Xerox Corp.

At CIP4, Good Things Come In Threes RESTON, VA—CIP4 (The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress) has gotten off to a fast start in the new year, with a deal to expand its scope, further testing and take on a new initiative. The organization entered into an agreement with NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies that transfers the PrintTalk specification and schema to CIP4 for its long-term maintenance and distribution. PrintTalk is the specification for exchange of business data between print providers and their customers. It defines a "best practice" common and

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor It’s been more than a decade since the first high-volume, modern digital color printing systems were introduced. Heidelberg and Presstek teamed up to launch the digital offset (GTO DI, in this case) product category in 1991. A few years later, the Indigo EPrint and Agfa/Xeikon Chromapress ushered in the era of the all-digital production color printing systems. In the future, though, 2004 may be looked back upon as a key transition period in the maturation of digital printing as a business segment—both on the vendor and user side. No fundamentally new technologies were unveiled, but all the vendors

Kodak Takes Industry By Storm With Deals It wasn't a big surprise when Eastman Kodak bought out Heidelberg's 50 percent stake in their Rochester, NY-based NexPress Solutions joint venture in May of last year, or even when Kodak acquired Dayton, OH-based Scitex Digital four months earlier. But two back-to-back announcements last month that it has purchased Sun Chemical's half interest in its Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG) joint venture and plans to acquire Creo Inc. outright certainly have many industry pundits and Wall Street analysts taking notice. Combined, the KPG and Creo acquisitions by Eastman Kodak will total almost $1.8 billion. Kodak's Graphic Communications Group (GCG) has

American Loose Leaf has appointed Cindy Stevenson as the new production manager for its St. Louis facility. Stevenson has more than 30 years of experience in the ring binder industry and has been with American Loose Leaf for 20 years. John MacKay has acquired all outstanding shares of Feuiltault Machinery from its founder, Martin Feuiltault. Mr. Feuiltault will remain with the company as a member of the company's technological orientation committee. MacKay will assume the position of president. International Paper's 2005 Best on Press Awards will feature $14,000 in prizes to 21 winners. Work printed on IP brands during the 2004 calendar year is eligible for

The Research & Engineering Council of the National Association for Printing Leadership has named Scott Repa, pressroom operations manager at Brown Printing, East Greenville, PA, its third Pressroom Operations Manager of the Year. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, has appointed Kevin Cooper, former executive with RR Donnelley, as an assistant professor in the Graphic Communication Department. Cooper comes to Cal Poly with more than 20 years of executive-level experience in the graphic communication industry. His teaching assignments will include strategic management, human resources, supervision and web printing technologies. Also, Michael Cunningham, founder and former CEO and president of Cunningham Graphic International has joined Cal

arizona PHOENIX—Harte Bindery & Mailing recently added a TD 66 Stahlfolder with continuous feed and a Stahl digital folder. The new postpress systems are being used to finish brochures and other general commercial materials. Since the installation, capacity at Harte Bindery has doubled. california IRVINE—Mini-Mailers has changed its name to MMi. It has also launched its Digital Color Direct Mail department. Using Web-to-print technology, MMi will offer integrated services from design to mailing in one process. MMi began as a one-man operation in 1986. It now employs 150 at two locations. LOS ANGELES—Cenveo Anderson Lithograph has purchased a six-unit Mitsubishi Diamond 16 MAX commercial

Future of Print Extends Beyond PI 400 Printers Although this special issue features our annual ranking of the 400 largest printing companies in the United States and Canada based on annual sales, the future of print itself is a topic that's just as important to the quick printer located in Anytown USA as it is to the establishments that made the Printing Impressions 400 list. Printers of all sizes must unite to support various initiatives that help promote our industry. One still-emerging effort is The Print Council, a business development initiative dedicated to promoting the greater use of print media through education, awareness, market

Digital Press Scorecard Xerox Corp. iGen3 digital production press Joseph Merritt & Co., Hartford, CT Gordon Bernard Co., Cincinnati Lancaster Ultra-Graphics, Landisville, PA PrintManagement, Cincinnati Xerographic Digital Printing, Orlando McKay Press, Midland, MI Rapid Solutions Group, Melville, NY HP Indigo HP Indigo 3050 digital printing press Tukaiz LLC, Franklin Park, IL Kodak Versamark VX5000 ink-jet, color printing system Transcontinental CC3, Warminster, PA NexPress Solutions NexPress 2100 digital color press MGF/Consortium Inc., Edison, NJ Océ VarioStream 7000 printing system Offset Paperback Manufacturers, Dallas, PA VarioStream 7650 digital printing system Action Mailers, Aston, PA VarioStream 7650 Twin MICR digital

Signing Highlights Graphic Communications Day NEW YORK CITY—One highlight of Graphic Communications Day (GCD), held recently at Madison Square Garden, was a signing ceremony between the Association of Graphic Communications (AGC) and Fairleigh Dickinson University launching an Executive MBA in Graphic Communications degree program. arizona PHOENIX—O'Neil Printing, a 96-year-old company, is now running an eight-color Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 long perfector with aqueous coater. The 40˝ Speedmaster perfector—reportedly the only press of its kind in the Phoenix market—allows for four-over-four color printing in a single pass. CALIFORNIA CHATSWORTH—S2K Graphics has celebrated its 15th anniversary. Formerly known as Signs 2000, S2K Graphics

BY MARK SMITH Technology Editor Scientists have challenged its veracity, but the "boiling frog" legend endures. Here's a short version: Drop a frog into a pot of boiling water and it will immediately jump up. Place a frog into a pot of temperate water, then slowly turn up the heat, and it will stay in the pot until it is overcome. Admittedly, the dire consequences of this cautionary tale are overblown when it's applied to the current status of digital printing. Nonetheless, it does give one a visceral sense for how the slow pace of a change can mask its magnitude over time