Directions in Electronic Prepress

The satellite transmission of digital color images, direct digital color proofing, digital data exchange specifications, the merging of color and monotone systems, and optical disk storage technologies are converging in a large scale effort to propel digital imaging for the graphic arts into an age of unprecedented productivity. This is not the stuff of futuristic Buck Rogers serial, but very real, very-large-scale market and technology directions with far reaching implications for our industry. We're seeing the formation of the Mega-Vendors via acquisitions, mergers, and a variety of joint ventures. We're seeing the same phenomena occurring with the users. This paper presents an analysis of these current trends and extrapolates this into a look at the future of graphic arts.