To search the Digital News content (plus any other content) on this site, enter the word(s) in the box below and click on the "Search" button. News Archive Q3 2006 Q2 2006 Q1 2006 Q4 2005 Q3 2005 Q2 2005 Q1 2005 Q4 2004 Q3 2004 Q2 2004 Q1 2004 Q4 2003 Q3 2003 Q2 2003 Q1 2003 Q4 2002 (NOTE: the following is a mixture of press releases and editorial comments. When ONLY a company-provided press release is used--either in full or excerpted--it will be identified as such.) PRESS RELEASE: LYSON'S CAVE PAINT™ PIGMENT INK NOW AVAILABLE FOR EPSON STYLUS PRO10000/10600 WIDE FORMAT PRINTERS. Exceptional Color Gamut and Vibrancy with Long Term Fade Resistance Provides A Less Expensive and Better Performing Alternative to Epson OEM Inks. 6/30/04 - (6/28/04) Lyson, Inc., a leading provider of inks, media, and related products to the printing, photography, graphic arts, and other allied industries, has expanded its popular Cave Paint pigment inks to include cartridges for Epson's Stylus Pro 10000 and Stylus Pro 10600 wide format printers. Cave Paint provides intensely vibrant colors for dramatic, durable, eye-catching prints. Once installed, these pigment inks enhance the color output of Epson 10000 and 10600 printers while driving down costs significantly for the end user. The Lyson Cave Paint cartridges are approximately 25% less expensive than Epson cartridges. "My past experience with non-OEM inks wasn't good, but Lyson Cave Paint is actually better than Epson's ink," says Fred Galley of Galley Studio, Portage, Wisconsin. "The prints with Cave Paint are very nice‹everyone who sees them is blown away!" Photographer Mike Dolan of Santa Rosa, California concurs: "The print quality is always at least as good--and in many cases a lot better--than Epson ink on the same paper. Cave Paint is also much more scratch resistant, particularly on gloss or semi-gloss papers. Proofing is quite straightforward, no problems at all; and the changeover to Lyson inks from Epson was really simple, fast, and easy." Ideal for photographic and fine art prints, trade show graphics, outdoor signs and banners, backlit and window exhibits, POP displays, and pre-press proofing, Cave Paint benefits include: Ultra-vibrant colors over a wide color gamut - Long, fade resistant life for indoor and outdoor usage - Wide media compatibility with no performance sacrifice - Process color simulation - Water and scratch resistance - Exceptional lamination characteristics for hot and cold lamination Lyson Cave Paint is compatible with a wide range of printer technologies including Epson, Roland, Mimaki, and Mutoh. Contact sales@lysonusa.com for more technical information and to find out how Cave Paint can improve your specific inkjet application. About Lyson Headquartered in Elk Grove, IL, Lyson, Inc. is the North American operation of Lyson, Ltd., a privately-owned company based in Stockport, U.K. Lyson specializes in the development and production of fluids and related products for the inkjet industry. Lyson¹s inks and media support all major inkjet print technologies. SOURCE: MLyson, Inc. www.lysonusa.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: MOAB PAPER CO. ANNOUNCES NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH LEXJET DIRECT. Leading provider of product solutions to distribute EntradaTM and KayentaTM lines of paper. 6/30/04 - (6/23/04) Moab Paper Co. today announces a new relationship with LexJet Direct. Beginning immediately LexJet will offer Entrada and Kayenta Fine Art Papers through its extensive direct sales channels as well as their comprehensive online presence. "Moab's media produce images of uncompromising quality and are a natural choice for the discerning, serious photographer," states Chris Cudzilo, Product Manager, LexJet. "In short, Moab paper allows prints to fully realize the artist's vision. We're proud to distribute this quality media and reiterates LexJet's dedication to providing the finest quality solutions for our customers." "LexJet choosing to distribute Moab Paper is a humbling endorsement," notes Gregory Schern, President of Moab Paper. "Photographers transitioning to digital output are constantly looking for options that were unavailable to them using traditional photographic processes. I'm confident that LexJet customers now have an additional tool to add to their arsenal for growing their business. We're excited that LexJet has chosen our media as a 'preferred paper' for its customers." Entrada is Moab Paper Company's line of fine art inkjet papers. The paper is 100% cotton, dual sided, archival fine art media. Entrada was developed to please both the discerning professional and the serious amateur artist/photographer, this selection of media answers the challenge of the professional inkjet printing market for high quality media at affordable prices, thanks to Moab's unique business model. These media come in a broad array of weights and size offerings, in sheets and rolls. Kayenta Photo Matte, a paper designed to be used on everyday photo print jobs at very affordable prices. The dual-sided, acid-free, lignin-free paper is perfect for portfolios, scrap books and other general print jobs. In addition, the low-price point makes Kayenta Photo Matte a perfect proofing paper About Moab Paper Moab Paper Company is dedicated to the production of quality fine art and photographic media for the discerning professional. The full range of media is offered at a price which is attractive to both the serious amateur photographer and artist as well as the most demanding professional The Moab Paper Company portfolio includes EntradaTM Fine Art, a 100% cotton, dual sided, archival fine art media, KokopelliTM photographic media with a traditional look and feel, LasalTM dual sided multi-purpose photographic media, and AnasaziTM art canvas. These media come in a broad array of weights and size offerings, in sheets and rolls. Moab Paper Company is a division of Red Rock Innovations, Inc. (Moab, UT). For more information, visit www.moabpaper.com or call 435.259.3161. About LexJet Direct The LexJet Corporation is ranked No. 48 by Deloitte & Touche as one of the fastest growing technology related companies in North America and ranked No. 48 by INC Magazine as one of the 500 fastest growing, privately held companies in America. LexJet is a leading direct provider, offering proven product solutions for businesses, government and educational institutions engaged in producing large and small format digital color images. LexJet's direct model offers one-to-one relationships with highly trained, competent account managers; telephone and online purchasing; custom digital imaging product solutions and same day shipping. As a result of LexJet's full integration of its' e-business strategy with existing direct business model and internal systems, the company is visited by thousands of unique users daily for information and product solutions. SOURCE: Moab Paper Company www.moabpaper.