I was reminded today how drastically the printing industry has changed since I began my career. We were actually looking through a binder (aka notebook) that held pictures and negatives for a 
customer of mine. That in itself was amazing as negatives for photos is a thing of the past. Now with digital photography, everyone can take photos to use online, in print and publishing. For those of you who are ancient in the field, you will remember how we used to cut rubylith over photos to knock out the background of the photo for printing. Remember how many layers of film and acetate there was to making one plate for a 4 color process printing job? The number of man hours was phenomenal to create a catalog. It would take an entire month for 5-6 people to put together a magazine. Now with a few clicks or strokes on a keyboard, we can recreate this process on our computers using the correct software. The people who used to do this were called lithographers professionally. We called them “Strippers” as they would strip the film together and that was the source of many jokes. As a sales rep that worked with the client on their print job I wanted to learn as much as I could about the process. I would ask questions, what was a “shrink and spread,” creating a trap in the film, what was a fake duotone, mezzotint screen, dots per inch. Understanding the methodology made me a better sales person. It helps me to understand what the computer does automatically. Wow – has it changed. Now I proof through online proofing systems, checking color, registration, pagination, and resolution. Some people think that digital media and social media will take over and printing will be a thing of the past. I am not so sure. One thing I know for sure, the process will change and Moxie Media will change with it. I am excited for the future and learning new ways of doing things. Some day we will look back again and say, “Wow, things have really changed!
What are some of the ways that marketing has changed the most for you?
