Hewlett-Packard

ROCHESTER, NY—January 29, 2008—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, announced the 2008 winners of the annual PODi Best Practices Awards on January 29th at the AppForum digital print conference in Las Vegas. These highly anticipated awards recognize outstanding examples of digital print and variable data strategies. “Every year, the awards process gets more competitive as marketers and service providers become more proficient, creative and successful with digital print and personalization. The variety of the winning campaigns reflects new directions and opportunities for our market,” said Rab Govil, President of PODi. “It’s no surprise that the Best Practices awards presentations are a highlight of the AppForum.

ROCHESTER, NY—January 28, 2008—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, today announced the release of the second PPML Interoperability Report. PPML (the Personalized Print Markup Language) facilitates creating personalized high-volume print campaigns by service providers, enabling meaningful one-to-one “conversations” for their customers. This new report provides detailed results of interoperability testing across the products of ten leading printing device vendors using PODi’s PPML Consumer Test Suite. The report provides the marketplace with a valuable resource for developing and implementing PPML-based workflows that will perform reliably across multiple brands of printing devices. Test results demonstrate the high level of interest and cooperation among vendors in pursuit

PALO ALTO, CA—Hewlett-Packard (HP) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Exstream Software, which provides enterprise software that streamlines the creation and delivery of personalized documents and other communications materials.Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Exstream, a portfolio company of American Capital Strategies, will be integrated into the Web Services and Software business unit…

NEW YORK—January 22, 2008—In the face of otherwise daunting marketplace challenges—including a substantial postage rate increase, higher raw materials costs and heightened competition from low-cost interactive media—U.S. direct mail spending continued to grow in 2007, climbing 5 percent from 2006 to total $58.4 billion in aggregate investment, according to a white paper released today by Winterberry Group, a leading strategic consulting firm serving the marketing industry. The white paper, entitled Vertical Market Trends in Direct Mail 2008, is the New York-based consulting firm’s fourth annual study of the direct mail sector, inclusive of both mailers and the production service providers who support their campaigns.

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—01/22/08—Four months before the start of drupa 2008, print media trade fair, the exhibitor registration reflects the international market situation and industry developments. Consequently, the leading technology producing nations will be the most strongly represented countries at drupa 2008: Germany (745,100 sq. ft.), Italy (148,200 sq. ft.), the U.S. (142,600 sq. ft.), Switzerland (130,500 sq. ft.), Netherlands (99,100 sq. ft.), Japan (89,200 sq. ft.), the UK (80,000 sq. ft.), Belgium (70,800 sq. ft.) and Spain (68,600 sq. ft.). Exhibit space booked by emerging industrial countries such as China and India has increased considerably: by 300% for China (84,700 sq. ft.) and 60% for

HP Makes Deal for NUR PALO ALTO, CA—Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to buy Israel-based NUR Macroprinters, which produces wide-format digital ink-jet printers, for $117.5 million. The deal, pending regulatory approval, will expand HP’s graphic arts portfolio of digital presses and wide-format printers. HP also acquired MacDermid ColorSpan last year. Domtar Reduces Capacity MONTREAL—Domtar will close its Port Edwards, WI, mill and reorganize production at its Dryden, Ontario, facility. The Port Edwards move, which is expected to take place in the second quarter of this year, will cost 500 employees their jobs. At Dryden, one paper machine and two sheeters will be closed, impacting

PALO ALTO, CA—Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to buy Israel-based NUR Macroprinters, which produces wide-format digital ink-jet printers, for $117.5 million. The deal, which is pending regulatory approval, will expand HP’s graphic arts portfolio of digital presses and wide-format printers. HP also acquired MacDermid ColorSpan in September.

ROCHESTER, NY—October 3, 2007—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, will bring a distinguished slate of keynote speakers to the 2008 PODi Application Forum. The next annual digital print event is January 28-30 in Las Vegas. Two keynote speakers have been confirmed in addition to Rab Govil, PODi president, who will provide insights into the digital print marketplace. Rounding out the slate are Rick Smith, CEO of TASER International, and Joel Cartun, Founder and former Chairman of Vestcom. The gentlemen will speak January 30 in two general sessions. “Attendees will be pleased with the depth of knowledge and experience of these two speakers. Their stories will tell

SUSTAINABILITY was the focus everywhere at Graph Expo last month. It was the one common theme that permeated throughout the largest national graphic communications trade show. For the first time, myriad companies expressed that sustain­ability issues are one of their top goals. As just one example, Yoshiharu Komori, president and CEO of Komori Corp., opened the Komori press conference by saying that “it is our responsibility and duty to embark on solutions for the environment.” Komori says one of his company’s main goals is to become a model for the environment in the industry. Companies that have a long history of commitment to environmentally sound

CHICAGO—The Paramus, NJ-based NAPL honored 12 printing industry leaders with induction into the Soderstrom Society during a pre-Graph Expo gala held September 8 at the Art Institute of Chicago. The event also celebrated NAPL’s 75th anniversary. The 2007 inductees are: Dale Aigner, owner, Bentley Printing & Graphics, Garden Grove, CA; Robert Carew, retiring president, Action Printing, Fond du Lac, WI; Craig Dellinger, general manager/partner, New Haven Print & Copy, Fort Wayne, IN; Bill Gavigan, executive vice president/CFO, PDQ Print Center, Scranton, PA; Steve Hayes, president/CEO, Omaha Printing, Omaha, NE; Kevin Joyce, managing director, Kodak, Norwalk, CT; Keith Kemp, president, Xerographic Digital Printing, Orlando, FL; Francis