Workflows and technology employed

The full range of services and products provided by “Zvezdi” entails a number of workflows and technologies, depending on the desired output.

Printed output workflow

“Zvezdi” employs a fairly traditional these days (Adobe Acrobat) PDF workflow. In essense a PDF workflow means that regardless of the input things have to be processed to the point where a PDF file is produced, which is to be approved by both the customer (mostly on aestetic and content-related grounds) and the contractor (mostly on technical grounds).

Once a customer-approved PDF file has been successfully preflighted, the stage is set for the next process – printing.

Let us mention that the processes in the PDF-part of the workflow are rather well standardised and predictable – both as time span and as final product. On the other hand, the prelliminary pre-PDF stages – typesetting, design, prepress – include less standard processes and possibly more than once seeking approval from the customer, which understandably takes more time and is less predictable as workload as well. This is also due to the fact that the processes requiring creativity and redefinition of often poorly specified requirements are all in these initial stages.

Printed output technology

The prepress processes and techniques employed cover a wide range of commercial file formats and respective software products. The most demanding on the technical side part of the job is the partial workflow support, since “Zvezdi” has to cater for a vast number of file formats, conversions and products, like text-processing, raster-image processing, vector-image processing, composition, imposition, printing, finishing, binding.

Multimedia presentation workflow

Regardless of the input, the final multimedia presentation should come to a number of computer files, shown in order by a standalone executable file (i.e. the presentation does not need any specialised software to be run).

The entire presentation can be written (burned) onto a removable disc (like a CD, a DVD, an USB stick) and distributed among the audience to be browsed off-line on a stand-alone computer.

CDs and DVDs can be burned in mass and produced with printed images on the disc itself, printed booklets and CD/DVD jewel box (jewel case) covers.

Alternatively, the entire presentation can be e-mailed to the potential audience or uploaded to an Internet server to be downloaded by the viewers at will.

Multimedia presentation technology

The processes and techniques employed cover a wide range of commercial file formats and respective software products, like text-processing, raster-image processing, vector-image processing, composition, audio editing, video editing, CD/DVD burning, CD/DVD printing, finishing.

Internet presentation workflow

Regardless of the input the final product must be a fully functional Internet site uploaded to an Internet server somewhere to be browsed by the potential audience on-line.

Alternatively, the entire Internet site can be written (burned) onto a removable disc (like a CD, a DVD, an USB stick) and distributed among the audience to be browsed off-line on a stand-alone computer.

CDs and DVDs can be burned in mass and produced with printed images on the disc itself, printed booklets and CD/DVD jewel cases (jewel boxes).

Internet presentation technology

Popular Internet presentation workflows employ web-design technologies like HTML, pHp, mySQL, Java script, Flash animations, etc.