The Print Media Technician is involved with all aspects of the printing process from the initial planning and preparation, through the print run, checking for consistent quality to cleaning up after the print run is complete. The work is usually large scale production of printed materials for a range of clients. Specifically, Print Media Technology involves the production of printed material using an offset sheet-fed press and other equipment to create finished, printed products. This occupation is responsible for producing all printed material at a printing operation.

The Technician will usually work in printing businesses or publishers and will use complex specialist equipment. A detailed knowledge of the equipment and materials used is vital to produce high quality products that comply with the specification in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

The Print Media Technician requires an in-depth knowledge of handling, troubleshooting, and maintaining printing factors such as ink, paper, and equipment. Generally, production of the printed product will use a traditional ink-on-paper process, but increasingly technicians are using toner-on-paper technology for shorter runs and variable data.

Print Media Technicians also have to be able to mix custom ink colours and operate cutting equipment to produce a job to a customer’s specifications. Quality control equipment like densitometers and photospectrometres are used to verify and adjust the print quality.

This article comes from worldskills edit released

On several occasions it has been found that graphic web designers have the same approach and mindset as that of print media designing, even when they are designing for web. There are many differences between the two – quite crucial to know for success of web designers. Here are some of such important differences which you need to know.

Fonts:

When designing for prints you do not have to worry about fonts displaying properly in a browser. A reader will see the font which you have specified in the designing process. In web designing a number of font replacing techniques are used such as @font-face and Cufón which help in incorporating non standard fonts in designing for user convenience.

Resolution:

This implies the image quality and measures in pixels Web images should not be more than 72 ppi since the image will load very slow on the screen. Designing for prints does not have such restrictions.

Monitor size:

When you are designing for print media you have a specific print size in mind and will be designing as per that specific page size. This is not the case in web designing since you will have to take into account different monitor sizes and screen resolutions too.

Color Differences:

In print projects CMYK color model is mainly used since printing jobs are mainly done using yellow, black, magenta and cyan inks. Websites are always viewed on a screen and hence a RGB color model.

File sizes:

File size is never an issue for prints. The more details you have in your print the better it is – these are normally of 10 or 20 MB and sometimes even of 100 MB. However, you cannot have such big files in a website. These would take hours of loading time.

Layout Control:

The controlling ability of layouts on a webpage is quite different from different designing tools like Illustrator and Photoshop. These programs shall help you to move graphics and texts precisely and just where you desire them. However, tables and HTML do not allow such kind of flexibility.

Web Graphic Designing Is Continuous Process:

If designer for a printed piece it gets over once the design is sent to print. The job is over. Web graphic designing is different. It is all about continuous improvement, regular tweaking and continuous improvement. It is continuous.

Measuring Effectiveness:

It is difficult to measure the effectiveness of any print design, since once it is out, you will never get an idea on how people are reacting to it and how people are seeing it. However, a graphic designer for web can be easily measured through Google analytics.

Dimensionality:

Print design is 2 dimensional and lots of attention is given to layout. Every view is meant for a fixed canvas size which is not the case for web graphic designing, where it is all about scrolling the page and is just opposite the experience of canvas.

Experience:

Print designing allows you to walk through the information, select the information, enhance and explain all the page elements. Web designing is a great transient experience which is completely based on users movements.

This article comes from simayaa edit released

What is the Print Media?

The print media is composed of newspapers, community newsletters, wire services, magazines, and other publications. Within these publications, there are two main pisions of labor: reporting and editing. Reporters are the newspaper writers who investigate newsworthy events and interesting stories. Editors assign stories to reporters, edit story content, and decide which stories to print.

Why is the Print Media Important?

The print media is an effective way to alert the public to the Weatherization Assistance Program and its work. Readers often bypass paid advertising, but a story from an independent journalist increases public awareness and builds local credibility. The media reaches a poad audience of readers on a daily basis. Reporters and editors are always looking for interesting, newsworthy stories. Attracting media attention can help expand your influence and name recognition in target communities.

How do I Alert the Media to a Weatherization Story?

Reporters sometimes independently cover Weatherization stories, but you’ll increase your chances of coverage if you contact the newsdesk in advance. Tell them what the story is about and why it is newsworthy. There are four excellent ways of alerting journalists to Weatherization stories and events:

1. Submit a press advisory in advance via email, fax, or hand-delivery. Following the event, submit a press release with a summary of the event. Note if photos or video footage are available.
2. Pursue a professional relationship with reporters and editors. Network at community functions, invite them to lunch, or find other ways of meeting and speaking with members of news organizations, i.e. school board meetings, golf tournaments, basketball games, etc. If reporters know you personally, they are more likely to consider your story suggestions seriously.
3. Call a news organization’s story tip line. Most newspapers have informal, toll-free hotlines that record story ideas, which are then passed on to reporters. You can find the number in the newspaper or on the Web site. Also, many newspapers have special e-mail addresses specifically for story suggestions.
4. Write the reporter a letter. Introduce yourself and your organization and explain your story idea. This is a low-pressure method that is useful for attracting press attention to feature stories that are not time-sensitive. Press letters tend to focus less on generating immediate coverage and more on educating reporters.

