Software - Web-to-print

QUEBEC, CANADA—April 4, 2008—Dynagram, the leader in innovative imposition technologies for the commercial print, digital print and prepress industries will show a totally new line-up of professional imposition tools based on PDF and JDF workflows. This includes the introduction of the inpO2® version 3.0 imposition software for Adobe® Acrobat® along with two new modules for imposition planning and ganging optimization through automatic layout calculation. In addition, Dynagram will be showing its DynaStrip® imposition software version 5.2 working within a JDF workflow with MIS and RIP partners in the CIP4 JDF Pavilion. inpO2 version 3.0 New to inpO2 version 3.0 imposition software for Adobe Acrobat,

HOUSTON—March 28th 2008—Objective Advantage (OA), the specialist print software developer, will present its latest version of Symbio V2.0, in a fully automated live web-to-finish production workflow at drupa 2008. Designed to enable optimum efficiency and scalability, Symbio is a suite of easy to use software management tools which seamlessly integrates and automates all aspects of print production and order management at the plant level. Symbio enables print jobs to enter via web submission, and pass seamlessly from one process to another, and through to delivery of the final product without any need for manual intervention. Version 2.0 of Symbio comprises a

SEWICKLY, PA—March 27, 2008—Immediately following this year’s Offset and Beyond Conference, the PIA/GATF Digital Printing (DPC) and E-Business (EBC) Councils will host a special half-day long event featuring five engaging sessions on a variety of digital and Internet-enabled printing topics. Printing executives are invited to attend this open, interactive forum for the digital printing community to learn about the latest trends and innovations in VDP, 1:1 marketing, Web-to-print, and digital sales strategies. The Go Beyond with Digital event will take place on Tuesday, April 29 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, Schaumburg, IL. The event

MORTSEL, BELGIUM—March 18, 2008 —Agfa Graphics announced today its line-up of new products and solutions that will be on display at the Agfa stand (Hall 8a – B63) during the international trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, 29 May-11 June. The announcement was made at Agfa’s pre-drupa press conference in Belgium where more than 85 graphic arts journalists from around the world gathered to hear about Agfa’s expanded product line for its four major market segments: commercial printing, packaging printing, newspaper industry, and sign & display market. Agfa’s new, innovative range of products and solutions to be shown at drupa include: :Azura TS, Agfa’s new

ROCHESTER, NY—Mar. 4—Kodak announced its intent to acquire Design2Launch (D2L), developer of a collaborative end to end digital workflow solution for marketing and creative teams in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, automotive, and consumer package marketplaces. D2L is a proven player in the rapidly expanding corporate solutions software market and is a pioneer of “Graphic Lifecycle Management.” The D2L System is a suite of integrated modules created to save time and money at every step of the graphics creation process, from project initiation, collaboration and revision to approval and production. D2L, a privately held company formed in 2000, is based in Stamford, Conn.

PRINT RUNS are getting shorter. Everyone in the industry now takes that as a given, but what does it mean? Is a short run in the hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands? The answer varies depending on the piece and the platform used to print it. One thing that is clear: A trend toward shorter runs at any level requires producing more jobs to achieve the same sales volume. Printers need to have highly efficient technology and processes in place to maximize their revenue and profits from this business. They must be able to get more jobs on and off a press per shift.

HUDSON, NH—February 28, 2008—Presstek, Inc., the leading manufacturer and marketer of digital offset printing business solutions, today announced an alliance with Press-sense, the world’s leading developer of Business Flow Automation for the Print Industry™. Under the agreement, Presstek will offer the Press-sense portfolio of Web-to-print and business management software as part of its on-going plan to surround its digital offset product portfolio with value-added business solutions. Presstek will offer both licensed software and hosted versions. Presstek will be demonstrating this workflow solution at The Graphics of the Americas trade show in Miami, FL from February 28 to March 1 (Booth #1090), and

WHAT DOES it take to be a cross-media company? Is it simply offering personalized URLs (pURLs) and e-mail messaging as an extension of variable data printing? By that definition, most digital printing operations would now qualify since those capabilities are all but standard. The real point of distinction is when variable data marketing campaigns are no longer standalone efforts, as they have tended to be, but are tightly integrated with a client’s overall marketing program. As users have become more experienced with the capability, they’re seeing opportunities in doing variable data campaigns (print, Web and e-mail) that build on mass media messaging via television,

IN THIS political season, it’s all about watching the front-runners. Front-runners have the buzz. They get the attention. They have the sense of inevitability. In the world of commercial printing applications, it could be argued that the role of front-runner has been taken by Web-to-print (W2P). Move over 1:1 printing—since personalization has become sufficiently entrenched, the excitement mantle has now transferred to the W2P up-and-comer. Not that W2P is new, but new in its current implementation. But W2P has its share of controversy. It has been suggested that W2P is not taking hold the way the buzz would suggest. In fact, it

JDF User Group Formed, Awards Program Expanded PITTSBURGH—To facilitate implementation of the Job Definition Format (JDF) in automated workflows, a new JDF User Group is being formed by Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) and the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4). Plans call for the group to meet three times a year in locations across the country, with the first meeting having already been scheduled to run here March 24 and 25. The group is to convene March 24 at PIA/GATF’s headquarters for a hands-on look at JDF implementations within the facility and a