Understandably, time is a key factor, but I would still strongly urge your publisher to send you color pre-prints of the article with everything in place after the layout is done. The only things that should be missing in this proof would be page numbers and spots for advertizing if the articles are not entirely full pages. In addition to catching typos, errors, and other weird things that might happen when they import your electronic text into their layout, there can sometimes be problems with colors and backgrounds to make the article unreadable (eg, using black on dark red or blue, which might look good on screen or printing in b&w, but falls apart in CMYK printing. The cost of overnighting these few sheets and the day or two turnaround to proof is more than outweighed than the embrassment to both the author and publisher for such mistakes.

(This advice isn't just for merlyn, but for anyone that is publishing articles in computer magazines).

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Dr. Michael K. Neylon - mneylon-pm@masemware.com || "You've left the lens cap of your mind on again, Pinky" - The Brain
It's not what you know, but knowing how to find it if you don't know that's important