This article comes from waptac edit released

The news industry has had a rough decade. Print media readership is steadily declining, newspapers are closing, and journalists with decades of experience are being laid off.

In response, major newspapers have made considerable changes. They’re attempting to combat diminishing reader interest by shortening stories, adding commentary, and most notably, using social media to their advantage.

With the meteoric rise of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, many people have claimed that we are entering a new age in which news must be delivered in 140 characters or fewer. It seems as if the golden age of Woodward and Bernstein, Edward R. Murrow, and Walter Cronkite is long gone.

This, however, is an unfair assessment. In this new age of technology, newspapers aren’t sure of how best to respond to many of the challenges they face today. By experimenting with different methods of keeping readers interested, the news industry is working tirelessly to keep journalism alive.

Combating Decline

“Thinking about the way people use the digital space [and] thinking about the way content functions in the digital space has been a challenge for the news industry because that’s not what they’re grounded in,” said Amy Mitchell, director of journalism research for the Pew Research Center in an interview with the HPR.

Because they receive the majority of their profits from ads and subscriptions, some of the most distinguished newspapers have found themselves strapped for cash. In 2013, total revenue within the newspaper industry decreased by 2.6 percent, representing over a billion dollars in lost funds. As a result, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today have all experienced major losses, with each of the papers cutting anywhere from 20 to 100 newsroom jobs within the past five months. Often some of the most experienced reporters are the first to be laid off because they have the highest salaries.

Scott Bowles had been working for USA Today for 17 years when he found out that he was being laid off.

“My father who was a long time reporter and the reason I became a reporter [had] died, so I flew to Atlanta and I initiated his memorial. The layoff came two days after,” Bowles said in an interview with the HPR. “It wasn’t intentional. Its just the cold climate journalism has become. It’s the grim reality of the business.”

From 2006 to 2012, the number of working journalists in the United States decreased by 17,000, according to the Pew Research Center. This trend seems to be continuing; USA Today’s parent company, Gannet, laid off more than 200 staffers in August. Gannett has also instituted pay walls—an attempt to gain revenue by preventing Internet users from accessing content without a paid subscription. Despite these efforts, print media revenues have continued to decline.

“There was no reason given other than they had to continue to cut costs in house, Bowles said. “You pretty much knew your age and your salary were working against you.

USA Today continues to hire but who they are hiring tends to be people right out of school, people who know social media.”

Revisiting the Role of Technology

Many newspapers have also been revising content in order to target a more specific—and generally younger—audience. The prevalent assumption has been that the general population wants their news delivered in bite sized packages and given the larger lack of editorial resources, the Associated Press, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal have all explicitly told their reporters to write shorter stories within the past year and a half.

“We were told to make stories shorter [and] pay attention to what is hot on social media,” Bowles said. “We were writing about Justin Bieber in a way we never were before. We were covering things that only kids cared about and that was now driving news.”

News organizations have repeatedly dictated that the future of journalism is bleak. They attribute this to the continual dumbing down stories in order to interest a population with an ever-shrinking attention span. But in reality, the demand for in depth reporting remains the same. The only change is that innovation is the key for newspapers to remain relevant in today’s technologically savvy world. Though different audiences may have different preferences, the demand for in depth reporting remains the same.

“People are also reading longer stories particularly with the development of the tablet. While there is a lot [of content] in mobile and social that is short there is also a place there for longer kinds of news reporting. Whether it is read on the tablet [or through] a link they share in social media, that kind of news can exist and have an audience as well,” Mitchell said.

The Washington Post

On Aug. 5, 2013, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos purchased The Washington Post, an act that shook the newspaper industry. He had no experience in journalism and many questioned his motives for acquiring one of the largest newspapers in the country. It was later revealed that Bezos was approached by the paper’s former chairman, Don Graham.

“Don, through an intermediary, approached me and said, ‘Would you be interested in buying The Washington Post?’ I was very surprised,” Bezos said in an interview on 60 Minutes. “My first question was, ‘Why would I even be a logical buyer? I don’t know anything about the news business.’ Don thought that because the newspaper business is being so disrupted by the Internet, someone who had a lot of Internet knowledge and technology knowledge could actually be helpful.”

It was clear that the traditional newspaper business model, which relied heavily upon advertisements, was no longer going to garner much revenue. Businesses are unlikely to buy print media advertisements because print media readership has been declining so rapidly. Thus, a new digital focus seems to be the only option. A contributor for Foreign Policy, Gopal Ratnam believes that Bezos’ purchase is part of a larger trend they believe potentially could save the newspaper industry.

“The individuals buying media companies is something that’s yet to show that it will be stable enough. I think people like Jeff Bezos are trying to bring that [business] perspective,” Ratnam said. “He’s trying to make The Washington Post more digital and hopefully try to get more people reading online and reading through different applications There are so many who are trying various ways in which they can attract revenue. That model still has to play out.”

