The latest version of the venerable image manipulation software is available for a variety of operating systems, including Apple's Mac OS X, Mac OS 9.1 and 9.2, as well as Microsoft's Windows XP, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000 and Windows NT.

Major enhancements include the file browser, an image organization tool that allows users to browse image thumbnails; quickly rotate, sort, rank and batch rename images, and view Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) information from digital cameras. The new healing brush feature simplifies the photo retouching process by allowing users to remove flaws such as dust, scratches and wrinkles. At the same time it preserves the shading, lighting and texture of an original image. Photoshop 7.0 also offers many creative tools including the new Painting Engine, which allows users to simulate traditional painting techniques.

Shipping with Photoshop 7.0 is ImageReady 7.0 software, which offers specialized features for accomplishing advanced web-production tasks and creating highly sophisticated Web graphics and animations.

Adobe Photoshop 7.0 is available in the United States and Canada for an estimated street price of US$609. Registered users of earlier versions of Photoshop can upgrade to version 7.0 for US$149.

A new scripting support plug-in enables Photoshop 7.0 users to automate repetitive tasks from basic manipulation of single objects to complex control of multiple documents and replace manual workflows across multiple Adobe applications.

Agfa Phoenix is AgfaÕs latest family of mid-size, high-productivity drum imagesetters. Phoenix matches the workflow and pressroom requirements of commercial printers, newspapers, service bureaus and in-plant operations. The system outputs plate-ready films and press-ready SetPrint Plus polyester plates. In both cases, Phoenix insures that final films match press format, punch requirements and contact frame.

LOOT will join ANL's four other major publications -- the EVENING STANDARD, DAILY MAIL, THE MAIL ON SUNDAY and METRO -- in using CCI AdDesk Sales. The companies said the LOOT installation would represent 250 workstations.

LOOT, the UK's first and biggest free-ads paper, was launched in 1985 and has remained a market leader ever since, encompassing innovation both on paper and on-line. The newspaper was also one of the world's first WAP-enabled classified services.

Under the agreement, Atlantic Syndication will promote the archives held by Cold North Wind of English and Spanish-language newspapers from around the world. Cold North Wind's technology allows the microfilmed archives of newspapers in 20 languages to be read and fully searchable on the Internet. The full terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Tribune Media Services, Universal Press Syndicate and Editors Press Service created Atlantic Syndication Partners in 2000. The company uses a direct sales force and a select group of international agents to market syndicated features, news, information and graphics products and services. Clients include print and new media publishers around the world.

Dice, of Des Moines, Iowa, serves the information technology employment segment; its web site has more than 30,000 openings for programmers, engineers and system administrators. BostonWorks focuses on the New England jobs marketplace.

The service allows Print Media subscribers to search all their current and previous year's images and download them for free. Print Media is a graphics system designed for newspaper advertisers and creative staffs, supplying them with promotional design ideas and retail-driven art. Each month, subscribers receive more than 100 royalty-free illustrations, photographs and spec ads on-line. They can also receive the images on CD along with PRINT MEDIA magazine, which includes valuable software how-tos, design ideas and an index.

The 26-page document, which is available in PDF format as a free download, focuses on the technical issues of leveraging the value of content held in XPress documents. The white paper is the first in a series that will cover some of the key aspects surrounding the adoption of XML in the publishing industry.

Using NTS, North Atlantic's Quark XPress, Word and XML conversion software, GMG will automate the process of creating XML from both newly created and legacy documents. When the VOLKSBLATT's daily page production is finalized in XPress, NTS will take over the conversion process. Working in the background, NTS will batch-process XPress pages and convert them to XML. From XML, NTS will write the XML tags to a database from which HTML will be generated.

KBA will now distribute the 46 Karat press in Latin America and all of Europe, including Ireland and the United Kingdom. At the same time, Xerox will no longer be distributing the DocuColor 233 DI press in the U.K.

The survey will look at the new trend for paying services, the latest financial results of web sites, current sources of income and job reductions in web operations.

The results of the survey will be released at the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Bruges, Belgium, in May; it will be available to all participants.