CromaBase then prepares the image data for the target color model defined and lets the lithographer also have online access. It goes without saying that the workflow is virtually 100 percent digital. Jarck: "I cannot remember one single analog picture being taken recently." It is even more important for the agency that a fully calibrated work process has been successfully set up at the agency and at the customer's company. Moreover, the customer is now equipped with the appropriate monitors.  Some of the shots are taken in the studio, while others are taken on location - and this is often on far-off shores, as was the case recently for a fashion shooting in Cape Town. When it comes to the allocation of tasks, Scholz & Friends NeuMarkt holds an interesting view: "Downsampling data, generating lithographic data, archiving and administration - all this work is actually done in the pre-press stage," explained Jarck. "We are an advertising agency and although we have the tools and the expertise to do this, our strength is in the creative process. CromaBase reflects exactly this allocation of work." Even though this is a high-performance system, it is so foolproof and easy to operate that errors can be avoided and there is no need for long periods of training for the various photographers who work for Scholz & Friends. "The change-over to CromaBase took place from one production to the next without any problems," Jarck reported. Even if external archiving does not reduce costs directly, the higher production capacity and greater flexibility in terms of timing give the agency a competitive edge that is of benefit to both the customer and the agency. But a platform like CromaBase can not only be of service to large producers in the image business. Olff Appold, for example, (see Portfolio in ProfiFoto ??/2003) has been using the service for several months to produce catalogs on jewelry: "I save a lot of time every day and my digital productions are very popular with my customers. The fact that you can produce contract proofs immediately in the studio is a great benefit," he said summarizing the advantages of his application scenario. Instant Data had integrated a special proofing module in the form of RIP hardware for him, which outputs the data from CromaBase on an Epson 4000 including UGRA/FOGRA media wedge cmyk.