EskoArtwork

Companies to consolidate their global market position in pre-production products and services for packaging and printing GENT, BELGUIM—August 2, 2007—Esko and the three principal shareholders of Artwork Systems (Euronext Brussels: ARTS) today have reached an agreement whereby Esko and Artwork Systems will combine their operations. The resulting new entity, with estimated 2007 revenues in excess of EUR 180 million and a combined workforce of close to 1,000 professionals, consolidates the market leadership of both companies in packaging and printing pre-production products and services in Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. On August 2, the three principal shareholders of Artwork Systems Group NV signed an

Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) announced the recipients of the 2007 InterTech Technology Awards. A recurring theme with 2007 InterTech nominations was green printing, and numerous submissions contained solutions to minimize the environmental impact of printing. Great strides in technology were also demonstrated in the form of innovative press design, touchless workflow systems to automate production steps, anti-fraud measures, and new materials and systems that increase productivity. The InterTech Technology Award recipients this year were: • :Energy Elite Dual Layer “No Bake” Plate. AGFA Graphics N.V. • Kodak Traceless System. Eastman Kodak • EIS UV Printing Blanket Refurbishment. Enviro Image

SEWICKLEY, PA—July 18, 2007—Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2007 InterTech™ Technology Awards. For over a quarter of a century, recipients of this prestigious award have not only had a major impact on the graphic communications industry, but they also consistently prove to be successful in the commercial marketplace. The independent panel of judges deliberated over technology submissions ranging from printing presses to software solutions to ancillary services. A recurring theme with 2007 InterTech nominations was green printing, and numerous submissions contained solutions to minimize the environmental impact of printing. Great strides in technology were

Artwork Systems Group is investigating claims made by Markzware in a lawsuit filed in the federal district court in Santa Ana, Calif. The suit contends Enfocus products infringe Markzware’s U.S. patent. The lawsuit, which focuses on two Enfocus software products (PitStop Professional and PitStop Server) reportedly came as a surprise to Enfocus, whose leading PDF preflighting products have been on the U.S. market for many years. Said Artwork Systems Group CEO, Peter Denoo, “Artwork Systems and Enfocus respect the intellectual property rights of third parties, and are currently conducting a full investigation into what appear to be unsupportable allegations made by Markzware. We do

GENT, BELGIUM—2/16/07—Artwork Systems Group N.V. (EURONEXT: ARTS), a world leader in professional pre-press software, announces the financial results for the first quarter of its financial year 2007, ended December 31, 2006. Consolidated revenues for the quarter amounted to 11.15 million euro, a decrease of 7.18% compared to 12.01 million euro in the first quarter of fiscal year 2006, and net income amounted to 2.55 million euro, a decrease of 23.55% compared to 3.34 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2006. First quarter highlights On October 16, 2006, Artwork Systems announced that it had confirmed an OEM agreement with Screen. Under the agreement,

DESPITE ALL the talk in the industry of virtual proofing, Ken Johnson still thinks customers prefer a proof they can hold in their hands. “Their eyes gloss over [when proofing] on the computer screen,” says Johnson, director of Printing Services at Ball State University, in Muncie, Ind. His in-plant uses Kodak’s MatchPrint ProofPro software along with Screen USA’s Trueflow workflow. Proofs are printed on a MatchPrint ProofPro 2610 ink-jet printer. But out at Western Growers, in Irvine, Calif., Robert Delgado feels much differently. His in-plant e-mails PDF proofs to customers, and he says they have been satisfied with the arrangement. Proofs always match the

IN-PLANTS DEPEND heavily upon the skills of a few key individuals to remain productive: production managers, bindery operators, prepress technicians, computer systems managers, or any number of other specialized personnel that are a part of the print production workflow. When one or more of these people are absent, the whole workflow may suffer. Many in-plants are turning to workflow systems to help mitigate this problem. Workflow systems help to standardize how we process jobs. When we rely on key individuals, we are depending on them to remember what they did last time to solve a problem, or how to most efficiently move a job

The Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation has selected 11 technologies to receive 2006 PIA/GATF InterTech Technology awards. Each company will receive a Lucite Inter­Tech star during the competition’s November luncheon in Milwaukee. The winning technologies are: • Adobe PDF print engine, Adobe Systems • Microsystems Microcip software module, C&P Microsystems • Dalim Mistral, Dalim Software • WebCenter, Esko-Graphics • Magnum ink formulation dispenser, GFI Innovations • Zero-slip nip enhancement, Goss International Americas • KBA Genius 52 UV sheetfed offset press, KBA North America • InlineFoiler, MAN Roland • DeskDirect, PrintSoft • Liberty sheetfed inks, Sun Chemical • uImage, XMPie Inc.

A look at some of the latest workflow solutions. By Mark Smith The digital revolution was already on its way to making "workflow" a catch-all term in prepress, when the rise of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) extended its use to the entire print production process. As a result, an ever-wider array of products can now be called "digital workflow solutions." For our purposes, the definition is being limited to the evolution of what used to be called prepress systems. Vendors have responded to this trend with a shift toward marketing workflow solution brands as much as specific products. Modularity and flexibility are at

In-plant managers got a chance to see the technologies they've been reading about at the recent Graph Expo show. For the many in-plant managers in attendance, the recent Graph Expo and Converting Expo 2004 show in Chicago was a graphic arts fantasy land. "I felt like a kid in a candy store," observes Mike Renn, of Mellon Corporate Publishing, in Philadelphia. "I went to take a look at the latest direct-to-plate systems and software management packages and came away with numerous options." Attendance this year was pretty healthy, he adds: "I had to wedge myself between bodies to check out the latest gear." Other managers agreed. "I