XML & Frontier Technologies

Extreme Markup Languages
Extreme Markup Languages is devoted to the theory and practice of markup languages from industrial, academic, and other points of view. It differs from other conferences partly in its unapologetic emphasis on technical subjects and problems on the frontiers of current practice, and partly in the participants it attracts. Extreme typically has an unusually high concentration of markup theorists, computer scientists, linguists, taxonomists, publishers, lexicographers, typographers, software developers, librarians, and other people you want to spend time with -- also anarchists, curmudgeons, and deep thinkers -- and a lower than average concentration of managers in need of a clue.
Chair: B. Tommie Usdin, Mulberry Technologies, Inc.
Staff Contact: Georgia Volakis
Official Web Site: http://www.extrememarkup.com/

News Standards Summit
The News Standards Summit brings together major players - experts on news metadata standards as well as commercial news providers, users, and aggregators. Together, they will analyze the current state and future expectations for news and publishing XML and metadata efforts from both the content and processing model perspectives. The goal is to increase understanding and to drive practical, productive convergence.
Chair: Misha Wolf, Reuters
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.newssummit.org/

XML Conference & Exposition
Why is the XML Conference & Exposition the one conference you don't want to miss? It's a week FULL of informative and entertaining presentations and demonstrations. Meet the experts, find out what's happening with XML and learn who's using XML. See new products, discuss current standards, and find out the tips and tricks to implement XML-based solutions.
Chair: Lauren Wood, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.xmlconference.org/

XTech Conference & Exposition (fomerly XML Europe)
XTech is the premier European conference for developers and managers working with XML and Web technologies, bringing together the worlds of web development, open source, semantic web and open standards.
Chair: Edd Dumbill
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.xtech-conference.org/

Content Creation, Management & Delivery

ICE: Information and Content Exchange Implementation Group
The ICE protocol, developed by the ICE Working Group, reduces the cost of doing business online and increases the value of business relationships. ICE facilitates the controlled exchange and management of electronic assets between networked partners and affiliates. Applications based on ICE allow companies to easily construct syndicated publishing networks, Web superstores, and online reseller channels by establishing Web site-to-Web site information networks.
Chair: Richard Martin, Active Data Exchange, Inc.
Editor: Dianne Kennedy, IDEAlliance
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.icestandard.org/

Independent Consultants Network (ICN)
The Independent Consultants Network is an organization of printing/publishing industry consultants who work with IDEAlliance to provide services for members and to support IDEAlliance Communities of Practice, Standards Working Groups and Distance Education activitites.
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/icn

PRISM: Publishing Requirements for Industry Standard Metadata Working Group
PRISM, developed by the PRISM Working Group, is a set of metadata vocabularies that assist in the automation of publishing production processes and content exchange.
Co-Chairs: Tina Steil, Meredith Corporation & Lee Vetten, Platts, a Division of McGraw-Hill Companies
Vice Chair: Anne Considine, Time Inc.
Editor: Joe McConnell, Software Process Systems
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.prismstandard.org/

PRISM Digital Image Metadata Management Working Group
The PRISM Digital Image Management Metadata (DIM2) Working Group includes those involved all phases of digital imaging to focus on developing a metadata specification for digital image management. The mission of DIM2 is to provide an on-ramp to digital image management that can streamline photo assignment, submission, production and facilitate the ability economically reuse digital images across publications and media.
Chair: John Dougherty, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Co-Chair: Phillip Morrongiello, Merideth Corporation
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy

XMP Open Initiative
The mission of XMP Open is to advance XMP as an open industry specification. XMP promises to be the technology that will enable the seamless management of assets throughout an end-to-end digital supply chain. Adobe Systems has given the industry a good starting point by developing the XMP specification far enough to support standardized metadata handling for its own Creative Suite products. But to extend this killer concept across the broader digital asset supply chain, industry education and outreach along with critical new development must be supported. The role of XMP Open will be to foster the adoption of XMP, facilitate XMP functionality in a wide variety of products, move the XMP specification forward to meet the requirements of the media industry.
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: www.xmp-open.org

Advertising & Production Workflow

AdsML/SPACE: Specifications for Publisher & Agency Communication Exchange Working Group
In 2005, IDEAlliance merged its SPACE intiative into AdsML.
Co-Chairs: Erik Cullins, Time Inc. & Jim Mikol, Leo Burnett USA, Inc.
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/space

