EFI, Jetrion Industrial Inkjet Systems

WASHINGTON, DC—10/06/08—The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization and Graphic Arts Show Corporation (GASC) today announced details for the JDF Works Print Shop Live! program at GRAPH EXPO 2008. The JDF Works Print Shop Live! is designed to show attendees exactly what can be accomplished using today’s print production automation technologies. At this new feature, show goers will follow a live digital print job through production at three different locations on the show floor from online job creation and customization, through order management, scheduling, prepress and imposition, to printing and finishing of the final printed

As director of the Bureau of Publications for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services, Audrey Marrocco is both a devoted public servant and a dynamic publishing master. In her 22-year tenure with the Keystone State, Marrocco developed one of the government’s first Intranet sites, as well as its first Web-to-print application. She is currently seeking to centralize the majority of its printing and publishing services within a newly upgraded in-plant. Marrocco grew up near Harrisburg, the state capital. After high school, with no opportunity to attend college, she began her career in 1986 as an entry-level clerk typist for the Commonwealth. She

As the Olympics wrap up in Beijing, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG) is preparing to power down the on-site production center (a.k.a. in-plant) it has operated throughout the event. The Official Imaging Sponsor of the Olympic Games, Kodak’s GCG operated a NexPress S2500 Digital Production Color Press with a fifth imaging unit to print photobooks, postcards, newsletters and poster-sized photo prints of key images from the games for display purposes. The NexPress also produced a Kodak Olympic Picture of the Day poster. Kodak Unified Workflow Solutions enabled variable data and static jobs to move seamlessly through the production center. Kodak technology also helped

ROCHESTER, NY—August 19, 2008—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, announced today that a stellar group of industry leaders has been confirmed to chair track sessions at its seventh annual AppForum, January 19 - 21, 2009 in Las Vegas at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. • Laurie Beasley, President of the DMA of Northern California, will chair the new Direct Marketing Track. Laurie runs Beasley Direct Marketing and has managed hundreds of successful direct mail and online campaigns. She’s been honored with Echo, Summit, Marcom, Pyramid and Caples awards. • Joe Metzger, President of Metzgers Printing + Mailing will be leading the Web-to-Print Track.

DIGITAL PRINTING technology had its strongest showing yet at Drupa 2008, the world’s largest graphic arts trade show. The two-week event, which took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, last month, lived up to its billing as “The Ink-jet Drupa,” with “green printing” being the only challenger as a show theme, since virtually every exhibitor touched on it. About 391,000 visitors prowled the 19 halls of Drupa this year, (see sidebar about in-plants that attended), checking out the 1,971 exhibitors from 52 countries. Most of the attention, though, centered on the new digital printing devices, particularly those in the ink-jet category—though with prices ranging from $1

You probably don’t need to be convinced that it is important to offer your customers a way to do business with you using the Internet. After all, print e-commerce, commonly referred to as Web-to-print, has been on the scene for more than a decade. Although the dot-com bust of 2001 put mass adoption on hiatus until the past couple of years, today it is not only an accepted way to do business, but an expected one. Web-to-print solutions address, among other things, consumers’ desire for self-service options. Do people really want to serve themselves? Yes—and more so every year. According to the third annual

ROCHESTER, NY—April 30, 2008— PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, announces it is accepting speaker submissions for the 2009 PODi AppForum. The annual event is January 19-21 in Las Vegas at The Rio Casino and Resort. Each year, hundreds of print service providers, marketing practitioners and other professionals attend the AppForum to take advantage of its unique educational and networking opportunities. All selected presenters receive one free registration to the 2009 PODi AppForum, so they can also take advantage of the educational sessions. “A major attraction of the AppForum is the user-focused nature of the sessions. Our attendees count on learning new ideas and innovative

ROCHESTER, NY—April 4, 2008—PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, announces the publication of the 2008 Digital Print Case Studies collection along with a new and improved online database. Forty-five new digital print success stories are being added to the database, bringing the total to well over 300. The new database gives users expanded search features which allow them to quickly and easily explore the collection and find exactly what they are looking for. The PODi database, www.podi.org/casestudy, contains successful case studies from around the world, covering over 12 market segments and dozens of different marketing communications applications. They demonstrate, with real world stories and results,

SEWICKLY, PA—March 27, 2008—Immediately following this year’s Offset and Beyond Conference, the PIA/GATF Digital Printing (DPC) and E-Business (EBC) Councils will host a special half-day long event featuring five engaging sessions on a variety of digital and Internet-enabled printing topics. Printing executives are invited to attend this open, interactive forum for the digital printing community to learn about the latest trends and innovations in VDP, 1:1 marketing, Web-to-print, and digital sales strategies. The Go Beyond with Digital event will take place on Tuesday, April 29 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, Schaumburg, IL. The event

AS ALTERNATIVE media threaten print volumes, in-plants must take another look at their business models and adapt to the changing business climate. Revenue growth will depend on cost reduction through new workflow efficiencies, as well as new revenue sources from value-added services. Although hardware improvements will certainly play a role in advancing these objectives, the software driving these devices—along with other workflow solutions—will allow printers to differentiate themselves. Research indicates a growing divide between service providers that are growing their businesses and those that see their businesses in decline. Those who “get it” understand that continued growth depends on a three-pronged approach: