DIGITAL digest

PODi Forum To Explore Success Variables

ANAHEIM, CA—Strategies for success in variable data marketing and case studies of companies that have put them into practice will be featured at the 2007 Application Forum organized by PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative. The event, scheduled to be held February 12-14 at the Hilton Anaheim, will feature several head-liners.

With an analysis of the state of the industry as a lead-in, PODi President Rab Govil will explore key differences between a solution and a product. Attendees will learn how to choose which variable data marketing solution to offer and how to build it, along with gaining insights into the risks, best practices and challenges in this business arena.

Mike Panaggio, CEO of DME, founded the direct marketing company in 1982 and has grown it into one of the industry’s premier service providers, with annual revenues approaching $100 million. Panaggio will be the featured interviewee in a general session—titled “A Fresh Point of View: Conversation with an Innovator”—moderated by Barb Pellow, a prominent industry figure in her own right.

Tyler Jeffrey, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, will share how World’s Finest Chocolate has achieved strong results through personalization. The company’s custom-labeled chocolates are used for not-for-profit fundraising and given as personal or corporate gifts. Increasingly, candy labels are not just customized for the giver, but also personalized for the ultimate recipient.

Jeffrey will also discuss the use of personalization in the chocolate maker’s own marketing efforts, including direct mail, catalogs, e-mail and landing pages, as well as the crucial role played by Award/Vision, its Chicago-based print provider.

The agenda of the three-day forum is intended to offer a balance of the latest technology information and real world results, along with networking opportunities. Attendees can also explore vendor exhibits in a low-key, educational atmosphere.

To register or for more information, visit www.podi.org.

Get Schooled In PDF

GHENT, BELGIUM—Why and how to use Ghent PDF Workgroup (GWG) specifications will be covered in several sessions of the PDF University to be hosted by Xplor International during the upcoming Graphics of the Americas conference and trade show. The event is scheduled to take place from February 28–March 3 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

PDF University will offer 50-minute classes headed by industry experts from North America and Europe. The keynote tutorial—“Reliable PDF Print Publishing Workflows”—will be presented by GWG member representative Dov Isaacs, principal scientist at Adobe Systems. Topics of some of the other sessions include “PDF/X—the Standard for Prepress Files,” “Color in PDF” and “PDF Output Tests.”

For more information, visit www.pdf-university.org.

Dscoop Expands Benefits, Seats New Board of Directors

CHICAGO—The Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop) has launched a new Web-to-print solution offered exclusively to members of the user-driven community of HP Indigo press owners and their sales, marketing and production teams. Created by Saepio Technologies, the system enables members to customize templates with their company logos and contact information.

Overseeing the continued development of this group and its offerings is a new slate of officers and board of directors for the 2006-2007 term. Serving as Dscoop chairman for a second year is Jack Glacken, Today’s Graphics (Philadelphia). Supporting Glacken are Chairman-elect Todd Kalagher, Finlay (Bloomfield, CT); Vice President of Finance Larry Vaughn, Ideal Printers (Houston); and Treasurer Art Manzo, Global Soft Digital Solutions (Mahwah, NJ).

Board members include Christopher Wells, Lavigne Inc. (Worchester, MA); Terie Syme, Prestige Label (Burgaw, NC); Doyle Mortimer, Alexander’s Print Advantage (Lindon, UT); Eric Hawkinson, SmithBucklin (Chicago); David Leshem, Hewlett-Packard (Rehovit, Israel); and Francis McMahon, Hewlett-Packard (Boise, ID).

Dscoop has scheduled its 2007 annual conference to run February 1-3 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, FL.

For more information, visit www.dscoop.org.

digital bytes

MAITLAND, FL—Abbott Printing has purchased a Kodak NexPress 2500 digital production press with a fifth imaging unit and NexGlosser glossing unit.

MCFARLAND, WI—Brandboxx has installed a Spyder 320+ (white) wide-format, flatbed ink-jet printer from Inca Digital, which it purchased from Fujifilm Sericol. After specializing in prepress services for 15 years, the 20-employee company switched to being a dedicated large-format printing provider.

PALO ALTO, CA—HP announced that Amazon.com has elected to install multiple HP Indigo press 5000 machines to provide digital color printing for the online retailer’s expanding books-on-demand business. These color presses will operate in conjunction with existing black-and-white digital printing capabilities at several Amazon fulfillment centers, producing one-off to short-run color books and color covers for black-and-white book blocks.

ROCHESTER, NY—Eastman Kodak worked in concert with renowned photographer Neal Preston to promote his exhibition of photos of great rock-and-roll performers on display at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Hollywood, CA. They collaborated on the design and production of a 116 page, soft-cover catalog and commemorative book for the show, which was printed using a Nexpress 2500 digital color press. All profits from the exhibition’s opening night print sales benefited a new recovery program for wounded U.S. military personnel.

PALO ALTO, CA—In support of its “Capture Business Success” program, HP has kicked off a national, 12-city traveling seminar tour. Each one-day stop will feature discussions of how digital technologies are generating more sales and greater rates of return for printers and their customers. Remaining tour dates and locations can be found at www.hp.com/go/ digitaltour.

ANN ARBOR, MI—Under a recently signed agreement, Xitron will incorporate a custom LED print engine from Oki Data Americas into its Prism digital color press. This single-pass color technology supports 36 ppm printing using individually replaceable toner cartridges and imaging drums.