Digital Ad Lab/New York City
The Digital Ad Lab's continuing mission - from its founding in 1996 to today - is practical problem-solving through local and ongoing interaction, feedback, and dialogue among all partners and peers in the digital workflow. Its focus is real world and hands-on case studies with a can-do-attitude to develop Best Practices.
Chair: Fred Raimondo, Quebecor World
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/dal

DISC: Digital Image Submission Criteria Working Group
The DISC Working Group has developed a set of specifications for use by Creative Professionals to include photographers and illustrators as a standard format prior to submission for publication. These specifications will allow for maximum reproduction print quality while expediting the production workflow. The digital specifications for image submission will address relevant key issues including size, resolutions, compression, color space and metadata.
Co-Chairs: John Dougherty, Hachette Filipacchi Media US & Kin Wah Lam, Time Inc.
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.disc-info.org/

GRACoL®: General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography Committee
The GRACol Committee's mission is to improve communications and education in the graphic arts by maintaining the accuracy and the relevance of the GRACoL® document in reporting the influence and impact of new technologies on commercial offset lithography. Committee members are able to participate in the formation of industry standard practices; support the development of best practices; assist in the GRACoL® rewrite efforts and be the first to receive the most complete and up to date GRACoL® publication at member prices, as soon as it is published.
Chair: Don Hutcheson, Hutcheson Consulting
Co-Chairs: Gerry Gerlach, Integrity Graphics & Anthony Bellacicco, Foote, Cone & Belding
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.gracol.org/

Print Properties Committee
This committee is a re-launch of the GCA Print Properties Committee with participants from both the GRACoL and SWOP communities. The goal of the Print Properties Committee is to initiate joint research projects addressing substrates, inks, alternate screening technologies and the applicability of metadata in production workflows.
Chair: Steve Smiley, Vertis Inc.
Vice-Chair: John Sweeney, Integrated Color Solutions
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

PROSE/XML: Production Order Specification/XML Working Group
The PROSE/XML specification is intended to be a standardized method for Publishers to communicate job specifications to Commercial Printers. In as far as it enforces certain formats for its data, and thereby standardizes the "look" of the data, the PROSE/XML specification rarely defines its content data values. It is left up to the trading partners i.e. printers and publishers, to determine the proper values for the content data transmitted via the PROSE/XML specification.
Chairs: Mark Treat, Brown Printing Company
Editor: Frank Montague, RR Donnelley
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/prosexml

SWOP®: Specifications for Web Offset Publications
The mission of SWOP is to continually raise the level of quality of publication printing by setting forth specifications and tolerances. This is accomplished by providing specifications to everyone in the graphic arts production process for all forms of magazine advertising and editorial input, whether analog or digital. When these specifications are followed, all input received by the printer can be reproduced as intended and desired by the advertiser/publisher with minimal difficulty. Quality should be measurable and verifiable at each step in the reproduction process, which will allow everyone in the imaging chain to monitor and improve performance by statistical methods.
Chair: Nubar Nakashian, TanaSeybert
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.swop.org/

Supply Chain Management

B2B Paper Committee
The B2B Paper Committee is charged with the mission of developing standard guidelines for electronic information sharing between organizations within the publishing, papermaking and printing industries.
Chair: Bill Orndorff, Perry Judd's Inc.
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

Paper Inventory Committee
Provides guidance on the development and conduct of IDEAlliance's Paper Inventory Database program that tracks paper inventory levels in the printing industry.
Chair: Addis Hilliker, Banta Corporation
Staff Contact: Frank Balser

papiNet: Open Global Standards for the Paper & Forest Products Industries Working Group
papiNet, developed by the papiNet Working Group, is the global initiative to develop, maintain and promote the implementation of standard electronic transaction standards to facilitate the flow of information amongst the parties engaged in the buying, selling, and distribution of forest, paper and wood products.
Chair: Steve Lanzi, Bowater
Vice Chairs: Douglas McArthur, UPM-Kymmene
Editor: Art Colman, Drybridge Consulting
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.papinet.org/

papiNet Publication Paper Implementation Group
Serves as the implementation team for the papiNet specification in the publication papers segment.
Chair: Bruce Schuster, International Paper
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

