Software - Web-to-print

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor For better or for worse, and maybe a little of both, self-service has become the model of business efficiency in the modern world. Vending machines aside, the trend first took hold at the gas pump, then led to ATMs popping up like weeds and now is spreading to the grocery store checkout line. Online interfaces to customers are the printing industry's latest take on the self-service trend. The basic concept is not new, but the way printers are now executing it differs from the wave of eProduction/eCommerce ASP ventures that enveloped the graphic arts during the dotcom bubble.

MORTSEL, BELGIUM--Agfa-Gevaert announced it has signed an agreement to divest Agfa Monotype Corp. to a Boston-based private equity investor, TA Associates. The transaction reportedly is valued at $169 million. The typography business now will operate under the name Monotype Imaging, Inc. It will continue to be headquartered in Wilmington, MA and currently mploys 144 people. For its part, Agfa says it is focusing on further strengthening its position in the prepress market and on building a new growth platform in industrial ink-jet printing. About TA Associates Founded in 1968, TA Associates has offices in Boston, Menlo Park, Pittsburgh and London.

by chris bauer Managing Editor If you still think of the bindery as a labor-intensive segment of the print shop where manual operations are the norm, then you obviously were not paying close enough attention at Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004. Exhibitors touting the next generation of finishing equipment proved that bindery gear is now just as automated and digitized as equipment in prepress departments and pressrooms. Muller Martini, for example, showed printers and finishing professionals how to make the most of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) in their binderies and pressrooms. Under the theme "Integration—Solutions from A to Z," the company introduced a

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Not to get philosophical, but if a word comes to mean everything, there's a danger of it ending up to mean nothing. The digital revolution was already on its way to making "workflow" a catch-all term in prepress, when the rise of CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing) extended its use to the entire print production process. As a result, an ever wider array of products now can be called digital workflow solutions. For the purposes of this article, the definition is being limited to the evolution of what used to be called prepress systems. Vendors have responded to this trend with

I dropped my fork and asked David Motheral to repeat what he had just said. Some at the table stared while others continued eating as if they hadn't heard. However, as David began to talk all eyes were riveted on him and the food quickly became incidental. It was lunchtime, August 30th, at the 2004 PIA/GATF Digital Workflow Conference in Pittsburgh. I was there as both a speaker and a roundtable discussion moderator. My talk, scheduled for the afternoon, was "Digital Workflows: Does It Matter How or Where I Print It?" The topic covered how digital workflows increasingly need to be versatile since, in

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is to return on investment (ROI) what exercise is to weight loss. In the latter scenario, the early stages of a new workout program can be quite transforming. It only takes a couple of days at the gym to notice a difference in the way you feel—the air seems fresher, the body feels invigorated and experiences more energy in the beginning and the end of the day. Even after just one week of intense weight lifting and cardiovascular training, one's body can feel like a million bucks. But after one week, don't step on a scale.

To thine own self be true and thou cannot be false to any other printer. A little twist on Shakespeare to remind me that if I am going to write a column, it should be as truthful as possible, particularly in the case of critical issues where all sides should be presented. In the past, I have written much about JDF (Job Definition Format) and the enormous impact I believe it will have on our industry. Am I caught up in all the hype? My passion is evident, thus I am being true to my own self, so Shakespeare can rest easy. But

Agfa Leaves PrintCity; Group Promises 'Business as Usual' MORTSEL, BELGIUM—Agfa announced it is leaving the PrintCity consortium. The company reports it has decided to take a new approach for demonstrating the benefits of connectivity to its customers because the group's charter objectives were fully met at Drupa 2004. "We will demonstrate connectivity in our day-to-day business, not just in a consortium or at a trade show," explains Jan Van Daele, Agfa's vice president of imaging solutions. "Open standards have become a given and we will continue to invest our efforts and resources in innovations, connectivity and profitability for our customers," adds Marc

Adobe Creative Suite and Version Cue—they're the newest mountain in a molehill. Have they even crossed your radar screen yet? You may have heard the Reader's Digest version. Instead of releasing individual versions of their hit software, like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, Adobe has chosen to unify their major products under the CS (Creative Suite) name, and release all individual upgrades simultaneously from now on (including Adobe InDesign and Adobe GoLive). Wow! It's the kind of news guaranteed to excite Adobe employees and put the rest of us to sleep. But buried within that announcement is something far more important: Version Cue. As Shakespeare

By Erik Cagle Senior Editor What makes Jeff Gordon such a great driver on NASCAR's top stock car driving circuit? Sure, when he drives into Victory Lane, Gordon is deemed the race's fastest driver. But speed alone is hardly the reason Gordon gets to spray his pit crew with champagne. It is a confluence of variables that enable him to emerge victorious, namely the makeup of his car. Luck and patience play a role, as does tactical positioning on the track, but even the slightest flaw in the No. 24 car's mechanical composition can mean the difference between success and a short day at the track. Similarly,