Digital Printing-Toner - Cut Sheet (Color)

The PIA/GATF Variable Data and Personalization Conference is slated for November 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phoenix. The conference will feature three educational tracks: management, technical, and sales and marketing. Among the conference topics: profiting with digital printing, assessing customer needs, re-engineering database files, and liability/security issues. A Web-to-print symposium will be held in conjunction with the VDP Conference on November 12. Visit www.gain.net for more information or to register.

Is the word “copier” obsolete? After all, today’s multifunction products (MFPs) do so much more than just copy off the glass. And since most jobs arrive as digital files, isn’t “printer” a better word? Why, then, do people keep calling them “copiers?” “The term ‘copier’ is becoming a bit outdated,” agrees Paul Albano of Canon USA. But stopping users from uttering the “c” word may prove a bit difficult, he acknowledges. “These devices began as ‘copiers’ performing a single function,” he notes. “It will certainly be a hard task to rebrand the machine that many have known their whole lives as a ‘copier.’ MFP,

Features to Look For Finishing capabilities such as saddle finishing, hole punching, folding, binding and stacking can save time, labor and costs associated with dedicated offline finishing equipment. Also, look for features that allow you to assemble and build jobs electronically prior to copying/printing. Print controller options should be considered as well to optimize system performance. Digital document capture capabilities such as scan-to-e-mail and scan-to-file let you easily convert hard copy information to electronic format. —Paul Albano, Canon USA There is a color explosion taking place. In-plants should focus on faster, more affordable devices as color becomes more widely used. Fortunately, color-enabled

More coverage of Graph Expo product introductions . IT MAY be telling that the majority of presses in operation around the show floor of Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2006 last month were of the digital variety. Offset units were conspicuous in their absence. Digital presses have become part of the commercial printing mainstream, rather than being a specialty product segment or market niche. To emphasize this, Hewlett-Packard shared results from an InfoTrends study that surveyed a sampling of digital color printing buyers and producers. The research firm found that the percentage of color printing jobs with a run length

When preparing to purchase a high speed printer for your in-plant—that is, a device that prints at least 70 pages per minute—you can’t go with whatever first catches your eye. First, you must make sure the device can handle your output volume, ideally by purchasing a machine that is rated for twice the volume you need. Whichever machines pass this first hurdle should now be run through a live demonstration for your benefit. Look it over closely to determine its sturdiness. Bring hard copy and digital files that you can use to test the machine. Are the commands intuitive? Does the print quality match

CHICAGO—Oct. 17—Seven Kodak solutions earned “Must See ’ems” recognition at Graph Expo 2006, affirming the strength of the industry’s broadest and most innovative portfolio. Sponsored by the Graph Arts Show Company (GASC) and conducted independently by PrintCom Consulting Group, Must See ’ems recognize the industry’s most compelling products and services as selected by a panel of 15 leading industry consultants and trade magazine editors. “Every year, the Must See ’ems program highlights the latest technology trends shaping the industry,” said Jeffrey Hayzlett, Chief Marketing Officer, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. “We’re very happy that these graphic communications experts recognize KODAK products from across

STAMFORD, CT—Oct. 3, 2006—Building on the growth of personalized printing and multimedia direct marketing, Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) has agreed to acquire XMPie for $54 million. A privately held company, XMPie is a leading provider of variable information software, which enables cross-media, personalized marketing programs. These programs combine communication outlets such as digitally printed direct mail, the Web, e-mail and other methods to reach customers with customized marketing materials that are relevant to the individual recipient and generate higher response rates. Based in New York, XMPie specializes in software that allows graphic designers, marketing companies and print providers to create marketing pieces with an

AS FALLING leaves carpet the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, so has the autumn of Gary Williford’s career arrived. After 34 years at the university—30 of them in the in-plant—Williford plans to retire in a few months from his role as manager of the school’s Graphic Arts Service department. But while others might view their final days as an opportunity to kick back and coast to an easy farewell, Williford has insisted on pushing forward, preparing his 55-employee operation for the days after his departure. “I owe this organization. It’s been good to me. It’s a part of my life,” he explains. “I want

MINNEAPOLIS—Sept. 28, 2006—Delphax Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: DLPX), announced today that it is reducing its workforce by approximately 15 percent, or 52 positions, as part of its adjustment to lower- than-expected fiscal 2006 sales. As previously announced, net sales declined by 5 percent in the first nine months of fiscal 2006 compared with the same period in fiscal 2005, and 14 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2006 compared with the third quarter of fiscal 2005. The workforce reduction touches all areas of the company, but is primarily focused on engineering and manufacturing personnel. The company expects that the workforce reduction will result in

Industry Consortium to Join in Unparalleled Collaboration Effort for Printing of Customer Communications BOULDER, CO—August 30, 2006—IBM announced that a key open standards initiative for the digital print industry has reached a major milestone. A majority of the AFP Color Consortium, a 28-company standards body, has approved IBM’s proposal to fully open the development of the Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) architecture. With this agreement, the members of the consortium will collaboratively develop all extensions to the AFP architecture, which is used by clients worldwide for the high speed printing of bills, statements and other customer communications. The consortium has already jointly published key