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: DURST PHOTOTECHNIK AG ADDS WHITE INK TO ECONOMICAL RHO 205 INKJET PRINTER/PRESS; SHOWS UPGRADEABILITY OF ITS INKJET PORTFOLIO. From Better Detail & Contrast to Greater Media Selection, White Ink Opens Possibilities. 6/26/04 - (6/22/04) Durst Phototechnik AG, the first and only company to offer a white ink capability for the production large-format inkjet printing segment, has added white ink printing to the Durst Rho 205 Flatbed UV Inkjet Printer/Press--the company's moderately priced, high-quality, direct-to-media, large-format UV inkjet printing solution. White ink printing was introduced by Durst earlier this year on the Rho 160W Plus Flatbed UV Inkjet Printer/Press. Its extension to the Rho 205 further demonstrates the modular, upgradeable design strategy of Durst's inkjet portfolio. This upgradeability is a critical feature, as it extends and protects the purchaser's capital investment as well as provides ready access to important new printing capabilities. Just like Rho 160W Plus users, Rho 205W users can now overlay a white background on non-white or clear media, add white areas and detail, produce cleaner backgrounds, heighten contrast, and give colors added "pop." No longer are selections of media or other substrates for certain applications limited by the fact that a white overlay or white background was unavailable or not technically possible. The Rho 205/8 (eight heads) with white ink printing can be ordered immediately from Durst. White ink upgrades to units in the field also are immediately available. The Rho 205/16 (16 heads) with white ink printing will be available in the fourth quarter. Interested parties can contact Durst for details. "With our Rho 160W Plus and Rho 205W both able to print white ink, there isn't a print job out there--from traditional papers to rigid materials almost three inches thick--that can't benefit from this dynamic new capability," said Christopher Howard, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC. "Not only does white ink allow a shop to participate in more jobs; it brings more value and flexibility to its printing capabilities. White ink is a tremendous printing asset." The Rho 205W is an 80-inch-wide (205mm) printer built on a modular, scaleable, feature-rich platform that delivers exceptional quality and productivity, but at a comparatively low price. The printer brings renowned Durst inkjet performance within reach of many smaller and expanding imaging operations--as well as shops looking to diversify their imaging capabilities. It is available for immediate delivery and installation. The Rho 205 comes in four versions: the 205W; the 205/8, which accepts materials up to 1.58 inches (4cm) thick and 110 pounds (50kg); the 205/8i, which accepts materials up to 2.75 inches (7cm) thick and 154 pounds (70kg) for more industrial applications; and the 205/16, equipped with 16 print heads for twice the speed and productivity. Each model utilizes Durst's highly regarded UV curing ink and piezo technology and features CMYK workflow. The Rho 205 also offers a roll feed capability and is fully compatible with Durst's auto-feeder/stacker system for sheet-fed material, giving users flexibility in media selection. Durst designed the Rho 205 to be an economical, productive UV flatbed inkjet printer primarily for printing rigid materials. It operates on very short RIP and data transfer times for efficient workflow. For on-the-fly image processing and on-the-fly dithering, the efficient Rho 205 also employs propriety Durst Rho UNIX software. This allows the user to manage scaling-pixel interpolation, sharpening, cropping, paneling, corrections and other image-quality variables in real time for maximum productivity and less hard disk usage. Three customer-programmable productivity settings help ensure that the Rho 205 provides high efficiency as well as high quality. It prints at a constant 360 dpi onto a broad range of materials--hard and soft foam board, aluminum, acrylics, cardboard, corrugated board and many other surfaces. "With its unique combination of performance, scalability and relatively low entry cost, a growing number of imaging professionals are finding the Rho 205 to be the right solution for their direct-to-media printing requirements," Howard said. "The ability to print white ink only strengthens that proposition." About Durst Durst Phototechnik AG is a manufacturer of digital imaging systems for graphic, pre-press, signage and photographic applications. It has manufacturing facilities in Brixen (South Tyrol / Italy) and Lienz (East Tyrol / Austria), offices in the U.S. (Durst Image Technology), France, United Kingdom and Germany, and exclusive agents in 120 countries supporting users and customers in professional printing markets worldwide. Durst's worldwide reputation for quality, precision and reliability spans nearly 70 years. Durst Image Technology U.S., LLC is the exclusive marketer and service provider for all Durst professional digital imaging equipment in all North, Central and South American markets. Durst U.S. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Durst Phototechnik Group, headquartered in Brixen, Italy. Durst's professional imaging products include the world-renowned Durst Lambda laser imager line, Durst Rho 160 Plus and Rho 205 flatbed UV ink jet printers/presses, Durst Sigma Plus high-speed film scanner, Durst Theta 50 and Theta 51 roll-to-cut print imagers, Durst Epsilon Plus LED printer, and the Durst Zeta Plus roll-to-roll laser printer. SOURCE: Durst U.S. www.durstus.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: ART Z LAUNCHES CARDMAKER™ WITH MOAB PAPER. New unique line of two sided fine-art ink-jet cards with vellum envelopes is now available. 6/18/04 - (6/15/04) ArtZ, manufacturer of fine-art presentation products for the professional photographer and artist and Moab Paper Company announce the introduction of the CardMaker, a unique line of fine art ink jet cards. The bright white 100% cotton rag cards are made from the acclaimed Entrada™ Fine Art paper and are printable on both sides (interior and exterior). There cards are available in three sizes:the very fashionable square card (5.25x5.25"), the classic rectangular card (5x7"), and the elegant slim card (3.875x9.25"). The envelope is made of the highest quality printable, translucent vellum, 30# Chatham, which is ph neutral and chlorine free so the card images are protected. Creating your own custom card is easy with the enclosed printing tips, as well as down-loadable templates and printing profiles. "We are so excited to be able to offer our customers not only the hippest line of ink-jet cards and envelopes, but the finest quality paper at an affordable price!" says Kristin VanDeWalle, president of ArtZ. Moab Paper Company's Entrada Fine Art utilizes multiple receiving layers which equate to a superior ink load capacity allowing for features including water resistance, instant drying and prints with incredible detail and excellent tonality. Entrada Fine Art also features a maximum color gamut and exceptionally deep blacks. The paper is