In this way a fully prepared page can be viewed on a monitor before being sent to the production department. Photograpers also use Apple Macs. Images are scanned in using a negative scanner and manipulated using Adobe Photoshop. Back-up is an important consideration in newspapers, to the extent that virtually every piece of equipment is duplicated or able to be bypassed to ensure that publication is not placed in jeopardy by equipment failure. All images and pages are held on 2 UNIX file servers, one current or working and one backup.
Pages are proofed on low resolution laser printers prior to final output to film or image setters.
Once a page is completed it is printed in negative format and sent to the plate room for processing. Printing press plates are created on a plate burner using presensitised plate material. This plate is rolled on to the plate cylinder of the printing press. The web offset printing method used by the Mercury is effected by the transfer of ink from the plate carrying the printing image to a rubber blanket, then to the paper. It is known as a lithographic process, in that the greasy ink only holds to the print area of the plate and is kept off the non-print section by water, which repells ink.