Forty years ago, most publications were still being printed using "hot type”. The type was actually a metal alloy (about 1" thick), which was composed by hand as individual letters or by some keyboard-driven machines, the most popular being the Mergenthaler Linotype. Any illustrations such as drawings or photographs required a photoengraving in order to print them. After the type was set and the engravings made, the heavy forms needed to have galley proofs pulled for proofreading and editing purposes. When the proofs were okayed, these very heavy forms were placed in a letterpress machine for printing. The publications would then go to the bindery for folding, assembling, stitching and trimming. A decade or so later, the transition to offset lithographic printing for publications became popular. No longer would type need to be set by hand and no heavy forms lifted into the presses. There were various systems used, including the Varityper, which produced an image on clay-coated paper by striking a metal die against a carbon ribbon for each letter (somewhat similar to a typewriter but with changeable type faces and proportional spacing). Later on, phototypesetters of various kinds were introduced which used typewriter keyboards and photographically placed the image of the text on light-sensitive paper. After proofreading the galley proofs, this "copy" was then pasted on a board with the drawings or photos. This was then photographed with a graphic arts camera, which produced a film negative of the pages. These negatives were then "stripped" into page-order position on masking sheets for exposure to a photosensitive aluminum printing plate. These plates, which are very light (only .006" to .012" thick) compared to hot metal forms, were then placed on an offset press for printing followed by the same bindery procedure as above. Today the text, photographs, drawings, etc., can all be done sitting at your computer. Computer programs such as Quark Xpress, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop make this a simple procedure compared to the systems described earlier. Your publication can be placed in an Adobe PDF document and sent by FTP (over the internet) to your publication printer. The location of your printing company can be hundreds of miles away as long as you both have access to the Internet. After they receive your files, they will then use software such as Creo Preps to assemble the pages in the proper order for printing. A digital "soft" proof (in full color) can be sent to you via FTP for your approval. After the proofs are okayed, the files are digitally imaged on metal plates via CTP (computer-to-plate) system such as the Creo Trendsetter. In modern publication shops, the plates are automatically inserted on the presses, printing accomplished and then on to the bindery. For many publications, this is easily accomplished within a 24-hour timeframe. For short-run publications, a digital printing system such as the Xerox iGen can provide quality four-color publications with an amazing turn-around time. Sometimes these systems even provide in-line finishing (bindery). In the last 40 years, printing has made a giant step forward for mankind in the publishing business! You can design and print your publications almost instantly, saving you time and money.