AP Gives to Newseum
The Associated Press has contributed news, graphics and broadcast services--plus hundreds of historic photos--to the Newseum, the only interactive museum of news.
The Newseum, located in Arlington, Va., includes a 126-foot Video News Wall that features AP headlines and photos, and also broadcasts APTV video news from around the world. Visitors can read late-breaking AP news on several touchscreen terminals and listen to live broadcasts from AP's All News Radio.
Dozens of AP photographs of famous figures and many of AP's Pulitzer Prize-winning images are featured in the News History Gallery at the museum. The AP also donated many historical artifacts to the museum.
Closed-Loop Color
Graphics Microsystems Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., announced a new closed-loop color-control system for both web-fed and sheet-fed printing. ColorQuick combines a dual-beam spectro-photometer, a 2 millimeter-high color bar with built-in recognition features, and a proprietary high-speed pattern-recognition system to obtain color measurements for each color at each key position on the press.
Burt Technologies Renames IPCS Plans
Burt Technologies Inc. of Evergreen, Colo., announced that its IPCS Plans product will now be known as the Burt System. This line of packaging and distribution software was formerly marketed by GMA Inc. of Bethlehem, Pa.
The Burt System includes the Burt PackagingManager, Burt DistributionManager, Burt PostalManager, Burt SkidManager and Burt TurboPackager.
UPS Strike Aids ISDN
While UPS workers were on strike, newspapers began to consider other ways to transmit files. One company, Woburn, Mass.-based 4-Sight (International) Ltd., noted a surge of inquiries for its ISDN range of high-speed file-transfer products.
"We are seeing an incredible increase in the level of interest of potential clients wanting to get digitally connected. The UPS strike caused people to re-examine the way they deliver files," says 4-Sight President Lyndon Stickley.
4-Sight's ISDN Manager provides file transfer between remote sites, using ISDN telephone lines. The system supports both Macintosh and PC platforms, and features extensions and plug-ins that allow file transmission directly from within many applications, such as Adobe Inc.'s Photoshop, Illustrator and PageMaker.
A Quick Chuck
The DF-1000 "Quick Change" from Double E Company Inc. of West Bridegewater, Mass., is a through-shaft core chuck designed to replace conventional "knock-in-type" cones and manually operated core chucks. The company says that no tools are required to use the DF-1000. To change cores, the operator simply slides the unit out of one roll and into the next. The chuck is torque-activated, requiring no operator intervention. The company also says the DF-1000 is less likely to slip during operation than other cores.
Heidelberg Partners for CTP
Heidelberg USA of Atlanta and Creo Products Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia, have signed a partnership agreement to sell and service computer-to-plate technology. Heidelberg will distribute Creo's entire product line, which includes all Creo Trendsetters, Platesetters, Renaissance scanning systems and associated PostScript workflows. Heidelberg will continue to sell its Herkules CTP, Gutenberg CTP and Delta workflow connection to Creo CTP output devices.
Web Publishing From Print Databases
Orem, Utah-based Digital Technology International says it has developed seamless integration between publishing on the World Wide Web and on newsprint. DT's WebClient software treats the Web as another edition of the newspaper, continuously updating Web information. If a news story for print is amended or an ad is canceled, the software can simultaneously make the changes to the Web version of the newspaper. DT says the software means that publishers will not have to purchase additional disk storage or employ additional technical staff to provide a significant presence on the Web.
Apple Announces New Laptop
Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., hopes to bite into the journalism market with its new eMate 300 laptop computer. Apple says the laptop offers the flexibility of a mobile computer while combining the most commonly used functions of a personal computer. It also has the ability to interact with desktop units, servers and the Internet.
Key features of the new computer include:
- A size of 12 inches by 11.4 inches--small enough to put in a backpack
- A rugged clamshell design
- A battery that lasts up to 28 hours before recharging
- Stylus and keyboard input
- Newton operating system (2.0) and Newton Works.
GMA to Market New York Times' Client/Server System
GMA of Bethlehem, Pa., and The New York Times announced that GMA will market and participate in the further development of SAM, The Times' integrated production-management system. SAM integrates several critical production functions into an interactive system. Included are circulation, free-standing-insert management, presses, press conveyors, product buffering, inserters, tylines, bundle distribution, and truck loading and dispatch. The system operates on a Windows NT platform, using an Oracle relational database and Powerbuilder application-development tool.
Digital Press From Heidelberg
Heidelberg USA Inc.'s Quickmaster DI direct-imaging press is now in production. The company stepped up production plans for the system earlier this year. Quickmaster DI presses have been installed at Heidelberg Technology Centers across America for demonstrations. Heidelberg USA Inc. has corporate offices in Kennesaw, Ga. Interested parties should call (800) 437-7388 to arrange for a demonstration.
Bellatrix Teams With NTI
Bellatrix Systems Inc. of Bend, Ore., and NTI Newspaper Technologies of Calgary, Alberta, announced a cooperative marketing agreement to provide circulation-management and data-acquisition systems for single-copy operations. The two companies will interface Bellatrix's SINGLE-TRAK products with NTI's NEWSLINE software. The SINGLE-TRAK system tracks draws and sellouts, monitors and evaluates sales patterns, and identifies other problems. For more information, contact Bellatrix Systems Inc. at (541) 382-2208.
