Xerox Corp.

DC Area Printer Elects a Winner UPPER MARLBORO, MD—In close proximity to the nation’s capital, family owned District Creative Printing provides services to groups that cater to the federal government, one of which is trade associations. Already operating a fleet of five MAN Roland presses, District Creative Printing recently installed a new five-color Roland 700 HiPrint press with in-line coater, making it the first shop in the Mid-Atlantic with the recently launched midsize model. New Press Keeps Shop In Vogue WAUKEGAN, IL—The difference is “like night and day,” says Pete DePerte, vice president and co-owner of Vogue Printers, comparing the difference between

Kodak Fills Its Plate in China XIAMEN, CHINA—More than 300 people, including Eastman Kodak executives, customers, distributors, industry leaders and government representatives, recently gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Kodak’s newest printing plate manufacturing facility, located here. The plant, a $50 million investment, will produce both digital and conventional printing plates. Along with the new manufacturing facility, Kodak is creating a dedicated China Technical Applications Group (TAG) to provide technical support to customers in the Asia Pacific region. Branding Rises at VDP Conference PHOENIX—“Everyone is still learning,” is how one panelist summarized the state of the market at the recent PIA/GATF

LAST MONTH, I suggested taking a look at 3D to see what it could add to your business and the quality of your customer experience. Since then, I had the opportunity to speak with Brian Regan, president of staffing firm Semper International LLC, who added a new dimension to the 3D discussion for me. . .Virtual Worlds. I admit it. I had no idea what he was talking about when we started the discussion. But, by the time we were through, I was beginning to see a vision of a future that could be extremely important to our industry. First, what are Virtual Worlds? You may

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA—11/12/07—Several international companies sensitive to the issues of sustainability have stepped up to do something about it. Kodak, Mohawk Papers, Quebecor World, and Xerox are initial sponsors of the upcoming sustainability conference at Cal Poly, titled “The Business of Green Media.” The conference, set for Jan. 24, will bring together leaders in the production of sustainable media. Sessions will focus on the business challenges and opportunities that face the graphic arts community and those involved in media production. This includes printers, publishers, packaging companies, advertising agencies, graphic designers, Web and Internet site developers, and equipment manufacturers and supply vendors, and educators. A reception

VDP ‘Masters’ Mentor on Tricks Of Printing Trade PHILADELPHIA—To help educate its clients (and prospective customers) with the latest trends in printing and variable data printing (VDP), Innovation Printing & Communications hosted a full day of seminars—billed as “The Masters of Printing and Variable Data”—in its new 67,000-square-foot facility on September 27. Innovation also invited representatives from Heidelberg, Adobe, Xerox, RIS Paper (Domtar Distribution Group), Clemson University and 23K Studios Inc. to participate in the event. Innovation’s energetic staff gave tours of the new facility during the course of the day, while several leading experts discussed various topics, including: the benefits of VDP and

FLYING CARS and colonies in space were once seriously predicted to be a reality by now. Closer to home, though, experts also said that Adobe Photoshop and the Mac would never be acceptable for professional graphic arts applications. Any attempt to predict the course of technological development amounts to an educated guess at best. Even once a prototype has been developed, the scale-up to volume production can be problematic. Often, it is an unexpected development that leads to success. Printed electronics, security printing and lenticular are three technological developments that may hold opportunities for commercial printers. Each is still a work in process to

Merrill Corp. Staying Private NEW YORK—It looks like financial printing specialist Merrill Corp. isn’t going public again after all. At least not in the foreseeable future. Merrill withdrew its Initial Public Offering (IPO) registration statement, reported the Associated Press. Citing Merrill’s Securities and Exchange Commission filing, it said the printer’s change of heart was due to “adverse market conditions.” Tapella Named Public Printer WASHINGTON, DC—Robert Tapella has been confirmed as the nation’s 25th Public Printer by President Bush. Tapella will oversee more than 2,200 employees at the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). Tapella has been instrumental in the GPO’s transformation into a profitable digital printing operation

STAMFORD, CT—Xerox and the U.S. Navy have agreed to terms of a five-year, $93 million contract that sees Xerox provide document support for the Navy’s fleet of 283 ships. As part of the deal, Xerox will provide installation, custom mounting, training, supplies and dedicated service worldwide for nearly 3,000 multifunction and production devices, as well as printer software. A Xerox employee—a “shipboard rider”—travels on all ship missions to ensure equipment runs properly for the 23 aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships that have onboard print shops. The Xerox Deployable Support Group, comprised of 51 Xerox personnel, will serve 260 surface ships and submarines docked

SOUTHBOROUGH, MA—Oct. 4, 2007—Printing Industries of New England, the region’s largest trade association for printing and graphic communications companies, will host its annual Industry Awards Gala Thursday, Nov. 1 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel in Framingham, Mass. The Industry Awards Gala has grown to become the preeminent evening for leaders in New England’s $12 billion print marketplace to gather to recognize achievements over the past year. PINE’s Influencer Award, given to an individual who has positively affected the graphic communications industry, will be presented to Randy Davidson, president and founder of WhatTheyThink.com. The popular web site has emerged as a leading source of unbiased information for

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