What was your first job in the newspaper business?

The Des Moines Register was my first job in the newspaper business.

I was hired as the imaging manager and supervised a staff of three imaging techs and six scanner operators. After one year, I was promoted to imaging and plate manager and also took over the supervision of the platemaking department. Prior to that, I had been in commercial printing for 15 years.

What do you like most about your job?

I love the variety of my job. Not only do I deal with many departments, but I deal with a wide variety of people. I am constantly learning something new, and it has been extremely rewarding to me.

What do you like least?

There is not anything I really don’t like. Probably, the most aggravating to me is the learning curve. I can’t read and learn fast enough. I am definitely very passionate about my job, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to learn everything I want to learn.

What was The Register’s most recent prepress purchase/installation?

We recently built a new production facility and installed all new equipment. Our operation went from letterpress to offset. We also installed two plate lines with vision benders. We purchased a third imager that would allow us to image doubletrucks. Most recently we purchased a plate punch so that we could punch our own plates in-house.

Much research and testing went into all the equipment we purchased. We looked for reliability and quality products.

What is the biggest challenge newspapers are facing regarding prepress?

Technology — it is almost impossible to keep abreast of all the new products and equipment on the market today. The manufacturers are constantly building better equipment, and it is very difficult and costly to keep your equipment and software updated.

What is the biggest challenge The Register is facing in prepress?

Probably the biggest challenge currently is maintaining quality. With all new equipment, you are expected to consistently deliver a quality product. But with all new equipment, you also experience many new challenges.

We evaluate ourselves everyday and are constantly changing our procedures to ensure our readers and advertisers the best product available.

We have worked diligently to form relationships with other departments in order to maintain a quality product through the entire process. We are constantly testing new products and vendors so that we stay ahead of the quality issues.

What trends do you see developing in the newspaper prepress area?

Probably the biggest trend is the migration of computer-to-plate. While there are few sites with this technology, the other sites are doing their research. Vendors are working to perfect the equipment and the consumable pricing is beginning to drop.