Perhaps some of the most interesting changes within The Washington Post under Jeff Bezos has been the new focus on its website. His first major move as CEO was to offer free online access The Washington Post to subscribers of some local newspapers such as The Dallas Morning News, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Furthermore, in a testament to its new dedication to digital success, The Washington Post launched a design and development office called WPNYC in order to best address some of the problems the paper had with article “viewability.”

“If you can marry that [technological vantage point] with the journalistic vantage point, that’s where the new kind of innovation and experimentation may come about and succeed,” Mitchell said.

Reporters’ reactions to Bezos’ purchase were mixed. Graham’s extreme popularity in the newsroom made many journalists wary of the changes that Bezos would bring. Several stated that they were floored by the announcement and were worried about the methods by which Bezos would run the paper.

“I think people are excited about it, but [we’ve gone through] this never-ending change,” reporter, Michelle Boorstein said in an interview with Mashable, “It hasn’t been nearly as demoralizing as other papers, but it has been uncertain.”

Looking Forward

Times are changing and newspapers must quickly realize that the methods they employed in the past may be obsolete today. Innovation in the news industry will involve changing not only the traditional journalism model, but also incorporating changes into its business, technology, and marketing sectors as well. In the upcoming decade, flexibility and a willingness to experiment with new methods, will likely be the factors that determine whether a newspaper survives or falters.

This article comes from harvardpolitics edit released

The conventional wisdom is that everything print media is dead, but plenty of people didn’t get the memo.

Did you know that advertising campaigns combining printed direct mail collateral with internet advertising achieve up to a 25% higher response rate than an internet-only campaign? If your publication spans both print media and web, you can draw on the strengths of both, using, for example, print media advertising to drive traffic to your site’s custom job board or sponsored long-form web journalism.

Print Media has some characteristics that the web simply cannot match, and though print media ad revenues are down, print media may be in the process of recreating itself as a relevant, lucrative industry. Here are 5 advantages that print media advertising has, even in the era of online everything.

1. Print Media Has Gravitas

Sure, being interviewed for a major newspaper or magazine’s website is a big deal, but it’s an even bigger deal for that interview to appear in print media
. Print Media – whether promotional or editorial in nature – has a tangibility that the web doesn’t. On a more personal scale, marrying the solidity of print media to the convenience of the web strengthens both media. A reader may clip out the print media photo of her daughter hitting a homerun in a state tournament to frame or stick on the refrigerator, and then share the online version with all her social media contacts. Everyone benefits.

2. “Influentials” Are Swayed by Print Media

According to AS Advertising, the MRI Survey of the American Consumer found that so-called “influentials,” who sway other consumers, are influenced by print media, with 61% reporting being influenced by magazines and 53% being influenced by newspapers. Magazine giant Condé Nast has found other encouraging numbers for print media, specifically that fashion and beauty magazines now attract around 50% more young (18- to 24-year-old) readers than in 2001. Men’s magazines, particularly “lad mags” like Maxim and fitness publications like Men’s Health, have gained readership among 18- to 24-year-olds too.

3. Print Media Readers Are Focused

Aside from brewing a pot of coffee, not that much multitasking goes on during newspaper or magazine reading.

Aside from brewing a pot of coffee, not that much multitasking goes on during newspaper or magazine reading.

This only makes sense. If you’re browsing the web with six tabs open and the television on in the background, you may not be that receptive to all the advertising going on around you. But if you’re reading a newspaper or magazine, you’re generally focused on just that. Folio Magazine reports that a Ball State University study showed that when magazines are used by consumers, they are the primary or exclusive medium 85% of the time. In other words, most of the time someone is reading a magazine, they’re not multitasking.

4. Sometimes Unplugging Is Very Appealing

We’re creatures of our tech-saturated times, and that’s not going to change. However, people are starting to see the value of unplugging occasionally. New York Times bestselling author Baratunde Thurston unplugged for 25 days and chronicled his experience for Fast Company. Most people won’t unplug for that long, but people are seeing the value in occasionally untethering themselves from their devices and the web, and print media is there to engage people during these times.

5. Print Media Offers Ad Buyers Flexibility and More Personal Attention

If you’re advertising a new electronic gadget in print media, you can arrange to have your ad appear in a newspaper or magazine’s technology section. If your regional paper puts out targeted sections for certain cities or neighborhoods, you can advertise your new café in the appropriate one. Furthermore, with print media, you can tailor the ad to your budget, with quarter-page, half-page, or full-page ads. And when you work with newspapers, you have a better chance of actually speaking with someone who divvies up the print media real estate rather than leaving it up to an algorithm, so you can make your specific needs for ad placement known.

Bridging the Print Media-Web Gap

When print media and web advertising pull in the same direction, the results can be extremely effective. The use of QR codes, “text to like” codes, and other interactive features in print media advertisements opens up new feedback channels and helps bridge the print media-web divide. You can add shortened social media page URLs or offer free downloads in print media ads to encourage online follow-up as well. Encouraging advertisers to cross-pollinate between print media and web helps them, and it helps you.

Revenue development in the online era can no longer be staked solely on advertising. But a smart advertising strategy that includes print media and web advertising can be effective for advertisers and can ultimately assist other revenue streams, like sponsored content, subscriptions, and custom job boards.

This article comes from realmatch edit released