Training and Education

JUST AS Major League Baseball fans look forward to October for the culmination of a long season with the World Series, printers move into autumn with thoughts of the industry’s largest trade show in the Americas for 2006, Graph Expo & Converting Expo, fittingly held in Chicago, home of the reining world champion White Sox. This year’s Graph Expo & Converting Expo, taking place October 15-18 at the McCormick Place South complex, should provide plenty of action for attendees. Exhibit space has topped 400,000 square feet, with nearly 600 exhibiting companies in attendance. It will be the largest Graph Expo show held since 2000.

Reenergize Hiring Practices MOST MANAGERS have come to realize that their most troublesome personnel problems are almost always rooted in poor hiring decisions. Poor performance, employee conflict and countless other workplace problems too often confirm a manager’s “gut feeling” that something was not right, even before the employee was hired. And with so many experts offering conflicting advice on how to “hire smart,” it’s no wonder that the number one complaint of commercial printing industry managers is the inability to “find the right people.” Recently, these managers have been swamped by ads and direct mail touting scientific—or scientific-sounding—approaches to the hiring

Company Supports and Furthers the Education of Tomorrow’s Print and Graphic Art Professionals FOSTER CITY, CA—August 22, 2006—EFI (Nasdaq:EFII), the world leader in digital controllers, superwide format printers and inks, and print management solutions, today reinforced the company’s commitment to the next-generation of printers and graphic arts professionals. As the 2006 school year begins, EFI renews its support, in terms of time, product and monetary donation, of industry and university programs fostering the future’s innovative and productive print and graphic arts workforce. “Our customers and partners are concerned about developing the industry’s future workforce, and so are we – as the new school year begins,

New Web Products User Advisory Council Forges Close Customer Relationships FOSTER CITY, CA—Aug. 2, 2006—EFI (Nasdaq: EFII), a leader in digital controllers, superwide format printers and inks, and print management solutions, announced the formation of the Web Products User Advisory Council to facilitate a two-way dialogue with customers of its popular Web solutions, including the PrinterSite suite of products and PrintSmith Site. The User Advisory Council was conceived at this year’s EFI Connect conference, the largest annual user conference in the print industry, and plans were formalized soon after. “Connect provides an opportunity for unparalleled interaction between customers and EFI staff, but we wanted to provide

RESTON, VA—July 31, 2006—The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF®) has launched a major effort to streamline the accreditation and reaccreditation processes for PrintED and update the industry competencies that form the basis of instruction in PrintED programs. GAERF Chairman Randolph W. Camp, CEO of Walton Media Services in Monroe, Georgia, says the goal of the initiative is “to maintain the high standards on which PrintED’s reputation is based, while simplifying our processes and reducing the workload imposed on instructors who already have substantial demands on their time.” Camp noted that more than half the “paperwork” involved in accreditation has been obliterated. The condensed method

If the uppermost sheets in a stack to be cut are domed and not level, they will shift when the material is placed against the backgauge. The top sheets move upwards against the backgauge, leading to differences in cuts. The operator often tries to bend or roll up the corners of the uppermost sheets, but if it is not done in the right way, the upper sheets will be damaged and no longer useable. A hold-down clamp at the backgauge ensures that the upper sheets are retained on the loaded material, all of which can then be positioned against the backgauge. Even with

SEWICKLEY, PA—More than two years in development, the JDF Product Certification Program has finally been launched by CIP4 (The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress) and PIA/GATF (Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation). The program has been established to test product compliance to the Job Definition Format specification. JDF-enabled solutions that successfully complete testing will be issued a “JDF Certified” logo. This logo can be used on product packaging and promotional materials to convey to buyers that products have been certified to meet established guidelines for interoperability. Parameters for the testing are to be

CHICAGO—With more than 400,000 square feet of space booked at McCormick Place here in the Windy City, the 2006 Graph Expo and Converting Expo will reportedly be the largest national graphic communications and converting exhibition since 2000, notes the show organizer.According to Graphic Arts Show Co., which manages Graph Expo, total space occupied by the…

Expo Shows Demand for Digital Presses PHILADELPHIA—By all measures, save one, the recent 2006 On Demand Exposition (co-located with AIIM) has been widely judged a success. The exception being that the sponsors apparently found the Pennsylvania Convention Center wanting and have decided a move to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center is called for in 2007. More than 20,000 registrants and 450 exhibitors were reported to have participated in the 2006 expo. There was a noticeable up-tick in the new product introductions (or U.S. debuts, at least) from the digital printer/press vendors at the show, resulting in further segmentation of the market. A surprising

ORLANDO, FL—Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes Inc., presented the keynote address at the 54th annual Web Offset Association conference held here May 21-24. Another highlight was the presentation of the 2006 Harry V. Quadracci VISION Award to Tom Quadracci, chairman and co-founder of Quad/Graphics, who plans to retire at year-end after 35 years…