By John Russial, University of Oregon Special to the Poynter Institute Pagination is easily the most stress-producing technological change newspapers have undergone.
Editors tend to be somewhat ambivalent about pagination.
It can increase their flexibility in page design, and it does increase their control of the page, but it also adds to the bundle of tasks they need to accomplish. In effect, pagination shifts makeup work done in the back shop into the newsroom. It can save page-production time and certainly saves money overall, but by most accounts, it does not save time in the newsroom. In fact, it typically takes more time. The burden lands squarely on the desk, whether it be a copy desk, design desk or both.