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All Dressed Up for PMA

If you missed my Editor's Note in last month's issue (I'm sure there are a few of you out there) then you might be wondering exactly what's happened to your beloved PTN. When last you saw it, a metallic blue, futuristic-looking hand was catching a Nikon D1x in front of a violet background on PTN's cover. The headline below the image named the D1x, PTN's "Top Product of the Year." A couple of teasers in the bottom right corner asked the reader to open the magazine and see what was inside.

As you've probably noticed from our new text-dominated front page, we've exchanged the snazzy graphics on the cover for hard-hitting industry news, knowing that in this fast-paced world of changing information, our readers don't always have time to leaf through a bunch of pretty pictures to find the stories that effect them. That's why we've put them where they are now, front and center on the cover of the book with the rest of our photo industry coverage not far behind inside.

You also may have noticed by now that the guts of the magazine look a little different too. Once again, in an effort to streamline the visuals and emphasize the content, we've notched back on the graphics and colors a bit, increased the white space around the text, and implemented a consistent style to all our departments and features. Speaking of departments and features, we've added a few new ones (Spotlight On..., The Bottom Line), changed around a few others to make them clearer (News & Notes, ReTales), and scrapped some that no longer seemed relevant to us (Snapshots).

Our sometimes controversial yet always insightful columnists, Jerry Lansky (Minilab 2002) and Donald Sutherland (The Digital Deal) are still with us, but from time to time they may be showing up in different parts of the book. For instance, on this month's cover Lansky weighs in on Phogenix, the long-awaited marriage between Kodak and Hewlett-Packard which has given birth to a 1,325-pound "baby" named DFX. Will this low-cost inkjet digital minilab change the industry? You'll have to read Lansky's column to find out.

You'll find our newest columnist on the very last page of the magazine but it's safe to say that this will be her first and last column for us. It's not that she didn't do a good job. In fact, she did quite well. It's just that...it's just that...well...this is the part where you guys come in. Instead of listening to the same voice on the back page every month, we want to hear dozens of different voices, hundreds even, perhaps thousands. We've dubbed the column "Sound Off" and that's exactly what we're looking for: a different person every month to "sound off" about an industry topic that really gets their blood boiling. If you've got something to say, give me a buzz at (631)-845-2700, ext. 360, or put it in writing and send it to me via email at dan.havlik@cygnuspub.com. (Of course, snail mail is perfectly fine too.)

Maybe you just have something brief you want to get off your chest, something that might not warrant a full column. In that case, we'd be happy to include it in our upcoming "Letters to the Editor" section. Drop me an email. Give me a ring. We want to hear from you.

But maybe you're one of those people who prefers to say stuff face to face. The kind of person who thinks "instant messaging" means button-holing somebody at a cocktail party. In that case, seek us out at our booth at PMA in Orlando. We won't be that hard to spot. While we may look a little different at first, once you get used to our new look, I think you'll find we're the same PTN you've always turned to.

Sincerely,

Dan Havlik
Editor