Printing Evolution - Thirty Years Past to Present

[D Ink Man]

Believing in absolutes and nostalgia prevents you from adapting to a changing universe. Everything ends - "this too shall pass", as they say, and conservatism in this case can be dangerous - you become unprepared for surprises. In some cases you are left as an expert or specialist in some area that is changing, but that just concentrates higher energy at the hands of less people. Surely it does not benefit the entire industry as a whole. When everyone is an expert, nobody is.
No technological advancement in history has ever reverted back to "the good old days". Sure, there are still horses around, but you will never change all the cars back to carriages. Tying to do so is tilting at windmills.

Humans obey the same basic rule as all other organisms on earth: invest less energy, receive more outcome. If you find a method or process that enables you to spend less money (energy), and get the same outcome or better, that process will replace the previous one. This behavior is so ingrained in your genetic makeup you will never stamp it out. You wrote, "The choice to put competitive activity in a price first mode is a fatal mistake". I disagree - it is aiming at basic human behavior, and it works.

If you truly care about your grandchildren, teach them how to adapt to the rapidly changing world around them.

How do the forum participants feel about this? And.... Does it really touch on the subject of the original topic?

Thank you in advance.

D

 

[arossetti]

Boys, boys or should I say geezers? I've been following this salty thread and everyone seems to be senior members. That is the real problem we are facing (yes, I'm a fossil as well). We can't get any young bucks who want to do this for a living. I'm afraid much of this knowledge will be lost as we fade into the sunset. It seems everyone just wants to push the green button and have the finished product burp out the back of the machine. Automation is sweeping through the industry-most everything is templates and hot folders these days. Management appears to be thrilled at this development-just insert an unskilled worker and pay them diddly, assuming they can pass a drug test. Sad state of affairs for this trade that we love. Oh well, gotta go- I think I see someone walking on my lawn.

For the record I'm 32.

 

[Joe]

When I started in the print trade the prepress area was a big room with a lot of light tables where a bunch of strippers assembled pages. Another bunch of people were retouching contone film. We had drum scanners and flatbed 4 color enlargers and a couple of giant cameras. Film processors all over the place. We made Matchprint and Cromalin proofs by hand from film negatives that we had to manually screen from contone positive film. We had a lot of (older) workers that refused to even try learning a new system when we got our first Linotype Hell Chromacom system. They claimed it was just a passing fad and would never replace the craftsmen that they were. It didn't happen overnight but all of those old jobs were fazed out the coming years. And by the time I left that place those 75 jobs were being done by about 10 people. Now in a shift I process the amount of pages that it took the whole department of 75 people weeks to do. I learned early on in this trade to either adapt or get left behind. I saw a lot of 'craftsmen' get left behind. My willingness to adapt to change has been the only thing that has allowed me to still be in this trade and to remain a valuable commodity for my employer. Would I want to go back to the way we used it do it 38 years ago? Not on your life. Change is fun and exciting.

 

[Macmann]

Joe you just wrote my prepress life story-amazing how similar my experience was. I remember back in the late 80's we got our first Apple Macintosh and a Linotronic 330. Within a year we had let go 19 strippers. I agree that change is fun and exciting-it keeps us sharp. I actually got final Jeopardy last night. ;-)

 

[Joe]

Joe you just wrote my prepress life story-amazing how similar my experience was. I remember back in the late 80's we got our first Apple Macintosh and a Linotronic 330. Within a year we had let go 19 strippers. I agree that change is fun and exciting-it keeps us sharp. I actually got final Jeopardy last night. ;-)

Yes sir. Probably the same story for anyone in prepress in the 80's and 90's.

 

[D Ink Man]

I will also additionally change, it is not a problem at all. When the heart stops, the resperation is over and the brain becomes dead. This is a natural occurence that we all have in common, no arguments there.

Nice thing for me, I personally have made it! I have no needs and no wants or desires of anything. Oh, I take that back. God bless our offspring, our offspring's offspring and all of humanity.

D Ink Man

 

[Alois Senefelder]

Gentlemen,


In hindsight I made the correct choice ....... by staying on the Printing Press side of Lithography from the 1960s until I retired.



Regards, Alois

 

[Stickman42]

After reading all this I feel that it's somewhat pointless to ask someone else's opinion on the value of "craft". If a particular endeavor pleases you, do it, and I hope you find joy in the process of doing so. Don't blame others for not feeling the same way, or for POSSIBLY contributing to the demise of your livelihood. Progress (or change) for better or worse is inevitable.

 

[old guy]

I am a Craftsman. I was one in the 70's when I shot film and hand developed negs. I was one when I printed business cards on a windmill then foil stamped them then die cut them then sold them for a weeks wages. I am one now when I create art with Illustrator and do all the other things that a modern printer does. Most importantly I am one when I teach someone how to do the job correctly and to take pride in what they do. By the way that box of business cards sells for just a couple hours wages now.

