Creative & Design
Ryerson Library publishes
new Web Design Primer
open-source textbook
Web Design Primer is a new
open-source eBook published
by Toronto’s Ryerson University
Library by authors Richard
Adams, Associate Professor
at the School of Graphic Com-
munications Management,
and Ahmed Sagarwala, Manager
of Industry Relations at the
Digital Media Zone (DMZ). The book explains the basics of
the HTML and CSS codes used to create web pages, as well
as related technologies – including JavaScript, jQuery, audio,
video, and animation. The book was designed to accompany
a one-semester course on web design. Users can read the
book online or download it in ePub and PDF versions from
https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/webdesign/. Printed
versions can also be ordered from the site. The eBook was
published under a Creative Commons “Share and Share Alike
with Attribution” copyright license. This enables other instructors
to download, edit, and use the book for their classes, royalty-
free – the only requirement being to credit the original authors.
The eBook was written on the library’s Pressbooks publishing
platform and can be output in several formats. Adams added:
“Students consider web design to be a fun but challenging
topic, so we wanted to provide the most vital information in
a succinct and easy-to-access format. Our previous textbook
was about 2” thick, weigted about 2 lbs. and cost around $100
used. Compare this to the weight of a student’s laptop or
tablet that they’re already carrying to class, and you can see
what this means for accessibility.”
Richard Adams, Associate Professor at Ryerson University’s School of Graphic
Communications Management, with Sally Wilson, Web Services Librarian at the
Ryerson University Library (Photo courtesy of Marissa Frosst).
SGIA to lead special workshop on digital inkjet colour
The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA, Fairfax,
Virginia) is convening some of the most experienced names
in colour to address a serious need in the printing industry
– colour standards for digital printing. A new working group
16 | April 2019 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE
will include representatives from industry-leading companies
including WestRock, Fujifilm and Nazdar. Printers, manufacturers,
software designers, colour experts and others will contribute
their expertise. “There’s a big gap in the specification arena
in the printing industry,” said Ray Weiss, Director of Digital
Print Programs at the SGIA. “While colour specifications such
as SWOP and GRACol are based on offset presses running
traditional CMYK inks, digital printing is currently the ‘wild
west’ with substrates and ink sets varying tremendously.”
Ultimately, Weiss said the new targets will reduce waste,
leading to more satisfied customers. SGIA’s working group
will bring together professionals from all printing sectors
including manufacturers of inks, media and presses, software
designers, printers and colour experts. Additionally, the
Sonoco Institute at Clemson University will provide measurement
data, and SGIA Chief Economist
Andrew Paparozzi will oversee
the statistical calculations
involved. “This is a challenging
project, but we have some of the
best colour people in the industry
working on it,” Weiss added. We’ll
keep you informed on future
Ray Weiss
developments right here.
Ghent Workgroup releases new
specification for digital print
The Ghent Workgroup (GWG, Ghent, Belgium) has released
a new specification for the growing small-format digital print
segment. It provides standardized guidelines for PDF file
creation, quality control for the segment, and has already
been adopted by leading preflight vendors for their workflows.
“In a recent Ghent Workgroup survey, digital print was identified
as a key area missing good guidelines for the usage of PDF,”
said Elli Cloots, Vice-Chair at the Ghent Workgroup and Senior
Product Marketing Manager at EFI. The small-format digital
print segment is similar to traditional commercial print, but
the methodologies and equipment used are different enough
to require specific guidelines. “Having this new specification
helps to significantly improve standardization, and thus the
possibility for automation in this growing segment,” she
added. The specification was released under the umbrella of
the Ghent Workgroup’s 2015 specifications, as it builds on
those same principles. It
describes the rules that PDF
files used for digital print
should follow. Software and
hardware vendors can then use
the specification to fine-tune file
creation and quality control in
their own workflows and output
devices. The new specification
is available on the Ghent Work-
group website.
Elli Cloots
graphicartsmag.com