Official Show Daily • Cygnus Graphics Media
Repurposing Comic Book Characters
Marvel Entertainment depends on Dalim Software to manage its vast repository
a rich repository of comic books, developed over a 70-year period, with cultural
M icons like Spider-Man and
Captain America as part of its line- up. It has morphed from a comic book publisher into a media empire, with over 5,000 characters featured in an array of media, including movies, video and online. What this industry corporation need-
ed, however, was the means to manage its ever growing content. Stories cre- ated for comic book forms are trans-
arvel Entertainment, one of the leading comic book and cartoon pub- lishers in the world, has
a desperate need for us to manage the content more efficiently,” says Jim Boyle, vice-president of operations at Marvel Entertainment. “Each format has its own specifications that we have to apply.”
Creating a traditional comic book is a challenging and time-consum- ing process, says Dan Carr, executive director of publishing technology at Marvel Entertainment. From incep- tion to completion, a typical 22-page comic book can take 18 months to produce. An artist following a script sketches each panel onto an artboard. Once the entire page is approved by an editor, the artboard is sent to an inker. The inker is responsible to lay black over the pencils. The “inked” artboard is then digi- tized (scanned), cropped and sized correctly for print. These files are sent simultaneously to a colorist and a letterer. The editor, colorist and letterer respectively go through many rounds of corrections, eventu- ally ending up with a final PDF file.
Ingesting PDF Twist will ingest these PDF
Carol Werlé, Dalim Software CEO, with a favorite Marvel comic book character.
formed into various formats, from hard cover books to video for PlayStation Portable devices, and to digital for on- line and iPad viewing.
Managing content Seeking a way to manage the contents
of its vast library, Marvel Comics turned to Dalim Software’s (Booth 227) suite of products: Mistral, Twist, and Dia- logue. Integrated by Blanchard Systems, the software products work in concert to ensure that the production assembly flows smoothly, and that content is cor- rectly processed into the necessary for- mat, and costs are kept in check. “In the last two years, with all the content being repurposed, there was
files into a workflow. The workflow can include ripping and trapping for direct-to-plate and also outputting to many different file formats. Mistral is where the final layout or pagination of the book takes place. An advertisement is easily inserted between story pages and the book is set for approval. Pages selected for approval from Mistral can show up as monitor-based proofs in Dialogue. “Each page is approved on screen,”
explains Carr. “If you want more detail, you can click on the page and it takes you into Dialogue, which lets you view SWOP certified colors. Our monitors are calibrated so that we don’t require sending any hard copy proofs to our printing plants. We have a completely proof-less workflow that saves us a ton of money.”
In the future, Marvel looks forward to using Dialogue Touch, which will let users participate in complex approval cycles and comment on content and layout of project files from their Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, or Apple iPod Touch, regardless of time zone or geo- graphic location.
GRAPH EXPO • October 5, 2010 ■ 53
Going Green, Coastal Printing & Graphics Saves Green
North Carolina based printer invests in Agfa solutions to improve internal processes and reduce waste
C
oastal Printing & Graphics of Shallotte, NC, is using Agfa’s (Booth 844) work- flow systems, thermal plate
solutions and CTP to improve the com- pany’s ecological footprint and reduce hazardous waste, all while maintaining high quality output for its customers. Founded in 1988, Coastal has con- sistently upgraded hardware and soft- ware in order to stay ahead of market constraints,
improve processes and
better service its customers. Co-owner Melody Bellamy says, “In a down economy, we are doing better than ever because we remained focused on providing the highest quality prod- ucts and services.”
Automating production In 2009 Coastal Printing & Graph- ics automated its shop with Agfa’s :Apogee Prepress 6.0 workflow and installed Agfa’s :Avalon N4 plate- setter running :Azura TS thermal plates.
Agfa’s :Apogee Prepress
and :Avalon N4 gave the company advanced automation capabilities, enabling it to speed up the printing
process, provide fast turnaround to its customers and offer minimal lag time between customer requests and production. Agfa’s :Azura TS plates helped Coastal reduce costs and con- tribute to its sustainability initia- tives. Concurrently, the firm invested in recycling equipment so that it could repurpose paper, cardboard and newsprint. Its annual recycling efforts are the equivalent of planting 250,000 trees. “We are extremely happy,” says Bellamy. “We have been able to eliminate 100% of chemistry costs in the prepress department. We have also reduced water consumption by over 20% and our energy costs by 50%. Plus, we are producing jobs in less time and delivering better quality.”
Adds Bellamy, “The proof is in the
finished product. At the 43rd PICA Awards, Coastal Printing & Graph- ics took home 14 awards for excel- lence in printing. The Agfa solutions helped us meet our business and environmental objectives, but the awards are a great extra benefit.”
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