Rochester, NY - April 26, 2006 - PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, today announced the release of the sixth edition of the Best Practices in Digital Print Report, the highly respected annual collection of the most innovative, successful applications in digital printing today. This year's report includes 46 new case studies covering 12 vertical markets and a wide variety of business applications. This acclaimed series is the most comprehensive source available for print service providers, vendors, marketers, editors, analysts and others seeking the latest ideas for digital print success. An extremely broad range of markets, applications and strategies are covered, and each case study provides valuable information about the business goals, solution, and results that made the project a success. Hardware, software, and other production details are reported as well. "Standing out in today's marketplace is difficult, especially for companies that want to try new techniques for their customers. This report will help marketing and print professionals stay current with the latest developments in digital print and variable data applications and give them solid examples to share with their customers," said Rab Govil, President of PODi. "It's all about achieving better business results using the power of digital print, and there is no better source of ideas than the Best Practices in Digital Print Report." "As a company that strives to anticipate our customers' changing needs, it is important to learn from organizations on the leading edge of the digital revolution. Through the PODi case studies, our employees can open their minds to creating new solutions for solving client/partner problems," said Jay Murray, Business Development Manager, Quantum Color Graphics. Proven Ideas to Help Drive Strategies The report gives both print and marketing professionals proven ideas on how to leverage digital and variable data technology to help their customers achieve their business goals. "We joined PODi so all members of our team could gain from the extensive case studies and numerous member initiatives that would support our efforts to move from a print-centric to a campaign-centric marketing communications firm. There are outstanding business cases across multiple vertical markets that we can show clients to support our proposals for VDP programs," said Dean Baxendale, Vice President and Director Strategic Sales and Marketing for CJ Digital Inc. "We believe our membership will be instrumental in our future business growth." The research details best practice principles for creating high-value digital print solutions, and no other resource includes such a variety of coverage. "We joined PODi for the case studies," declared Anthony Guice, Manager, Marketing Alliance Group. "The ideas and the examples are the keys to success in digital print. We can paint a vivid picture for our customers with examples of what has already been done." Award-winning Best Practices Included Each year PODi honors especially innovative applications with its Best Practices awards and includes these winners' stories in the annual Best Practices in Digital Print Report. The 2006 award winners share their successful techniques in four categories of digital applications. In Direct Marketing, winner Inter-State Studio stopped a sales slide using personalized marketing materials. MFS Investment Management demonstrated excellence in Collateral Management & Fulfillment by using digital print to enhance 401(k) sales proposals via customization. As the best practice winner in the Transactional category, UMassFive College Credit Union saved money and time with customized statements. In the new Small Business category, winner Out-of-Door Academy used personalized mailers to raise record funds. In addition, several case studies were selected for additional in-depth coverage as especially strong examples of successful digital print projects. Extensive interviews were conducted to fully capture details about the sales process, job production, and service provider costs and pricing when available. The in-depth case studies include how Pantone boosted sales and product awareness with multi-channel promotion; how RocketDog Racing used a print-to-Web solution to foster participant involvement; and how American Signature Furniture tried personalized brochures to encourage return visits. Others explain how Roadway Express streamlined collateral management and fulfillment, and how Ford Finland used variable printing to drive aftermarket sales. This year, eight case studies describe projects produced using PPML, the Personalized Print Markup Language, an industry-standard language for digital print. Developed by PODi, PPML is completely vendor-neutral and royalty-free, making it available for a wide range of digital print systems and applications. Eleven service provider best practices and eight marketer best practices are also featured in the report. New Report and Case Studies Available Online Copies of the latest edition of the PODi Best Practices in Digital Print Report can be obtained at www.podi.org. The full report is free to PODi members and may be purchased by non-members. All case studies in the report have been added to the PODi online case study database, bringing the total to over 265 all searchable by application, vertical market and hardware. Individual case studies may be downloaded for free by PODi members and purchased for a nominal fee by non-members. PODi collects case studies for its annual Best Practices in Digital Print Report throughout the year. The deadline for submissions for the 7th edition is September 15, 2006. To submit a digital print success story anytime, go to http://www.podi.org/casestudy/bpsubmission/index.php.