●Let's build a value chain with our partners

The printing industry has mainly produced and delivered ordered prints to its customers. This continues to be its main activity. However, customers have begun to recognize that prints are only a part of their solutions. For example, customers now require printing companies to produce printed catalogues and leaflets. The main objective is to increase sales of their products. The digitization and networking of editing and printing processes have rapidly diversified the means of providing information and removed the borders between related industries. The printing industry is required not only to produce and deliver prints, but also to attain its full potential. From these points of view, PAGE 2004 was held under the theme: 'Let's build a value chain with our partners.' In response to this theme, vendors of printing equipment are now proposing not only new models of equipment, but also more and more intangible solutions.

●Joint organization of PAGE 2004 and Postal Forum

Japan Post, which was established in 2003, organized the Postal Forum jointly with the JAGAT, Japan Direct Mail Association and Japan Mailing Service Association. The DPS (data printing services) that were often provided by using monochrome laser printers can now provide higher value-added and colored prints by using a variable printing process. Digital media (DM) is now required to provide not just standardized information, but also individual information based on a large customer database. To provide these types of information, on-demand variable prints are now attracting much attention and providing information of direct relevance to the printing industry.

●Active discussions at the Conference

At the PAGE 2004 Conference, the keynote address titled the 'Re-definition of business models in the changing market' covered the new business models now being created by the application of information technologies.
In the PAGE Conference, discussions were held on common problems as well as the advanced approach according to conference themes. The problems encountered by the printing industry were discussed in relation to graphics, cross media and management information systems (MIS).
For graphics, discussions were held on the technological trends in multi-color printing, digital camera image creation and Unicode. Case studies on the results obtained in cooperation with partners were reported and discussed in the sessions on content management and automatic layout, XML creation by Office 2003, and the production of teaching aids by variable printing.P> For cross media, technological trends and advanced case studies were presented and discussed in relation to several themes: electronic books, electronic catalogue business, knowledge management, content management and Web usability. In the session dealing with e-learning and variable printing, a presentation was made addressing the fact that schools and the other institutions providing education and education by correspondence are carrying out various activities on a partnership basis using not only conventional paper texts, but also cross media, variable printing and the Web.
For MIS, problems were raised and discussions were held on MIS in the printing industry, the strengthened partnership with customers through networks, and the responses to CIP4/JDP.

●Seminar on urgent problems

The PAGE Seminar provided the opportunity for the participants to come into contact with and master new technologies in the printing industry. It attracted many more participants than the Conference.
In the Seminar, the most popular workshop was the ISO approved PDF/X data exchange standard, which is attracting a great deal of attention, mainly from the advertising industry. With regard to PDF/X, which provides many benefits to both printing companies and their customers, several aspects were verified from various viewpoints and future challenges were mooted and were met by an abundance of suggestions.
PDF/X is based on the realistic concept that reliability can be improved by restricting the PDF settings. The great popularity of this Seminar suggests that PDF/X standard will spread rapidly.
Similarly, many participants went to the seminar on digital camera data delivery, RGB workflow and the related color management. These issues were discussed from the viewpoints of cameramen, plate-making companies, printing companies, shooting studios, etc. It is expected that these technologies will also spread rapidly.
In addition, the seminar on information security as it affects printing companies was deemed a success. Other seminars also were held on themes such as the professional quality of composition, the PDF workflow for Windows outputs, and how to earn money through cross media.

●The near-future vision of printing will be formed by CIP4/JDF.

The discussions on collaboration covered CIP4/JDF. John Fermann, the senior engineering director in Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (EFI) and the marketing representative on the CIP4 Committee, visited Japan and made a speech titled 'Near-future Vision of Printing formed by CIP4/JDF.' He said that the optimization of production facilities and the whole printing trade should be realized through bi-directional connection between management systems such as MIS and production equipment. In his speech, he indicated the future orientation common to printing industries worldwide.

In the general exhibition and the JDF/MIS zone, the leading press vendors as well as MIS suppliers provided many CIP4/JDF products designed to improve the efficiency of printing services.

The digitization of production systems such as DTP and CTP has been nearly completed. In the next step, the efficiency of all printing services should be improved by integrating the production and management systems to eliminate waste. To do this, the most useful means is JDF/CIP4, which may be adopted as the main theme at Drupa 2004 as well. The efficiency of printing services cannot be improved merely by introducing new products. It is also necessary for the printing industry to introduce new management techniques or build a production management system optimally designed for the manufacturing sector.

