The ‘engine room’
PRE-PRESS production could best be described as the “engine room” at The Fiji Times. In fact, the production department is the nerve centre which connects the editorial and advertising departments, says production manager Penina Magnus — the woman behind the powerhouse.
“Production plays a very important role in newspaper production. There are four sections in production. Firstly, the proof-readers who proof read all classifieds and display advertisements,” she said.
“Secondly, we have graphics pre-press where adverts are designed and laid out, photos on all news pages enhanced and finished off with plates being done ready for the printers.
“Thirdly, we have the engineers who ensure that our machines — both plate making and printing press — are always maintained and ready for the fourth member of our team, the printers when they come in print the paper in the evening.”
Mrs Magnus said the key focus of the entire production process was good time management and a strict adherence to guidelines.
“Time is very important in production because if there are delays along the way, deadlines not being met, then the paper will be late to the streets and shops.”
Unlike other departments, production begins early and ends late.
“At 9am, graphic artists begin designing advertisements and these are checked by the proof readers. Also, ready-made advertisements are checked to make sure they comply with our printing specifications. Next, images for news pages are laid out by the sub-editors and are quality checked and adjusted.
“After this, the pages are completed by the chief sub-editor and exported, ads are verified before plates are made on specialised CTP (computer to plate) machines. When all this is completed, the printers start at 6pm to print the paper and hand them over to the circulation department for delivery.”
Mrs Magnus said with the generous support of the owners, the Motibhai group, The Fiji Times production department boasts one of the most modern setups in the country.
“We were able to re-furbish to modern machineries beginning with one CTP machine in 2011, two four high towers in 2014, a second CTP in 2016 followed by two additional four high towers in December 2017.
“All this has contributed to an improvement in the quality of our newspaper with now all pages running in colour and a more high resolution quality photo reproduction. At times, there are challenges but when you have a very supportive team, nothing is impossible to achieve.”
The Fiji Times production department is made up of three proof readers, eight graphic artists, three engineers, nine printers and Fiji’s first female production manager — Penina Magnus.