Lasermax Roll Systems

Drupa will begin in less than two weeks. IPG Editor Bob Neubauer will be there, in Düsseldorf, Germany, checking out all the latest technologies. To give you a peek at what’s ahead, here are just a couple of the latest pre-Drupa announcements: • ECRM will feature three new platesetters: MAKO 2x, a 2-page platesetter offering a full resolution range of 1200 to 3556 dpi; MAKO 4x, using next-generation optical technology that, with ECRM e-circuitry, delivers high quality imaging; MAKO 8x, an 8-page device that covers all formats for 2, 4, 6 and 8-page signatures with resolutions from 1800 dpi to 3556 dpi. ECRM

The Xerox Production Systems Group presented Partner of the Year awards to 16 business partners for their continued contributions to Xerox, its customers and the printing industry. Rochester Software Associates was presented with the 2007 Production Systems Group Software Partner of the Year Award for providing customers in vertical markets, such as healthcare and education, with solutions that improve and enhance print production workflows. Additional Software Partner of the Year Awards were presented to: • Atlas Software - Variable Information Partner of the Year • Avanti Computer Systems - Business Management / MIS Partner of the Year • Elixir - Data Transformation Partner of

Lasermax Roll Systems has appointed Jeff Kewin as president, Americas and Asia/Pacific. For the past three and a half years, Kewin was executive vice president, global marketing and business development for Lasermax Roll Systems. William Carroll, the prior president, Americas, was recently promoted to president and CEO of Lasermax Roll Systems. Previously, Kewin was president of the U.S. operation of the Stralfors Lasermax division, after being promoted to this position from an earlier stint as vice president and general manager.

I was listening to the radio the other morning when a short piece about on-demand book publishing caught my ear. The reporter mentioned a company called On Demand Books that was promoting its all-in-one printing/binding device, which can reportedly produce 20 bound books an hour. The device—called the Espresso Book Machine—wasn’t exactly news to me; the company’s been talking about it for a while, and the World Bank installed one back in April. But this news report was the latest in a series of references to on-demand book publishing that have come to my attention. Apparently, demand for printed-while-you-wait books is on

THOUGH PRINTING equipment may have grabbed most of the attention at the On Demand show last month, bindery equipment had a strong presence too. From desktop folding units to floor model perfect binders, the show had a range of post-press gear. IPG visited with all of the major vendors at the Philadelphia show and collected information on their latest products for the in-plant market. One bindery highlight at the show was the Standard Horizon BQ-470 fully-automated four-clamp perfect binder. Standard Finishing Systems was awarded Best of Show honors for this product in the bindery category at On Demand by judges from BERTL, a

Xplor joined up with Graphics of the Americas last month to bolster its conference. Did it work? By Bob Neubauer AFTER WATCHING attendance at its conference dwindle since the booming days of the '90s, Xplor International teamed up with the successful Graphics of the Americas (GOA) conference this year, putting on a joint event last month in Miami Beach that drew about 24,500 attendees, according to organizers. The partnership seems to have been a wise move, as it freed Xplor from the task of organizing a trade show, allowing it to concentrate on its educational mission. GOA, in turn, got a host of

Printing equipment wasn't the only thing on display at the AIIM On Demand Conference and Exposition. There was plenty of bindery gear, as well. By Bob Neubauer For more than a decade now the On Demand trade show has been giving the world a look at the latest in digital printing. But an equally important part of the show has been the bindery equipment on display. Last month, IPG joined the 21,000 people who attended On Demand. As part of our mission, we sought out the latest bindery gear—a task made much more convenient by the show's relocation from New York to IPG's home