compatible with both dye and pigment inks and works remarkably well with the latest Epson(r) Ultrachrome inks. "ArtZ continues to bring creative, inventive products to market," notes Greg Schern, President of Moab Paper. "Moab Paper looks forward to partnering with ArtZ to create similar innovative products." ArtZ has brought innovation to the digital arena with it's recent introduction of the BookMaker, a create-yourself, leather hardbound book that holds ten to twenty custom printed pages, again, featuring Entrada Fine Art two-sided 100% cotton rag paper. CardMaker is a continuation of ArtZ's desire to offer do-it-yourself creative products to fine artists and photographer. The cards are available in packages of 15 for $19 and packages of 50 for $49. The CardMaker is available immediately and can be purchased online at www.artzproducts.com, www.moabpaper.com,and www.inkjetgoodies.com or you can phone order at ArtZ (800) 789-6503, Moab Paper Company (435) 259-3161. About Moab Paper Moab Paper Company is dedicated to the production of quality fine art and photographic media for the discerning professional. The full range of media is offered at a price which is attractive to both the serious amateur photographer and artist as well as the most demanding professional The Moab Paper Company portfolio includes Entrada™ Fine Art, a 100% cotton, dual sided, archival fine art media, Kokopelli™ photographic media with a traditional look and feel, Lasal™ dual sided multi-purpose photographic media, and Anasazi™ art canvas. These media come in a broad array of weights and size offerings, in sheets and rolls. Moab Paper Company is a division of Red Rock Innovations, Inc. (Moab, UT). For more information, visit www.moabpaper.com or call 435.259.3161. About ArtZ ArtZ's mission is to provide our customers with an innovative product that combines simplicity and elegance with high design, high quality materials and craftsmanship. We strive to provide a service that is prompt, personal and courteous. ArtZ is a division of Olson Design Company, Inc. (Bozeman, MT). For more information, visit www.artzproducts.com or call 800.789.6503. SOURCE: ArtZ www.artzproducts.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: HAHNEMUHLE INTRODUCES "WHITE VELVET." 6/6/04 - (6/4/04) Hahnemühle FineArt is proud to announce our new inkjet media product, White Velvet. The new White Velvet is similar to Hahnemühle's #1 inkjet media product in art reproduction, German Etching. White Velvet is a bright white, strong velvet surface containing 25% rag. Our market-leading range of Hahnemühle Digital FineArt watercolor papers were designed for the digital-imaging professional, while maintaining the rich look, feel, and texture required of traditional art papers. White Velvet is coated with the same high-grade coating to ensure accurate color balancing and depth that you have come to expect from our professional-grade products. The Hahnemühle grades of Digital FineArt print paper are currently being used to create limited editions, giclees, digital art, photographs, photographic reproductions, and any print where a quality look and feel are required. Hahnemühle papers are developed to function with both dye and pigment inksets on a wide variety of printers providing a color intensity and crispness not possible with non-coated art papers. White Velvet is available in 24" x 36", 35" x 46.75", and 24", 36", & 44" Rolls. SOURCE: Hahnemühle FineArt USA www.hahnemuhle.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: INTRODUCING NEW DIGITAL GEM AIRBRUSH PROFESSIONAL PLUG-IN. 6/3/04 - (6/2/04) Kodak's Austin Development Center, formerly Applied Science Fiction, is pleased to announce the release of our new plug-in, Digital GEM Airbrush Professional Plug-In for ADOBE PHOTOSHOP Software and compatible image editing applications. The DIGITAL GEM Airbrush Professional Plug-In gives users a quick and powerful way of smoothing skin surfaces without blurring or affecting the detail of important facial features. The new plug-in enables users to achieve meticulous airbrush effects, automatically, without tedious, time-consuming masking and manual softening. The DIGITAL GEM Airbrush Professional Plug-In smoothes surfaces in digital images by reducing harsh shadows and highlights, minimizing the imperfections of skin and other surfaces, while fully preserving details like hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, and the true character of a subject's face. Professional Plug-In Features Include: * Smoothes skin and other surfaces without blurring important image detail * Achieve "one click" digital makeovers for your subjects to look their best instantly * Enables custom control of image detail at fine, medium, and coarse levels * Support for 16-bit and 8-bit color images * "Darken", "Lighten", and "Normal" buttons allow you to effect detail in highlights, shadows, or both, respectively. Advanced users will be pleased to know that the new professional plug-in fully supports the use of 16-bit color images, as well as 8-bit, to take advantage of the extra image data captured by high end scanning devices. "One Click" Digital Makeovers Instantly The DIGITAL GEM Airbrush Professional Plug-In provides an effective and affordable solution for the amateur snap-shooter or the professional portrait photographer to bring out the real beauty in their subjects, reducing the distracting imperfections and smoothing unflattering highlights / shadows. Whether the subjects are older with wrinkles, teens with blemishes, or toddlers with already perfect skin, this new plug-in will make them look their best, automatically. Pricing DIGITAL GEM Airbrush Professional Plug-In for Macintosh and Windows is now available for download at the purchase price of $99.95. A Plug-in product CD-ROM is also available for purchase. The FREE trial version is available for download at www.asf.com. This fully functional trial version applies watermarks to the processed digital images. The watermark can be disabled with purchase of the software key. SOURCE: Kodak ADC www.asf.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: CREO LAUNCHES NEW HIGH-PRODUCTIVITY SCANNING AND DIGITAL ARCHIVING SOLUTIONS AT DRUPA 2004. 