What is Premedia?

What is Premedia? Premedia is the modern-day prepress, right?

To break it down, PRE originates from the Latin word "before" so PRESS would indicate the destination to be a printing press. And MEDIA would indicate any media channel available (which could include print) to communicate or deliver information. That's too basic...

In today's multi-channel / multi-media world, we look beyond the printing press. Prepress was the catchall term covering everything that must be done before a job goes to press. We now use the term Premedia rather than Prepress because the same principles and processes go beyond traditional print catalogs to cover website, email and other media channels.

To borrow the definition from Tunicca, Premedia is the term that is used in the design, creative and publishing industries for the processes and procedures that occur between the conception of original artwork and the manufacturing of final output channel. It is a process that combines creative art and technology to communicate the final message to a consumer. Premedia satisfies the ability to supply design execution all the way to ready-to-publish files from any form of input channel to any form of output channel.

Premedia has a number of categories that fall under its banner, including:

Color Management, Pre-flighting, Page Assembly, Contract Proofing, Soft Proofing, Asset Management, Color Retouching, Image Composition, Scanning, Advertising Management, Trapping, Approval Processes, Final File Creation, Customer Communication, Work Solutions, Web to Print, Print on Demand, Video Production

These categories have a vast array of technical requirements each complimenting and dependent upon each other to provide rich and relevant content to the destination channel.

The term 'Premedia' was developed in tandem with the internet and mobile communications industries, both of which have evolved to almost dominate modern day life. As these forms of communication and access to consumers grew, so the need to facilitate brand messages and publishing into this new space became a necessity. As a result of this the traditional method of communication through print started to morph into a multi channel environment whereby marketing and communications could access clients through many different means.

A whole new world of file creation, preparation, management and transition was developed and premedia became the phrase to encompass the new world of multichannel media delivery.

The ultimate objective and overall advantage of premedia is that assets and processes should not be designed to suit a particular media output - instead they will need to be 'media neutral' right up until the last moment, just before the communication is rendered for output. This means that it will not matter whether you have a Mac or a PC, or if you are putting together a press advertisement, a large format poster, a website or an email blast - Premedia assets should be able to be re-purposed to suit all of these media communication channels and more.

Premedia ultimately provides clients with greater flexibility, shorter lead times and better management of their assets and brand images as well as a more powerful and profitable interaction with consumers.