The course 'Exercises in Pre-Media' is a hands-on course where students will be introduced to the leading programs for generating content, the Adobe Suite PhotoShop, Illustrator and InDesign, and following the design process complex (and intricate) workflow systems.

• Design: Preparing data, which includes copy, editing and product photography, such as for a mail order catalogue
• Introduction to Adobe PhotoShop for processing images appropriately;
• Introduction to Adobe Illustrator for generation and vectorizing line art;
• Creating the layout is done using one of the leading design application, Adobe InDesign.

The correction cycle includes processes such as proofreading and image retouching.

• Preflighting: Before finished pages go through the remaining processes, a validation is done to check if all the data meet the necessary production requirements.
• Proofing: During the design phase there are already page proofs being created. Proofs are usually also made by the company that is responsible for the printing. This can be done for internal checks of the impositioning (imposition proofs), and for the contractual agreement between customer and printer / repro studio (contract proof)
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• Imposition: Depending on the final output device a number of pages will be combined into signatures. Output to the final output device such as a digital press, filmsetter or CtP device. To output data, pages or complete flats have to be ripped or rendered. This process usually also includes:
  • colour separation
  • colour management
  • trapping
  • screening

Many of the above steps are nowadays heavily automated, by either stand-alone applications or prepress workflow systems. The automation also allows for more elaborate communication processes. PDF files are used in this process.

Increasingly the Internet is used for submitting jobs. This is referred to as web-to-print. When the data exchange focuses purely on page content, solutions range from using an FTP server or e-mail system to using file sharing tools such as DropBox or YouSendIt. A more sophisticated web portal adds functions such as pre-flighting and page approval.

A digital storefront enables a printer to not just capture page content but also order related information. Such a system can also facilitate reorders and allow print buyers to customize documents on-line.

Job-related data such as the job ID or run length are exchanged between systems such as an MIS (Management Information System), a prepress workflow, press control system and finishing equipment. Protocols such as JDFallow systems from different vendors to exchange the necessary data.

Student projects may be published using other media besides print as well. For instance there are special tools and protocols such as XML to facilitate cross-media publishing.
For output to the web directly as an important channel, web technologies as HTML, CSS and JavaScript are the key.