Feature Story

The age of Digital Graphics

by Scott Gray

So we live in the digital age. Everything, it seems, has a series of underlying Os and 1s, from the images on our television sets to the sounds on our compact disks to our electronic mail messages -- and nowadays in the graphics we print.

In theory, digital means the opportunity for crisp, clear, creative images that are true to their original form. Transferred a thousand or even a million times, an image will be the same as it was originally recorded -- assuming some human being or a computer glitch haven't altered those numbers.

And those numbers provide flexibility in altering those numbers to improve an original image and have considerably cut downtime and added new means of output.

But, oh, digital printing is a complex and increasingly specialized area that requires some knowledge about the right preparation requirements and available output methods. In the past, and in more traditional printing methods, it was a matter of coming up with a concept, selecting photos, matching them with text and shipping a package to the pre-press bureau or directly to the printer for the time-consuming preparation work of photographing the photographs, setting the type, putting them together, along with any screens, backgrounds and other elements, and photographing the whole thing again to create negatives that would be used to create printing plates. Large scale was the domain of specialized billboard printers.

Now, much of that preparation work -- almost all of it -- can be done on a personal computer.

There are two primary types of computer files used in digital graphics: object-oriented, also known as vector, graphics and bit-mapped, or raster graphics. According to the Digital Printing and Imaging Association, object-oriented graphics can be enlarged, reduced or distorted without losing the detail of the image. Bit-mapped graphics, however, cannot be enlarged without degradation of the image quality. That's because bit-mapped graphics lay out the image over a grid pattern with color assigned to each of the squares that comprise the grid. As the image is enlarged, each of these squares in turn becomes larger. The effect is similar to that of faces blurred in a television image to mask a person's face (or other body parts).

These types of files are usually put together using a graphics program that melds them into one image for output.
Doing work in-house can cut costs since, presumably, a trained, skilled and talented artist can do the work right at the exhibit house. But it can also present challenges. In days past -- and in still many service bureaus and printing shops -- there were trained, skilled and talented personnel whose primary work was pre-press preparation. They did -- and do -- this work well because they have the experience of doing job after job and preparing the right materials to get the right output.

Fast, meaty hardware doesn't make up for the most common problems arising from customer-created graphics files, the industry agrees. Those problems -- inadequate resolution, poor quality original scans, lack of detail in original art, and a basic lack of knowledge about what the production operation needs -- come from instruction, experience and talent.

Some digital production houses issue check lists to their clients to help ensure quality. These lists may include methods for deciding whether an image or other element in final output is of high enough quality at the input stage.
Check lists can also help ensure that materials flow smoothly into the production process. This is particularly important if clients are providing digital input. With a check list, they can know not only the proper formats and media to use in providing this input, but also when each element is needed to ensure the production house or exhibit house is able to move from one task smoothly to the next in the appropriate order to get the job done.

Another important matter arises because of those wonderful and useful programs used to create and manipulate digital graphics. There are dozens of top-notch graphics software packages available. Each has its strengths (and weaknesses) and adherents. Problems can arise when a client is producing the final file output and is using a different software program than the producer. While many programs have great translation capabilities -- taking the native file formats of other programs and translating into their language --there can be anomalies and glitches in this translation process. While a producer could, conceivably, have a copy of the most popular graphics programs up and running, that's not necessarily practical, especially since there needs to be one or more people on hand who know how to operate those programs. A more practical solution, the experts say, is to select the best program for your needs, one that translates as many file formats as is practical, and a person who can deal with the vagaries of file translation schemes.
But digital graphics is not all about the process, especially for exhibit builders who may be reselling the service or using it as a value-added element to a project. While some exhibit houses are production operations, most really are not. That is, they are not selling the finished product as a commodity; they are offering their creativity.

The consensus is that it's important to sell the graphic concept -- such as large scale graphics that happen to be best output digitally -- rather than selling digital output. An analogy would be in printing a publication. The client generally isn't -- or ought not be -- concerned with whether it's printed on a letter press, using an offset press, or (if any still exist) on a rotogravure press. But it does so happen that each of those types of presses has particular strengths for various types of printing jobs. It's generally up to the printer or printing broker to advise the best output method, but that's not going to sell the job; it's the ability to get the desired look and effect from the final product that will matter most.

And, in fact, because digital imaging processing and output are complex, technical operations, jobbing the work out may be the most cost-effective approach for exhibit builders.

But to effectively sell the product -- and to be able to offer clients the best solution in this digital age --it's important to know a bit about the kinds of formats and output options digital offers.

For example, ink jet output technology is popular. While we might generally think of the ink jet printers in our offices, there are actually four different types of ink jet printers: drop-on-demand, continuous, solid and thermal. The various methods these printers use to dispense ink aren't important. What is important to know is that ink jet printing can be very cost-effective, but the final output can't stand up to moisture. Also, unless colors are matched carefully, output may not live up to the original artwork.

Weather, however, can be overcome with a finish applied to the printed piece. For example, special inks or laminates can protect against moisture, sun and even wind. Adhesives, too, are a consideration, depending upon the current and future uses of a digitally-produced piece. Digital output goes everywhere from buses and planes to buildings and even trade show exhibits.
It's not important to have all of the hardware, software, bells and whistles in-house to produce vivid graphics even in the largest scale. What's important is to have the ability to get it done in the age of digits.

The selling points are apparent: digital graphics are less expensive than traditional graphics because the process is automated and doesn't require many trade crafts; turn-around time can be considerably less because the finished product can be sent directly to the production house; the scale of output is seemingly limitless, even accommodating the largest sizes and making them even larger by tiling images together.

And when clients want more for less, digital graphics is one way to serve their needs. eb