*** From the Archives ***

This article is from February 10, 2000, and is no longer current.

Invasion of the .coms

Boston — The show floor at Seybold Seminars this week demonstrates the ever growing infiltration of the internet into the publishing world. There are new companies at every turn offering everything from workflow enhancement to online proofing to new ways of connecting businesses to their customers.
These new businesses, all of them internet based, are striving for the highest profile on the show floor. They are holding a flurry of press conferences, offering flashy demos in the hippest booths, and holding extravagant post-show parties with the likes of the B-52s and Taj Mahal headlining.
They are all chasing the same prize: to be the biggest. In the fast-moving internet marketplace, the smaller fish are either swallowed up or simply disappear from the map.
There are several interesting ideas, all aiming at increasing productivity across the workflow.
Project Management
Sprockets.com offers designers and ad agencies “internet-based deadline management service offering a full host of features,” says Patricia Evans, editor of Seybold publications. “We anticipate that its collaboration features are going to profoundly change how people manage their projects and deadlines.”
Sprockets.com will be launching a first-of-its kind virtual work space to support the marketing communications and graphics markets.
RealTime Image announced RealTimeProofâ„¢, an online proofing service for real time collaboration by graphic artists. Based on RealTimeImages’ Pixels-on-Demandâ„¢ technology, large prepress files are streamed over the internet in real-time. The service enables users to view files without quality degradation and collectively make annotations.
ProofitOnline.com offers a similar service, allowing digital artists to submit their work to clients for approval without the need for the traditional and costly overnight packages or couriers. Clients can view work instantly online from any Web-enabled computer. ProofitOnline allows design firms to integrate their technology into their existing Web sites.
Online Asset Management
Announced today by North Plains Systems, Telescope.web allows users to create a Web-based repository for digital assets. Features include drag and drop file transfer, version control, and advanced workgroup communication capabilities. Telescope.web also claims robust security, allowing the administrator to allow custom levels of access.
Telescope.web joins the Digital Asset Management arena also populated by new versions of Extensis Portfolio, Canto Cumulus, and the Quark’s long-awaited entrant into the fray, QuarkDMS.
Connecting Customers with Printers
There are several companies, both established and startup, which claim that their Web site / product will simplify the process of print buying. In common among the following sites is a customizable Web-based interface, real-time updating as customers’ options change, and varying degrees of job tracking.

Each one of the above services addresses the print buyer and attempts to solve the same problems -the frustrating inefficiencies of the print process. Like any other set of competing products, each has nuances and differences that distinguish it from the others which can be best assessed when comparing them to the demands of specific clients and jobs.
The Buzz
The emergence of .coms in the printing industry is certain to revolutionize the way the industry works. At Seybold Boston, it is impossible to walk more than a few yards without seeing evidence of the money presently being spent by companies doing their best to become #1. It will certainly be a fierce race for the participants, but by all appearances, the print-buying process will certainly become easier and more efficient for the customer.
 

>