Software - Web-to-print

I intended to devote this column to an exploration of the PrintTalk specification and to JDF (the Job Definition Format). I got the idea when I opened the April issue of Printing Impressions and noticed an advertisement for PrintTalk (placed just below my column). The ad listed a bunch of sponsoring vendors, and had the headline "Demand PrintTalk-enabled Solutions from Your Suppliers." I went to five or six of the Websites of the vendors listed in the ad and searched for a mention of PrintTalk. I couldn't find one. The ad for PrintTalk lists a Web site—www.PrintTalk.org. There I learned that PrintTalk "is a

BY CAROLINE MILLER Performance Printing Vice President and Sales Manager Debbie Moore reaches for the bottle of aspirin less and less these days. Instead of chasing down faxes, responding to customer job queries and shuffling paper work, she is spending more time selling to new clients and building better relationships with her existing clients. Moore is one of a few commercial printers who are enabling their clients to track jobs over the Internet. A Collabria user for the past 18 months, Moore's clients—which primarily purchase collateral materials—are able to track their print jobs via a desktop Web browser. "It frees our time up.

BY MARK SMITH Since the dawn of the digital age in the graphic arts, remote proofing has seemed to be a logical way to more efficiently communicate with print clients. At that point, the Internet was still just the domain of computer geeks and researchers, and terms such as e-production and ASP wouldn't be coined for years. Yet, some prepress pioneers were trying to find effective ways to build electronic bridges to their client sites. The cost of maintaining a digital pipeline to customers had traditionally been a significant barrier to adoption of remote proofing. Given the rate at which high-speed Internet access is

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Pageflex Inc. and Xerox Corp. have entered into an agreement that gives Xerox the right to resell Pageflex's Mpower and Persona variable-data software on a non-exclusive, worldwide basis. Pageflex software also will be incorporated into a soon-to-be-announced solution from Xerox for the personalized and customized printing market. (www.pageflexinc.com and www.xerox.com) FAYETTEVILLE, AR—University of Arkansas Printing Services has added a new digital Xerox 6180 Book Factory system to its facility. Consisting of a digital printer and several binding units, the system was chosen by Rich Bundsgaard, director of printing services, after he researched a variety of alternatives. The university is

By the time you read this column, Adobe will have announced an upgrade to Acrobat—called Acrobat, Version 5.0, and a new version of the Portable Document Format (PDF), Version 1.4. I'd like to proclaim this the most anticipated new software release of 2001, and to call PDF 1.4 the "file format of the year." In fact, there's been very little advance buzz about either the new Acrobat or the new version of PDF. So I was surprised when I sat down with Adobe to take a look at what was coming in the software. I think it's a very important upgrade. In this consumer age, we're

The Real Deal OnlineAssetExchange.com seeks to bring pricing transparency to the business of used equipment. Looking for a used six-color Komori? Need additional bindery gear to fulfill a contract? Then logging onto OnlineAssetExchange.com may be a way to quickly solve an equipment crisis. Launched in March of 2000, OnlineAssetExchange.com began as an online exchange and auction site dedicated to selling industrial equipment. In just under a year, it has become the largest seller of secondary assets in the used industrial equipment space with 200,000 line items, which is comprised of about $14billion in assets, according to the site's co-founder Norm Bastin. With its success in the industrial

BY MARK SMITH PDF is supposed to stand for Portable Document Format, but "pretty darn frustrating" has been a more fitting moniker in many ways. When Adobe introduced the Acrobat software family, with PDF as its core technology, it was billed as the answer to the shortcomings inherent in the PostScript language, among other things. The coveted benefits of PDF include the ability to generate relatively small, self-contained (including fonts) files that can be processed more efficiently and reliably. Yet, more than five years later, PDF only now seems in a position to become the standard or even generally preferred file format

Digital Art Exchange (DAX) and Hilgraeve Inc., a provider of secure Internet delivery solutions, have formed a strategic partnership. Hilgraeve's HyperSend will be integrated into the DAX suite of applications. The solution, DAX-IT (DAX secure Information Transfer), will allow customers to take advantage of Hilgraeve's HyperSend file transfer technology. PaperExchange.com has partnered with Schenker to provide Paper-Exchange customers with instant access to European freight services. The partnership will provide PaperExchange customers with the ability to obtain origin-to-destination logistic quotes, allowing members to complete the transaction process online. Schenker will offer PaperExchange customers a comprehensive forwarding and logistics service. Printworkers.com has launched its Website. It is

Editor's Note: Keeping track of who's who in the dotcom world can be a bit confusing at times. Here's a directory of the companies offering Internet-based solutions for the graphic arts industry. For a list of online companies that offer paper procurement resources, see the January 2001 issue of Printing Impressions. 58k.com Gives print buyers access to 58,000 U.S. printers in a centralized auction market using electronic bid forms. Designed to open up all print jobs to all printers. A standardized electronic spec sheet allows print buyers to post quote requests for public consumption. 58k.com rates buyers on their follow-through. Artmachine.comOnline media asset management

As 2001 dawns, which dotcom companies will survive and prosper? BY CAROLINE MILLER It has been an interesting ride to say the least. In 1999, the graphic arts industry saw the dawn of the dotcoms. The industry was inundated with a variety of Web-based solutions that offered new efficiencies and time savings. However, the adoption of dotcom solutions—whether it be e-procurement or e-production—has been slow. The hesitant adoption rate, coupled with the devaluation of technology stocks last April, has left many in the industry wondering if the dotcoms will survive in 2001. Already we've begun to see some consolidation with the purchase of