DIGITAL digest
Innovate '05 Takes Digital Printing on the Road
ROCHESTER, NY—Innovate '05 has begun its 14-city sweep across North America, offering attendees a day-long, free seminar on digital printing. Xerox Corp. is working with more than 25 industry partners to put on the tour.
The program is designed to "help print providers and professionals in the marketing, creative and design services fields use digital printing technology to increase productivity, reduce costs, improve work processes and provide more services."
Each tour stop will feature a keynote address delivered by Howie Fenton, senior consultant of digital technology, National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL); Bob Tapella, chief of staff, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO); or Joe Vincenzino, senior economist, NAPL.
Among the key topics to be addressed by industry-leading experts are how digital printing can complement a traditional offset printing business, applications that drive improved business results, tips to better design jobs for digital printing and how to develop a profitable marketing and business plan.
Attendees can choose from tracks tailored to specific industry segments:
* Production Printing and Workflow Services
* Profit Accelerator/Digital Business Resources
* Designing for Digital
* Industry Marketing
Other sponsors and partners include Adobe Systems; Art Plus Technology; Atlas Printshop Mail; BARR Systems; Bizucate; CertiFyle; Creo; digital print info; EFI; Elixir; Enovation Graphic Systems; ePrint Direct; Group 1 Software; Harry Waldman Graphic Communications; Intellective Solutions; Interquest; NAPL; North American Publishing Co. (Printing Impressions); NowDocs; NOW Technology Group; Pageflex; PIA/GATF; Printable Technologies; Rochester Software Associates; Roger P. Gimbel & Associates; TCa Creative Services; XLPrint Software; and XMPie.
For the complete tour schedule and online registration, visit www.xerox.com/events.
Quark Joins Effort to Improve Publishing Workflows
GHENT, BELGIUM—Quark Inc. continues to ratchet up its defense of QuarkXPress' market position in response to competitor Adobe InDesign/Creative Suite. The company is building on steps it took last year, including emphasizing print-related functions in product upgrades, becoming a member of CIP4 and forming an alliance with Hewlett-Packard to facilitate variable data workflows.
Its latest move is becoming a member of the Ghent PDF Workgroup (GWG), an international initiative seeking to create, test and disseminate best practices and specifications for publishing/print workflows.
"Ghent PDF Workgroup has done an excellent job in creating PDF output specifications for real-world production environments," says Jürgen Kurz, Quark's senior vice president of product development. "The significant level of real user involvement in the workgroup is the reason Quark joined. We're dedicated to supporting industry open standards."
Given its customer base, Quark's participation in GWG is expected to enable the group to develop more comprehensive specifications and best practice guidelines. "Quark is an integral part of the publishing landscape, and no publishing consortium is complete without its participation," notes Saskia Desmet, GWG executive director.
The workgroup comprises user representatives and vendors. Its members share ideas and test methods for the most practical, accurate and convenient exchange of print-ready files between creators and producers of print.
In other news, the software company previewed Quark Publishing System Version 3.5 at the recent NEXPO 2005 show. It integrates functionality for the latest QuarkXPress upgrade, including support for projects, synchronized text, high-resolution previews, PDF export, multiple undos, enhanced tables and layers. (www.quark.com)
DIGITAL bytes
SAN DIEGO—In the 2.5 years since Ian Barrow bought IPS Printers and installed its first digital press, the shop has grown from two to 12 employees and increased its sales by 600 percent. It is now expanding into digital offset printing by installing a Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) DirectPress 5634 DI system. (www.ipsprinting.com/www.kpgraphics.com)
HIGHSPIRE, PA—GANCOM, a division of Gannett Fleming, reports purchasing a Xerox DocuColor 6060 digital color press to further expand its full-service capabilities. The company provides digital and offset printing services with an emphasis on direct mail applications. (www.xerox.com)
MORGAN HILL, CA—The in-house production team at The Thomas Kinkade Co. is using three large-format HP Designjet 5500 UV ink-jet printers to streamline production of artist Thomas Kinkade's limited edition canvases, which are sold throughout the United States by independently owned galleries. Three additional HP Designjet printers will be installed by the end of the year to reproduce work by the artist known as "The Painter of Light." (www.hp.com)
