A tiny independent weekly in Wyoming has streamlined its workflow tech to enable it to focus more on the print services it offers to neighbouring newspapers.

Rick Shafranek from ECO3 New ProImage has reported on a cloud-based application of its ProImage software at the Powell Tribune, a weekly with a circulation of about 3250 and contracts to print several other community papers.

These include the Lovell Chronicle, the Basin Republican Rustler and the Greybull Standard.

“Managing production for multiple titles had required a significant amount of manual coordination in the prepress department,” he says, “but the NewsWayX implementation has significantly reduced manual prepress tasks and simplified the overall production workflow.

“Tasks that previously required multiple steps – such as collecting customer page PDFs, performing preflight checks, and preparing jobs for output – can now be handled within a single streamlined system.”

Prepress manager Steve Johnston says the system allows them to manage all print products from a centralised online location that can be accessed anywhere in the office or remotely when needed.

General manager and co-owner Toby Bonner said the previous workflow relied heavily on specific hardware resources and a more traditional on-premise setup. The transition has helped reduce hardware requirements and ongoing system maintenance.

The implementation also includes ink optimisation, already producing measurable results. Bonner says improvements were visible “almost immediately” with pages cleaner and photo reproduction noticeably sharper. The system has also helped reduce operating costs, with savings in ink and a reduction in newsprint waste.