that process. There
is room for manoeuvre here. Among
the remainder, printing is ten to fifteen
percent. In any case, I do not really believe in the fast-developing bandwagon
of so-called ‘CO2 neutral’ manufacturing. Neutral in respect of what? Are the
definitions clear and consistent? We will
have to open up the discussion and bring
forward the correct arguments. It is,
however, important to start acting and
to look for ways to improve all stages in
the graphics production process. That is
something that we have been working
on for a very long time and with which
we will continue intensively.”
“The environmental issue does not stop
at a random country border.”
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Pan-European magazines opt for Roto Smeets
Reliability forms the foundation
Diederik Fetter, General Manager of Roto Smeets
Weert, knows his competitors on the European
magazine market only too well: “There are
only a few specialists in Europe who are active
on the market. And we all have a part of those
pan-European titles in our order portfolio to
serve specific regions. But, of course, a company
is constantly on the look-out for opportunities to strengthen its position on the market.”
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In Fetter’s opinion, the specialisation of
the “typical magazine printer”, is not so
much in printing: “You have an extremely
tight print time schedule with hardly any
room for manoeuvre and within that time
schedule you have to deliver quality - always. End of story.” The true specialisation is to be found after printing: “That
is where you try to distinguish yourself
- through optimum logistics, with very
short processing times. That is a specialisation which is not easily copied.”
Diederik Fetter: “A little while ago we were
able to reduce the lead
time of a magazine by
half an hour, and, in the
most extreme cases, this
can mean an extra day
on the newsstands for
such customers.”
Dispatching the magazines in counted
packages by courier service and airplane
requires absolute precision: “Our time
schedule has been fully geared to the production of these magazines. Both in the
printing department and in the bindery
there is always a simultaneous and identical capacity to be made available in order
to reach the deadline, come what may.
You just cannot miss that, not ever.”
TOUGH
The importance of that weekly reliability
becomes clear upon the examination of
the question as to how Roto Smeets still
succeeds in distinguishing itself from its
pan-European competitors: “The foundation of that lies primarily in your track
record. We have been dealing with many
of these customers for more than 25 years.
You evolve together in the ever-diminishing time span of the production cycle, you
become attuned to one another and the
customers are very close to our company.
That reliability forms the foundation.”
“Specialisation is to be
found after printing”
Yet there are always new, tough negotiations concerning the extension of multipleyear contracts, where price, and above all
logistics and quality, are of prime importance. Diederik Fetter: “The production
process, for example, is increasingly short
- it is sometimes a question of 15-minute
blocks. A little while ago we were able to
reduce the lead time of a magazine by half
an hour, and, in the most extreme cases,
this can mean an extra day on the newsstands for such customers. That makes a
big difference.”
Delivering Quality
on Time, Every Week
Earlier this year International Magazine Services
(IMS) signed a new printing contract with Roto
Smeets. For another five years the Continental
European editions of Time and Newsweek will
be produced in Weert. IMS isn’t taking any
chances: “We need to have 100 percent confidence in the plant,” says Mike Taylor.
As for any new contract, Mike Taylor conducted a “vigorous print tender
process” throughout Europe which involved the identification of potential
partners, site visits, detailed discussions and ultimately a detailed print tender
document requesting a pricing proposal.
“Various scenarios were then analysed taking into account financial and operational considerations which provide the basis for our comparative benchmarking
exercise,” explains Mike Taylor. This includes
the available capacity in print and finishing,
suitable equipment, flexibility and commitment, proven quality and, of course, price.
Mike Taylor: “For IMS, it’s not so much any
one plant excelling in or offering any unique
activity, for us, the important thing is the complete package. We need to have 100 percent
confidence in the plant that they will deliver
the right quality on time, every week of the
year. Providing this quality on a consistent
basis is what Roto Smeets does best. And I
am confident that Roto Smeets is reviewing and assessing developments that may
provide an opportunity for us, and which Roto Smeets would be willing to invest
in. Similarly, if we identify the need for a new service, I’m confident Roto Smeets
would respond in helping provide that service.”