●Layout in the next generation

In PAGE 2004, QuarkXPress6J was presented for the first time and attracted considerable attention. The seminar sponsored by Quark Japan K.K. was filled beyond capacity with eager participants. In the seminar, it was explained that the concepts of QuarkXPress6J development were improving the efficiency of production and emphasizing the importance of cross media. It was also reported that QuarkXPress6J would be delivered in the 2nd quarter of this year. According to the subsequent explanations and demonstrations, QuarkXPress6J, which can be operated on MacOS X or Windows 2000/XP, is provided with new functions, including the project function that can integrate multiple documents into one file, a high-resolution preview display function, a layer function, a table working function, a multi-Undo function, and a PDF write-out function. Of greatest note was the fact that QuarkXPress6J was newly provided with a cross media publishing function to write out a HTML file while a document is being created, and that no change was made to the plate-making engine. The exhibition hall was constantly teeming with visitors.

In the next-generation DTP Solution zone, Apple Japan Inc., Adobe Systems Co., Ltd. as well as printing companies (representing users) held seminars to report their activities and products and these also attracted large audiences. Especially, InDesign CS supplied by Adobe attracted a high level of interest due to its recent introduction. Adobe made a pitch to the audience, promoting the product's features including high operability, significantly higher display speed, and the data delivery function employing PDF/X.
Canon System Solutions presented EDICOLOR 7.0 compatible with OS X and OpenType. Hohsei (Founder International Inc.) presented its layout software 'FounderFIT' for leaflets and information magazines and its Web delivery and magazine production functions as well as its newspaper plate making software 'Megalith.' Simple Products Co., Ltd. also presented its basic products such as 'Form Magic' as a tool for processing complicated variable editing tasks, 'XML Automagic' that can lay out XML data without using any program, along with the 'product catalogue production solution' developed jointly with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. It seems that all the exhibitor companies are focusing on the linkage with XML and cross media solutions.
As for font products, new typefaces in OpenType format were presented. Fontworks Japan Inc. presented its new series of 'Chikushi-Mincho,' while Iwata Corporation showcased its new series of 'Koudouken-Shincho' and 'Iwata-Socho' types. Morisawa & Co., Ltd. presented 'Fork' and 'New Maru Gothic' as the OpenType versions of conventional fonts.

●Server, imposition and output-related functions

Visual Processing Japan presented its content database solutions including WebNative/Venture. Mitsubishi Paper Mills Ltd. provided the standard imposition software 'FACILIS' Version 4.0 compatible with OS X and Windows 2000/XP. Workers in Koyosha Ltd. set imposition parameters on the document level of QuarkXPress or InDesign. There is strong demand for special software from prepress vendors, who incorporate imposition functions into their PDF workflows. Yamazakura Co., Ltd. presented its small printers Series CARDMATE for name cards and postcards. Fujifilm Graphic Systems Co., Ltd. presented its on-demand printers Series ColorDocuTech; its variable printing technology using the RIP (raster image processor) Xcellent compatible with PPML; and its connection function with a special inline saddle stitching, folding and bookbinding system.

●RGB workflows

RGB workflows for digital camera data delivery were exhibited, however, not many scanners were on display. Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd., Fujifilm Graphic Systems Co., Ltd. and Heidelberg Japan K. K. proposed their RGB workflows that can optimize images in RGB (red, green and blue) and color them depending on the application. These workflows were considered to be urgent challenges as outlined in the seminar described above, and attracted a high level of interest.

●Theme zone

Various 3-D technologies and techniques were presented in the Advanced Technology zone. In addition, much attention was focused on the IC tag technologies, the electronic book devices, 2-D codes, and large-sized displays. Although these devices and technologies may appear to have little relation to the printing industry, they share the same problems with printing technologies, for example, their spread may depend on both quality and how their relevance is evaluated.

Many visitors observed that no new or epoch-making product was exhibited. However, it seems that PAGE 2004 gave many hints and suggestions to those who are seeking new solutions and who are trying to develop their businesses in cooperation with their partners.

2004/11/29 00:00:00