Pageflex

THIS SPECIAL editorial section was produced to tie in with the upcoming sixth annual PIA/GATF Variable Data and Personalization Conference, to be held November 3 to 6 in Phoenix. The event will feature two dozen sessions to help companies leverage variable data for success. Attendees will hear riveting case studies and participate in sessions selected directly by prospective attendees during online voting earlier this year. As one attendee said last year, “This is the type of conference that puts all the variables of variable printing into one comprehensive program. I learned more at this conference than I ever expected.” Sessions for decision makers include

Here’s an exclusive, PRE-SHOW PREVIEW showcasing new products submitted by many of the exhibitors that will be displaying their wares next month in Chicago. Colter & Peterson will showcase the BASA 3, which features an automatic jogging system that can automatically form layers of printed sheets, align them accurately and transport them to the subsequent cutting process. The BASA 3 is appropriate for paper from 16-lb. bond to 125-lb. tag, and is effective when combined with a modern, rear-table-feeding system. Existing gripper transport systems can be retrofitted. Visit www.piworld.com/infocenter: enter #377 MBO America will introduce the Super KTZ, featuring a knife-folding unit that

When in Rome. . .Do as the Printers ROME—There’s been a marked increase in the number of vendor-specific industry events—mini trade shows, open houses and road shows—held in recent years. They provide stages (some even international) for new product introductions and briefings on how these companies see the state of affairs. HP recently brought hundreds of customers, press people and analysts from around the world to Rome during the run of its 2007 Graphic Arts Summit. Highlights included the introduction of two new seven-color HP Indigo press models (5500 and 3500), a near-line UV coater and a large-format printer targeted to print service providers

Viewing On Demand BOSTON—Changing locations continues to be part of the story from the On Demand Conference & Expo, which last month completed its 2007 run at the (nearly) new Boston Convention & Exposition Center (opened in 2004). The event first moved from its long-standing home in New York City to Philadelphia for a two-year stint and now on to Boston through 2008. Close to 200 exhibitors had booths in the On Demand portion of the show floor, which the event continues to share with the AIIM Expo. New, or at least now commercialized, color printing systems added up to the largest category

MAN Roland Hosts Printers for Press Premier OFFENBACH, GERMANY—The world premier of a “next generation” sheetfed printing platform isn’t an everyday occurrence, so MAN Roland extended its recent festivities to more than a week to allow for bringing in several groups of select printers, journalists and its own employees from around the globe. The stars of the show were HiPrint and DirectDrive versions of the new Roland 700 sheetfed printing platform. To make the most of the trip, the contingent from North America was additionally treated to tours of a local DirectDrive beta site, MAN Roland’s foundry and its manufacturing/assembly facilities for sheetfed presses.

BOSTON—April 17, 2007 -- At an awards ceremony this afternoon, Questex Media Group, Inc. announced the winners of the On Demand Best of Show Award program. InfoTrends, a leading market research and consulting firm in the digital imaging and document solutions industry, partnered with the On Demand Conference & Exposition to produce the awards program. The On Demand Conference & Exposition is taking place this week at the Boston Convention & Exposition Center. The On Demand Best of Show Awards were judged in eight categories. One Best of Show award was presented in each of the following categories: Bindery, Finishing and Mailing

HP Indigo Press Users Get the Scoop TAMPA, FL—There were no signs of the terrible twos or growing pains at the 2007 Dscoop Annual Conference, just the second users meeting for this group of HP Indigo press owners. Total registration was nearly double that of the inaugural event last year. A greater focus on the packaging and label printing market segments contributed to a spike in attendance to around 750 people. The keynote address by NFL Hall of Fame Coach Marv Levy kicked off the conference sessions. Levy used anecdotes from his coaching days to relate his philosophies on people management and motivation. Following

ROCHESTER , NY—February 13, 2007—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, announces that Pageflex, a division of Bitstream Inc., is the first to successfully complete PPML Producer Certification, validating their ability to generate high-quality interoperable PPML files. PPML is the interoperability standard for variable data print production. Certification provides a means for PPML producers to confirm output from their products is compatible with PPML consumer devices, which are also tested. It boosts PPML effectiveness by ensuring workflow interoperability. “For PPML to work smoothly, producers and consumers must focus on the right way to implement it. Certification was developed as a methodology to ensure companies’ products comply with the

THE FIFTH annual PIA/GATF Variable Data and Personalization Conference, held November 12-14 in Phoenix, will feature more than two days of sessions to help companies advance their capabilities. This special supplement has been designed to highlight some of the key conference topics and speakers. Attendees will hear case studies from the Canadian Conservative Party and Move.com that provide a behind-the-scenes look at effective uses of VDP. Three separate tracks, a total of 21 sessions, are being offered. Management sessions will include: Building an Efficient Cost/Financial Model; Liability/Security Issues; Managing a Multimedia Company; Transitioning from Transactional to Marketing; as well as Profiting from Digital

IT USED to be that, when a printer had a “Web-facing customer interface,” it was primarily offering file upload and transfer. Maybe online estimating, ordering and job tracking. Perhaps some digital asset management but, beyond the basic interface, there was little going on behind the scenes. Affordable, off-the-shelf tools were simply too limited. The flexible, robust solutions—not to mention customer-specific solutions—necessary for developing the kinds of Web-to-print applications we know today were reserved for larger print shops that could afford custom builds. Over the past several years, however, the playing field has changed dramatically. Software providers have developed Web-to-print solutions offering a wide