Time and Newsweek print some 600,000 copies per week. The Internet has not
affected copy numbers, says Mike Taylor. “There is no doubt that the online availability of the magazines will continue to grow over the next 3 - 5 years, but it is
intended to complement the print edition, rather than replace it.”
Joint Sourcing By IMS
IMS was created in November 1997 as a joint venture between the parent
companies of Time and Newsweek magazines. During the first few months
of IMS’s existence, joint sourcing opportunities were identified for Time and
Newsweek in the European and African region, but it was not until the second
half of 1998 that IMS started getting involved in the day-to-day activities of
the two magazines.
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Finger on the
paper pulse
PAPER
“The demand for paper is growing.
How will that evolve this year? Wait
and see. But if this phenomenon continues, the paper suppliers will want
to do something about the price.”
Bert van Drie at Roto Smeets keeps his
finger on the paper pulse.
IS IT CORRECT TO SAY THAT NOT ONLY THE
CHEAPER, BUT ALSO THE MORE EXCLUSIVE TYPES
OF PAPER ARE DISAPPEARING?
BERT, WE ARE HEARING FROM PUBLISHERS AND RETAILERS ALIKE THAT THEY ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY
GETTING THEIR HANDS ON PAPER.
“There are already manufacturers who demand that we buy
the offcuts too. What you also see at the same time is that
smaller, independent factories are busy developing their products full-time. They want to fill the gaps, especially in the heatset market.”
“The figures do not give such an indication. The total demand
for paper during the first half of 2007 was almost stable in comparison with the same period in 2006. The fact of the matter
is, however, that about a million tonnes of production capacity
has been taken out of the market. Think of Voikkaa, Jämsänkoski, Corbehem, Dachau and Miramichi, where machines have
been decommissioned.”
WHAT DO THE PAPER MANUFACTURERS THEMSELVES SAY?
“Almost all factories have indicated that there is an increase
in demand. Their machines are running full-time. That generates extended delivery times for some types of paper because
it is the manufacturers themselves who can schedule their machines as efficiently as possible.”
“Yes, we are noticing that too. As a result of the relatively low
paper prices, paper suppliers are concentrating on standard
products. They achieve their financial margins by reducing
costs, for example by cleverer logistics, but also by setting us
extra demands.”
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
ARE THE DELIVERY TERMS LONGER HERE TOO?
“Definitely. We see that the delivery terms for LWC, for example,
run up to more than two months. SC delivery depends a little on
the supplier, but one to two months’ time for a delivery is not
unusual. For the rest, improved newsprint is easily available.”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE COMING PERIOD?
“Let me summarise: a stable demand, machines running fulltime, prolonged delivery terms. Forecasting is not really one
of my strongest points, but all indications are that the paper
manufacturers will want a few more euros a kilo next year.”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE PRINTING AT
ROTO SMEETS?
Roto Smeets is in a good position with the European suppliers.
Our orders are guaranteed, even though there may sometimes
be the occasional extended delivery term.”
# 1 Trend publishing
Upgrading paper types
Standardising paper qualities
# 1 Trend Commercial & contract printing
Upgrading paper types
Looking for niche products
Do you have a specific question?
Then please get in touch with your contact person. If you have any suggestions for the layout or contents of ROTOdate,
please send these via e-mail to [email protected]
Or please send them by post to: Marketing and Business Development, Hunneperkade 17004, 7418 BT Deventer, the Netherlands
If you would like more information, visit the website: www.rotosmeets.com
ROTO date
12
Roto Smeets I Hunneperkade 17004 I 7418 BT Deventer I Tel. +31 (0) 570 - 69 48 50 I www.rotosmeets.com
Rotodate is a publication of Roto Smeets, a subsidiary of RSDB I Publisher: Marketing and Business Development, Hunneperkade 17004,
7418 BT Deventer,, The Netherlands I Concept and realisation: Media Partners Belgium I Printing: Roto Smeets Grafiservices Utrecht
This publication is printed on FSC paper
SCS-COC-00812