Alexandria, VA, USA (July 1, 2004) SWOP (Specifications for Web Offset Publications), a leader in the publication printing industry charged with ensuring consistency and quality of materials in publications, and IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance), an association advancing standards and best practices for publishing and content-driven enterprises, today announced that they are joining forces to support the print media industry through the coordinated development of standardized specifications and guidelines, certification programs, software tools, educational seminars, and peer support networks. In response to the recommendation of key industry leaders and associations, the SWOP and IDEAlliance Boards of Directors have reached an agreement to work cooperatively to maximize the unique contributions and interests of the two organizations to the overall benefit of the industry. By working together, these organizations form a powerful coalition that can generate a tremendous synergy through harmonization and extension of the SWOP and GRACoL (General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography) Specifications and Guidelines. According to the agreement, the organizations will streamline and increase communication, outreach, and education to maximize understanding of print specifications through coordinating their publications, online resources and standards-development process. A Coordinating Council, consisting of two representatives from IDEAlliance and SWOP, will assess these goals and recommend joint action to moving towards consolidation. The organizations have agreed to share administration and management costs. Staff will be coordinated and managed as a team, with David Steinhardt, President and CEO of IDEAlliance, serving as Executive Director of the joint initiative; Dianne Kennedy of IDEAlliance as project director; and Barbara Hanapole of SWOP as marketing associate. Nubar Nakashian, Board Chair, SWOP, Inc., Executive Vice President, Print International, said, “SWOP and IDEAlliance have united to form a unique combination to streamline and increase communication, outreach, and education with the goal to maximize the understanding and utilization of print specifications.” According to Chuck Myers, Board Chair, IDEAlliance, and Technology Strategist, ePaper Solutions Group, Adobe Systems Inc., “The IDEAlliance and SWOP alliance responds to the recommendation of print media leaders to provide a focus for print specifications in the industry. This affiliation will unite two organizations that will streamline information and eliminate duplication that is currently found in SWOP and GRACoL and provide a more efficient use of time and resources of the industry.” As part of the agreement, SWOP and IDEAlliance plan to align their products and develop a common publishing, ordering, and fulfillment mechanisms. SWOP and IDEAlliance plan to initiate joint research projects addressing substrates, inks, alternate screening technologies and the applicability of metadata in production workflows. The transition will take place on August 1, 2004, and SWOP can be contacted at: 100 Daingerfield Road Alexandria, VA 22314 Telephone: 703.837.1090 Fax: 703.837.1072 Email: [email protected]