5/23/04 - (5/8/04) Creo Inc. (NASDAQ: CREO; TSX: CRE) is introducing the new EverSmart® Supreme II and EverSmart Select II scanners at Stand B10, Hall 4 at drupa 2004, the largest international trade show for print media production. These new scanners deliver enhanced productivity and quality coupled with an advanced archiving workflow for the most challenging needs of today's imaging professionals. Meet Tight Deadlines with High Scanning Speeds The EverSmart Supreme II performs 120 scans per hour, an increase of more than 25 percent over the previous version. The EverSmart Select II achieves 100 scans per hour, an improvement of more than 15 percent. Both models are equipped with FireWire® connectivity to increase speed and incorporate true RAW 16 bit scanning and Digital Transparency, the digital archiving workflow, through the latest oXYgen scanning and image manipulation software. The EverSmart Supreme II scanner incorporates innovative scanning technologies, including XY Stitch, CCD Dynamic Cooling and MaxDR, providing high quality with maximum detail everywhere on the scanner bed, and from any original size. Both scanners offer excellent quality and outstanding performance. The EverSmart Supreme II and EverSmart Select II will replace the existing EverSmart Select and EverSmart Supreme models "Our continued improvements in digital image capture demonstrate Creo's exceptional support of customers worldwide," said Ziv Argov, director of marketing for scanning solutions, Creo. "By developing faster and better scanning solutions we enable customers to create high-resolution digital archives from original art by combining two proven technologies: XY Stitch and Digital Transparency. Our customers require uniform sharpness and detail across the entire area of the original as well as scaling capabilities (up to 4,660 percent) with no loss of detail in an image." The new EverSmart II scanner family is designed to meet the demanding needs of today's enterprise printers with image-intensive graphic businesses, where maximum speed, excellent image quality and sharpness are essential.  Images available at www.creo.com/imagebank This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are described under the caption "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" and elsewhere in our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2003, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and which are incorporated herein by reference. We do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this news release. About Creo Creo Inc. is a global company with key strengths in imaging and software technology. The leading provider of prepress systems, Creo helps over 25,000 customers worldwide adopt digital production methods which reduce costs, increase print quality and allow them to serve their customers more efficiently. Based on a solid foundation of intellectual property, Creo has an unmatched range of technology solutions that address the needs of commercial, publication, on demand, packaging, and newspaper printers, and creative professionals. Creo product lines include software and hardware for computer-to-plate imaging, systems for digital photography, scanning, and proofing, as well as printing plates and proofing media. Creo also supplies on-press imaging technology, components for digital presses, color servers, and high-speed digital printers. Based in Vancouver, Canada, Creo employs more than 4,200 people and reported fiscal 2003 revenue of US$578 million. Creo trades on NASDAQ (CREO) and the TSX (CRE). www.creo.com SOURCE: Creo Inc. www.creo.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: EXTENSIS ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY OF PORTFOLIO 7.0 FOR WINDOWS. Digital Asset Management solution offers instant deployment, ease of use and affordability for workgroups and individuals. 5/20/04 - (5/12/04) Extensis Inc., today announced immediate availability of its leading Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution, Portfolio 7 and Portfolio Server 7 for Windows (Macintosh versions will be available in May). Portfolio enables photographers, graphic artists and other individuals and workgroups - from those in small-to-medium sized organizations to multiple workgroups in global 2000 companies - to organize, retrieve, repurpose, and distribute digital files quickly. Portfolio Server also provides instant access to assets across the Internet and other wide area networks, opening the communication channel between distributed team members and partner networks, making asset management and collaboration easier and more efficient than ever before. "Portfolio 7 marks a new direction for digital asset management," said Kevin Hurst, vice president of Marketing for Extensis. "While most DAM solutions are expensive, difficult to deploy, and have a steep learning curve, Portfolio is extremely affordable, has an easy to learn interface and can be seamlessly deployed in a matter of hours into an existing workflow." New Features in Portfolio 7 For greater efficiency and real-time collaboration, Portfolio's new AutoSync functionality allows users to assign tasks to Portfolio Server, enabling automatic synchronization. This feature also offloads file management and processing to Portfolio Server, boosting the system's overall workflow efficiency. The most dramatic new addition to the Portfolio 7 Suite of products is NetPublish - an add-on module that automates the process of turning Portfolio catalogs into elegant, full-featured websites - with no knowledge of HTML or JavaScript required. With a simple, wizard-like interface, and using professional-quality templates, users can build sites that include built-in image search, collection baskets, low-resolution previews and batch-download capabilities. A NetPublish Server brings the power of server-side JavaScript-based scripting, customizable templates, and real-time database access to a web server. Advanced users can access and edit the underlying NetPublish templates to create fully customized websites. Other new features include One Click CD/DVD archiving, Batch Image Conversion that allows users to convert image files to JPEG or TIFF format, with controls for resolution, size and color mode, and Round-trip embedding of IPTC and XMP metadata into JPEG and TIFF files. About Portfolio 7 The Portfolio suite of Digital Asset Management (DAM) products is designed to meet the needs of the most demanding content creation workgroups through four components: Portfolio Client, Portfolio Server, Portfolio NetPublish and Portfolio SQL Connect. Portfolio provides powerful Client/Server digital asset management for both desktops and networked workgroups, allowing collaborative teams to organize, find and share digital files quickly. Pricing and Availability Portfolio 7 is available at an estimated street price of $199.95US with a single NetPublish license. Additional NetPublish licenses can be purchased for an estimated street price of $199.95US (five concurrent web connections) or $999.95US (unlimited web connections). In addition, upgrades to Portfolio 7 are available for an estimated street price of $99.95US. Portfolio Server's estimated street price is $3,499.95US. Upgrades to Portfolio 7 Server are available for an estimated street price of $1,999.95.NetPublish Server licenses can be purchased for an estimated street price of $1999.95US. SQL Connect for MSDE is available for $4,499.95. SQL Connect for Oracle 8i/9i/10 is available for $7,499.95. SQL Connect for MS-SQL is available for $7,499.95. SQL Connect for Oracle and MySQL will be shipping in July 2004. Please contact your Extensis or local reseller for more information. For more information on Portfolio 7 or to download the Windows version, please go to http://www.extensis.com/portfolio. A Mac version will be available later this month. System