Pittsburgh, Pa., January 21, 2002 — Providing hands-on-training for the industry for 66 years, the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) is delving into the hot issues of PDF and digital photography. Two new workshops will be offered in May. "The portable document format (PDF) is fast becoming the defacto standard for digital document exchange in print production environments," says Julie Shaffer about why GATF is now offering a workshop on PDF/Digital Prepress Workflows. Shaffer, who manages GATF’s internal prepress production workflow, will host the workshop. She continues, "PDF files are device- and platform-independent, small and easy to transport. A single PDF file can contain all the components of a typical print project in one neat wrapper: fonts, illustrations, images, text, and layout elements." In this new workshop, prepress production operators, prepress managers, production managers, and plant mangers will learn every aspect of using PDF files for print production. Attendees will have the opportunity to work hands-on with several digital prepress workflow systems including Prinergy (by Heidelberg and CreoScitex), Apogee (Agfa), and the Rampage RIPing system. With extensive prepress experience, having worked at several Pittsburgh and Denver prepress companies and printing facilities, Shaffer will show attendees how to streamline production with a PDF workflow and how to create the "perfect" PDF file. She will explain the difference between PDF and PostScript, reveal Adobe Acrobat tips and tricks, have attendees preflight and troubleshoot PDF files, and show which plug-ins can be used to build a manual PDF workflow. The second of GATF’s new workshops is Digital Photography for Print. "Digital photography has been rapidly adapted into the workflow of the printing and graphic communications industry, even becoming the primary graphic input for many catalogers and publishers," says Gregory Bassinger, GATF’s manager of process controls and the Foundation’s Preucil Print Analysis Laboratory. A recognized quality control device expert who presents seminars at industry trade shows, Bassinger also is a digital photography authority who has established industry standards in the field. "A growing number of general commercial printers—32 percent of respondents according to a GATF survey—are using digital photography," reports Bassinger who will lead GATF’s new workshop. "Digital photography has gained acceptance because the quality has proved to be very acceptable to a wide variety of printing company customers." Because the advent of digital photographic devices has shifted more of the responsibility for color handling to the photographer making effective communications between the printer and photographer essential, this workshop will be useful to both photographers and printers. Attendees will learn the terms and technology used in digital photography, examine press sheets with digitally photographed images, and learn the theories of color separation. Bassinger will explain the differences in camera systems, elements of advanced imaging theory, uses and limitations of digital photography for offset printing, and how digital photography improves the productivity of offset printing. Both new three-day workshops will be offered in May, and repeated in December, for $995 ($795 for GATF/PIA members). For more information about these workshops or any GATF workshop, contact Sara Hantz, GATF workshop coordinator, by phoning 800/910-GATF ext. 113. The free November 2001–December 2002 Training Programs Catalog, providing details on all courses and the background of instructors, can be obtained by phoning 800/662-3916 (U.S. and Canada) or 412/741-5733 (all other countries); faxing 412/741-0609; or e-mailing [email protected]. Mail requests to GATF Orders, P.O. Box 1020, Sewickley, PA 15143-1020.