Making CTP A Reality

Browsing in bookstores while holiday shopping last month, perhaps you glimpsed Entertainment Weekly The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, People's Unforgettable Women of the Century, The Life Millennium, or Time Almanac. If so, you know that a hallmark of these publications is meticulous treatment of photos and color.

John Calvano, editorial operations manager at Time Inc. Home Entertainment, is one of the behind-the-scenes individuals responsible for overseeing quality of those publications--and more. When all is said and done, at the end of 1998 Calvano expected to have overseen editorial production for 8,000 pictures within 10,000 pages across 37 titles (or 52 if you count hard- and soft-cover editions as separate titles).

The books are produced by 13 editorial teams that work with Calvano--including internal Time staff groups, freelancers and outside book packagers.

Calvano was honored by Publishing & Production Executive magazine--a sister publication of BookTech the Magazine (BTM)--with induction into the 1998 Production Executive's Hall of Fame. Calvano was honored for leadership and innovation within the book industry and at Time, Inc., including groundbreaking efforts in four-color computer-to-plate work. Calvano's formal induction took place at the 11th Annual Gold Ink Awards/Hall of Fame Banquet Monday, Oct. 26.

BTM talked to Calvano about his views of his job and his experiences with computer-to-plate work. The interview was conducted by Editor Rose Blessing.

BTM: You manage many book projects simultaneously, yet take time to investigate new technologies. This takes focus and organization. What is your general management philosophy?

Calvano: Primarily, a place for everything and everything in its place. (Calvano displays books-in-progress spreadsheets--one that shows the status of elements that editorial and art teams are gathering, another that shows key production information, like which suppliers have been chosen, or whether text or cover or endsheet paper has been selected, etc.) Specifications for each title are filled in as they become available and they are referred to on at least a daily basis. I always ask, "What piece of the puzzle is missing. Can I have that piece now? If it isn't available yet, let's look at it tomorrow."