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To Digitize, or Not To Digitize?
By Paul W. Faust
The answer as to whether you should digitize or not is embedded in the answer to another question. Do you really need to invest in the future by buying a computer digitizing workstation, or do you simply want a computer to play with--and maybe, if you’re lucky, make some money on the side to help pay for it?
Step One: GOALS & RESULTS
The first, most important step in deciding precisely what computer equipment you need and want is to make a list of your goals. Not listing your goals is like heading out on a road trip without a map or any idea of where you want to go. If you’re considering setting up a digital station, you MUST know what you want to accomplish before you begin. If you don’t, you could head up to the mountains and end up at the beach. Too many people go out and buy a computer and then hope they can find software that will do what they want, when what they really should have done is just the opposite. Computers and programs are designed to perform specific kinds of work. Therefore, you MUST decide what you want to do and then find the appropriate software. Next, buy a computer that will run your software.
Step Two: SOFTWARE
Once you know what you want to do, locate software programs that will do it. Begin by visiting several (more than three) computer warehouse stores. Ask the salespeople as many questions as possible and, even more importantly, read the merchandise boxes. (Salespeople don’t always know the products as well as they would like you to believe they do.) Another important source of information is other people who do the kinds of work that you plan on doing. Some may feel a sense of competition and not be of much help, but by checking out your local “User’s Groups,” you shouldn’t have that problem. (User’s groups are computer clubs in which people with the same interests get together to help each other and to find the information they need.)
Software programs are grouped into the types of work they perform. The major ones are word processing, which basically handles jobs such as letter writing and page layout; database management, which copes with jobs involving inventory control; digitizing, which includes 3D image creations; and enhancement, which is the feature most photographers look for to manipulate their images. All other software programs are more or less attachments to the above and are called “third-party software.” They’re accessories, but they don’t merely add features to the main program. They also improve upon the original in both speed and performance.
To find out which software you need to buy, you need to know what features each has, which is why reading the boxes is so important. PhotoShop, which enhances photo images, will not create 3D forms. PageMaker, which is used to layout brochures and sales advertisements, won’t let you make changes to a graphic. This is why step one is so important.
Step Three: HARDWARE
If you look at the side of a software box, you’ll see a section called “System Requirements.” This area will tell you what capabilities are needed in a computer in order to run that particular program. Anything less will not allow the software to operate. Think of it this way: If you buy a washing machine for the home and that machine operates on 220 voltage, but your house only has 110 voltage, you don’t get any wash done. This is why knowing what work you want to do (step one) will tell you what software you need (step two), which in turn sets the limits of what hardware you must buy. (I say limits because this will be the minimum requirements you need. From that point on, you’ll be looking for add-ons to let you do more kinds of work, better and faster.)
The hardware you need also depends on what you plan to do with your finished projects. For a desktop publisher, the need might include a high-resolution color laser printer. For a photographer, it might be a film output recorder that produces a negative or slide.
That brings us to the last step--the one that will probably hurt the most:
Step Four: COST & TIME
If you do decide to set up a digital station, money won’t be your only cost. You’ll also pay in time spent. You’re going to have to learn how to use the computer and software you select. No matter what the ads tell you, there’s no such thing as a friendly system--just some that are easier to operate than others. My personal preference is Macintosh. (This isn’t intended to be an endorsement of any one product over any other, but all of my articles will be on what operates on the Mac, simply because that’s what I use.)
Monetary cost will be most people’s deciding factor in setting up a graphics workstation. Most top-of-the-line software is created for both the Mac and PC platform, so the only real difference lies in the way they’re used. Prices will depend on what you want. Again, shop around. The price of the same item can vary by hundreds of dollars from one place to the next. If you can wait, hold off until you can find the one you want on sale. For a computer, you can expect to pay from $900 to over $5,000. Of course, the more you get the greater the cost. Some computers come with a monitor; others don’t. Memory is another consideration. There are two kinds--RAM, which stands for “Random Access Memory,” and your hard drive memory. Ram is the memory that operates your software. The more programs you want to run at the same time, the more Ram you need. Newer versions of each program require ever more RAM. If you have the funds, you should get as much RAM as your machine will hold. As for the hard drive, you should also get as much memory there as you can afford. A single scanned graphics file, at its optimum resolution and size, will take up well over 50MB of memory. A film size larger than 35mm will use over 100MB, so if you scrimp on anything, don’t do it on memory.
What’s next? If you’re doing word processing, you’ll need a printer. A simple one suitable for printing out letters can be had for a hundred dollars. However, if you want to do desktop publishing and output color brochures, you’ll need an inkjet printer ($150 - $1,000, depending on the quality). For photographers and PhotoShop users like myself, a photo quality printer is a must, both for sample images to send to publishers and for print sales. For other needs like images output to film, you can use a local photo service lab. If you need to send digital files to someone, then you’ll also need a disk drive--such as a ZIP disk, but most computers come equipped with them, so all you need is the diskettes themselves. You’ll want to have many of diskettes to back-up all your important files.
The last must-have item is a fax/modem. Not even the smallest home office can do without one. Even though they can cost up to $300, they usually will pay for themselves the first year. A fax/modem operates exactly the way a phone fax works, but without the need for paper. The fax is delivered directly into the computer. Fax/modems can be plugged into the regular phone jack with a two-way connector. They’re also great for sending test copies of your finished image files to a publication as an attachment. The only problem is that when you use your modem, you can’t use your phone at the same time. (You should consider having a second, separate phone line, if you can justify the cost.)
Other costs to consider either now, or in the future, are many. They can include software training, either in class form or by book and videotape ($20 to $100). If you’re doing photo imaging, you’ll need to have your original film scanned into digital form. You can do this yourself with small 35mm film scanners like the Nikon Coolscan ($1,600) or have the service bureau do your scanning for you at about $10 to $20 per image. You can also have your photos scanned onto photo CDs for about three dollars each, in quantities.
There are many other items that will catch your fancy as time goes by, and they’ll also add to your total expenditures ($300 to $900). For example, hardware isn’t the only area that will add cost to your workstation. Eventually, you’ll want to add more and more of those third party goodies for both job improvement and fun. There are programs that add speed to your operations, ones that rework plain text, ones that create entire worlds in the computer, and simple 3D graphics packages. There are also programs that find system problems and fix them. Then there are all the font (text), clip art, and texture libraries to add that special touch to a project. Their prices range from $20 to $200 or more, but quite often it’s these details that will sell a job.
If all of this cost is beginning to sound overwhelming to you, it can be. But it’s a lot better to find out about the price tags now, rather than later on when you’re halfway set up and find out there’s no way you can afford to buy the rest of what you need. However, the prospects aren’t all doom and gloom. Your computer equipment could put you into your own very profitable business, where you’ll never have to worry about working for someone else again. Computer graphics work can make you from $20 to $250 an hour doing contract jobs. There’s also the money you save by doing your own promotion work (brochures and fliers). Setting up a complete workstation can cost between $3,000 and $10,000, but with the right equipment and know-how, you can make a six-digit annual income. The question is what are your priorities?
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