The purpose of the visit was to supervise the printing of the Fiji hydrocarbon promotion al

Purpose

There are three main methods of colouring figures: (a) hand colouring from which colour

brochure, particularly the colouring of the 26 figures.

Background

separations are made for printing. This usually results in a product that looks as if it has

been hand coloured; (b) hand stripping, by which masks are cut for colour printing. The

maps for this brochure were very intricate and no printer in Fiji would do the stripping.

Even if they had, there was still the difficulty of local printers being able to print the

colours required; (c) computer colouring of figures with film output of colour separations

This developing technology has recently been introduced to Fiji, and I had been assured

linework for colouring. Instead, the linework was scanned and then traced with very poor

(see below) that it could be used successfully for this brochure. As it turned out, it

couldn't because the software used locally could not import our scanned original

results.

The cover was another part of the publication for which we sought outside assistance,

partly because the author wanted a coloured photograph on the cover which would nee

graphic design and filmwork beyond our normal in-house capability. I took the job to

Wilson-Addison, a Suva advertising agency.

As it turned out, their design work was no better than what we could have done

ourselves. Their colour work on the cover was terrible and I had to change the colours

short notice at the printers in Auckland. It was also Wilson-Addison's advice that the

colour work could be done by computer in Fiji. They were also slow in doing what they

did and it was nearly two months after trying to arrange printing in Fiji that it became

apparent that the job could not be done locally.

At this stage, it was only two months before the Annual Session, and the brochure was

needed for a conference immediately afterward. There was no time to arrange printing

overseas and supervise it by remote control because of the delays in sending proofs

back and forth. This process would also certainly have resulted in mistakes being mad ~

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After discussion with Jon Rodd, Umar Farook, Jim Eade and Alf Simpson, the decision

was made for me to take the job to Auckland. It would have been a fairly cost effective

option in any case. Printing supervision of complex jobs is difficult from a distance, at

least until a relationship with a printer has been developed. The Tonga brochure was

supervised by Pat Coleman in Perth at a cost of A$1800. Wilson-Addison would have

charged 7.5% of the whole job as an agency fee; fortunately I took the job off them. The ~

costs for supervision of this job were about F1000.

Visit to Auckland

I selected a printer by contacting likely looking possibilities from the Auckland yellow

pages, of which only two replied. I chose one on the basis of indicated price and gut

feeling of competence though a telephone conversation.

Fortunately, the printer I dealt with was excellent, and spent many hours with me going

over the job. Without his thoroughness and professionalism the job would not have been

done to the same standard or in the time I had available. Apparently there are very few;

printers with the software needed for this job. Most who say they can do it let the

computer work out to other companies, and this would have made for all sorts of

difficulties. There are great advantages in one firm doing all aspects of the job. The cos

for the Fiji brochure (estimated about NZ$14 000) compares favourably with the cost of

the Tonga brochure, which had much more simple artwork, at A$11 000 three years

earlier.

t

photocopying done for a SOPAC report, visited the manufacturers of the card we use for

report covers, and arranged courier transport for the printed brochures

I spent three week days on sick leave for medical treatment, approved before I left Fiji,

and two visits to the dentist for remedial root canal work.

The time I spent at the printers was obviously not a full two weeks; there was a lot of

dead time waiting for proofs to check. With a Zenith 286 and its invisible cursor, I work ed

on writing public awareness material for Kiribati, especially a radio program explaining ~

the need for sand and aggregate resource management. I also had some colour i

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