Seattle Publishing Journal
October 2009

Fall is a time of cooler nights and afternoon sunlight casting its golden Autumn hue. It is when all of our hard work comes together for the fourth quarter push that will lead us into a new year.

In our October issue, we share with you one of our longest running projects and discuss SuperContainer, and how it is expanding the Gutenberg Publishing System®'s capabilities for image and document management.

Happy Halloween and thanks for reading.

Cheers,
The SP Crew

TIPS & TRICKS

What is SuperContainer?

This Java servlet allows a user to upload, view and download images or document files from a web server. By integrating with our Gutenberg Publishing System®, SuperContainer provides the ability to manage and process images or documents.

This cross-platform application automatically creates resized thumbnails from high resolution images that load much faster, provides better folder organization, and stores digital files in regular folders on the server instead of embedding them into the Gutenberg Publishing System®. SuperContainer is particularly well-suited for document and digital asset management in a multi-user environment.

It is our belief that it is the perfect solution for storing scanned images, digital photos, PDF documents and any other document or file without the typical file management problems such as slow speeds, large files, and cross-platform path issues.

FEATURED PROJECT

2010 Big Bike Book Catalog

Beginning as a small price book in 1998, the Big Bike Book has evolved into a 600 page picture catalog that is published annually. This catalog is one of our longest running projects and is produced folowing the InterBike national trade show. Every October, Seattle Bike Supply (SBS) and SP work together to update product attributes, images and new products before flowing them into InDesign for a series of proofs and then the final creation of PDF files for shipment to SBS's printer.

By combining the Gutenberg Publishing System® with SP's publishing services, SBS can focus on the bike business and how to best leverage their content. This formula has worked for 11 years and the Big Bike Book continues to evolve.

THE ART OF PUBLISHING

Going Digital - The Evolution of Photography

First used by astronomers in the 1980's to help map the universe, digital photography has been rapidly adopted by recreational and professional photographers alike. Before digital technology, photographers used film to create images which could be made visible by chemical processing. By contrast, digital images can be displayed, printed, stored, manipulated, transmitted and archived via a computer without the use of toxic chemicals.

Photographers have embraced digital photography because many believe that its flexibility and lower long-term costs outweigh its initial price disadvantages. Film photography requires continuous expenditure for supplies and developing. Whereas going digital only requires the initial capital costs of the camera and the equipment needed to store and copy the images. Some commercial photographers have also switched to digital technology because of its tremendous editing capabilities. Users are able to color-balance and manipulate images in ways that traditional darkroom techniques cannot offer. With fully color-balanced systems from the camera to the monitor to the printer, photographers can either delete or print what is actually seen on the screen.

DID YOU KNOW...

Photography Roots

Seattle Publishing's Jay Stilwell was a commercial photographer before joining SP. His company, Eclipse Photography, worked with many Northwest companies to provide product images for print and web. One of Jay's fondest memories was climbing near a mountain stream in the North Cascades to find the right setting for Platypus hydration systems. In spite of soggy boots and numb fingers, the remote setting worked and these images were reproduced both in national and international catalogs for Cascade Designs, Inc.

WORDS TO PONDER

Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communication, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution. -Ansel Adams

 

The Gutenberg Publishing System's® namesake, Johannes Gutenberg, defined modern publishing when he blended 1400’s ink, type and mechanical technology to invent the moveable type press. With the same drive towards efficiency, Seattle Publishing’s database-driven system helps organizations manage their information and streamline the production process for print- and web-based publications.

Seattle Publishing, Inc. is a 36-year old company that blends current technology with time-tested publishing techniques. The company is a recognized leader in database-driven publishing and is constantly working to be the standard by which all competitors are compared.

Press Contact

Amber Zapffel
Seattle Publishing
206-903-1333
amber@seattlepub.com