New to the site? Post your intro here and be welcomed...

[prepress_brillance_43]

Originally Posted by negative_perfection

Ms. Nunchucks signing out for good - changes occurred quickly!



New job, new shop, new equipment...new account and new avatar to match. Makes all those bad & dirty feelings go away!

See you all next week - though likely with less frequency - not much to bitch about. Yet!

Good LUX to you!

Welcome Perfection!!

See you around the watercooler!!!

:P

[negative_perfection]

Originally Posted by Jezza

try hard to get them stars back

It's easy! I can just keep on playing the Word Association game that this elusive "Lux" character started last week.

[Carla]

Hey y'all.

I never formally introduced myself. I've been in the printing industry since 1974. Started out in newspaper paste-up (classified section - ad by ad, correcting 6pt. type with an exacto). Then some typesetting - old Compugraphics/Varitypers, camera, more paste-up, etc. Then shoot negs., strip etc., mostly small print shops. Then larger print shops. Worked for a forms company as a one-person pre-press dept. (typesetting, negs./stripping, making plates) and kept 3 web presses going.

Then to another web press company. First typesetting, then quality control, then plates (became Miso operator) and learning 4/C stripping for a grocery ad company. We created color versions off blk/wht paste-up boards.

Stayed with stripping and Miso programming through a couple more companies. Then went to work for a high-end commercial printer. That was cool! Inline finishing web presses (3) and sheet-fed Heidleburgs (3). Adapted Miso/plate background to learning Preps. Then outputting 30x40 sheets of film - Avantra 44. Really cool! Color bars, take-off bars, crop marks, sig IDs, etc. all on one burn! Learning and moving up, then . . .

My Mom moved in with me in 2000 and we found out she was ill. I ended up quitting my job to care for her for over 2 1/2 years. Turned out she had Alzheimer's with a very fast progression rate. She was my best friend and I promised myself she would never go to a nursing home. I kept my promise and she passed away at home with me in Sept. 2002.
I would not wish that disease on anyone.

I went back to work April 2003 as a CTP plate maker. I was promoted to Impo (making the CTP files) in April 2005. I am a newbie to the digital end and am trying to learn as fast I can. I read everything I can here on the forum. I am more comfortable with a few programs, but I can tell I don't know squat. I also started taking those modules from Prepress Training Solutions. Most of the software we use is fairly outdated so we work the files as best we can. I also wish we had some of the later versions of software mentioned here so I could try out more tricks.

I am very happy I found this forum because it is a great source of information. I also feel sort of a kinship with some of the old timers here because I am one (50). Old, but still trying to learn and struggling to keep up. Please forgive my inexperience at this stuff and thank you for setting me straight when necessary. I really wish I worked at a top notch place and could learn from the best. But for now, this is all I've got, especially until I can learn a lot more. I am surprised I'm still an outpatient though, because even after all these years, I still like printing! Except for the pay.:-(

Take care and nice to meet y'all!

Carla

[David]

Cheers Carla and Welcome to the machine!
You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders, you'll go far!

Sorry to hear of your Mom, Alzheimer's is some nasty stuff.

There are some great tips and tricks coming out of this place, so you'll get a good ed-ju-ma-kay-sun!!



If you get a tough one, I'll let you borrow my Easy Button




an' if you get a really really tough one, here's a drink on me!






8)

[Carla]

Thank you David! :P

[David]

I have noticed allot of comments about your avatar... I like it, too!
Is that your cat or...



animals can be quite humorous, I have 3 dogs, 1 cat, and 2 bunnies.
they keep us in laughing most of the time!

[Carla]

David,

No it's not my cat. I just did a search for Avatars and thought it was funny. I do have 3 cats and a dog though. All of them are rescues. I don't think any one of them would put up with wearing a hat! One of them is pretty wacky. Sammy is a little black cat with no tail. He is neurotic, has tail envy, is purring-impaired, has a shoe fetish and throws up after he eats. No one else would want him, but he's my favorite. He definitely ain't right. :lol: They are definitely hilarious, all the weird stuff they do.

[richardwiebe]

Hi, my name is Rich and Ive been in prepress for 8 years.
Like many others before me and around me, ive jumped ship/been pushed off the gangplank a few times and have learned how to swim well in the process.
I have spent time getting my graphic design degree only to youthfully reject money in favor of art and finally get a degree in painting/drawing/printmaking. Later worked for 2 years screenprinting, then as artist/prepress tech for screenprinting. And yet, fate would intervene as i spent 4 years in Dallas prepressing for docutechs and color laser devices. Glad as ever to return to the hills and trees of Arkansas, I have since been a true pre-press mechanic for sheet-fed offset presses. I spent 3 years doing film through a bedraggled brisque on a dolev 4v and was rescued by CTP last year. Spending years doing the film helped me really learn trapping and having a brisque to babble to only strengthened my application skills. But after getting our prinergy and trendsetter i have quickly learned how complex and, thus, much more interesting, printing is. Through this knowledge gleaned from others I realize how easy it is to be angry with designers who dont know their donkey from a hole in the ground. But, then I remember i was once young.
I am fortunate to have lived many places (VT, WA, TX, AR, CA, FL, MT) to see that rednecks can be found in every town in america and I would much rather be clickity-clackety-tap-tap than have circles under my eyes from being in the pressroom. But, i am more fortunate that the internet has brought the knowledge of others to this board.

[prepress_brillance_43]

Welcome Richard. Apparently Im the clown 'round here, so anytimes you feel like a good 'ol pie tossin to the face, feel free. I love a good pie in my face. We's a bit crazy here at PPF, but Im sure you've already realized. Grab a stool at the bar, Im sure _maberry will be along with the margarite train shortly.. [/welcome] :P

[jonfisher]

I work as the creative director for a commercial real estate company. I've been a NAPP member for a while, and I was refered over to here from the NAPP forums. I've been stuck in the digital final output world for some time, but I'm now moving back into print. My prepress knowledge is a bit rusty, which is why I'm here.

Cheers!