How can a newspaper install a new pagination system capable of producing 2,000 pages per week and still preserve its investment in a variety of legacy systems for photos, text editing and ads?
At the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, we struggled with that question for several years before entering into an agreement with CCI Europe. This summer, the Sun-Sentinel became the first of three Tribune Co. newspapers to launch a new CCI pagination system. It will increase our efficiency and enable both later deadlines and earlier delivery.
Unlike other CCI Newsdesk installations, we are developing a two-way interface to an Atex (now Sysdeco) editorial system. It will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
Software on a CCI server will perform hyphenation and justification for our Atex J11 terminals. The software will convert Atex composition commands to Structured Generalized Markup Language tags and then pass the SGML tags back to the Atex terminals through a pair of IBM RS6000 computer gateways.
Atex users will see the same pages that show up on the CCI LayoutChamp pagination workstations, and the text file will show the designer's layout.
We are also integrating the following systems into our pagination setup: an AP Leaf Desk for images, Macs for importing graphics and MultiAd Creator ads, an AP Preserver photo-archive system and a CCI display-ad system.
To accommodate five new Autologic Information International 3850 and Sierra imagesetters, we recently reconfigured our platemaking area and built a state-of-the-art output facility. AII's Output Manager software controls the imagesetters.
The CCI solution will enable Tribune Co. newspapers to share text elements, photos, graphics, articles and complete pages. Our sister papers will be able to query Sun-Sentinel content from a Unix, PC or Mac workstation without the involvement of Sun-Sentinel employees.
Rollout of the new CCI system started with several of our zoned tabloid sections and will continue over the next year. In the first month of operation, we paginated more than 1,000 pages. Part of the rollout includes debugging the new software.
To prepare for the conversion to a fully paginated system, we instituted a hands-on training program for page designers, copy editors and the technology staffers who support the system. Our page designers will spend three weeks and our copy editors one week training on the system. In the meantime, we have hired one-year "pinch-hitters" who will rotate through each of the news desks, filling in for the editors who are in training.
If all goes well, the entire newspaper will be electronically assembled by the fall of 1997. Although there have been some technical glitches that required attention by both Atex and CCI technicians, we are confident we can reach the major milestones in the rollout schedule.
Throughout the entire process, we have received strong support from CCI. The company sent staff to our site to help with installation and to train our editorial "super users" and support staff. As live production began, CCI continued to fine-tune the system both in Fort Lauderdale and from its headquarters in Aarhus, Denmark.
Jim Thompson is the Sun-Sentinel's editorial technology manager and heads its pagination team with Pre-press Imaging Manager Becky Brubaker. Phone, (305) 356-4000; fax, (305) 356-4333.
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