Requirements Portfolio 7 Client supports Windows 2000, XP Home, XP Professional and QuickTime 6.4 or higher. Portfolio 7 Server supports Windows 2000 and 2003 Server. Portfolio NetPublish requires Microsoft IIS Versions 5.1 or 6.0. About Extensis, Inc. Extensis Inc., a Celartem company, is a leading provider of software solutions that empower digital asset creators and users. Extensis' award winning products are used by hundreds of Fortune 5000 companies and include: Portfolio for digital asset management and Suitcase and Font Reserve for font management. Extensis was founded in 1993 and is based in Portland, Oregon and the United Kingdom. Extensis is a wholly owned subsidiary of Celartem Technology USA Inc., a division of Celartem Technology Inc., Japan (Hercules: 4330). For additional information, please visit our website at http://www.extensis.com or call 1-800-796-9798. SOURCE: Extensis Inc. www.extensis.com/portfolio ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: CAP VENTURES RESEARCH SHOWS EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN LARGE FORMAT FINE ART PRINTING MARKET. 5/8/04 - (1/14/04) CAP Ventures estimates that the North American digital fine art market was valued at $290 million in 2003. This market is expected to experience a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 20% to reach a retail value of nearly $600 million by 2007. Improvements in inkjet printing technology have enabled this explosive growth. [ED: "digital fine art retail value" is defined as the value of goods sold by the print providers, services not included] In a new CAP Ventures research report entitled "Large Format Digital Fine Art Market Study," analysts examine the use of large format digital printers for producing digital fine art [ED: "art prints" expected to last beyond 30 years]. The research for the report was conducted in 2003 via Web-based surveys. Nearly 200 respondents from a variety of end-user segments completed the surveys. The research focuses on gathering information to size the market in North America, providing details on the usage and longevity requirements for large format fine art prints, determining production trends, and establishing leading brands of hardware and supplies. For printer vendors, this research shows that digital fine art printers are satisfied with the tools that are currently available. [ED: 83% are using inkjet, 6% using an RA-4 printer like LightJet or Lambda, 3% using thermal transfer] Manufacturers' revenue is expected to nearly double between 2003 and 2007, increasing from $60 million to $105 million. Supplies vendors should also take note of this explosive market. The premium aspect of digital fine art supplies offers vendors shelter from the price squeezing that is taking place in the general graphics market. The low-cost approach to generating market share has not taken hold in the fine art market, providing a good opportunity to vendors that can develop an appropriate sales and distribution channels. The North American large format fine art print market is a large and growing business. With a wide variety of print service providers adopting the application, CAP Ventures believes that the digital fine art printing market is just beginning to blossom. This research report is available immediately to clients of CAP Ventures' Visual Communications Technologies Consulting Service. For more information about the report or to make a purchase, please contact Alison Hipp at (781) 616-2100, ext. 126 or via e-mail at alison_hipp@capv.com CAP Ventures is a strategic consulting firm for providers and users of business and visual communication technologies and services. We deliver key research, analysis, forecasting, benchmarking, and strategy recommendations to make a competitive difference in our clients' businesses. Additional information about CAP Ventures is available on the Web at www.capv.com. SOURCE: CAP Ventures www.capv.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: HP, MAGNUM PHOTOS CELEBRATE THE POWER OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND PHOTOGRAPHY WITH "COLOR WORK" EXHIBIT. 5/3/04 - (4/28/04) HP today announced a collaboration with Magnum Photos, one of the world's largest cooperatives of professional photographers, to exhibit a never before released series of photographs. Running for two weeks at the Visionaire Gallery in New York City, the "Color Work" exhibit features the work of four of Magnum Photos' most diverse and esteemed photographers: * Elliott Erwitt's celebration of luminaries at Truman Capote's 1966 Black & White Ball; * Hiroji Kubota's depiction of the rarely seen North Korean society; * Jim Goldberg's conceptual photography from the artist's own major life events; and * Gueorgui Pinkhassov's unique vision of Tokyo. The entire "Color Work" exhibit was produced using HP digital printing technology, including HP media and inks, to create true-to-life color imagery that faithfully represents the brilliant work of the photographers. The first joint exhibition from HP and Magnum, "Color Work" kicks off "Magnum in May," a month-long series of exhibitions in New York City. "Through artful eyes, Magnum photographers have long chronicled the world and its most influential and pivotal issues, events and personalities," said David Strettell, director of cultural projects, Magnum Photos. "Our photographers accept no compromises when creating their art and we trust HP technology to help us share their work and vision." With photographs printed using the recently introduced HP Designjet 130 series printers, the exhibit showcases HP's excellence in bringing images to life. Delivering the highest standards necessary for professional-art photography, HP technology assures accurate color, high-image quality and exceptional fade-resistance. HP offers an expansive range of specialized digital imaging and printing solutions for professionals, as well as beginners, with products spanning from printers and digital cameras to scanners and PCs. "Through our broad range of digital photography solutions, HP will continue to advance the digital photography market," said Enrique Lores, vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. "And when working with Magnum Photos' impressive portfolio, delivering anything less than exceptional was not an option. HP's digital photography solutions more than met the challenge." The HP Designjet 130 is a 24-inch, six-ink graphics printer for photographers and design professionals, providing affordable, convenient photo-quality prints that resist fading for 70 years.