Xerox Corp.

"I don't know your company. I don't know your product. I don't know you. Now what was it you wanted to see me about?" That's my best recollection of the caption on a cartoon published by McGraw-Hill many years ago showing a crusty purchasing agent addressing a perspiring young salesman. I've never forgotten it. I can't think of a better illustration of the value of a brand. These days we hear a lot about "branding," the value of a "brand." In the world of sports, for example, we recognize personalities such as Michael Jordan or John Madden as "brands." I glanced at the title of a

No longer a small niche consideration, large-format printing is elevating POP and outdoor graphics display markets to new heights, allowing commercial printers to break through new profit ceilings. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO The bigger, the better. Wider is better. Big is beautiful. If for nothing else, wide-format printing is an attention grabber. And why not? How can any other form of print convey sheer opulence, tender sensitivity, true magnitude and obvious grandeur with the same, well, monumental proportions as do the wide-format wonders driving new trends in outdoor display graphics, point-of-purchase designs and an array of larger-than-life banners, posters and signage? Why should the

Developments in variable data are pushing on-demand print production to new levels of customization. What are the hot new technologies to see at the On-Demand Show? The answer, pun intended, varies. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Talk about getting a little too up close and personal: Bitstream's PageFlex, Agfa's Personalizer-X and BARCO Graphics' VIPLine variable data software solutions, VariScript from Varis and Indigo's Yours Truly, Scitex's Darwin and Xeikon's PrintStreamer, EFI's FreeForm and Xerox's DigiPath—all are striking, almost surreal, examples of the power of variable data in printing. Talk about Big Brother. Imagine getting a customized postcard from a travel agency. A picture

For the fourth year, Printing Impressions has compiled a ranking of the top color on-demand print providers in the nation. This year, the universe of digital printers was drawn from lists supplied by digital vendors, as well as the individual companies. Rankings were determined by self-reported on-demand sales figures. While there are other companies who would qualify for this listing, we could only include those who responded to our survey. 1. XYANKing of Prussia, PA(610) 992-7100Total Annual Sales: $74,200,000% of Sales From On-demand: 60Principal Officer: David McGrewPlants: 61Employees: 750Year Founded: 1994Digital Printing Devices: Canon CLC 1000 (4); Xerox DocuColor 40 (12); Xerox DocuColor 70

BY PINCUS JASPERT The world's largest graphic communications supplier, Heidelberg, will be 150 years old in the Year 2000. As such, "anniversaries offer a chance to reflect," Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG Chairman and CEO Harmut Mehdorn told some 60 of the world's leading industry trade magazine editors at an international press briefing held recently in Heidelberg, Germany. The phenomenal growth of the Heidelberg group over the past three years has not only involved going public, but also brought the acquisition of key industry suppliers into the Heidelberg fold, as well as partnerships with such companies as Kodak Polychrome Graphics. With the nature of the business in constant

NEW YORK—Are we ready for Y2K? Is PDF ready for us? What is the impact of the Internet? These are just some of the questions asked and answered by speakers and attendees at the BookTech '99 show and conference held here recently. Buyers of book manufacturing services whose principle question was: "Who will produce my next project?" roamed the trade show floor, searching for new sources of supply for special projects and renewing acquaintances with current suppliers. With more than 130 exhibitors, there was plenty to check out, especially the digital printing portion of the show, where on-demand printing services were featured by

SAN RAFAEL, CA—Advanced Digital Graphics, based here, a full-service commercial printer serving San Francisco Bay-area needs, merged late last year with Dallas-based F.Y.I. Inc., one of the leading providers of document and information outsourcing solutions. Terms of the merger, completed Dec. 23, were not disclosed. ADG specializes in markets such as telecommunications, financial, software, computer, corporate, educational, healthcare, manufacturing, retail advertising and design firms. The company was founded in 1983 by Steven D. Skolnik, president. "After much research and consideration, there were a number of factors that made the decision to become part of F.Y.I. a wise one," Skolnik says. "First, it was

The pressure of on-demand finishing is not for the faint of heart. Still, in all the hoopla over print-on-demand output and marketing, little attention is showered on the specialized bindery demands that help realize on-demand's full potential. BY MARIE RANOIA ALONSO Ask Claude Monette, president and COO of Thebault DI—the digital printing arm of L.P. Thebault—what struggles his operation finds in the vast array of on-demand finishing combinations it must execute daily and Monette will offer a plethora of thoughts. "Typically, the struggles of finishing in an on-demand printing environment are with the seemingly endless finishing combinations that on-demand products lend themselves to—from a

Daniels Printing communicates—and flourishes—without limits, generation after generation. By Erik Cagle FORGET ABOUT Fenway Park and the Red Sox, the Patriots and Cheers, or even the Kennedy clan, for that matter. No, to find a truly enduring institution in the state of Massachusetts, one needs to look at one of its most successful, long-running businesses. Long before anyone had ever heard of the Babe Ruth Curse or Frasier Crane, there was Abraham Daniels. And while community staples come and go, the name Daniels (three generations after Abraham) and its corresponding reputation remain a fixture in commercial printing. Armed with a new logo, Daniels

ROCHESTER, NY—In a strategic move to strengthen its position within data processing, variable information printing and lettershop services, commercial offset printer Cohber Press, located here, has acquired Scanforms, also of Rochester. Previously owned by Webcraft, Scanforms provides one- and two-color variable information printing and data processing. As a result of the acquisition, 25 of Scanforms' programmers and management personnel are already in place within the Cohber Press staff, bringing its total number to 160. Management from Scanforms is now reporting to Bill Bachman, vice president of Digital Print Services. As a result of the two companies joining forces, Cohber Press is benefiting through Scanforms'