Powell Tribune Improves Workflow with NewsWayX from ProImage

The Powell Tribune has implemented the NewsWayX platform from ProImage to modernize its production workflow, reduce manual prepress tasks, and improve print quality across its multiple publications.

The weekly newspaper, with a circulation of approximately 3,250, also prints several neighboring community publications, including The Lovell Chronicle, The Basin Republican Rustler, and The Greybull Standard. Managing production for multiple titles previously required a significant amount of manual coordination in the prepress department.

With the implementation of NewsWayX, the Powell Tribune 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, allowing the production team to work more efficiently while reducing operational overhead and associated production costs.

Steve Johnston, Prepress Manager at the Powell Tribune, said the system has already streamlined many tasks that were previously handled manually.

“NewsWayX allows us to manage all print products from a centralized online location that can be accessed anywhere in the office or remotely when needed,” Johnston said.

Before implementing NewsWayX, the prepress team spent considerable time collecting page PDFs, performing preflight checks, and preparing jobs for output. By automating many of those previously manual steps, the workflow now allows staff to focus more on plate production and press operations.

Moving from Legacy Infrastructure to Cloud Workflow

The newspaper recently transitioned away from a long-standing legacy Kodak workflow system that required dedicated hardware and a more complex technical infrastructure.

Toby Bonner, General Manager and Co-Owner of the Powell Tribune, said the previous workflow environment relied heavily on specific hardware resources and a more traditional on-premise setup.

By moving to a cloud-based workflow with NewsWayX, the newspaper eliminated the need for costly dedicated computers and simplified the overall production environment. This transition has also helped reduce hardware requirements and ongoing system maintenance, lowering overall resource demands and production-related costs.

Another advantage was the consolidation of multiple production steps into a single workflow platform. The previous workflow relied on separate software tools and several processing stages to reach final output, while NewsWayX integrates these functions into one streamlined system. Johnston also emphasized how quickly the production team was able to adapt to the new workflow. “NewsWayX is very user-friendly with an intuitive design,” he said.

The decision to adopt the platform was also influenced by recommendations from another Wyoming newspaper already using the system. Observing how the workflow performed in a similar production environment helped confirm that the platform would meet the Tribune’s needs.

Early Improvements in Production Workflow

Although the Powell Tribune is still in the early stages of fully implementing the system, the team has already seen significant improvements in workflow efficiency and print quality.

Initial use of the platform has focused on gathering page PDFs, imposing pages, and outputting finished products. As the team continues to refine additional workflow settings, including the system’s Fanout functionality, further improvements in print consistency are expected.

“We’ve already seen improved print results, and I’m confident the improvements will continue as we dial in additional settings and utilize more of the system’s correction tools,” Johnston said.

Ink Optimization and Quality Gains

The implementation also includes ProImage’s OnColor ECO ink optimization technology, which has already produced measurable results.

According to Bonner, improvements were visible almost immediately after implementation. “We noticed the quality improvements right away. The pages are cleaner and photo reproduction is noticeably sharper,” Bonner said.

In addition to improved print quality, the system has also helped reduce operating costs. “We’ve already seen savings in ink and a reduction in newsprint waste since implementing OnColor ECO,” Bonner added.

Implementation and Support

During the onboarding process, ProImage’s application engineering team worked closely with the Powell Tribune staff to guide the implementation and training process.

According to Johnston, the support team has been extremely responsive and helpful throughout the transition, providing assistance and screen-sharing walkthroughs whenever needed to ensure a smooth deployment.

Positioning the Newspaper for the Future

With its new workflow platform now in place, the Powell Tribune expects to continue expanding its use of NewsWayX features as production processes are further optimized.

The move to a centralized cloud-based workflow has already reduced production complexity while providing greater flexibility in managing multiple publications from a single system. The new workflow environment also positions the newspaper to continue improving operational efficiency while keeping production costs under control as the system is further optimized.

Source: ProImage

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions.