CIP4 and Messe Düsseldorf Announce ‘Free’ Two-Week Print Automation Conference

WASHINGTON, DC—May 8, 2008—The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization today announced details for the JDF Experience program at the drupa Innovation Parc powered by HP. Looking for ways to streamline production, save on labor and waste, improve throughput and connect with customers are high priorities for every printer attending drupa 2008, and the JDF Experience pavilion in the drupa innovation parc in Hall 7 is the best place to start.

Hosted by the CIP4 Organization, the JDF Experience features 22 member companies exhibiting the latest in JDF-enabled automation systems and software, and over 40 industry experts presenting in the JDF Experience Theatre a comprehensive two-week conference-style schedule that includes:

• Daily printer-focused tutorials and introductions to JDF

• Six special one-hour case study discussion panels, featuring small and medium-sized printers and CIPPI award-winning examples of JDF implementations

• One-hour panel sessions on key topics such as “Connecting to your Customer with JDF,” “Digital Print Automation” and “MIS and Print Automation”

• Two, two-hour Technical Tutorials offering an in-depth understanding of JDF

• A day-long International Day on June 3rd featuring presentations in Spanish, Japanese, German, Portuguese, French and Polish

• Over 100 educational presentations on JDF systems, practical implementation advice, print automation integration, case studies and more.

• And one exclusive session on “The Future of JDF” with CIP4 leadership

Twenty-three distinct JDF workflow automation demonstrations will illustrate live jobs moving through all stages of production, from creation to postpress, and show integrations of multiple products from the pool of 19 participating companies. Nowhere else on the drupa show floor will there be such an integrated showing of JDF connectivity and automated production with such a wide variety of MIS, prepress, press, and postpress systems which attendees can see in the JDF Theater or at their own pace in the JDF Experience.

“The print industry has clearly proven that profitable printers are those who leverage technology, and JDF-enabled automation is the technological advantage you should be looking at,” said Mark Wilton of Kodak and CIP4’s Education and Marketing Officer. “Fully integrated JDF workflow demonstrations and a comprehensive JDF Experience Theatre schedule are just two of the features of this must-see pavilion. Attendees can stop by the JDF Experience and learn about key automation technologies that will not only cost justify their trip to drupa, but also make it a truly ‘profit fueling’ experience.”

For more information about the JDF Experience, including detailed workflow demonstration descriptions and the complete theater schedule, visit www.cip4.org/activities/2008/drupa

About Drupa
Drupa is to the printing and paper industries what the Olympic Games are to athletes. Every four years, hundreds of thousands of experts come to Düsseldorf for drupa. It’s an unmissable opportunity for seeing all the latest technologies in media production and processing live in action. No other trade fair has such a vast, fundamental economic and technological impact as drupa. drupa düsseldorf is a constant reflection of the printing and paper sectors. With some 1,900 exhibitors spread across an exhibition area of some 174,000 square metres, 400,000 visitors expected and some 3,500 journalists from around the world, drupa 2008, to be staged from 29 May to 11 June, will be bigger than ever before.

About CIP4
CIP4 brings together vendors, consultants, and end-users in the print communications, graphic arts industry, and associated sectors, covering a variety of equipment, software, peripherals, and processes. Members participate in focused working groups to define the Job Definition Format (JDF), PrintTalk, and other standards relevant to process automation; to study user requirements; to test product interoperability; and to develop a range of JDF software development tools. Information on CIP4, including membership details, is available from the organization’s website: www.cip4.org. Or contact: Stefan Daun, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, +49 6151 155 575, secretariat@cip4.org. All content and ideas submitted to the CIP4 user groups and intellectual property rights subsisting therein shall become the exclusive property of CIP4.

About JDF
The Job Definition Format (JDF) is the industry specification designed to facilitate process automation and the integration of different applications and systems in and around the graphic arts industry. JDF also enables the integration of business management and job planning applications into the production workflow. JDF is based on the W3C’s Extensible Markup Language (XML), ensuring maximum interoperability between different platforms and ready interaction with Internet systems. More information is available at www.cip4.org