Signage production has become a highly sophisticated and technology-driven market. Signage prior to the digital era was a very much a manual process driven by the skill, knowledge and creativity of the signwriter or maker. Digital technology has revolutionised the signage market by making it not only a lot faster, but more accessible, flexible and predictable.
As with much of what happens in the digital era, signage creation and production is done on and with software. This is where the real power is located and the more powerful the software, the more features it will have and the more it can achieve. Obviously, the real strength is in the hands of a skilled, knowledgeable and experienced operator.
The aim of this article is not to name all the numerous software products but to explain the importance of the various types of software and how they work together to obtain the desired results. As stated in another section, there are many different technologies and systems that can be used to produce the varying types of signage and each one will have its own software applications. These will primarily be on the design side. The design side sometimes has features and functionality which directly link it to the production systems, but in other instances it is necessary to have a linking software application.
As an example, of a commonly-used design solution, CorelDRAW is not only capable of being used to design the various elements which go into making up a sign, it very often includes and has access to the drivers which are able to run the production system, be that a printer, vinyl cutter, laser device or router. In other instances, it is necessary to source a separate driver because the software may not “speak” to the production device.
Software is changing and developing at an increasingly fast rate and very often the design software is adapted faster than the production software, because the demands on the front-end processes are greater than the demands on the production end. In most production environments software is learned as a process of transferred knowledge. One person passes on the knowledge they have gained through experience. However, the transfer of knowledge is never complete and this results in degradation of the skill and knowledge base over time. For this reason, it is recommended that employees be trained in the use of the software before they commence operation.
This also helps in avoiding the trap of learned errors. Learned errors is a process where one person does something the wrong way, or in a less efficient way than the recommended manner. He transfers this way of working onto new employees and the cycle not only continues but becomes ingrained as the acceptable way of working within the company operations. Generally there are two ways of achieving results with software – the manufacturer recommended way and the way of experience. Very often, short cuts can be found or learned through the process of working and experience. These short cuts may not be manufacturer recommended but they can sometimes be better than the original method.
This is part of the reason that AM.CO.ZA has developed a community of users where users can post their solutions, short cuts and learned methods, or ask questions of other users in order to find better and more effective ways of doing things. This should, however, only be used once the operator has a good grasp of doing things the right or recommended way.
When it comes to the drivers or the link between the design or production software and the production hardware, it is important to obtain the correct training from the manufacturer of the production hardware. While the software driver may be a common link between the production software and a number of different makes of production hardware, it is important to note that the setting on the hardware can be more firm and rigid than the setting on the software and selecting the incorrect setting on the software could actually result in badly made item or cause actual damage to the production device. When in doubt on the best operation of the driver software or what settings to use, refer to the manufacturer or supplier of the production device.
Very often, the same production software and even driver software can be used to drive multiple devices capable of producing vastly different products. Think of a laser cutter and a vinyl cutter. They will be used to cut completely different materials but the designs could be done on the same software and then output to the respective cutting device through a similar or common driver. The only differences will be in the way the job is set up and how the file is processed. But in each case the operator will have to know what the output settings are for the design software and for the driver software and how they work with and not against the hardware settings on the device.
When considering software, whether production or driver, it is important to consider what the requirements are for the production, what driver software will work with the production system and the production hardware and what the level of available support is for all three elements. Then consider training for staff, training may be seen as a time-consuming activity detracting from production time. However, it is more important to spend the time learning the basics and build from there than to get working and wasting time and materials “playing” to learn in a production environment.
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