 

[D Ink Man]

After reading all this I feel that it's somewhat pointless to ask someone else's opinion on the value of "craft". If a particular endeavor pleases you, do it, and I hope you find joy in the process of doing so. Don't blame others for not feeling the same way, or for POSSIBLY contributing to the demise of your livelihood. Progress (or change) for better or worse is inevitable.

Why you speak of Erik and Gord like this?

D

 

[gordo]

After reading all this I feel that it's somewhat pointless to ask someone else's opinion on the value of "craft". If a particular endeavor pleases you, do it, and I hope you find joy in the process of doing so. Don't blame others for not feeling the same way, or for POSSIBLY contributing to the demise of your livelihood. Progress (or change) for better or worse is inevitable.

“Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.” – Tony Robbins

 

[D Ink Man]

Revelation for all. I truly appreciate Print Planet, but more than that I respect it.

I respect the people that contribute to the posts, threads and replies and read what all have to offer.

I will mention that I respect and value Gordo and Erik N.'s contribution as much, no honestly, probably more than anyone's. They oft times offer contrasting points of view that are needed to make the conversations better and provide true meaning. If we all agreed on everything, and this was just an information highway, Print Planet would not work as well as it does.

These men and others offer opinion that is based on three things. Intelligence, experience and know how. All three of these properties meld together to make for great thinking and presentation. This is a generous act; to take the time and to be caring enough to share these things.

No one is right all the time, and no one is wrong any time. Yes, that is correct, 'anytime'. People do not participate here in efforts to skew the audience. They offer wisdom they have experienced for all to partake.

I feel it is the responsibility of all writers and readers to 'DO IT'. When you do, 'DO IT", you have at least ingested thought from some of the smartest people in the industry and world. As you continue to absorb the content, you will learn how to separate some of the real form some of the sublime.

That is my take on things and I am convicted to it.

I want to thank Cory, all the moderators and people that make Print Planet happen and available for all.

It is a great thing! So take your pieces from it and always remember to stay at peace.

we are all human beings and interchange is great, but RESPECT is the property that stands the tallest.

D Ink Man

 

[Stickman42]

Why you speak of Erik and Gord like this?

D

This was not meant to be a dig at anyone's opinion. If it came off as such, I do apologize. I, like you (as stated in post #53), respect everyone who contributes to exchanges like PrintPlanet. I hope the feeling is mutual.

 

[D Ink Man]

Oh hell Stickman42, we all get out of line every now and again. You are correct in your appraisal in digging up that bone. After all, we are all only human beings. I apologize for that one.

D

 

[Stickman42]

“Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.” – Tony Robbins

Agreed!

 

[D Ink Man]

Change IS inevitable, however it must be defined somewhat better.

It is one's own decision how to commandeer the choice in change, whether it is eventuates to be Progressive of Regressive. Change is not a choice of chance.

Not Tony Robbins-

D Ink Man

 

[afilsonCSA]

As I am one of you, that has been in printing for 27 years, I have seen transitions, CTF, CTP, Digital print, Inkjet, etc... What you are calling the race to the bottom, may also be described as a race to efficiency. If I can find a way to print more efficiently than the person next door, I can increase my margin. As new technology will always be around the corner and will always change our industry, we must not look at it as detrimental, but how we can adapt to the changing market and use these new tools to our advantage. The printer that finds increased efficiency in new technology ultimately survives, and our market place is better off for it, as it drives our industry towards the future.

 

[D Ink Man]

With that said afilsonCSA I have to nod in agreement with you, well presented.

Additionally I will add as you drive for that efficiency and garning to new,rapidly expanding technologies, there is also one last thing that trumps all this positive throughway.

And that is: DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE PEOPLE. That entitiy carries more significance as we cut into the future.

D Ink Man

 

[Alois Senefelder]

Gentlemen,

The posit by afilsonCSA and others, have done very little from what I understand to the vast swathes of "Blue Collar" Americans --- you know the ones that built all those cars !!

Only creating a vast "Rust Belt" - instead of a "Land flowing with Milk and Honey". The industrial capacity of America and Western Europe as been decimated by China,

afilsonCSA, waxes lyrical about technology , I bet 99.9% of Canons hardware is manufactured in China.

Industrialization of Cihina (a land of blue collar workers) and advanced technology in Western Democracy is now idling millions humans.


Regards, Alois

 

[afilsonCSA]

Thanks Alois. Actually Canon employs over 23,429 people all over the world, and we manufacture products in many different countries, like Germany, The Netherlands, Japan, and the USA. Thousands of us work right here in America. Are you suggesting that "Blue Collar" workers are not capable of learning new technology? I would disagree. There was a time that no human on earth knew how to use a computer, and look at us now... we have one in our pocket to make calls on. Technology is not the evil overlord causing people to lose their jobs, it is a propellant towards a technologically advanced future. Cell phones, HDTV, GPS systems, the list goes on and on. Those same auto workers now use computers and robots, and produce likely two or three times the number of cars per day that their forefathers did, all to keep up with demand, in places like Alabama, Tennessee, California, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, and so on. They are far more efficient at building cars today than 40 years ago. Those cars are far more reliable, and stay on the road longer than ever.