Dear CIP4 Members,

In this edition of the JDF Bulletin, we are announcing the
2012 CIPPI Awards program, a meeting of the Automation Solutions Network (ASN) with a very interesting tour, lots of member news and much more. With the Portland Interop now complete, most CIP4 members are starting to focus on drupa 2012. Our next Interop will be hosted by my company, Optimus, in Madrid Spain the week of March 11th -17th, 2012. This will be a great opportunity to test new products with other CIP4 members in preparation for drupa, so make plans to join us and mark your calendar.  Please see the CIP4 Wiki for more information.

Henny van Esch, Managing Director of Optimus & CIP4 CEO  

JDF Tours at IGAS

IGAS featured a one-hour "Must Look Tour" that was held twice a day throughout the IGAS event and which brought attendees to see JDF-enabled automation solutions from CIP4 members on the show floor. CIP4 Japan organized this event and reports that every tour was fully booked and there was even a waiting list for each tour! All in all about 400 people had attended the Must Look Tour. In addition to the tour there was a CIP4 Japan booth close to the show entrance, which proved to be a popular place for attendees to ask question about CIP4 and JDF and to pickup brochures from members companies, as well as the IGAS Edition Production Automation News with the latest JDF Matrix. 

CIP4 Japan Offers JDF Seminar
Printers who have not yet implemented JDF often cite a lack of knowledge about JDF and print automation and understanding about its benefits. IGAS attendees learned more about JDF developments and print automation at a free two-hour seminar sponsored by CIP4 Japan and hosted by Komori in the Big Site conference center on Sunday, September 18th. Dr. Rainer Prosi presented new JDF developments, the ROI of JDF-enabled automation, and some best practices for print automation implementation, as well as an award-winning digital printing automation case study by Canon Print Square.

Learn how you can take automation to the next level by attending the next meeting of the Automation Solutions Network, January 31-February 1, 2012, to be held at Mimeo.com, in Memphis, TN. Mimeo.com is an innovator of online, on-demand document printing and distribution.

This meeting will give attendees a unique view of automation they need to see. The agenda will consist of the following:

Print Panel Discussions - Listen to executives from Mimeo.com and 48HourPrint.com discuss their facilities' use of automation techniques.

Tours - Take a tour of Mimeo.com's facility to see how they incorporate automation and cloud technology to place direct access and control of their solutions into the hands of customers and partners.

Bonus tour - Attendees will also have the opportunity to visit FedEx's SuperHub to witness how millions of packages are handled and shipped each night. (Make your reservations today--limited space available for this tour).

Networking - Use this meeting as a way to speak with other professionals who have incorporated automation at their facility and how it has become a benefit to them.

Applications for the 2012 CIPPI Awards program are now being accepted and the schedule is set ...  

February 17, 2012 - Application Deadline

March 30, 2012 - Announcement of Winners

May 6, 2012 - CIPPI Awards Presentation at drupa 2012, on the "dip" stage

This schedule varies from years past, in that for the first time we are releasing news of the winners prior to the awards presentation event. This is being done so that trade media representatives can contact winners and their supporting vendors, and schedule interviews and coverage during drupa. This show is a big news event for everyone, and drupa management will be inviting the press to attend the CIPPI Awards presentation, which will be held on May 6th at the close of the exhibit day on the drupa innovations park stage in Hall 7.0.

More information on the CIPPI Awards, including rules, applications and case studies from winning applications from previous years.

A pod in the drupa innovation parc? What a great, cost-effective way to be at the center of print automation at drupa 2012! For smaller companies, a pod in the Print Automation Zone is a turnkey package ... Just bring a computer/monitor, your staff and brochures! Large vendors with booths elsewhere on the show floor are offered significant discounts on this second space.  

Important drupa innovation parc Links

English-Language information and space reservation applications Print_Automation_Zone_Exhibitor_Pack_English.ZIP 

German-Language information and space reservation applications Print_Automation_Zone_Exhibitor_Pack_Deutsch.ZIP 

Advertising in the Production Automation News

Speaker Slots in the Drupa Print Automation Seminars

Best Practices for Print Automation  

is now available from for purchase 

Printing Industries of America. 

Full Release 

CIP4 members may download Free (PDF) copies. 

Work is underway by CIP4 on  translations in French and Spanish.  

ANNAN & BIRD LITHOGRAPHERS

Founded in 1987, Annan & Bird Lithographers has been on a fast track for growth since its inception. With the goal to become "the best large format lithographer in North America," Annan & Bird has celebrated many "firsts" in applying UV coating, installing large format Mitsubishi presses, running small press quality in the super large format (78"), and now with large format Lenticular printing. With six, 5 & 6-color presses that range from 40 - 81" and 150 employees, they serve all four corners of United States and Canada.

Based in Hong Kong, E-print is a one of the new breed of online printing services. Driven by an advanced automatic color tracking system with high speed printers, coupled with automatic template capabilities, E-print offers its online customers a range of marketing products including business cards, leaflets, posters and labels while successfully increasing control over production costs, time and print quality. By developing a file-uploading system, online tracking system which allows customers to track printing status online, an SMS system which sends customers text alerts, and an online payment system to facilitate payment procedures, E-print provides customers with the utmost in convenience.

 In the printing business for over 100 years, HBP, Inc.
has seen and implemented its share of technological innovations. Today HBP uses a broad spectrum of computers and the latest digital technology to produce not only high quality printing, but also provide a host of graphic, communications and fulfillment services. The company has grown to become one of the largest independent commercial printers in the US mid-Atlantic Region, and is known for innovative and creative marketing solutions.

As an integrated document services company,  West Canadian Digital Imaging Inc. provides digital print, document management and graphic design solutions to companies in a variety of sectors. Backed by our technologically advanced production facility and a comprehensive range of professional services West Canadian provides intelligent, leading-edge business solutions that help our clients excel.

EFI  adds a new dimension to its Fiery® services portfolio launched in 2010 with the introduction of Fiery Consulting Services. EFI now offers interactive one-on-one sessions with Fiery experts on nine topics that teach customers how to better use powerful Fiery features, workflows and tools. This new offering, along with our existing Fiery Service programs, helps Fiery users gain an in-depth understanding of feature functionality and new ways to improve their productivity.  More

LithoTechnics  With the additional support for Italian in Metrix® 2011.0.1, Metrix® now speaks five languages: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. The growing popularity of Management Information Systems in Europe for even small- and medium-sized enterprises makes Metrix a key ingredient for success, as it consumes data directly from MIS, performs its planning, then sends complete, plate-ready impositions to Prepress. Metrix provides great value, and helps to ensure a smooth and cohesive workflow.  More

Rampage Systems, Inc. The Marek Group installed Rampage Version 12.0 just weeks after it was first released, eager to implement the JDF Hot Folders feature. The JDF Hot Folders functionality links imposition instructions in Job Definition Format (JDF) to hot folders that "contain" all other processing variables, such as linescreen, black overprint thresholds, and spot color handling.  Initiating a job becomes as simple as appending the file name with the job number and dragging it to a folder on the network. More