So it's important to do due diligence on any vendor you work with. Check with existing customers. If it's a public company, check its stock ratings to see how viable they are. This was recently brought to the fore when we heard that Press-sense was having financial problems. Press-sense's Web storefront iWay has more than 1,500 users and is integrated into OEM solutions from Xerox, HP and Océ, so these problems could have a ripple effect through the industry. Fortunately, Bitstream, the company that offers PageFlex, bought the assets of Press-sense and plans to incorporate the product with its own.
Julie Shaffer is Vice President, Digital Technologies at Printing Industries of America. She heads up the Digital Printing Council (DPC), as well as the Center for Digital Printing Excellence at Printing Industries headquarters in Sewickley, PA. In her position, Julie plays a lead role in developing programs and tools to help members grow their businesses with digital technologies.
Known for her graphic production expertise, Julie has a 20-plus year background in pre-media and print. She is often called upon for training, presentations and to provide on-site consulting throughout the industry on diverse range of topics, including PDF, color management, digital printing, social media and Web-to-print implementation. Julie is co-author of several books, including "The PDF Print Production Guide" (1st, 2nd and 3rd edition), the "Web-to-Print Primer" and the forthcoming "Field Guide to Social Media."