GRACoL® TR 004 Pre-Release Press Sheets Soon Available for Purchase

Color Guide is Important New Tool for Accurate Image Reproduction

Alexandria, VA (June 16, 2003) - IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) and IPA, The Association of Graphic Solutions Providers, announced today that measured GRACoL® Press Sheets, to the IDEAlliance GRACoL® TR 004 guidelines, will be available for purchase and distribution from IPA at www.ipa.org/gracol in the near future.

"We have had a tremendous volume of inquiries by members of both IPA and IDEAlliance for these Press Sheets" said David Hultin, Director, Print & Paper Initiatives, IDEAlliance. "We will be printing the Press Sheets upon CGATS approval of TR 004, and making them available to the industry."

The Press Sheets will help the printer, prepress service provider, photographer, and creative studio evaluate whether their proofing systems are reasonable predictors of the final printed product for commercial offset lithography. The Press Sheets may be used for visual comparison to proofs that emulate the GRACoL Grade #1 characterization, soon to be published as a Technical Report, ANSI/CGATS TR004, by NPES (www.npes.org).

"This sheet is invaluable," remarked Chip Harding, Vice President and COO, Harper House, Dallas, Texas. "It gives Harper House the ability to measure and prove how close a proof is to the specification and greatly reduces our time to create a standard profile and proof."

The Press Sheets will be printed by LAgraphico, Burbank, California. Al Shapiro, President of LAgraphico remarked "Our aim is for the entire graphic community, through all phases of production, to strive for TR004 as the destination profile so all concerned will know what the final results will be."

The cost per Pre-release Press Sheet for IPA and IDEAlliance members will be $125 for the first sheet, $25 for each additional sheet. Non-members may purchase the first sheet for $200, $30 for each additional sheet. (Prices do not include shipping and handling.) Press sheets may be purchased at www.ipa.org/gracol or by calling (800) 255-8141 in the near future.

About GRACoL

The General Requirements and Applications for Commercial Offset Lithography (GRACoL®) was developed to improve communications and education in the graphic arts by reporting the influence and impact of new technologies on commercial offset lithography. GRACoL is a registered trademark of IDEAlliance. www.gracol.com

About IPA

For more than 100 years, IPA, the Association of Graphic Solutions Providers, (a not-for-profit trade association) has been tracking, evaluating, and promoting technology and management innovations to keep members in the forefront of the graphic communication industry. IPA membership includes the most forward thinking and digitally competent graphic solutions providers in North America. They are pioneers in exploring emerging technologies and specialize in serving the publishing, advertising, catalog, interactive multimedia and packaging markets. They are leaders in applying those technologies to new digital workflows and processes and excel in building profitable business models to expand their enterprises. www.ipa.org (800)255-8141.

About IDEAlliance

IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization. Its mission is to advance user-driven, cross-industry solutions for all publishing and content-related processes by developing standards, fostering business alliances, and identifying best practices. Founded in 1966 as the Graphic Communications Association, IDEAlliance has been a leader in information technology -- developing Document Markup Metalanguage (GENCODE™), sponsoring the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), and fostering eXtensible Markup Language (XML). IDEAlliance builds on these languages to create specifications that enhance efficiency and speed information in all aspects of publishing and content-related processes. Learn more about IDEAlliance at www.idealliance.org.

Contact

Steve Bonoff
IPA, The Association of Graphic Solutions Providers
800-255-8141
steve@ipa.org