Fully automated print, more efficiency in print production - what does that mean?
We are getting a lot of questions about automated print. Should editors continue to assign articles to pages? Do they need to be in control of what goes where? Or can they trust that an algorithm can make those decisions?
We do have proven that fully automated print production is possible. We have one customer in production today.
The biggest struggle we are facing is not with technology but with human mindset.
Today, using algorithms and article metadata, we can create a complete print edition without any human interaction. While it's technically feasible, what level of quality do we risk sacrificing with automation? A human editor can make a call to double check a quote, evaluate whether the images match well with article text, and myriad other quality checks that an automated process won't perform. Will your team be able to make those quality checks before you hand over your content to the print automation engine? If the answer is yes you probably have a good work process in order and you probably also have appreciated online presence.
What about those small typographical changes on the page? The questions to be answered: What defines "good enough?" And do the cost savings provided by automation cover the costs of the technology? And will readers perceive diminished quality? If you're unsure of the answers to those questions, and if your newsroom place high value in human curation of the print edition, an automated solution will be difficult to get in place.
If you're willing put the effort into changing your work process and trust the algorithm and know how you define "good enough" for your readers, you are ready to get started with print automation.
If you would like to learn more, please contact your favorite person at Naviga.