I remain in Belgium until tomorrow visiting with company executives in the area and previewing their drupa announcements. For the full announcements and press releases, visit WhatTheyThink.com’s main news page.

Alwan

I received a 2007 Pirelli Calendar from Alwan. The oversized book weighs maybe 20 pounds and is 639-pages. It compiles the annual Pirelli Calendars published from 1964 until 2007. Alwan showed off its CMYK Optimizer software that was used to produce the Pirelli Calendar book at Mondadori Printing in Italy. I understand that these calendars are not for sale, but ebay probably has them.

At drupa, Alwan Color Expertise will show a new series of ICC color management software. Their current offering, CMYK Optimizer has over 400 installations worldwide.

“ICC Color Management still generates a lot of confusion in the industry, a misconception that is maintained and amplified by some proprietary systems vendors. Users are often convinced ICC color management is inefficient, inappropriate for print workflows and unable to preserve black text and images or any primary ink purity. As an ICC member and strong advocate and supplier of standardized color management solutions, Alwan will continue to further develop ICC profile-based solutions that address the needs of the graphic arts industry.” Elie Khoury, President of Alwan Color Expertise

Atlantic Zeiser

Atlantic Zeiser, supplier of personalization and encoding systems for the label market, introduced the OMEGA 36 HD and OMEGA 210, two high resolution inkjet printing systems, and the launch of the SMARTCURE Series, eco-friendly LED UV curing solution. Atlantic Zeiser will offer its inkjet technology to OEM partners for integration into third party systems.

“Atlantic Zeiser has years of experience as a leading innovator and developer in personalization and encoding solutions. Drupa, the world's largest print media exhibition offers us the perfect opportunity to present our latest technologies and developments to the market. Our customers benefit from the scalability and expandability of the system within the value chain, along with conversion, personalization and quality control.” Oliver Mehler, CEO of Atlantic Zeiser

Canon Europe

Canon Europe opened its new Professional Print Demonstration Center in Diegem, Brussels. It is huge with all their Professional Print products networked and ready to demo (It comes complete with a wet bar) .

Canon has launched a range of products around its imagePRESS and LFP portfolio, and announced a new strategic alliance with Agfa.

- Canon's imagePRESS digital presses will be capable of full integration with Agfa’s Apogee Suite.

- Canon has also launched a new range of imagePRESS monochrome engines, which are designed for the commercial print, CRD, transactional and print-for-pay sectors.

- The imagePROGRAF iPF720 features an 80 GB hard disk drive.

“The Professional Print team at Canon has worked hard to further underline our commitment to our customers. We've had an exceptional year and we are proud to introduce not only new features and extensions to our existing ranges, but also a number of new devices at drupa 2008. This is an opportunity for us to showcase our commitment to the Professional Print industry and set our customers firmly on the path to profit.” David Preskett, Professional Solutions Marketing Director, Canon Europe