IPEX NEWS - OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2005

IPEX 2006 TO RECOGNISE WORLD’S BEST PRINT COMPANIES (22.12.05)
Companies from around the globe are being invited to enter the IPEX International Company of the Year Award to be presented at the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF) Excellence Awards that take place on 6 April 2006 alongside IPEX 2006 at the Birmingham NEC.

Recognising all round business performance, this award will reward international companies that have grown profitably through innovation and diversification, that have a well-trained and productive workforce and that can demonstrate financial stability. Entrants to this award must be conducting at a substantional proportion of their business in foreign markets. The BPIF Excellence Awards appear to be the only print awards in the world that exclusively recognise great print businesses rather than the quality of ink on paper. BPIF Chief Executive Michael Johnson highlights the importance that these awards have in promoting good business practice in the UK printing industry.

"The UK printing industry is not yet world class. In fact it is doubtful that any national printing industry could claim to be so. However in the UK, the industry has developed a portfolio of initiatives to drive us closer to the goal of excellence. Recognising best practice provides not only provides both a reward for achievement, but also role models for the rest of the industry to follow," he explained. There are 14 Excellence Awards for the UK print industry that cover all aspects of business management from training to safety, marketing to environment and HR to e-Business. Although only the International award is available to all companies across the globe, Johnson urges other owners of print Awards around the world to look at the entry criteria as a template for good practice and to attend the Awards on Thursday 6 April 2006 to meet companies that are proud of their businesses, not just the quality of their print. To download entry forms or to book places at the Awards please visit www.bpifawards2006.com or contact Charlotte Locks-Moro on +44 (0) 20 7915 8334 or charlotte.locks-moro@bpif.org.uk. For more information about the BPIF visit www.britishprint.com.

HP is leveraging these products to accelerate a convergence of digital and conventional printing, delivering higher impact printed communications for end-users while opening new business opportunities for print service providers.

HP’s 2000m2 IPEX stand (4-B25) will feature end-to-end solutions running real-life scenarios to demonstrate the power and potential of digital print for the commercial, labels, direct mail, creative, and photographic markets as well as for wide- to super-wide format printing for indoor and outdoor applications.

These job-based demonstrations will underline the proven business case for adopting HP digital printing technology.

Supported by extensive relationships with key industry partners, these offerings address the growing demand for one-to-one marketing, on-demand communication, and cost-effective short-run print jobs.

The establishment of the new HP Graphics and Imaging Business Unit further demonstrates HP’s commitment to the graphics markets.

The recently completed $230 million acquisition of Scitex Vision, and the OEM agreement with Seiko I Infotech to develop and market low solvent based printers, exemplify HP’s strategy to expand its product portfolio for the production of signs, banners, building wraps and vehicle graphics.

The first of these products are expected to be available in early 2006 and scheduled to be shown at IPEX. “IPEX is HP’s premiere European platform for demonstrating our solutions across all sectors of the graphics market,” said Stephen Nigro, Senior Vice President, Graphics and Imaging Business, HP.

“With more than 5 billion pages printed on HP Indigo Series 2 presses and the rapid adoption of HP Designjet and HP Scitex Vision solutions, the business case for investing in HP technology is now established. More and more customers are enjoying the benefits of dealing with a single supplier and leveraging integrated technologies.”

Application-based areas of the IPEX stand will demonstrate the end-to-end production capabilities of HP’s digital printing solutions in conjunction with partner companies:

• High volume printing will be carried out by the HP Indigo press 5000, featuring the latest enhancements that include accelerated monochrome printing (up to 16,000 copies per hour), gang stackers for unloading while printing, and an HP RIP Expansion Rack for expanded processing capacity.

• The HP Indigo press ws4050 will demonstrate end-to-end label production to meet the market requirement for high specification labels on-demand. The press can also be used for flexible packaging and shrink sleeve applications.

• The HP Indigo press 3050 will be demonstrating commercial print, brochure and booklet applications, while a web-fed HP Indigo press w3250 – making its European debut – will print direct mail materials at speeds up to 136 full colour pages per minute, further closing the gap between conventional offset and digital printing.

• The HP mPrinter 4000, a highspeed inkjet variable data marking and coding printer from HP Specialty Printing Systems, for myriad applications including labels, direct mail, and packaging, will also be on show.

W: www.hp.com

Built on the powerful Enfocus PitStop Library platform, PitStop Automate incorporates Enfocus' renowned quality control formula to integrate extensive automation functionality within the production process.

During the show, Enfocus will also showcase the latest edition of PitStop Professional 7.0, offering a host of new features to deliver enhanced productivity and efficiency for PitStop's dedicated user base.

Enfocus has developed significant automation enabling technologies – PDF pre- flight, PDF editing, Action Lists, and Certified PDF – all built to streamline graphic arts creation processes while maintaining absolute quality control.

Enfocus PitStop Automate extends the power of these technologies to bring an advanced level of automation in the reach of every company, big and small.

PitStop Automate, built in Enfocus' PitStop Library, offers the valuable features found in the company's other products, including the award winning Certified PDF technology.

