The Dichotomies of the Global Printing Industry

The one technology that profoundly changed the printing industry was the electronic delivery of files. In the past, the originator delivered a manuscript for conversion to type and then saw proofs; later he or she delivered mechanicals and then saw proofs. The printer controlled the prepress process and then desktop publishing became mainstream and the printer lost that control. This loss coincided with the evolution of the personal computer, “shrink-wrapped” software, and the standardized page description language. Jobs could be designed and produced by the originator and then sent to any printing service - or, to an in-house printing device. In the past, the printer controlled the metal and later the film: the printer essentially “owned” the job. Today, the customer owns the job and they can send it to any printer, anywhere on the planet.