Going to Press

Real Stories, Real People went to press on Friday. I traveled to Monroe, Georgia, the location of Walton Press Inc., where I witnessed the production of the publication. I arrived as the printing crew was proofing the publication for alignment and color. It was a fascinating procedure to witness. I will take you through the steps as I captured them.

Real Stories, Real People was printed on the large roll of paper on the right.

This is the initial run of the publication on the printing press.

Rick evaluates the alignment of the pages.

Kenneth is evaluating the color of the individual pages and has proofs that have been created by the prepress team which he uses to match the color.

Kenneth makes adjustments to the color which he evaluates by eye. Although it appears as if he is taking his time, the process occurs at lightening speed. As the publication comes off the press, individual copies are snatched up to evaluate and adjustments are inputted into the system within seconds.  These changes affect the printing instantaneously.

Terry grabs all the publications that have faulty color and/or alignment and dumps them into the recycling box. There was probably more paper consumed as the color and alignment were tweaked than what was actually used to print the final version of the publication.

This is the back page of the 2000 copies.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all the staff at Walton Press. I am thankful for their assistance in helping me prepare Real Stories, Real People for press and the crew on Friday for their expertise in creating a high quality publication.

More to come.