Imagine this: you took your BMW to a funky shop for detailing and buffing, and they told you they preferred to work on Audis.  Would you ask them to please, pretty please, work on your car anyhow?

Now imagine it was returned to you with the transmission broken  and they told you the problem was your fault for not owning an Audi.

     Have you been to this service bureau?  The place looks up market all right — recessed track lighting, minimalist decor, hardwood floors, Granola bars and dried fruit laid out in the reception area with Rolling Stone and Spy magazines sitting on the coffee table.  Soft new-age music falls like a gentle Spring rain (come to think of it - it is the sound of gentle Spring rain) from unseen speakers - it's all just so precious! The person condescending to serve you (who has named himself “Mog” and is, of course, all dressed in black), says loudly for the benefit of his co-workers “Oh, a CorelDraw file… and it's a PC file, too.” And from that point forward in the relationship, you can expect to be treated like you have an infectious disease. While you may chuckle at this mental image, let me tell you that I've actually been to this place in New York City.

     Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a scenario like this: You walk into a service bureau with work that took days to get just right and hear, “I'll tell you how to make a print (PRN) file. You bring that in and we'll drop it on the image setter- sure hope there aren't any trapping problems.”  Or, “Sure, bring us an EPS file and we'll output it from a page layout program,” or “The color will probably be wrong-by the way, if your file doesn't output properly, we're not responsible and you will still have to assume the costs for imaging.”  You leave the file with them anyway, and ask them to call when they have something to show you.

     If anything like the above has ever happened to you, let me ask you a question: Are you the type of person who goes out and pays to be entertained by an evening of stand-up comedy, then hopes the performers will like you? Let's get right to the point, and let's remember it. If those guys just don't want to work with you, forget them. It's your money!

     You have a right to get what you pay for - every time. Yet for reasons we're about to explore, many CorelDraw users have accepted sub-par service from service providers in the past. Many of the entrenched attitudes in the imaging industry are better appreciated after a brief review of the evolution of PC-based digital graphics, the computer industry, and the professional imaging community. All of these elements are historically and inextricably intertwined to create the mosaic that has produced the PostScript language, carried us across platforms, plunged us into increasingly complex issues like color management and high-end prepress systems, and catapulted the industry to its current state.

     Back in the late 1980s, several page-layout programs for the Macintosh and the PC emerged and desktop publishing was born. By 1991, CorelDraw had established itself as the IBM/PC-based software illustration tool of choice and has dominated the PC graphics software market ever since. Concurrent with that development, professional tools for image setting and prepress grew from Macintosh-based software and compatible hardware. Quite naturally, the imaging community adopted this as their platform of choice. In short, they became comfortable with it and learned the tricks of their trade in that environment.

    Also during this era, it became readily apparent that a method for addressing corresponding prepress issues on the PC platform was needed. By extension, this requirement created unique issues and learning opportunities for Corel. As innovators, Corel had to evolve better ways of communicating with image setters and other output devices to enable them to accurately print the complex graphics that CorelDraw could produce.

     When PC files were sent to image setters that operated on the Macintosh platform, difficulties were encountered, even within their own testing and prepress facilities. In fact, in those early days, Corel's prepress staff employed techniques such as using FTP protocol to send files to the RIPs, or sometimes even connecting their PCs directly to image setters with hybrid drivers. These early output tasks were further complicated by a lack of PC-based color correction utilities, device drivers, and job management software-resources that were already in place for Mac-based systems. A better way had to be found, and, in no small way, these early trials helped contribute to the development of the Corel print engine. Increasingly, vendors have begun to support PC-based prepress techniques and the inconvenience of this era is recently behind us.

    Desktop publishing and the color output process have been greatly demystified. The dissemination of educational information, improved software, and less expensive non-proprietary equipment/methodology all helped to put some form of digital imaging within the reach of most users. Personal users, small office users, and users at large corporations are turning more and more to their familiar PC platform, where they are comfortable with creating graphics and publications.

     In turn, this has created a tremendous ripple effect within the imaging industry. The growing trend toward the PC as a graphics platform is starting to dispel those entrenched industry attitudes: graphics professionals increasingly recognize IBM/PC software as a viable platform for the creation and output of high-quality graphics. This growing population of PC graphics users is also finally getting the attention of the imaging industry, and smart service bureaus will now recognize the potential business opportunity coming from processing PC-generated files.

     What does this mean to you as a CorelDraw user? It means that if you don't like the way a service bureau approaches your work, you should take your business elsewhere. For example, when you take your CDR file to a service bureau, you should expect output from the native file format - no questions asked. Transparency lens, texture fills, fonts, and fills should be dealt with as a matter of course. Your bureau should understand that EPS files do not separate as PostScript files on a composite printer, so you don't have to call technical support to find out for them. Does your service provider have problems with a rotated image on custom page sizes? Members of the Corel Approved Service Bureau program have access to a corrected PostScript driver that makes this output anomaly a thing of the past. Corel Magazine has published numerous articles in recent months that detail great techniques for preparing your CorelDraw images for professional output - the information is out there. Indeed, CorelDraw 8 is being marketed as the professional's choice for valid reasons. You should not have to deal with a bureau that has not attained that requisite level of expertise.

     At Corel, the increase in the use of PC-based graphics and the need for a solid network of output centers are cornerstones for our success within the graphics community, and we've been taking steps to ensure success. In November 1996, the Corel Approved Service Bureau program had a total of 1,150 members worldwide. Even in today's virtual "global village" this was not enough coverage to ensure easy access to an output provider for all Corel product users. For that reason, membership in the program was expanded to approximately 2,600 members during the following year. All Corel Approved Service Bureaus already enjoy benefits like unlimited free technical support on a toll-free telephone line, discounted software, technical bulletins, monthly newsletters, and referrals and promotion by Corel. These benefits help them output your files correctly.

     Additionally, Corel has responded to demands from Corel users and the imaging industry for an enhanced level of specialized support by establishing a two-tiered Corel Approved Service Bureau Program. The "Platinum" membership tier within the Corel Approved Service Bureau program is an enhanced offering of technical support and offers features like a dedicated account manager to actively maintain a long-term support relationship with each Platinum member, direct toll-free access to dedicated technicians on Corel's new specially trained Printing Team, a modular training package for various Corel graphics and business applications, a complete library of Corel software necessary to output all Corel files in their native file formats, access to a password-protected Internet discussion forum moderated by Corel engineering staff and other industry representatives, an exclusive area on the Corel Website, and more.

     Corel continues to stand fully by their Standard program members, for they have contributed much in pioneering the way for professional imaging on the PC platform. Collectively, they constitute a huge wealth of knowledge and expertise for all of us to draw upon. We realize that, for various reasons, many of our most proficient program members will not join the Platinum membership tier. Having said this, the intent of the Platinum membership initiative is to establish locations where Corel users with high expectations can have their work output professionally and properly as a matter of course. At the same time, Corel has gained a direct line of communication to these professionals. Implicit in the relationship between Corel and its Platinum members is the understanding that the sharing of technical expertise, knowledge, and experiences will better ensure consistent quality output for users as technology evolves and the demands of the imaging industry change.

Robert Berndt manages business relationships with Corel's support partners in Middle East and Asia/Pacific countries, as well as the Corel Approved Service Bureau Program.