(1) HP's state-of-the-art inks are designed for rich color depth, gloss uniformity, color stability and consistency that, combined with innovative HP media, produce stunning results. HP consumer products also will be demonstrated at the event, including the HP Photosmart family of digital cameras and printers, which deliver excellent image quality, fade resistance and ease of use as well as innovative technologies such as professional black and white photo printing and in-camera red-eye removal. "Magnum in May" is a cultural event that includes a series of photo exhibitions taking place in museums, galleries and cultural institutions throughout New York City in May. HP is hosting the opening of "Color Work," which is on view April 28 to May 12 at the Visionaire Gallery located at 11 Mercer St. in New York's SoHo district. Additional HP and Magnum exhibitions are scheduled in several European locations, including: * London, UK, May 24 * Milan, Italy, June 9 * Cologne, Germany, June 17 * Arles, France, July 7 More information about Magnum Photos and "Magnum in May" is available at http://www.magnumphotos.com. More information about HP Designjet printers is available at http://www.hp.com/go/designjet. About HP HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the last four fiscal quarters, HP revenue totaled $74.7 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com. (1) Preliminary results from tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. indicate that prints made with HP No. 85 ink cartridges and HP Premium Plus Photo and Proofing Gloss paper may be displayed indoors under glass for approximately 70 years before noticeable fading and staining will occur (see http://www.wilhelm-research.com for details). SOURCE: Hewlett-Packard Company www.hp.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: FOVEON ANNOUNCES X3F RAW FILE SUPPORT FOR ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. 4/27/04 - (4/26/04) Foveon Inc., a technology leader of award-winning high-quality digital camera image sensors, announced today that Adobe Systems Incorporated now provides Foveon X3F raw file support with their free plug-in update for Photoshop® CS. The new Adobe Camera Raw 2.2 plug-in is immediately available for download online at: www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html. Foveon X3F raw files produce stunningly high-quality images and come from digital cameras that incorporate the Foveon X3 direct image sensor. Current models available include the 10 Megapixel Sigma SD9 and SD10, and newly announced 4.5 Megapixel Polaroid x530 digital cameras. Foveon X3 direct image sensors create vibrant, sharp images, since they are the only image sensor chips that directly capture color in three layers (red, green and blue) at every point in the image, just like color film. Support of the Foveon X3F raw file format will enable users to import, open, and edit X3F images in Photoshop, the most widely-used image editing program on the market. This integrated Photoshop support will benefit Foveon X3 based digital camera owners and other users of X3F files. "Adobe's Photoshop software is the core of virtually every digital image editing system used on personal computers today. Their decision to support our raw file format reflects the market's growing desire to use the complete color capture provided by Foveon X3 based digital cameras," said Federico Faggin, Foveon's CEO. For more information, see Foveon's web site: www.foveon.com . About Foveon and X3 Direct Image Sensors Since its establishment in 1997, Foveon has focused on the development of image capture technologies and products for digital cameras. The company's X3 direct image sensors are the world's only image sensors that directly capture red, green, and blue light at every point in an image. The design of the X3 direct image sensor leverages the natural color separation property of silicon. When silicon is exposed to light, blue light is absorbed near the surface, green light is absorbed deeper, and red light is absorbed deepest within the silicon. In Foveon X3 direct image sensors, pixels are placed at these corresponding depths in the silicon to detect the red, green, and blue light that has been absorbed. This stacked-pixel design ensures that all of the color is captured at every point in an image. In contrast, the traditional CCD and CMOS image sensors used in today's digital cameras capture only one color per pixel location and must mathematically interpolate the two colors not detected. This interpolation process results in false colors, reduced resolution, and color artifacts. SOURCE: Foveon Inc. www.foveon.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: HAHNEMUHLE INTRODUCES "PRO KIT," CERTIFICATES OF AUTHENTICITY AND MYARTREGISTRY.COM. 4/22/04 - (3/19/04) Hahnemuhle FineArt is proud to announce our new workflow solution, Pro Kit and myartregistry.com. The new Pro Kit consists of a few exciting new products and a chance for the digital artist to try our existing products. Now the artist can inexpensively proof am image, select from our world class media and then authenticate your work using our new website www.myartregistry.com and print on the Certificates of Authenticity. Pro Kit contains 10 sheets of Art Proof paper, 5 Certificates of Authenticity with accompanying serialized holograms, details of the www.myartregistry.com (Certificates of Authenticity Online Registry), CD containing generic ICC profiles, one sample pack of the entire Hahnemühle line of inkjet media, and one pre-mounted Photo Rag Board. Pro Kits are available in 8.5 x 11 and 11 x 17 sizes. Certificates of Authenticity are available in packs of 20 sheets, and 5 sheets in the Pro Kit. On each certificate there is a unique silver hologram embedded with a serial number. On the strips of separately included holograms, there is one hologram which will match the serial number on one certificate. Myartregistry.com is a comprehensive site where artists can store information about their art work for free. This service is offered to the digital printing community as a means to publicly register the authenticity of their work and then print a Certificate of Authenticity to make it official. This is also serves as a great sales tool for the artist. Look for our exciting "NEW" products, Pro Kit and Certificates of Authenticity, and check out Myartregistry.com! SOURCE: Hahnemuhle FineArt USA www.hahnemuhle.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: PAINTER REACHES MILLIONS OF ART FANS THANKS TO FRIEND'S MESSAGE. 