TAGA Announces Keynote Speakers for Technical Conference

PITTSBURGH, Pa.—The Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA) has announced the following keynote speakers for its 61st Annual Technical Conference, March 15-18 in New Orleans.

Dr. Carol Werlé, Dalim Software GmbH
Global Reach of Premedia
The graphic arts supply chain has gone global, and, equally important, it has gone real-time. In this keynote presentation, find out how the graphic arts industry is managing global operations to serve its clients with all the care and attention of a local supplier. Large print corporations have laid the foundation for efficient outsourcing of services, and publishers of catalogs or magazines as well as retailers have learned how to leverage the use of the Internet to reduce lead time in the manufacturing of printed products while cutting costs and reducing their carbon footprints. When even the paper industry promotes softproofing as a way to "go green," the time has come for everyone in the publishing and printing industry to check whether their production process is up to the latest standards.

Dr. Carol Werlé, Chief Executive Officer of Dalim Software GmbH, has directed the organization since the company's capitalization as a software manufacturing company in 1999. Obtaining a doctorate in Physics from the University of Strasbourg in 1985, Dr. Werlé joined the company, then known as DALiM GmbH, in 1987 as its first Support Engineer.

Clarence Penge, Heidelberg USA
Manufacturing Equipment for Tomorrow's World of Print Media
The challenges for today's print provider are diverse to say the least. Penge will provide a brief review of the history of some major technology developments. There are many new offerings that provide opportunities in the areas of integration, security printing, and manufacturing equipment. Penge will also cover the challenges for the future of print media, including what the opportunities in the business arena are and what technological advancements we are likely to see.

Clarence Penge is the Vice President of Sheetfed Product Management. Clarence has more than twenty years of printing experience. Fourteen of those have been with Heidelberg, most recently as the director of demo room operations, where he was responsible for all of the Heidelberg demo facilities including the largest demonstration facility in North America. Previously, Penge held the positions of press operator, plant manager, demonstrator, and product manager. In his current position, Penge assumes product management responsibility for all sheetfed presses and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and prior printing experience.

Gary Dispoto, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
Security Print Production Automation: Optimization the Printing and Reading of Color Information
Security printing is the use of variable-data printing to add readable information to printed regions. Digital commercial printing allows overt, covert, and forensic marks to be printed with no more fuss than regular commercial printing. On the reading side, powerful imaging technologies enable the printed information to be recovered and used in a plethora of workflows. Color scientists at HP Labs are optimizing the approaches of security deterrents through the use of digital printing. Dispoto's presentation will discuss some of the latest developments in the printing and reading of color security data, with a focus on the research of the Security Printing and Imaging team at HP Labs.

Gary Dispoto is the director of the Print Production Automation Lab, which seeks to streamline the processes required to produce industrial and commercial digital print, enabling new types of printed products and broader access to commercial print production.

Robert C. Tapella, Government Printing Office
Government Printing Goes Green: Trends, Developments, and Implementation of Green Initiatives for Government and Industry
As one of the largest printers and print buyers in the United States, The Government Printing Office (GPO) is dedicated to sustainability and environmental issues. Tapella will discuss what technologies GPO is currently utilizing and considering for the future as well as what GPO is doing in the government to promote green policies both internally and externally.

As the nation's 25th Public Printer, Tapella serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), one of the nation's oldest and most venerable agencies with revenue in the excess of $1 billion. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Tapella oversees production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government. Many of the country's most important information products, such as the Congressional Record and the Federal Register are produced at GPO's main plant located five blocks from the U.S. Capitol. This 1.5 million-square-foot complex is one of the largest information processing, printing, and distribution facilities in the world. TAGA is a leading source of technical research for the graphic communications industry worldwide. The Annual Technical Conference is attended by research professional and academics from several countries around the world representing all aspects of graphic media from electronics and nano-technology to traditional ink and paper applications. The annual Proceedings and the peer review Journal are widely referenced information sources. For more information on the conference and to register, please visit www.taga.org.