An in-house camera system for making line and halftone illustration prints

With the widespread use of offset lithographic printing for scientific and technical journals, the publisher often gains a cost advantage by combining type and art copy on the page mechanical or repro proof. The art or illustrative copy takes the form of an intermediate print, whether the original is a line drawing or continuous-tone photograph. The complete page mechanical is then treated by the lithographer as a line shot, without the need for separate illustration negatives to be made and stripped into position within the page negative, or double burned on the plate. An economical method of manufacturing high-quality intermediate prints for both line and continuous-tone original art is explained. Suggestions are offered on how to set up an in-house camera operation with emphasis on equipment and staffing requirements. The economic and schedule advantages of an in-house camera operation are also discussed.