Re: PC VS Mac Platforms
The preference for Mac created work over PC work by Pre-Press is legitimate, and is not without merit, as some above have tried to make it seem. Yes, a PC running CS3 and outputting a high-res PDF for print should create no problems for production. For that matter, any native PC CS3 file or PC Quark file (to a lesser extent), will work fine in any decent Pre-press environment. The problems arise when a customer who has a PC decides that Publisher, Word, Excel and many times even Powerpoint will work fine for a professional print job. These are NOT professional publishing applications, but they are usually on most PCs, so the operator (or the operator's boss) decides they can be used to supply Pre-press with working files. These people have not gone out of their way to obtain proper software or proper training on said software. They have a PC with some software that claims to be for printing and they take the easy way out, and let someone else clean up the mess. That someone is Pre-press. This is also the type of person that does not know the difference between RGB and CMYK, why they have to include images and fonts, what bleed is, etc. This obviously leads to more phone support for the customer and wasted time.
It seems that many people believe that since they have a computer and some pre-packaged software they are a designer. This happens far, far more often on the PC side of the equation. Usually someone who chooses a Mac over a PC for Publishing has done some research about why they want a Mac, they have training and experience in the industry. Usually a MacPro doesn't just happen to be lying around the office with CS3 and Quark loaded. This person is usually (and I stress usually) more serious and professional about the product they are creating.
As I stated earlier quality work can easily be made on a PC. I could probably do all of my work on a PC if forced to use only PCs.
Roughly a fifth of the files I work on everyday are created on PCs. PC files work smoothly and create a quality finished product if created properly. I can see from the above comments that many posters actually prefer PCs, or are platform neutral when it comes to their work; and I am sure, given the nature of this site, that they create workable, efficient and probably great finished products. The problem with PCs is that for every one of the PC favoring posters here, there are more people who are told by their company that they will now be producing the yearly catalog. They only have their office PC loaded with Word. The boss doesn't know what the correct software is, or thinks it is too expensive since they already have Office. I can see this person reaching for Word to begin work on the new 64 page 4 color catalog and I cringe.