NorQuest College and CIP4 Announce Print Automation Seminar
EDMONTON, CANADA—March 7, 2011—NorQuest College and the International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization announced a two-day Print Automation Seminar that will be held on the NorQuest campus from June 8-9, 2011. The seminar is open to all print professionals and is targeted towards printing companies that are either considering automating operations, or have begun to automate operations and are looking for more in-depth knowledge of print automation.
On June 8, the program will begin with two tracks; basic and advanced. In the basic track, speakers will address JDF fundamentals, the business and ROI factors of print automation, JDF product certification and what it means to printers, and an introduction to XML and how JDF works. In the advanced track, speakers from Avanti, Duplo, NetworkPDF, Heidelberg, and Xerox will discuss subjects such as “Zero Touch” workflows, automating postpress operations, connecting JDF automation with the creative process and an in-depth look at the use of JDF in Heidelberg products.
The program will also feature a case study from McCallum Printing Group which is a fully automated printing company with both digital and offset printing and finishing operations.
For many, the highlight of the day will be in the afternoon, when attendees break out into two groups taking turns to see fully automated workflows (one digital and one offset) process live jobs. Attendees will learn first-hand how jobs are organized and the efficiencies and the benefits of a fully print automated workflow.
“Among graphic arts schools in North America Norquest is unique in that it has a comprehensive array of modern, fully automated production capabilities in house,” said CIP4 Executive Director, James Harvey. "Printers attending this event will walk away truly inspired.”
On June 9, attendees will tour the McCallum Printing Group facilities, just a few minutes away from the NorQuest College campus. “For printers wondering what it would look like if they were able to build a modern printing plant starting with an empty building, McCallum is the answer,” said Josh Ramsbottom, Principal of the Centre for Excellence Print Media at NorQuest College. “McCallum had a unique opportunity to start from the ground up, and the result is an exemplary and highly optimized production environment.”
The NorQuest Print Automation Seminar is made possible by support from Avanti, Duplo, NetworkPDF, Heidelberg, and Xerox, as well as participation from Printing Industries of America and provincial and federal partners, Productivity Alberta and Western Economic Diversification. There is a $125 CDN registration fee to cover lunch, refreshments and bus transportation to the McCallum Printing plant. For agenda details, hotel information, and registration, please visit: www.norquest.ca/cfe/printmedia/events.asp.
About CIP4
CIP4 brings together vendors, consultants, and end-users in the print communications, graphic arts industry, and associated sectors, covering a variety of equipment, software, peripherals, and processes, to foster process automation in the printing industry. Members participate in focused working groups to define the Job Definition Format (JDF), PrintTalk, and other standards relevant to process automation; to study user requirements; to test product interoperability; and to develop a range of JDF software development tools. Information on CIP4, including membership details and educational resources, is available from the organization’s website: www.cip4.org.
About the Centre for Excellence Print Media at NorQuest College
NorQuest College's Centre for Excellence in Print Media is a resource for print and graphic communications companies to explore the latest trends and technology affecting the print industry. Our goal is to help print and graphic communications companies in Western Canada become more profitable, improve current print production standards and meet business needs efficiently by offering insight on new technology and innovations. We support printing companies by developing focused training opportunities for existing staff and by training new employees. Our commercial offset lab is the most advanced training facility in Western Canada with today's leading software and equipment. It includes a four-colour press with coater, which allows commercial printers to explore the latest JDF workflow and experience firsthand new print processes and tools. For more information, please visit www.norquest.ca/cfe/printmedia/.
About JDF
The Job Definition Format (JDF) is the industry specification designed to facilitate process automation and the integration of different applications and systems in and around the graphic arts industry. JDF also enables the integration of business management and job planning applications into the production workflow. JDF is based on the W3C's Extensible Markup Language (XML), ensuring maximum interoperability between different platforms and ready interaction with Internet systems. More information is available at www.cip4.org.
Source: Press release.