CHICAGO, October 10, 2006 -- Want to understand JDF so you can tap its full benefits? Need a no-hassle, real-time remote backup of every critical file in your company? Need new print technology at reduced cost? xpedx reps will discuss these issues and more at Booth 3812 during Graph Expo 2006, October 15-18 in Chicago. xpedx will also demonstrate Ryobi 4-color, 5-color and DI presses at the booth for the first time year after company officials decided show attendees would benefit from seeing all xpedx offerings in one location. “One of the biggest challenges printers have today is making sure they squeeze the maximum benefits out of new print technology,” says Dan Wish, general manager of the xpedx National Technology Center (NTC), Twinsburg, Ohio. “They need to ensure all their production systems are fully in sync and getting the highest possible return on invested capital.” Wish said another challenge facing printers is “finding profitable new markets without new capital expenditure.” xpedx, which provides unbiased insight and advice to printers of all sizes, has a national network of graphics, paper, packaging, bindery/finishing and logistics specialists who work closely with printers every day to help them grow their business profitably, identify cost savings and implement new productivity tools. xpedx is a large North American marketer and distributor of pre-press, on-press and post-press supplies and equipment, plus packaging and facility supplies and equipment. The xpedx NTC is a high-end print industry technical team, lab and demo center that tests and evaluates print products and processes. It works directly with printers in recommending systems, implementation and ongoing monitoring/backup. Wish and his team of JDF-certified experts from the xpedx NTC will be joined in the booth by Janice Reese of Network PDF, a CIP4 Advisory Board member and print industry leader along with Trish Witkowski, editor of The JDF Guide for Managers. All will be putting JDF into plain-English and answering questions for commercial and in-plant printers. JDF provides a common, dedicated language for use through the lifecycle of the print job—and a method for automated work flows in print production. Wish said JDF speeds job throughput and can eliminate human errors. xpedx Printing Technologies/Ryobi representatives will demonstrate three Ryobi offset presses: the 755XL-E, a 5-color, 23x29-inch press with full UV capabilities; the 3404 DI and the 524GX-P, a 4-color 14x20-inch press with perfector. Ryobi's CIP4-JDF compliant MIS system that automates the workflow will be discussed. xpedx reps will introduce new print-for-profit opportunities including SpeedyDry, an ink additive that substantially reduces printers' dry times and eliminates the need for certain specialty inks on hard-to-dry substrates, including synthetics. In addition, new advances in soft proofing, lenticular printing and disaster recovery/business continuance for graphics professionals will be spotlighted. xpedx specification reps will discuss SuiteShop, the xpedx web portal for graphics pros that offers Pantone, Gmund and other premium papers, as well as self-paced online training in all top graphics programs. Bindery, finishing and facility supplies and equipment will also be shown. About xpedx Printing Technologies xpedx Printing Technologies, a wholly owned division of xpedx, offers rapid-response, local technical support, press operator training, a large parts warehouse and a showroom/demo center at its headquarters in Lenexa, KS. It has a team of executive, sales and technical staff and currently has 50 dealers across the U.S. responsible for local sales and service. The company is on the web at ryobi.xpedx.com. The phone is 800-553-4980. In the U.S., xpedx Printing Technologies markets and distributes a wide variety of presses and printing technology including the following core offerings: • RYOBI 750 series, 6-up high-speed multi-color 20x29” and 23x29” sheet size offset presses; • RYOBI 680 series, 4-up-plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses; • RYOBI 520 series, 2-up plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses; • RYOBI 3404 DI series, 2-up size portrait format 4-color offset presses with direct imaging. The 750, 680 and 520 series can be equipped with perfectors, coating units, UV curing units and infrared dryers. xpedx Printing Technologies has the largest force of local, factory-trained press technicians in the U.S. to service Ryobi printing presses. The company’s dealers coast-to-coast provide first-tier support, and are backed up by technicians at xpedx Printing Technologies headquarters and Ryobi Graphic Systems engineers in Japan. The superior service model offers unequalled same day response time for all Ryobi presses. xpedx Printing Technologies and Ryobi also require continuously updated training for all press service technicians. About xpedx and its businesses Loveland, Ohio-based xpedx, an International Paper company, is North America’s largest marketer and distributor of printing papers and graphics supplies and equipment. It is also a large distributor of packaging supplies and equipment and facilities supplies and equipment. xpedx has more than 7,000 employees in 250 locations in the U.S. and Mexico. Major customers include commercial printers, publishers, manufacturers, retailers, facility managers and companies across many industry segments. In addition to delivering the world’s largest offering of printing papers from a single source, xpedx provides graphics professionals with advanced digital prepress equipment, hardware and graphics software, Ryobi presses and digital workflows, color management tools, finishing, bindery and packaging systems. xpedx also offers detailed operations analysis, advice and financing to help make a customer’s printing operations more efficient and profitable. xpedx is one of the largest providers of post-consumer waste content and recycled printing papers in North America. It offers the greatest variety of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified papers in the U.S. Other xpedx owned-and-operated businesses include New York-based Bulkley Dunton, the xpedx National Technology Center (NTC), a pre-press laboratory and demonstration center based in metropolitan Cleveland, Ohio, as well as a network of 140 retail paper stores in 32 states that operate under the names xpedx Paper & Graphics, xpedx Paper Store, If It’s Paper and Arvey Paper & Office Products. In Mexico, xpedx owns and operates 20 distribution centers and retail stores. xpedx operates one of the largest business-to-business e-commerce sites, xpedx.com, and also operates suiteshoponline.com for graphics professionals.