GATF Honors Companies With Technology Awards
The Graphic Arts Technical Foundation of Sewickley, Pa., has chosen the following companies and products as winners of its InterTech Technology Awards:
- Creo Products Inc.-- Renaissance scanning system
- DuPont Printing & Publishing, Barco, and Professional Computer Corp.--Cyrel digital imaging system and Cyrel digital proofing
- Gerber Systems Corp.--IMPRESS
- Heidelberg Contiweb BV--FMR
- Lantana Research Corp.--Crakerjack
- Heidelberg Pre-press--Delta technology
- Polaroid Graphics Imaging--Dry Tech thermal film for digital composite proofing and imagesetting
- Polaroid Graphics Imaging--Fiber laser for thermal imaging applications
- Presstek Inc.--PEARLgold lithographic plate
- Wam!net--Wam!net digital delivery network.
Winners will be presented a Lucite star award at the 1997 Graphic Arts Industry Summit, Nov. 3-4 in Boca Raton, Fla.
SCC Workflow System
The Software Construction Co. Ltd. of Bristol, United Kingdom, and The Software Construction Co. of Atlanta, Ga., announced production of a new workflow system. SCC's MediaServer runs on Windows NT and a Microsoft SQL server. Its database can contain a full range of multimedia objects, including photographic images, text, portable-document formats and video clips.
CE Engineering Unveils SII Terminal Replacement
CE Engineering of Rocklin, Calif., announced the CE/1010, a direct replacement for System Integrators Inc.'s ET/960 terminal. The CE/1010 is meant to extend the life of legacy computer systems like SII's System 22. The terminal incorporates a custom motherboard card that interfaces to the SII terminal controllers already online.
All-Digital Stock-Photography Agency
Copyright Clearance Center, the Media Photographers' Copyright Agency, and Applied Graphics Technologies Inc. announced the Media Image Resource Alliance, a stock-photography agency that provides digital images.
"Among its advantages, Mira provides rights-clearance by telephone and overnight delivery of the photo selection on CD-ROM, avoiding the liability of transparencies," says Joshua Young, spokesman for CCC.
Newspapers can choose from a broad selection of images for the creation of multimedia, audiovisual, broadcast and print works.
The three organizations forming MIRA offer expertise in the legal, artistic and technological aspects of photographic reproduction. CCC is a not-for-profit licensing and permissions company, the MPCA represents photographers' commercial interests, and AGT provides digital image-management services.
Reeves Introduces New Blanket
Reeves International of Spartanburg, S.C., released the new Vulcan 20 Plus NO PAK compressible blanket. The company says that the blanket is engineered for newspaper presses that need a positive-feed blanket.
The blanket features a web feed specifically designed for large tower presses requiring positive-feed characteristics.
CCI Europe's All in One Editorial System
CCI Europe, which has U.S. headquarters in Marietta, Ga., will present an "all-in-one" editorial workstation at IFRA'97 in Amsterdam Oct. 13-16.
The CCI NewsDesk Editorial and Pagination System combines CCI's editorial and pagination applications on one homogeneous Windows/NT platform using a central Oracle SQL database. It has been installed at the The Arizona Republic in Phoenix; The Toronto Star; the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel; and the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News.
Additionally, CCI will launch CCI AdDesk at IFRA. AdDesk runs on two different user workstations: a Windows/NT-based PC for ad management, and a Macintosh for ad production.
Web Graphics Books Released
New Riders, a publishing company based in Indianapolis, announced the release of two World Wide Web graphics books by Lynda Weinman. "Preparing Web Graphics" is a step-by-step guide on techniques needed to create and distribute graphics for use on the World Wide Web. "Lynda Weinman's Web Graphics Resource Library" is a comprehensive collection of text, tools, art and utilities used for creating Web graphics. For sales information, call New Riders at (800) 428-5331, or visit their Web site (http://www.newriders.com).
Lube-Free Roller Chain
A new type of roller chain, made by U.S. Tsubaki Inc. of Wheeling, Ill., is designed for operations where machines and materials must be kept clean and free of lubricants. The lube-free LAMBDA roller chain requires no lubrication during its operating life. The chain combines an oil-impregnated bushing with a coated pin to produce long-term internal lubrication. U.S. Tsubaki says that LAMBDA operates cleanly at high speeds, so printed papers are not contaminated with oil. LAMBDA is available in 10 different styles that address a range of power-transmission needs, including drive and conveyor applications.
The Real Temperature
AccuWeather Inc. has introduced RealFeel Temperature, the first index that measures how warm or cold it really feels. "Temperature by itself gives only part of the picture," says AccuWeather founder and President Joel N. Myers. "The RealFeel Temperature is the only index to include all the elements that effect how warm or cold it really feels, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation and elevation." AccuWeather Inc., located in State College, Pa., is a provider of newspaper weather pages.