What was your first job in the newspaper business?

A platemaker at The News in Boca Raton, Fla.

What do you like most about your job?

I have tremendous autonomy to direct the operations at my facility. Our plant was recently completely retooled, providing access to state-of-the-art equipment. I also enjoy excellent support from staff and management.

What was your newspaper’s most recent purchase/installation?

We recently converted from a photographic proofing system to inkjet proofing with SeeColor. We can now quickly and efficiently produce accurate proofs on newsprint or other stocks as an automated process without interrupting our page flow. Because the system RIPs from the original TIFF, the accuracy to the final output is excellent.

What is the biggest challenge your newspaper
is facing in production?

Quality, efficiency and cost identification has been our primary focus since retooling of the plant. The conversion from letterpress technology to offset has been especially challenging and dictated that we spend significant effort training our crews. The standards are published and we track performance through daily feedback.

What trend are you keeping your eye on?

I am extremely interested in digital imaging technologies applied at the press. The technology is still in it’s infancy, but holds tremendous potential to create a sea of change in how the printing process is performed and applied.