4/19/04 - (4/12/04) The 1000th exhibitor at The Digital Artist's International website (www.thedigitalartist.com) is Britt I. Olofsson, of Kungalv, Sweden, a painter who has exhibited and sold works internationally. Olofsson was born in Alingsas, Sweden, and grew up spending many of her afternoons in her father's photo studio. In 1989, Olofsson moved to Cyprus, where she started her own public relations company and began to paint. By 1995, she was living in California, invited by a private collector to create a series of paintings. After another sojourn in Cyprus, she moved back to Sweden in 2001, where she now lives and works. Olofsson's paintings are sold in the United States and Sweden, as well as online. She describes her work as "glamorous abstract mixed-media art," and explains that she likes to add structure and flair to all her work. Her paintings feature strong, hot colors and she layers them with interesting material to avoid the flatness of conventional painting, reflecting her international experience and love of life. Always eager for a new challenge, Olofsson is currently designing interiors for public rooms in upscale apartment buildings in Sweden, working on pieces for an exhibit in Kungalv this summer, and teaching art and culture for the Swedish government. The Internet is a vital part of Olofsson's art marketing program. She comments, "The Internet has been a great help to get good contacts, and I also sold some paintings to places that I probably wouldn't have otherwise. ŠI recently sold a painting to [a buyer in] South Africa." She was referred to The Digital Artist by a friend's email, and liked the clean interface and ease of creating an updating her exhibit. Britt Olofsson's exhibit can be seen at http://www.thedigitalartist.com/artist.phtml?uid=bolofss A recent upsurge in new exhibitors at The Digital Artist is due in no small part to a recent upgrade in service that allows new exhibitors to sign up and display within minutes, instead of days. In addition, all current exhibitors are now able to directly access and edit their exhibits using a password and user id. Exhibitors may log in and view and edit their contact and biographical information, artist's statement, and display image. Updates take effect immediately, so art and design buyers can always have the latest information about emerging and established artists, artisans and designers worldwide. (Anyone interested in exhibiting at the site should go directly to http://www.thedigitalartist.com/signup.shtml.) This is the first of a number of upgrades to the site, which will soon include expanded mini-portfolio and portfolio sites, as well as online galleries where members can sell work online directly to clients, without a commission. The Digital Artist is a professional exhibit and portfolio site for artists, designers and artisans worldwide. Exhibits include name, contact information, biography, artist's statement, link to a personal web page and an image of the artist's work. The site is extensively marketed to art buyers including art directors, creative directors and gallery owners, and is visited by more than two million viewers every year. The site was created by designer Carol Pentleton, of Glocester, Rhode Island, USA, who has been its webmaster since the site's debut four years ago. Current exhibitors are working at all levels from students to established professionals. The exhibitors hail from more than 50 nations, represent more than a dozen art and design specialties, and range in age from teens to seniors. Category listings include animators, artisans, cartoonists, digital artists, fiber artists, graphic designers, illustrators, multimedia, painters, photographers, printmakers and sculptors. The home page and index pages post arts and culture headlines, updated daily, with links to complete stories. The Digital Artist also offers a free ebook on art marketing, an arts and design bookstore, magazine stand, free special interest monthly newsletters for creatives and art buyers, and online articles about the business of art. SOURCE: The Digital Artist www.thedigitalartist.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: THE GIMP HITS 2.0 4/11/04 - (3/23/04) The GIMP developers are proud to release version 2.0 of the GIMP, the leading free software tool for image manipulation. This release is a major event, marking the end of a three year development cycle by a group of volunteers and enthusiasts who have made this the most professional release of the GIMP ever. It is the first stable release that is officially supported not only on Unix-based operating systems, but also on Microsoft Windows and Macintosh OS X. "When you launch version 2.0 you'll see a new look that's a huge improvement over the previous version's mundane and purely functional interface. The new design not only provides a polished and comfortable feel, it is also far more intuitive and friendly than its predecessor." -- Bruce Burgess, Newsforge, February 25, 2004. Started in 1995 by Spencer Kimball and Peter Mattis, the GIMP has evolved into a mature and powerful application. The latest release has major improvements in the user interface, making the GIMP more accessible for casual users as well as graphics professionals. The quality of the code base has also been substantially improved, making it easier for the open source community to contribute useful and high-quality add-ons to the GIMP. "This new version fulfils its promise. In general, the user interface is easier to use [and] more coherent... save screen real estate, all dialog boxes can now be grouped together in one window using a tabbed interface. Soon you will have no more excuses for using Photoshop." -- Linux Magazine France, March 2004. About The GIMP The GNU Image Manipulation Program, the GIMP, is ideal for amateur photogra-phers, web designers, and many other people who want to create and edit digital images. It is a very powerful application, with features including: channels, layers and masks; colour operations such as levels, curves and threshhold; advanced selection operations using intelligent scissors and selection channels; and much more. GIMP is free software, which means it can be freely distributed and modified. This makes it well suited to be included on cover disks of magazines dedicated to digital photography or image editing, or to be included with digital cameras, scanners, printers etc. As free software, its capabilities are ultimately limited only by the collective imagination of the community of free software contributors. More information about the GIMP is available at http://www.gimp.org. SOURCE: The GIMP www.gimp.org ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: THE LATEST BUZZ FOR DIGITAL ARTISTS! 4/7/04 - (3/23/04) Fo2PiX, the world's leading art-software company, today announced the release of two new buZZ plug-ins for people with either Mac OS X or PC computers. Users of host image-editors, such as PhotoShop, can now dramatically extend their capabilities and creative options for producing artwork from digital images. And Mac users can now make sets or moving pictures from sequences of images! The buZZ range of plug-ins enable the creation of amazing artwork and special effects from digital photos by helping users remove detail and clutter in a controlled way and so produce high quality professional results. For PC users buZZ.Pro 3 features yet another world-first from Fo2PiX! To add depth, tone, drama and contrast to artwork, buZZ.Pro 3 has three brand new feature-extraction filters that find colour highlights, and regions of light and dark. Called Highlights Colour, Highlights White and Lowlights Dark, these new filters provide digital artists with the equivalent resources used by natural media artists to control light and shade - from now on digital art can incorporate subtlety or dramatic emphasis. For Mac OS X users, today also sees the release of buZZ.X which has been designed to work with PhotoShop's Actions. With buZZ.X and