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

[prepress_brillance_43]

Hi, I'm Brandon Miller, I have been in prepress for 3 years now and run a dept for The Finishing and Mailing Center in Dallas, TX. I am a regular in PPF and often contribute worthless humor. But sometimes the stroke of genius, too, comes my way and I have helped someone out of a jam. And that is what PPF is ALL ABOUT. We are a community of graphics and prepress folks who use each other to lean on when needing a helping hand regarding prepress and the print industry. The main reason I enjoy this site so much is for its professional and upstanding manner in which it presents itself(thank you cory, and mods).

Please feel free to come right on in and introduce yourself.

[steveagfa]

(Guys - yes, this is standing prepared text!)

<snip>
Steve Musselman serves as the Sr. Manager, Market Development, Digital Solutions and Emerging Technologies for Agfa Corporation, and sits at Agfa?s Electronic Pre-Press (CTP) manufacturing center in Wilmington, MA. He has been involved strategically in the launch of several new technologies, including most recently Agfa?s Sublima screening, Azura chemistry-free plates and the Avalon/Xcalibur and Galileo platesetters. A regular guest speaker at industry events, Steve speaks on industry trends at seminars world-wide, including Iceland, India, Germany, France, England, and across the US and Canada.

Prior to joining Agfa eleven years ago, Steve was with Ultimate Technographics in Montreal, the innovators of electronic imposition. Additional industry experience includes running his own typesetting and design firm and serving as an instructor at the Art Institute of Boston. Steve holds a Bachelors degree from the University of California, Davis, and a Masters Degree from Boston University.
<snip>

Oh, and I'm old!

Steve.

[Raiderfrog]

**Gulp** Steve is smart.

[ChilBear]

Well that certainly was a polite (albeit a snip) introduction of yourself Steve. I think you have had too many rubber chickens in your 11 illustrious years with Agfa, as you seem to be having an out of body introduction. You introduce yourself and talk about "Steve" not me or my. I'm old too and this forum gives me a good chuckle. Especially Brandon. We take pokes and get jabs but welcome.

All right now, how about you other lurkers... come forward or BAM out you go. Cory awaits with the axe...........

[MarkTonk]

My name is Mark Tonkovich and I am the Product Manager for CtP & Proofing at Heidelberg USA. I have been involved in many seminars and publications thorough out the industry. Well, I do not consider myself a lurker but only respond when I can bring information that may be of interest or when I feel I need to.

After graduating with a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, I started as a Scanner Instructor for HCM Corp back in 1977. This was on the Hell DC 300 A & B scanners. I migrated to the Chromacom system as an instructor and then into demonstration on such. I eventually managed a Demonstration Studio for Hell. I moved on to managing a electronic prepress department for a web printer for 5 or so years before moving back to Linotype-Hell, where I managed a demo studio again. Funny, I met Steve Musselman when he worked for Ultimate. We were burning the midnight oil trying to impose flats to send to a Rip 50 on a Linotyp-Hell 930 recorder. Whooppeeee, 1 color, 8 up in only 50 minutes or so. I think Steve and I are no longer impressed with these times but for back then! I was also involve as a Implementation Specialist, analyzing production needs and configuring systems to meet the needs. After Heidelberg purchased LinoType-Hell, I continued in Implementation until 2000, when I started in my current position.

I been involve in product launches such as the Heidelberg Topsetter thermal CtP. I have also launched the Heidelberg designed Prosetter violet and Suprasetter thermal CtP lines along with being involved with planning for these and future products. I have three kids in college, send money. Hey, just to show, non of this is cut and pasted! I must say that, as structured, the forum is refreshing.

Regards,

Mark Tonkovich
Heidelberg USA
Product Manager, CtP & Proofing

[Sparky]

I'm not corporate but I go back as far. I started as a stripper in '69 learned Kodak "Silver Masking" separations, cut my teeth on a HELL 300 A & B with Graphic Arts Systems (Burbank CA) then moved on the Scitex Pixet and Imager workstations. Needless to say I've been at this for over 35 years, and during this time have served as President of the Adirondack Club of Printing House Craftsmen (Part of the International IAPHC) in which I won several awards for the production of the club Bulletin and helped with the awards of "Club of the Year" etc. Our motto Share Your Knowledge is something I believe in strongly. I have also owned and operated my own business (albeit modest) as a Photographer, Desktop Consultant, and Trainer in various software, Graphic Designer and Print Broker.

And I occasionally need to remove my foot from my mouth to show no harm intended ops:

[Bart]

Bart's the name and stumbled on to PPF by mistake when it was just one day old - ahhhh

Despite being in the business for over 20 years, I know >BLEEP< all about the mechanics of pre press. But I read anything and everything about publishing, pre press and print and could win awards for bullshit. I like taking risks and have the ability to spot a winner when I see it and a loser when I smell it.

The next thing that should have the print world shitting it's pants is: http://www.filmloop.com/

I think it's the missing link! :idea:

[Metaltype]

Hi, my name's Dave Hughes and I'm from York in the UK. I was involved in pre-press many years ago - in the hot metal days as a Lino/Intertype linecaster operator.
I now work for the railway but run a website dedicated to those hot metal days.
I'm always looking for contributions to the site - whether they be old photos or stories.
Take a look at the site - you'll see the sort of thing I mean.

[slartybartfast]

Hi - My name is Neil MacLennan, I started in the industry as an layout artist 20 years ago and been involved in electronic prepress for about 13 years.
I?ve progressed as we all do by moving around a bit and making sure I?m always involved in the latest technology and prepress equipment.

Within the last two years I have moved over to newspaper prepress and have been lucky enough to have been given the role of prepress systems manager within a group which is just embarking on a major upgrade programme.

We are putting in new editorial and advertising systems, ctp system, automatic preflight software, automatic picture enhancement software and moving from Mac to PC platform.

We also plan to introduce an RGB workflow with colour management.

It?s all happening very soon so you can imagine how valuable the people on this site are going to be to me and if I can help anybody in anyway with my experiences both pre newspaper and with what I?m about to go through, of course, I will.

[prepress_brillance_43]

Hi Dave(metaltype) WELCOME! :P