September 5 2007 -- In cooperation with Presstek, the Digital Imaging Customer Exchange (DICE) has announced that it will be launching a new membership segment, one focused on printers operating direct imaging (DI) digital offset presses. The new segment will be open to any company that owns a press utilizing Presstek's DI technology, whether branded under the Presstek name or that of one of the company's OEMs. This will constitute the fourth vendor platform supported by DICE user forums, the other three being HP Indigo, Kodak NexPress, and higher end Xerox color production devices (DocuColor 6060 through the iGen3 product line).
"We see Presstek's digital offset technology as highly complementary to the digital printing technology employed by our current members," states DICE Executive Director Michael Vinocur. He adds, "In fact, many of our members already have a Presstek DI running alongside their digital press. For those who don't own a DI press, we'll now be able to provide a vehicle for them to talk to peers to see if they should add one. And for Presstek customers who only own a DI, this is a great opportunity for them to network with our 350-member companies to assess whether to add a digital press to their operations."
According to Todd Chambers, Presstek's senior vice president and chief marketing officer: "We welcome the opportunity for Presstek's DI users to share their successes with the DICE community and believe that it will be beneficial for all digital printers to learn about the significant role a DI press can have in a digital production environment – making them more capable, profitable and competitive. We look forward to becoming an active participant in DICE and to establishing a strong working relationship with its members."
As is the case with the other printing platforms supported by DICE, those owning Presstek-enabled DI presses will be offered a free first year's company membership in DICE, a $495 value. Company membership allows an unlimited number of employees to subscribe to DICE's new DI email forum, as well as a broader email forum called DICEMAIL, where users of Presstek DI, HP Indigo, Kodak and Xerox technologies can all come together to discuss sales and marketing and general business issues. Member companies may attend the annual meeting, Oct. 11-13 in Las Vegas, at a special, highly discounted rate and participate in a variety of other DICE meetings and Webinars throughout the year. Users may sign up for DICE membership as well as register for this year's meeting at www.dicegroup.org.