MECHANICSBURG, PA—Fry Communications has launched two new Web-based premedia solutions for interfacing with customers. Fry Ready Page is an automated page submission system available to publishers 24/7 for submitting plate ready files to live production, with automated preflight, file normalizing and virtual proofing. Fry ReADy Ad Portal facilitates preprocessing of supplied PDF or PostScript advertising files, including preflight and generation of a job ticket. (www.frycomm.com)
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Pageflex, a leading provider of Web-to-print technology, and NexPress Solutions, a Kodak company, have entered into an agreement that will make Pageflex variable data publishing technology available to NexPress customers and prospects. The agreement covers Pageflex Mpower for sophisticated, variable data publishing and Pageflex .EDIT for interactive, online document customization. (www.nexpress.com)
FOSTER CITY, CA—EFI announced that its family of proofing solutions based on Best Technology has earned SWOP (Specifications for Web Offset Publications) proofing certification. EFI Designer and Photo editions, as well as the new client/server-based Colorproof XF platform, were tested for their ability to produce ink-jet proofs that closely approximate a SWOP Certified press proof. (www.efi.com/www.swop.org)
DARMSTADT, GERMANY—To keep pace with the industry's ongoing digital evolution, the "eProduction Forum" is being transformed into the "CIP4 JDF Users Forum." It will continue to be part of the PrintPlanet.com industry portal operated by Printable Technologies, but will be run as a service to the CIP4 (The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress) organization. The forum will remain open to all interested parties via a free registration. (www.printplanet.com)
SAN ANTONIO, TX—PC Mailing Services has purchased two Kodak Versamark DS4350 UV ink-jet printing systems for its local facility and a like unit for its new Austin, TX, facility. Charlie Cain, president, says the mailing company will benefit from being able to print on any of the coatings used today without smearing. Kodak Versamark is part of Kodak's Graphic Communications Group. (www.pcmailingservices.com/www.kodakversamark.com)
BOCA RATON, FL—Océ has extended its Single Solution Service program to cover non-Océ devices, such as IBM and Xerox printing systems. The intent is to give digital printing system users one point of contact and accountability, a single service team relationship and one escalation process to resolve problems. (www.oce.com)
NORWALK, CT—To encourage use of SWOP (Specifications for Web Offset Publications) certified, color critical monitor proofs, Kodak Polychrome Graphics is developing a network of certified KPG Matchprint Virtual Proofing system users. Certified shops will be listed on the "Matchprint Virtual Proofing Certified" Website, with links visitors can click on for direct access to more information on an approved vendor's homepage. (www.kpgraphics.com)
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL—Screen (USA) announced two workflow customer installs as a lead-in to its recent participation at NEXPO. Texas-based Dallas Offset has added the Riteportal and Ritetransfer (job submission) modules to its workflow based on the PlateRite News platesetter and Trueflow Rite News workflow management system. Newsweb Corp. in Chicago says it researched the options for some six months before moving to a CTP-based workflow by installing its PlateRite News platesetter, which feeds plates to a Goss Community web press. (www.screenusa.com)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND—Xerox has strengthened its commitment to the IPEX 2006 international graphic arts showcase by securing more than 5,000 square meters of exhibit space, an increase of more than 40 percent from its initial request. According to the show organizers, some 85 percent of stand space across the 11 halls has now been confirmed. IPEX is set to run at the NEC fairgrounds in Birmingham from April 4-11, 2006. The event will feature a new hall layout, with visitors following the printing process from prepress to press machinery through to postpress and converting. (www.ipex.org)
NEW YORK CITY—XMPie's uDirect variable data plug-in for Adobe InDesign CS has been added to the Xerox FreeFlow digital workflow collection and qualified for the designation "Optimized for FreeFlow." Xerox will continue to also offer XMPie's server-based PersonalEffect variable data standalone application. (www.xmpie.com/www.xerox.com)
NEW YORK CITY—Bowne Enterprise Solutions, a division of Bowne & Co., has launched the QuickPath online customer interface for digital printing, mailing and fulfillment needs. This system enables clients to submit materials (generic, customized or personalized) for digital production and specify the approval process, production method and delivery requirements. (www.bowne.com)