Actions, users can run any combination of buZZ's and PhotoShop's filters across single and/or multiple images - which means that they will be able to create one stunning picture or generate sequences of pictures to produce a moving painting. buZZ.X also contains the three brand new feature extraction filters included in buZZ.Pro 3. Sarah Higginson, Marketing Communications Manager at Fo2PiX commented: "We are delighted with the depth and quality of the artistic results that can be achieved with our new buZZ plug-ins. The new features really extend and enable our customer's creative options and we are proud to be the very first company to introduce capabilities that create moving paintings. Fo2PiX has truly taken digital art to the next level." buZZ.Pro 3 and buZZ.X cost £119.99 each for a single user licence and are available from www.fo2pix.com. Discounts are available for existing customers for a limited period. Fo2PiX's products include the award winning PhotoArtMaster consisting of 'PhotoArtMaster Gold', 'PhotoArtMaster Silver', and 'PhotoArtMaster Classic', as well as 'buZZ Pro 2.0', 'buZZ.Pix 1.0', 'buZZ.Lite 2.0', and 'buZZ.Simplifier 1.0' and the recently released 'buZZ.X' and 'buZZ.Pro 3' About Fo2PiX Fo2PiX is the world-leading developer and publisher of creative software applications for digital camera users. Using the very latest technologies, Fo2PiX's products are designed to help and encourage digital camera users to engage with, print, re-use and share their pictures. SOURCE: Fo2PiX www.fo2pix.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: IMACON LAUNCHES LATEST ADDITION TO ITS AWARD-WINNING FAMILY OF SCANNERS THE FLEXTIGHT 949. 4/4/04 - (3/30/04) Leading Danish manufacturer Imacon has announced the introduction of the latest addition to its range of Flextight scanners, the Flextight 949. The new scanner, which will be available to the market in mid-April and have its first exhibition showing at drupa 2004, will join the Flextight 848, 646 and 343, completing what Imacon believes is now the most powerful family of high-end CCD scanners in the world. Says Christian Poulsen, founder and managing director, Imacon: "We have listened to the market and made a number of significant technological advances with the 949 model. We have improved the brightness of the light source in the scanning process enabling the user to scan 200MB per minute double that of the Flextight 848 model, which also means better exposure and a stronger signal-to-noise ratio promoting a wider dynamic range." The improved light source has also been redesigned to provide more diffusion, helping to minimize the visibility of dust, grain and scratching cutting down retouching time. As with all scanners in the Flextight range, the 949 scanner is built on the award winning Flextight model incorporating Imacons unique virtual drum design. The Flextight 949 offers non-interpolated optical resolutions of up to 8,000 dpi and true 16-bit colour with a 4.9 Dmax possible in a single pass. The scanner has the ability to scan 200 Mb of data per minute and can handle positive and negative film originals from 35 mm to 12 x 24,5 cm, plus reflective copy up to A4. The new scanner also incorporates the computer controlled active cooling facility. This means a considerable reduction in noise and an improvement in colour stability. Other features incorporated within the Flextight 949 include an automatic focus facility, automatic frame detection and an extended magnification range of up to 3,800 percent. The maximum file size possible is 1.2 Gb, with scan modes including RGB (24 & 48 bit), CMYK (32 bit), greyscale (8 & 16 bit) and Line Art. Imacon will also be introducing new mounted slide feeder options for the 949: The batch feeder option we offered with the Flextight 848 has proven to be so popular we have designed this model to also fit the new Flextight 949, continues Mr Poulsen. In addition to this, Imacon has also developed a mounted slide feeder specifically for the operation with the 949, capable of batch scanning up to 50 slides at up to 5000 ppi. Again, this all about providing the photographer with as much workflow flexibility and efficiency as possible. As with all members of the Flextight family, the FT949 utilizes Imacons unique FlexColor software and 3f - Flexible File Format digital data management system. FlexColor is compatible with Mac OSX+; Windows 2000 and XP. Interface is via FireWire. The FT949 will be priced in the U.S. market at $19,995.00. SOURCE: Imacon USA www.imacon-usa.com ^ back to top PRESS RELEASE: PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE DEMYSTIFIES DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT. 4/3/04 - (3/19/04) Public Knowledge has published a comprehensive resource that makes understandable for everyone the increasingly complex and highly technical issue of digital rights management. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the term applied to technologies that prevent you from using a copyrighted digital work beyond the degree to which the copyright owner wishes to allow you to use it. The technologies can be applied to digital movies, television programs, books or music. The 40-page primer, "What Every Citizen Should Know About DRM, a.k.a. Digital Rights Management," was written by Mike Godwin, senior technology counsel at Public Knowledge. Godwin is a veteran of Internet law, and the author of "Cyber Rights: Defending Free Speech in the Digital Age" (MIT Press, 2003). "You should care [about DRM] because you have something personal at stake in both the balances built into our copyright law, and in the technologies, such as personal computers and the Internet, that might be restricted or controlled in order to protect copyright interests," Godwin writes in the publication. The primer, produced in cooperation with the New America Foundation, has chapters on DRM and its relationship to copyright law; a technical explanation of how DRM works; a discussion whether DRM should be imposed by government; and the potential threats posed by DRM not only to copyrighted content, but to the technical design of the Internet. In a concluding essay, Godwin argues for minimal government regulation of DRM, and for a DRM policy that includes a strong commitment to promoting and preserving the public domain. A PDF version of the book is available for download at http://www.publicknowledge.org/content/overviews/ citizens-guide-to-drm/view. Hard copies are available for $5.00. Send email to pk@publicknowledge.org for details. Public Knowledge is a public-interest advocacy and education organization that seeks to promote a balanced approach to intellectual property law and technology policy that reflects the "cultural bargain" intended by the framers of the constitution. More information available at: http://www.publicknowledge.org SOURCE: Public Knowledge www.publicknowledge.org ^ back to top Home | About Us | Advertise | Contact Us News & Reviews | How-To's | Resources © 2002-2006 Harald Johnson Communications. All rights reserved.