If everything went well last night at the press, you should have no trouble reading this. We are now in our second week of printing City Weekly at a new facility, one as modern as any in the country. Many of you have already commented on the marked improvement in the quality of our paper. If you didn’t notice, you may be a candidate for LASIK surgery.
Over five years ago, we pretty much outgrew the press capacity of most of the local web printing operations in this area. We moved our job to Ogden to the web presses operated by the Ogden Standard Examiner and for awhile things were just fine. Then we outgrew their web press, too, and moved to the letterpress they used to print their daily paper. Without going into the technical benefits of a web press versus a letterpress, just understand that Gutenberg printed on a letterpress.
With lots of practice and patience on our part and on Ogden’s (particularly Al Waldron’s), we eventually had some issues come out with what is honestly stated as only “fair” quality. Everyone knew that we sucked gas when it came to looks. Why people picked us up week after week when they knew they’d get ink all over their hands, wouldn’t be able to read some pages, or could confront any other reading obstacle remains a grateful mystery. We like to think you believe we had something important to say.
But all along we knew things would get better.
Several years ago, Scott Trundle, publisher of the Ogden Standard Examiner, unveiled plans for a new printing facility. Despite some kinks and yawns, that press is now up and running and is among the most modern in the country. The difference in our paper is something like the difference between caviar and a hard-boiled egg. Both are eggs, but one doesn’t need Tabasco, salt and pepper, and a beer to wash it down. With all due respect to our fellow publishers who produce beautiful work on newsprint—The Catalyst and Sports Guide—we think we’re wearing a pretty fancy dress these days.
The printing change also altered the way we construct the paper. We’re fully digital now, transmitting our pages electronically to Ogden. So, for awhile some of our data may not be talking correctly to their equipment. That could mean funky looking text in ads, or even pictures missing, like in last week’s Zephyr ad. Sorry Sam.
Everyone at City Weekly is proud and thrilled about our enhanced look. We hope all of you are as well. Thanks for being patient—and ain’t this week’s cover a beauty!! u