Beyond PDF preflight and editing, Enfocus PitStop Automate permits file sorting and conditional workflows based on file type, size and other file or document properties. It enables splitting multiple page PDFs into many single page PDFs, and electronic file delivery can be achieved through FTP and E-mail.

These production-oriented features were made possible by a combination of Enfocus and parent company Artwork Systems' Odystar workflow technology. For an overview of the features and product comparison visit www.enfocus.com/automate.

As a natural upgrade for PitStop Server and complementary companion to PitStop Professional, Enfocus PitStop Automate allows printers and publishers to go beyond verification of incoming files to actually designing complete workflows using an intuitive graphical user interface.

Enfocus PitStop Automate Mac version is scheduled for release by Q1 2006. The Windows version of Enfocus PitStop Automate is scheduled for the first half of 2006.

The product and related training will be exclusively available through Enfocus' channel of Certified Resellers. Enfocus PitStop Automate will be priced at $5999 or 4999.

Reinforcing Xerox’s focus on end-to-end workflow and business development, the Xerox IPEX stand will be divided into four integrated application zones, arranged in a circle around a central hub area showing the heart of Xerox’s solutions, workflow tools and digital applications under the umbrella of the New Business of Printing.

At 5,128 sq m, the stand has the same area as a football pitch and will accommodate more than 70 pieces of Xerox equipment, from the Nuvera family of production systems and Xerox wide format printers through to the flagship Xerox iGen3 Digital production press.

With more than 250 personnel manning the stand on a daily basis, Xerox expects to host a large proportion of the 70,000 visitors expected at the show over its eight day duration. “Partnership is fundamental to the growth of our business and to meeting the needs of our customers,” said Valerie Blauvelt, vice president, production systems, Xerox Corporation.

“We will have a number of business partners exhibiting with us at IPEX, including software, workflow and finishing companies, and we see the show as an invaluable opportunity to consolidate and establish partnerships with customers and prospects.”

The four integrated application zones on the Xerox stand are: Offset & Digital Integration; Print on Demand; Book Printing; and Profit through Personalisation. Each zone follows a logical end-to-end workflow including: creative, ordering and job submission software; data management, process management, scheduling and prepress software; RIP, print and finish; and business development tools.

The zones will take the visitor through the Production Technology on offer from Xerox, the Partner Products that have all been optimised for use with the Xerox FreeFlow workflow products, and the Professional Services zone that will demonstrate how Xerox users can maximise their digital printing potential through workflow assessments, business development advice and speciality services. ‘Hot applications’ will also be on show, highlighting the innovative work produced by key UK and European customers as well as previous Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging awards (PIXI) award winners.

The Xerox stand will also feature the ProfitAccelerator Theatre, which will include practical, business-led presentations from key Xerox partners and industry players on topical issues such as making money in digital print, growing revenue with digital as a complement to offset, and creative and personalised printing.

Finally, Xerox announced its 2006 Printing Innovation with Xerox Imaging awards (PIXI), due to be launched in January with the winners announced at IPEX 2006.

The awards, open to any user of Xerox digital equipment, are judged by an international panel and are designed for companies to demonstrate excellence in business effectiveness and innovation through the use of digital technology and workflow.

Valentin Govaerts, Senior Vice President, Production Systems, Xerox Europe said: “The PIXI Awards are always the highest accolade that we can present to any of our Xerox customers and entries come from all over the world.

“The awards demonstrate that Xerox’s investment in innovation provides the future technology potential that will facilitate continuing leadership and growth in digital print. Our portfolio of state-of-the-art digital products, solutions and services are all designed to help bring sustained growth to our customers’ businesses and to help them to maximise their profits.”

To find out more about the PIXI awards, Xerox users should log on to www.xerox.com . The deadline for entries is Friday March 17, 2006.

The company represents some of the industry's best-known performance brands in the UK, and will host Dalim Software, Xinet, Luescher and Triple Triangle exclusively at Ipex, alongside several new products that will be announced at the show.

Also, given that a high level of software and colour expertise is central to TPT's professional services the company has expanded it's internal software development and colour products divisions in response to the increasing demand for bespoke solutions and professional colour systems and advice from its customers. As a result TPT will host a Bespoke Software Service and Colour Clinic at Ipex on a personal and confidential basis.

A global steering committee has shaped the content of INNOV8 to ensure that the speaker programme delivers inspiration and information. Sessions last a maximum of 45-minutes and are free of charge for visitors to attend.

Topics covered during the week include emerging applications, developments and new technologies, opportunities for businesses, strategy and best practice. It will be a hotbed of groundbreaking technology, original thinking and fresh business opportunities.

Each day will focus on different countries and different sectors. In the morning, overseas visitors are provided with a welcome overview on what to see and do at the exhibition. Each day turns its attention to a specific sector of the market, for example, Wednesday 5 April's sessions concentrate on publishing, and on Thursday 6 April sessions are centred on packaging and Sunday 9 April focuses primarily on SME's.

Heidelberg, HP, Man Roland and Xerox have already confirmed their sponsorship of INNOV8. For full programme details and to book visit www.ipex.org.

W: www.ipex.org

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