JOIN THE (COLOR) CLUB

While deadlines have passed, it’s never too late to start trying to meet the standards required to join the International Newspaper Color Quality Club, said Tom Croteau, NAA's newly named senior vice president for technology.

The club is sponsored by NAA and IFRA, the international association for newspaper and media technology.

Although participants seeking club membership for 2000-2002 already have submitted materials for qualification, leading a newspaper toward its stringent quality goals is still worth the effort, Croteau said.

Club applicants submit print samples of their daily work and also print a still-life photo on their presses. A panel of international experts assesses the effort. Papers get a detailed evaluation of their printing efforts and print capabilities. If they meet the standards, they also get recognition amongst their peers, and a quality boast to take back to their customers.

U.S. newspapers have only participated for two, two-year cycles; 12 qualified during the last round a year ago.

Experts assess characteristics in daily press runs from four consecutive days, examining density, registration, mechanical defects, color range and photo and graphic reproduction.

"The more people start participating in the program, the more they learn," Croteau said.

For links to color quality club information and a listing of the 1998-2000 members, visit www.naa.org/technology/cqclub/index.html.

-Bob Sims