Printing Industries of America, Inc.

DARMSTADT, Germany—The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress (CIP4), Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) and NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies (NPES) today announced a one-day, one-time "JDF Developers Tutorial" that will be held on Sunday, April 24th, 2005 at PIA/GATF's headquarters in Sewickley, PA in conjunction with the CIP4 members' Technical Meeting and Interoperability Meeting April 20th-30th, 2005. A similar JDF Developers Tutorial was held in January at Heidelberg's headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany and it was a very successful event - leading to the decision to bring the event

Data show a rebounding industry, but the real picture is more complex—and encouraging. WHETHER AN INDUSTRY'S basic economic numbers look good or bad on the surface, it's usually necessary to look more deeply in order to understand what is really happening—and what those numbers mean for the industry's future. That is the case today with the printing, publishing, and package-printing industry. As several sources have pointed out, the industry in general has been rebounding from several very difficult years. Revenues are increasing across the board. Indeed, at the PRINT OUTLOOK® 05 conference in December, Printing Industries of America (PIA) Chief Economist Ronnie Davis said,

BALTIMORE, Md.—Vertis, the premier provider of targeted advertising, media, and marketing services, recently was honored for exemplary human resource practices in the printing industry. Bestowed after a rigorous review, the Chalfont, Pa., facility was recognized as one of "The Best Workplaces in America." The facility has been named one of "The Best Workplaces in America" in each of the first five years of this award's existence, and have also been recognized as Best of the Best in 2000 and 2003. The national award is sponsored by Master Printers of America (MPA), a unit of the Printing Industries of America.   "Our internal cohesion is

Fiscal anxiety may lead converters to delay press investments and additions. See below for a guide to narrow-web press series and their respective levels of investment. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor THE "WAIT AND SEE" mentality has descended upon the narrow-web print set and its purse strings. While press manufacturers continued to heighten the graphic sophistication level of narrow-web presses in 2001 with improved press models, many converters may not consider capitalizing on those technology gains until the economic picture comes into focus. Relatively, the narrow-web market is in a much better boat than many other printer segments. Printing Industries of America's (PIA)

When will more of the industry's equipment purchasing intentions turn into purchase orders? by Susan Friedman, Editor OK, the hold-out's over; spending can start now ... right? According to packagePRINTING's 2001 Equipment Purchasing Survey, 60 percent of responding package printers have intentionally delayed most equipment purchases until the second half of this year due to the economy. packagePRINTING's survey isn't the only one showing these stalled spending stances. According to Stephen Kodey, manager of economic and business research at Printing Industries of America (PIA), a first quarter PIA survey showed 33 percent of printers (commercial and packaging) planned to hold off indefinitely on capital

The economic boom may be over, but the label industry is still charted for healthy growth. by Jessica Millward, Associate Editor "DON'T BELIEVE THE hype," in so many words, was the message Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan had for Congress last month in his semi-annual report on the economy. Though he wasn't disputing the slow-down trend of mid- to late-2000, he maintained the country is not headed for a full-scale recession. He even pointed to positive signs for the first few months of 2001. Greenspan did warn Congress, however, that economic forecasters could never really predict recessions, because they are largely caused by

Package printers' 2001 prospects look brighter than the cloudy overall economic picture. by Regis J. Delmontagne, President, NPES As 2001 began, our industry was concerned, for the first time in several years, with the prospect of an economic slowdown. The printing industry in general, and package printing in particular, have been doing very well recently, but some authorities fear even a modest economic setback could have disproportionate impacts. At last December's PRINT OUTLOOK® 2001 conference in Washington, for example, National Association of Printers and Lithographers Economist Andrew Paparozzi noted if the national economy grows in 2001 and 2002 at only about a 3.5 percent

Buoyed by the surging national economy, package printers are expected to buy, diversify,and go digital to profit in 2000. By Regis J. Delmontagne, President, NPES A national economic expansion unprecedented in its duration and vigor continued in 1999—and will continue in 2000—to power the package printing industry to strong growth. Economists speaking at December's PRINT OUTLOOK® 2000 program in Washington, DC, noted that 1999 was the fifth consecutive year in which the U.S. economy grew by 3.7 percent or more. Economic expansions throughout our history have averaged 32 months in length, while the current boom finished 1999 in its 105th month of growth. As

All indicators point to continued economic health and stability for the nation and package printers during 1998. by Dan Cray If you're having a sense of deja vu as you look at your company's bottom line this year, you're not alone. Nearly one-third of the way through 1998, economists say that with a few exceptions all economic indicators are about the same as they were last year—and that's good news. As the nation continues in one of the most drawn-out economic expansions of the post-war era, inflation and interest rates are steady, while unemployment figures are the lowest they've been in 24 years. In