TORONTO - On March 5, 2004, The Globe and Mail in Toronto turned 160 years old. To commemorate the date, the paper published a special section devoted to its history and to what has made it Canada’s leading national newspaper.

Among recollections of news-breaking headlines and award-winning journalism was an article by Doug Saunders in which he described the newspaper of the future - 160 years from now. He wrote, “When it receives its articles and photographs every 2.1 seconds, your Globe and Mail instinctively knows how to lay them out and design them the way you like.” 



The Globe and Mail’s Vice President of Operations Andy Ritchie and Quality Development Manager Andrea Gray.
Photos: Donald Weber

What Saunders described will not take another 160 years to happen. In fact the technology to make this possible is not that far away. What this journalist may not even know is that The Globe and Mail is remarkably closer to the future than most other North American newspapers.

It uses state-of-the-art automation systems and the entire production workflow is built on open-system standards - so that as the need for new functionality arises and The Globe and Mail identifies the enabling technology, all it has to do is plug it in.

Careful process

Its transition to an all-digital workflow did not happen overnight, nor did it take 160 years. Careful analysis, strong internal and external partnerships and a step-by-step approach to systems integration over the course of the last six years have made The Globe and Mail a prototype of the newspaper of the future.

The newspaper is used to groundbreaking technical challenges; it was one of the first North American dailies to use satellite transmission, and it outsources all of its printing to production facilities spread out across Canada.

According to Andy Ritchie, vice president of operations, The Globe and Mail does not put progress before profits. Yet it is clear the publisher understands that the two go hand-in-hand - without progress, profits will eventually fall behind.

Globe and Mail Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Phillip Crawley has, over a six-year period, completely transformed the newspaper into a market-driven company ready to adapt to customers’ needs and technical breakthroughs that come along, Ritchie said.

This is the attitude that has spurred the transition that put the newspaper on the cutting edge.

Integrating operations

The first step was to analyze every phase of advertising production to identify bottlenecks and streamline processes, beginning with the customer.

As advertising is the key source of every newspaper’s revenue, it was the most opportune place to start.

The Globe and Mail began the upgrade process with ad tracking software, Production Manager Pro, developed by Harris & Baseview. It also installed a PDF workflow to automate ad production.

Next, it formed a digital preflight team trained to spot errors and prevent them from reoccurring, in the process improving customer service and reducing advertising credits by hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. This type of team has become the standard across North America.

The next big step was to install SAP ad booking and business office software. The app, in turn, was integrated into The Globe and Mail’s Software Construction Services Layout 8000 software and its ad production foundation. The result: Ads are automatically placed on the correct page.

The Globe and Mail then rolled out editorial software from CCI Europe. The NewsDesk app links the ads via CCI’s PlanEdit software to the newsroom. The finished pages are transmitted through Agfa’s transmission system to six remote print sites.

This system, based on Agfa’s Output Manager software, is completely PDF-compliant, thus allowing every page to be saved for archiving or for digital tearsheets.



Greg Cunningham, a member of The Globe and Mail’s support personnel, checks a plate image.

The Globe and Mail’s printing plants receive pages through remote RIPs, each of which has its respective site’s press profiles built in.

The plates are produced and bent through a combination of Agfa 3850 computer-to-plate devices and Burgess Industries Inc. plate benders.

This whole process is completely automated with closed-looped systems and preflighting software. All these systems operate as one unit.

A key consideration for The Globe and Mail is that all systems must be open. That allows the newspaper to integrate new solutions as they come along, Ritchie said.

The Globe and Mail also has built quality control into its process, with very strict insurances that its color management practices are always followed.

All departments follow the same rules, from editorial to ad production. All screens and output equipment within this area are checked daily and ICC profiled.

The newspaper uses Hewlett-Packard Inc. proofers, equipped with Graphic Enterprises Inc.’s BlackMagic software to check quality for every editorial and advertising color page.

It also transmits data to produce a proof remotely at each of the six print sites as the plate is output.

The Globe and Mail has not chosen to use automatic color management software but is always monitoring and looking for continued improvement in its process, Ritchie said. One new piece of software the newspaper is installing is a circulation and distribution system, developed by SAP that will be integrated with The Globe and Mail’s other applications.

Print sites consistent

In addition to upgrading all of its front-end apps, The Globe and Mail works closely with Transcontinental Inc. and its other printing partners to ensure the highest quality print performance. That approach has already yielded such dividends as membership in the Ifra/Panpa/NAA International Newspaper Color Quality Club, Ritchie said.

Associate Production Technician Alex Cejka handling one of the newspaper’s Agfa 3850 plate cassettes.

Transcontinental owns three of the six sites that print the newspaper, at Web Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and two Interweb plants in Bourcherville, near Montreal; and Mississauga, outside Toronto.

The other three plants are in Brandon, Manitoba, Calgary, Alberta, and Vancouver, B.C., owned by The Brandon Sun, the North Hill News and College Printers, respectively.

Maintaining quality control is a high priority at The Globe and Mail. Production Technician Phil Pozer inspects print quality.

To ensure quality, each site upgraded its presses, using a mix of Goss Universal or Heidelberg single-wide machines. The presses can run at least half of all pages produced in color.

A team approach

Ritchie said a team effort, driven by the publisher, has helped The Globe and Mail accomplish its technological goals.

“All the technology we have installed,” he said, “is to make our product stronger and not about having the most advanced workflow. The Globe and Mail maintains an intelligent balance between being market driven and the ROI.”

Ritchie believes such a huge change was only made possible by an IT team that has been built over the last six years under Perry Nixdorf, vice president of IT.

“Perry has built a team that not only can support the fast moving day-to-day operation, but is able to manage many complex projects at a time.” Ritchie said.

At most newspapers, advertising and editorial, as well as IT, engage in a tug of war. Yet at The Globe and Mail, all departments have replaced ego with cooperation. Publisher Crawley has changed an old culture to make all departments work together as a team, Ritchie said.

Strong partnerships, careful analysis and integration, and a great deal of patience have taken this newspaper to a higher level of quality and efficiency - while keeping both eyes on profitability. The Globe and Mail is clearly poised for the future. In fact, it’s nearly there.

Rosemarie Monaco is the president of Group M Inc., a marketing communications and consulting firm specializing in the graphic arts. Send comments and questions to rmonaco@groupm.org.