Pittsburgh, Pa., March 7, 2006 -- Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF) has issued an industry-wide call for nominations for the PIA/GATF InterTech Technology Awards. The nomination deadline is May 31, 2006. This award recognizes technologies that are deemed likely to have a major impact on the industry within the next five years and become commercially successful in the marketplace. Every year the industry and the media anxiously await the announcement of the InterTech Technology Award recipients. Give your company the opportunity to be on this prestigious list in 2006. Established in 1978 as an industry service, this award promotes an understanding of advanced technology in the graphic arts. The award has a proven history for predicting which technologies will have a major impact on the printing industry. Awards have usually mirrored industry interest in environmental issues, standards, quality control, electronic controls and systems, digital printing, and desktop production. Of the prior award winners, over 80% have proven commercially successful in the marketplace. Last year, a record seventeen innovative technologies were recognized, several reflecting innovations in areas that do not often see revolutionary improvements: bindery, new inks, environmental, and rollers. Furthermore, several technologies reflected the shift towards variable data printing, JDF (Job Definition Format), and digital printing. Although PIA/GATF is the sponsor of the award and coordinator of the award process, the organization does not select the recipients. An independent award selection committee, comprised of industry technical experts and users, determines the recipients. It is not necessary to be a PIA/GATF member to nominate or be nominated for an award. Representatives of the selected technologies will receive a custom-engraved InterTech Technology Award—a colorful multi-layered, hand-crafted Lucite sculpted star— at a luncheon during the PIA/GATF Fall Administrative Meetings scheduled for November 9–12, 2006 in Milwaukee, WI. This forum hosts an impressive audience of industry leaders, including boards of directors and committee members for PIA/GATF and its Ben Franklin Society (formerly the Society of Fellows and the Ash Khan Society) and the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF). The entry fee for each nomination is $1,500 and must be postmarked before May 31, 2006. To receive a nomination form, visit www.gain.net and search for “InterTech.” For additional information on the award, contact Dr. Mark Bohan at 800-910-4283, ext. 782 or [email protected].