Print Automation Features at IPEX 2010 Announced
BIRMINGHAM, UK—January 12, 2010—IIR Exhibitions Ltd and The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization announced plans for Ipex 2010 that will highlight advancements in print automation. The print automation programs will include a special Print Automation Pavilion for exhibitors to demonstrate top-of-the-line automation technology, distribution of a Print Automation Roadmap to attendees, and "Print Automation Live", a new Ipex show feature.
Ipex 2010, which will be held 18-25 May 2010 at the NEC, Birmingham, U.K., is well placed at the end of a global recession and at a time when many printing companies are looking towards future growth.
"In the last year we've seen a growth in membership among printing companies," said CIP4 Executive Director James Harvey. "For many printers, cost savings and increased productivity are still on the top of the priority list, and many printers I've spoken with have said that print automation is one of the few areas of investment that will provide the benefits they want in the short timeframes management is demanding. I expect that print automation will be one of the biggest priorities for Ipex attendees and I think these programs will help attendees find, learn about and come to understand the latest in print automation technologies."
The Print Automation Pavilion has room for 15 to 20 companies to demonstrate print automation technologies in a concentrated and highly accessible area. Located in Hall 7, booth 7-E460, all exhibitors in the Print Automation Pavilion will be networked together, allowing printers to both learn about individual systems and software and see firsthand how systems from different vendors can be networked and integrated together. Attendees at the Print Automation Pavilion can request interoperability demonstrations and can learn how their current equipment configuration can become part of an integrated and automation production operation.
The Print Automation Live! program expands on what attendees may learn about in the Print Automation Pavilion to the entire Ipex show. "Many printers find it hard to visualize a fully automated printing environment," said Mark Wilton of Wilton & Partners Consulting Inc. and CIP4's Education and Marketing Officer. "The purpose of the Print Automation Live! program is to allow printers to follow a job from its inception though to finishing to see exactly what steps, labor and time are saved along the way, and also how automated print production systems work together to improve the printer's control over their own operations."
Any exhibitor can host a Print Automation Live! site in their booth, and many will need to coordinate with partners to show an end-to-end production line. Furthermore, some Print Automation Live! sites may demonstrate multiple workflows with various combinations of equipment.
"We are very excited about this program," said Trevor Crawford, Event Director of Ipex 2010. "Print automation isn't something that is just simply bought, it involves planning on the printer's part and coordination among supporting vendors. The Print Automation Live! program makes this very important technology concept very tangible, and will be highly beneficial to Ipex 2010 attendees, as well as exhibitors."
CIP4, the organization responsible for the Job Definition Format (JDF), and whose mission it is to foster automation in the printing industry, will help IIR Exhibitions coordinate the Print Automation Live! program.
To help attendees take advantage of and navigate these valuable programs, CIP4 and IIR will distribute a Print Automation Roadmap at Ipex features such as the Printers Profit Zone, the International Business Lounge, The Knowledge Centre, the Great print debates and at the Print Automation Pavilion itself. The Print Automation Roadmap will provide attendees of Ipex with a comprehensive guide to print automation programs throughout Ipex 2010, with information on Print Automation Live! sites and the location of vendors selling and demonstrating print automation tools throughout the show.
Vendors wishing to participate in the Print Automation Pavilion should contact Ipex 2010 Sales Manager Shona Hayes via email at shayes@iirx.co.uk or via telephone at +44 (0)20 701 77287. Vendors interested in any of the other programs should contact James Harvey via email at executive_director@cip4.org or via telephone at +1-410-451-5040.
About IPEX 2010
Ipex is the largest English-speaking global technology event for print, publishing and media. Acquired by IIR Exhibitions in 2006 from its previous owner, industry association Picon, IIR Exhibitions also owns Total Print! Expo incorporating Digital Print World, Northprint and Ipex South Asia. Ipex 2010 will take place from Tuesday 18th May to Tuesday 25th May 2010 at The National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England. The new footprint for the show provides a logical layout for visitors by mirroring the whole print production workflow. In 2006, Ipex attracted over 100,000 visitors, 40% of which came from overseas covering over 159 countries - more than any other Graphic Arts exhibition before. More information is available at http://www.ipex.org.
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. 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, is available from the organization's website: www.cip4.org. Or contact: Stefan Daun, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, +49 6151 155 575, secretariat@cip4.org. All content and ideas submitted to the CIP4 user groups and intellectual property rights subsisting therein shall become the exclusive property of CIP4.
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 http://www.cip4.org/.