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NAPL Digital Prepress Study Offers Cost Analysis

PARAMUS, NJ, USA—The 2002 edition of Budgeted Hourly Cost Studies on Digital Prepress Operations, released this month by the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL), contains hourly cost rates, specifications, and prices for nearly 250 prepress devices, covering 18 different equipment categories, says NAPL. A new, bonus software section provides descriptions, prices, and system requirements for more than 65 titles used in prepress.

According to NAPL, calculating hourly cost rates is vital for profitability in the graphic arts industry and yields important data for equipment acquisitions. The new "Blue Book" provides rate information for cost comparisons and gives detailed equipment descriptions, specifications, base price, and costs of commonly added equipment for each device. "This book is the perfect vehicle for getting hourly rates under control or for comparing equipment running costs under specific operating conditions," adds NAPL. "It's based on a spring-summer 2002 survey of equipment manufacturers and other sources, and it has been compiled and tested for accuracy by NAPL expert cost study analysts."

NAPL identifies the following categories studied in the Blue Book:

  • Conventional Equipment

    film processors
    color proofers
    platemakers
    plate processors
    step and repeat systems
    inspection/registration devices

  • Digital Equipment
    digital cameras
    digital color proofing
    color flatbed scanners
    color drum scanners
    film scanners
    computer platforms
    workstations and workflow systems
    typographic front ends
    paper output devices
    imagesetters and film recorders
    computer to plate (CTP) devices
    digital servers, libraries, data storage
  • Software

    preflight
    OPI
    server
    layout and design
    PDF conversion
    imposition
    stripping
    RIPing
    trapping
    page assembly
    image editing
    print management
    workflow

Among the companies discussed in the study: AB Dick; Adobe; Agfa; Apple Computer; Creo; Enfocus Software; Global Graphics Software; Heidelberg Prepress; Kodak Polychrome Graphics; Macdermid Graphic Arts; Polaroid Graphics Imaging; Presstek; Printcafe Systems; Quark; RealTimeImage; ScenicSoft; and more.

NAPL says the book lists for $199.95, but one copy can be mailed free of charge to all NAPL corporate members; additional copies can be purchased for $35 each. NAPL reports individual professional members also can purchase the Blue Book for $35. To order, call NAPL at 800/642-6275, and press option 3; fax: 201/634-0328; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or via NAPL's web site at napl.org. (For fax, web, or email orders, mention NAPL product code NB-111.)



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