Courier Raises the Bar for Contract Color Proofing
Kodak Approval Systems in Place in Stoughton and Kendallville

Two recently installed Kodak Approval proofing systems now provide Courier customers with state-of-the-art contract color proofs. Kodak Approval proofs have several advantages over other proofs. They provide true dot-for-dot images, and they do it across a much broader color space — which includes process colors, Pantone-certified colors, and metallic colors. In addition, the proofs can be imaged on the actual stock for the job. Most importantly, these new systems are calibrated to Courier's printing environment. As a result, Courier customers have already commented that it is almost impossible to tell the proof from the printed product in a side-by-side comparison. All this adds up to a better book, and our customers save when potential problems are identified early and avoided.

The new systems support Courier's cover printing in Stoughton and cover printing and four-color web printing in Kendallville. To learn more about the Kodak Approval systems contact your Sales Rep.

Go Directly to		Status Check

FastPath Status Check now has its own new web address and new look. Until recently FastPath Status Check was part of our Right from the Start website (www.rightfromthestart.com). You can still get to it that way, but you'll probably find it easier to go directly to www.courierfastpath.com. And when you do you'll notice the new design that displays more of your data on the screen. More and more customers are discovering the benefits of around-the-clock web access to their job and inventory status. Learn more and sign up at www.courierfastpath.com.

Courier Recommends TAMBORA

Since computers were first introduced to business, managers have become increasingly aware of the tremendous opportunity for improving their operations through business-to-business electronic information exchange. The promise is that by replacing paper-based transactions such as purchase orders, invoices and job specifications with electronic equivalents, businesses will be able to reduce costs, shorten lead times, strengthen the buyer/vendor relationship and improve quality and service.

In many industries over the past decade, significant time and effort has been spent in the quest to develop and implement B2B solutions using various business models. In the printing and publishing industries, the BASIC (formerly BISAC) EDI project and the proliferation (and subsequent shakeout) of printer/publisher B2B start-ups are evidence of this. To date, successes have been few, and the opportunity is greater than it's ever been.

Tambora is a web-based B2B software application that is quickly getting the attention of major book publishers and book manufacturers. Much of the appeal of Tambora stems from its open source business model — a model that offers tremendous advantages over the proprietary, fee-based service offerings available in the market today.

The value of any B2B electronic information exchange grows geometrically with each additional user. Tambora's open source business model encourages rapid growth of the user base by minimizing many of the barriers to entry for potential users. Since open source software is free, and there are no transaction charges or subscriber fees, it's likely to be the least expensive and least risky solution for potential users. And since the source code is available online, users are able to perform their own installation, maintenance, or customized programming in-house, or subcontract it to anyone they wish.

The goal of Tambora is to make information exchange more efficient across the entire supply chain that puts books into the hands of readers. If it is successful, the book becomes a better product (higher quality, less expensive, more responsive to the market), and the whole supply chain benefits from increased demand. For Tambora to succeed, companies must be willing to work together for the common good and not for a competitive advantage. To date, development of Tambora has been a collaborative effort among some major book publishers (Pearson Education, McGraw-Hill), some major manufacturers (Courier, Von Hoffmann, and others) and a major developer. It is important to note, however, that a company does not have to participate in the development effort to take full advantage of the product. Everyone is welcome into the Tambora user base.

Courier recommends that all our customers and competitors keep informed of the progress of the Tambora project and get involved to the extent they see fit. Any company that is interested and committed to the project can influence the direction of Tambora. Why not consider getting involved now so that you can be part of the solution? If you want to learn more about Tambora you can contact Kim Molloy at Courier (kmolloy@courier.com) or you can visit http://tambora.zenplex.org.

Right From the Start Tip

The resolution of a "screen grab" image is determined by the display resolution setting on your computer. So before catpturing screens to use all illustrations, you should increase the display resolution on your computer as high as you can. This way the screen capture will be of higher resolution and more appealing in print.