DIGITAL digest

Kodak Revs Its Engine for Graph Expo

ROCHESTER, NY—With Graph Expo 2007 just around the corner, Eastman Kodak recently leveraged its sponsorship of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver to stage a memorable analyst and press briefing event. The company signed on as primary sponsor of the No. 12 Dodge Charger driven by Ryan Newman at three major races, including the Centurion Boats at The Glen race at Watkins Glen International in nearby Watkins Glen, NY, which the group attended.

The racing theme carried over to the next day, as Kodak announced it is filling the need for speed by introducing the Nexpress S3000 digital production color press at Graph Expo. This latest model produces 100 pages (A4 size) per minute and is scheduled to be available in October.

Eliminating the need for pit stops, the new Kodak Automatic Pallet Loader for the Magnus VLF platesetter was also set to make its debut in Chicago. The unit holds up to six pallets, each containing as many as 600 plates, for a maximum 3,600 plates loaded without manual handling.

In addition, the company scheduled a series of special events and activities at the show to kick off a celebration of the 40th anniversary of its continuous ink-jet (CIJ) technology. CIJ currently drives the Kodak Versamark D- and V-Series ink-jet printing product lines.

Among the other news highlights from the Rochester briefing was release of the “Extreme Marketing Success: The Story of Variable Data Printing” DVD, which was sponsored by Kodak. This educational DVD for marketers explores the components of a successful VDP program through a series of expert interviews and detailed analysis of real-world case studies from a variety of industries. Advertising Age magazine, Printing Impressions magazine, the U.S. Postal Service and Pitney Bowes collaborated with Kodak in the production of the DVD. It is being provided to MarketMover Network members.

Group Effort Produces New MIS Guide

NASHVILLE, TN—“MIS: A Guide for Managers” is a new how-to manual that explains connectivity from content creation through an automated production environment. It was produced in partnership by Network PDF (www.networkpdf.com), a team of experts working to connect IT and production across a global network using industry standards, and key industry associations, including CIP4, IDEAlliance and PIA/GATF.

Publication of the guide was also supported and sponsored by a number of industry companies, including Kodak, Avanti Systems, PrintVis by NovaVision, Enterprise Print Management Systems, HiFlex, Prism-USA Holdings and Olive Inc. It is intended to increase understanding of common terms and concepts used in print production and illustrate the bigger picture of the process.

Variable Data Conference Bulks Up

SEWICKLEY, PA—Responding to the need for relevance and targeting in its own communications, PIA/GATF has expanded the array of topics to be addressed at its Variable Data and Personalization Conference, set for November 4 to 6 in Phoenix. The conference will offer more than 30 sessions, covering workflow, pricing considerations, data management, collaborative selling, MIS, trigger marketing, sales compensation and selling to vertical markets.

The agenda has been reorganized into three special tracks:

• Printcentric: for firms relatively new to variable data;

• Cross Media: geared to more advanced practitioners; and

• Business: focusing on sales, marketing, and performance-related issues.

Kicking things off will be Steve Cone, with a keynote presentation based on his book—“Steal These Ideas: Marketing Secrets That Will Make You a Star.” Cone is executive vice president of strategic marketing services at Epsilon, a provider of multi-channel, data-driven marketing technologies and services.

Additional educational opportunities have been scheduled in advance of the conference. Two day-long programs—“The Anatomy of a Variable Data Campaign” and “Web- to-Print Symposium”—will be offered on November 4, and a hands-on “Web-to-Print Boot Camp” will be conducted November 2 to 3. More information is available at www.gain.net.

UV Ink-Jet on A Roll (to Roll)

HANOVER, MA—Will UV roll- to-roll ink-jet printers experience as much success as flatbed technology, or are these printers being pushed into the market because of vendor need rather than user demand? Research firm I.T. Strategies asked and answered that question in its latest market forecast.

It expects the installed base of UV roll-to-roll printers to grow from 199 printers in 2006 to 1,300 by 2011, a compound annual growth rate of 46 percent.

“UV roll-to-roll ink-jet printers could negatively impact the solvent market over the next five years, as users move some output from solvent printers to UV printers,” says Liz Ziepniewski Logue, senior consultant. “The biggest impact perhaps will be felt in the screen printing market.”

UV roll-to-roll printers offer a number of advantages over solvent ink-jet devices, I.T. Strategies asserts, including increased productivity, fewer environmental issues, versatility of substrates and white inks.

digital bytes

CHICAGO—The Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop) has set February 21 to 23, 2008, as the dates for its third annual conference. The meeting of HP Indigo press owners and their sales, marketing and production teams will be held at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina in San Diego. In conjunction with the meeting, Dscoop will be partnering with the nonprofit organization Corazón to build homes for two impoverished families. A delegation of conference attendees will travel to Tijuana, Mexico, on Sunday, February 25, to participate in Corazón’s “Build a House in a Day” program. Details of all activities will be available at www.dscoop.org.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL—BCT International is implementing a 100-percent digital PDF workflow using the Ghent Output Suite, a series of workflow tests developed by the Ghent PDF Workgroup (www.gwg.org). The company recently set a mandate to establish such a workflow throughout its more than 80 Business Cards Tomorrow locations across the U.S. and Canada.

GLEN ALLEN, VA—The e-paper display business will surpass $2 billion in annual revenues by 2012, then double to $4 billion in 2014, according to a new report from NanoMarkets (www.nanomarkets.net), an industry analyst firm. It expects the arrival of high-quality color e-paper technology, better encapsulation and the ability to print large e-paper displays to create new opportunities in smart shelves, point-of-purchase displays, cell phone displays and disposable electronics. The report—“E-Paper Markets: An Eight-Year Market and Technology Forecast”—provides a complete analysis of the commercial opportunities for e-paper.