future in prepress?

[lovelyfeyd]

Just floating a question out there. Curious as to people's opinions. Long story short, I'm thinking to the (my) future. At the risk of asking a dumb question, is there really a good future (5, 10, 15, 20 years down the road) is digital prepress? Specifically, I see technology taking off so fast that could a job in prepress be significantly reduced or even elimanated in the future? Kinda like how the traditional strippers jobs became a dinosaur if you know what i mean. I haven't found any literatrue on this subject really. I'm at a crossroads. Either I really put my energy into this (I need to take a photoshop class, or classes in the very near future for example), or look to maybe doing something else if this is gonna dry up. I'm fairly good at what I do. Like to stick with it. Any thoughts, theories, opinons out there?

[Bart]

While client's still supply crappy files there will always be a role for pre press. However, the numbers of people required to carry out the role will continue reducing due to the ability of software to check and repurpose files.

However, there will always be a need for quality people who can manage this technology. So if you are interested in this business and have an aptitude for technology and are willing to learn then I believe there is still time to get your foot in the door.

[T-Rex]

Another avenue might be the Production art end of the industry, since more and more files are being submitted as "final" PDF files to printers, it would be good for Production artists to be knowledgeable and savvy enough to get files made well so that the prepress end goes more smoothly.

[Seth]

I think what we'll see in the future is the term 'pre-multi-purposing'. Whereas the 'press' is supplemented by various output mediums. Digital workflows become database driven, with files being modified via "channels" for output. In my environment, the 'press' output flow is fairly stable, but I spent a great deal of time creating workflows, that can re-purpose "press-intended' work for other mediums, like the 'net, with dynamic content mangement.

In time, I see this evolving to the front-end of the creation process. Art and composition created with the intent and ability to translate across several mediums. For a reliable and consistent workflow to function, broad based knowledge will be required in all segments of digital visual/graphic file processing.

I hope to be in residential rehabilitation, by that time, however.....

[Lammy]

I think there is a post about this in the rants and raves forum

Pre press will exist in the future, but not in the traditional sense. The work we do now to produce film or plates will be replaced by direct to press. There will still be the need for a front person for large format graphics. Then there is always the need to convert print media to internet or interactive media. I agree with Seth, if we are to survive we will need to become the ones that can make it "all" happen.

[dimitri]

there will be less and less of everything, pdf files get better, new rip's today can rip almost everything, so there is less and less trouble shooting needed.
look back a few years, you had to be a wiz to get a colour seperation from a powerpoint file. today you can choose, directly to rip and inrip, or via pdf... too easy.

we'll survive as long as we learn new things. when i started i was a lithograph. just colour corrections, all day long. take for one image up to two days, quality was soooo importand. today in photoshop, you colour correct up to 50 images per hour.

but we have to expand ourselfs. today i am no longer only a prepress person. i program html, make flash and director movies, more php programing is coming up, network, IT, mac, linux, windows.

all my friends and workmates from previous days who said: "stupid, why do we have to do this, who needs the computer - they should be happy if i can click in quark a bit arround", all thoose "friends" are now unemployed or work in a supermarket.

so it's up to us if we want to update ourself's....

my two cents - dimitri

[T-Rex]

Perfectly true, dimitri, all too true.

I have had to learn some html and javascript, applescript and other things just to handle some of the new stuff. (Some of it was to get my own portfolio web site up to find work!)

If we aren't capable or willing to put our nose to learning new things and expanding our skills, it will all get done overseas. The problem is, there is only so much time available.

[dimitri]

i know, sometimes you go for a interview to get a normal prepress or design job and than they ask "do you know web? you know html, flash plus scripting, any experience in multimedia?".

not that they know all this stuff them self.
but some where we went completley wrong, becouse 15 years ago when i still worked on the lighttable i earned much more than i do today with all my "knowledge".

sniff - dimitri

[Seth]

Originally Posted by dimitri

we'll survive as long as we learn new things. when i started i was a lithograph. just colour corrections, all day long. take for one image up to two days, quality was soooo importand. today in photoshop, you colour correct up to 50 images per hour.

- dimitri

Too true, Demitri. And, just to add to that, "back in the day" syndrome:

I'm deploying automated color/tone correction software in our workflows.
It has Algorithmic analysis, can do 90 percent of trhe greyscale, and nearly 70 percent of the color. The software will eliminate two full-time positions. Boss say, "Sure the quality may slip..but you can't beat the cost reduction"

[dimitri]

imagine hospitals or airplane service man think the same way.