Pittsburgh, PA, October 15, 2008 -- PIA/GATF is pleased to announce the release of Printing Estimating: Costing and Pricing Print and Digital Media - a complete, up-to-date, how-to guide for estimating, costing, and pricing print and digital media.

Successful contemporary print providers know they must accurately estimate, cost, and price their work while keeping in mind the current state of technologies and their business environment. This newly revised fifth edition of a long-standing, popular classic covers estimating and pricing traditional print as well as digital print and digital media. It provides a thorough analysis of estimating and pricing theory and practice for contemporary print providers; information on how to develop a cost estimating system; and a comprehensive chapter on management information systems for print and digital imaging. Detailed chapters cover how to estimate:

- Paper
- Ink
- Electronic prepress
- Digital media
- Sheetfed lithographic press production
- Postpress production
- Web print production

"Because estimating is a core ingredient related to costs and cost measurement, and because costs are directly related to pricing, profits, and money; the topic of 'estimating' spans a panorama of subjects with which a printing company manager and/or executive must deal," explains Philip K. Ruggles, author of Printing Estimating. Digital print expert Joe Polanco collaborated with the author on the digital print estimating portion of the book, which includes topics such as how to accurately establish click-charges, estimating variable-data print, and estimating website development.

The content of Printing Estimating is presented in a practical "how-to" manner, but it also contains extensive theoretical information. This comprehensive textbook comes with a CD covering important support topics, including a complete set of estimating problems with answers, a comprehensive glossary of terms, operational business practices for print providers, and the 2007 PIA/GATF list of MIS vendors.

Printing Estimating: Costing and Pricing Print and Digital Media, Fifth Edition, 388 pages with supporting CD, (Item No. 1782, ISBN 987-0-88362-621-4) is available to PIA/GATF members for $99 and to nonmembers for $139. This and all of PIA/GATFPress's nearly 200 publications are available online at www.gain.net or by phone (toll-free 866-855-4283), fax (301-393-2555), or mail (PIA/GATF Orders, 200 Deer Run Road, Sewickley, PA 15143).