NAPL Digital Prepress Study Offers Cost Analysis

Published: September 13, 2002, By PRESS RELEASE

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.)