Desktop publishing platforms like Quark and InDesign have come a long way and provide almost all of the features anyone needs to produce great printed products. But there are still some things, such as integrating with web platforms, archiving, managing multimedia and more that they don’t do very well.

Now, there is newsroomQ – designed to plug those gaps for newspapers, magazines, corporate marketing departments and associations.

“Any company, publisher or association that is publishing print products they want to push to the web can save time and money with newsroomQ,” says Bill Ostendorf, president and founder of Creative Circle Media Solutions, a design, software and consulting firm specializing in the newspaper industry.

“As print production experts who led the redesign of nearly 600 print publications, we knew what was needed in print production environments,” said Ostendorf. “In creating newsroomQ, we took the opposite tack everyone else used to build a print production system. Other production systems try to manipulate and control InDesign or Quark using plug-ins that lock you to one platform or version. These plug-ins are usually aimed at making these platforms more automated. But as designers who are experts at getting the most from desktop publishing systems, we understand the power of these platforms. And we know how to manage them to create an efficient, streamlined production operation.”

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The Creative Circle team concentrated on supplementing desktop publishing platforms with tools they didn’t already possess.

“We built newsroomQ to manage workflow management, integrations with other systems, metadata, multimedia and archiving. This doesn’t require any plug-ins and assures newsroomQ is clean, simple and stable,” said Ostendorf. “Our goal was to extend desktop publishing tools and add value to these programs but otherwise to just get out of the way.”

As a result, newsroomQ is affordable, reliable, quick to deploy, innovative and effective. That’s right, a front end system that really doesn’t stink.

Combined with our industry-leading mediasiteQ web platform, we’re proud to now offer every publication high-quality CMS solutions that fit our passion for making excellence affordable – in print and online.

“We also offer training, redesign and consulting services to help anyone set up the best and most efficient workflows and products. That’s another reason we’re a great partner for any publication. We even offer high-quality outsourcing to produce publications directly in our offices,” said Ostendorf.

Some newsroomQ highlights

  • Works with either Quark or InDesign
  • InCopy is recommended but it also works with CopyDesk, Word, Google or nothing as a text editing platform.
  • Can be configured on a local server, in the cloud or both.
  • Designed for full, two-way publishing capability with Creative Circle’s mediasiteQ web CMS, but works seamlessly with any web software.
  • Easiest editorial system to deploy and learn.
  • Serves as text and visual archive.
  • Straightforward, flat rate pricing that isn’t based on seats or volume, which makes it less expensive than complex systems deployed by other vendors.
  • Can handle multiple publications and hub production environments.
  • Stable, simple and secure.
  • Additional integrated support available, including editorial training, print redesigns, outsourcing and strategic consulting. We can help you create a hub, make your operations more efficient or improve your content.

About Creative Circle

For 30 years, Creative Circle Media Solutions has been the newspaper industry’s most innovative consulting, training, design and software firm. Creative Circle has led training and consulting projects for more than 250 media companies in 23 countries. In the United States, Creative Circle consultants have led the redesign of more than 550 newspapers and magazines and more than 250 media websites. In 2004, the company launched a software arm to produce better web software for newspapers and has since developed a wide range of specialized software for classifieds, native news, advertising, more flexible web CMS software and pay walls. Their software launch was partially funded through Rhode Island’s Slater Fund and a loan from the Economic Development Corporation. 

Creative Circle (www.creativecirclemedia.com) has built and hosts more than 200 media-related web sites around the country, including pbn.com and the web sites of several other Rhode Island media outlets. Increasingly, Creative Circle is applying its deep knowledge of design, content, readership and software development to help businesses, non-profits and associations deliver better printed materials and web experiences. Founder and president Bill Ostendorf heads up the team at Creative Circle, based in East Providence, R.I. To schedule a demo, contact him at bill@creativecirclemedia.com or 401-455-1555.