CHICAGO – October 20, 2006 – Printing Industries of America (PIA)/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), the world's largest graphic arts trade association, demonstrated that it has upped the ante by bringing the marketplace the widest array of digital print resources possible. PIA/GATF’s Digital Printing Council (DPC) continued its celebration of the Year of Digital Print at Graph & Converting Expo with much of the DPC’s program resources and materials in evidence throughout the seminars and on the floor of the show, held in Chicago from October 15-18. Major Growth Initiatives “Our members have had a fabulous year,” says newly appointed Director Julie Shaffer, “and there’s so much more coming.” Shaffer says PIA/GATF and the Digital Printing Council will elaborate on major growth initiatives in the 4th quarter. In the meantime, Graph Expo was a venue for showcasing some of what has made DPC’s Year of Digital Print so successful thus far. Highlights include a marked increase in DPC membership; now triple what it was less than a year ago. As of 2006, DPC successfully became a core service and premiere offering of PIA/GATF, providing its members and the printing industry with informative tools and publications designed to help firms be more productive, efficient, and generate more sales with new digital technologies. Some of What’s to Come: PIA/GATF to Expand DPC Further to Benefit More of its Members Based on the overwhelming success of the DPC and Year of Digital Print, as well as the continued growth of digital printing, PIA/GATF plans to further extend DPC as a resource to benefit even more members in the year to come. The organization is moving DPC operations from Alexandria, Virginia to its headquarters in Sewickley, PA; and is in the midst of establishing a best practices digital business and technology center. Julie Shaffer, as the newly appointed director of the DPC and with her strong background as head of the Center for Imaging Excellence, will oversee this new center. Additionally, more DPC resources will be offered as part of PIA/GATF basic membership. DPC program offerings have expanded since its founding, marked by a single newsletter; to today’s wealth of DPC programs and publications, including the groundbreaking Marketing4Digital (M4D) study. Additional Premium Programs will also be provided. Look for more details on the exciting changes to the DPC later in the year. DPC Everywhere At Graph Expo Attendees at Graph Expo found an array of resources and support from PIA/GATF’s DPC. Highlights included: Marketing4Digital Seminar – Among the initiatives supporting the Year of Digital Print are DPC’s groundbreaking Marketing4Digital (M4D) research and corresponding educational seminars. M4D is a unique and extensive research project giving digital and conventional printers the information and insight they need to sell their services to 24 specific vertical market segments. John Hamm, 35-year printing industry veteran and newly appointed Senior Advisor for PIA/GATF Digital Printing Council, was the key speaker at Graph Expo on Sunday, October 15 from 8:15 am to 10 am, leading a special marketing seminar titled: “Grow Your Revenue with M4D—Market Research That You Can Immediately Put Into Action.” This session provided an overview of the Marketing4Digital program, and detailed some of the key findings. Hamm covered vertical industries that represent over 80 percent of all print buying in the U.S. This session arms print providers and their sales staff with the specific details they need to get inside their customers’ business and sell more print, especially digital print. This seminar, which continues to be held around the country, is geared to printing company owners, executives, and decision makers, sales and marketing managers, and sales representatives, who want to move to the next level of business success. DPC Experts Featured at Multiple Venues at Graph Expo – Michael Makin, Julie Shaffer, John Hamm, and Ron Davis are just a few of the PIA/GATF DPC experts who led educational sessions at Graph Expo. They were also on hand at the PIA/GATF booth, as well as sponsor booths Heidelberg Xerox. Special Promotions & Opportunities – As part of its Year of Digital Print celebration, the DPC sponsored several exciting promotional giveaways at Graph Expo. Attendees of the special M4D seminar as well as sessions led by Julie Shaffer had the opportunity to enter to win free DPC premium membership, which includes the complete set of M4D research and more, a $1200 value! Also throughout the show, anyone interested in joining the DPC received close to 50% discount off membership. Visit PIA/GATF booth # 2435 for more details.