XBITS: XML Book Industry Transaction Standards
The XBITS Working Group is designing standard XML (Extensible Markup Language) transactions to facilitate bi-directional electronic data exchanges between publishers, printers, paper mills, and component vendors.
Co-Chairs: Dianne Degener, Von Hoffman & Brian Sharlach, The McGraw-Hill Companies
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/xbits

Newsstand & Postal Distribution

Addressing/Distribution Committee
Exists to build greater productivity and coordination among the mail owner, list service bureau, printer/mailer and the United States Postal Service through committee and task force efforts, publications, standards development, conferences and workshops.
Chair: Joe Schick, Quad/Graphics
Vice-Chairs: Val Scansaroli, Hearst Magazines & Mike Winn, RR Donnelley
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

ADIS: Address Data Interchange Specification Working Group
The ADIS Working Group aims to define a uniform specification for the interchange of address data both domestically and internationally.
Chair: Joe Lubenow, Lubenow & Associates
Vice Chairs: Mabel Grein, US Postal Service & Phil Thompson, Quad/Graphics
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/adis

Canada Panel Committee- Industry/Canada Post-Cooperative Initiative
A forum for U.S. mailers involved in the entry of mail into Canada. The group works cooperatively with The Canada Post to advance the mailing process across the supply chain.
Industry Chair: Scott Lorenz, Time Inc.
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

Mail.dat™ Working Group
Mail.dat™, developed by the Mail.dat Working Group, is the standard embraced by a significant portion of the mail production industry and the US Postal Service. Mail.dat is a relational database of nineteen "connected" files describing each characteristic that can exist within a mailing. As such, the standard has contributed to important gains in efficiency, economy, and strategy enhancement.
Chair: Dan Minnick, DoubleClick
Vice Chair: Phil Thompson, Quad/Graphics
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.maildat.org/

MTAC: Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee
IDEAlliance is a member of MTAC, a US Postal Service Advisory Group.
Representatives: Dan Minnick, DoubleClick & David Steinhardt, IDEAlliance

Newsstand Logistics Committee
The purpose of the Newsstand Logistics Committee is to build a collaborative communication process to improve the exchange and credibility of information, apply current and evolving technology, and enhance supply chain management efficiencies through standards and best practices through the involvement of all the players in the newsstand value chain.
Chair: George Woods, Time Inc.
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

NMBFC: National Magazine, Book, and Film Carriers
The NMBFC is a network of more than 20 companies who handle the delivery of printed products for publishers and printers.
Chair: Dave Davis, Nationwide Midwest
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/nmbfc

POISE: Printers Operational Issues Study Effort Committee
The mission of POISE is to give printers an opportunity as a group to respond to and make recommendations for postal regulations to achieve greater productivity in mail preparation and processing.
Chair: Anita Pursley, Quebecor World Logistics
Staff Contact: David Steinhardt

Print Distribution Conference (formerly known as the Addressing/Distribution Conference)
The annual industry event co-sponsored by the major associations covering the key issues facing print distribution - postal and newsstand - and developing innovations to advance addressing, fulfillment, mail preparation, distribution logistics, and newsstand supply chain.
Co-Chairs: Val Scansaroli, Hearst Magazines & Mike Winn, RR Donnelley
Staff Contact: Georgia Volakis
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/pd

Shipment and Logistics Planning for Newspaper Inserts Working Group
The Shipment and Logistics Specification (S'nL) is the industry XML standard for efficient communications among those providing delivery instructions, transportation planning, and distribution services for shipment of printed product. SnL is a dynamic planning tool for shipping and logistics. It enables greater efficiency in transportation by providing information in a form that can be readily integrated into the transportation planning process. SnL links together the production of the printed product and it's destination in the time-sensitive fashion that publishing and consumer presentation requires. SnL provides identification of consolidations by packages and gives the shipper detailed direction for automated or manual pallet loading, with unprecedented assurance of accuracy.

Chair: Brad Nathan, Quebecor World Logistics
Vice Chairs: Pete Deubler, Kohl's Department Stores
Editor: Art Colman, Drybridge Consulting
Staff Contact: Dianne Kennedy
Official Web Site: http://www.idealliance.org/SNL/