BEDFORD, MA, October 27, 2003 — Latran Technologies LLC, a leader in the industry's most advanced digital halftone proofing technology and a major provider of high-quality proofing systems to the high-end commercial printing market, has launched a new initiative in its sales and distribution strategy with a business focus on the growing package and label printing industry. Latran has added Premier Sales Ltd. as the company's sales channel dedicated entirely to serving the package and label printing industry throughout the east coast for Latran's line of Prediction digital halftone proofing systems. Premier Sales is headed by its founder and president, Patrick J. O'Brien, an executive with 27 years of experience in packaging graphics marketing with DuPont Cyrel, Fulflex / Zed Instruments, Gallus, The Pitman Company and Creo. The sales organization offers a full range of Best in Class products for the prepress, printing and converting sectors of the packaging industry. Latran's line of Prediction systems is Premier's exclusive digital halftone proofing solution. “Premier's focus is on digital flexography with systems for direct laser engraving and mask ablation imaging for photopolymers," O'Brien states. "The Latran Prediction systems provide the key component for delivering predictability and repeatability to pressroom operations. Proofing with the same screening used in the engraving or imaging process on the actual substrate used in production provides an unrivalled accurate match to the quality delivered by the flexo press. It's that outstanding performance, along with its affordable system and consumer pricing, versus conventional digital halftone proofing, that has resulted in a tremendous industry reception for Prediction.” To direct the growth of its business opportunities in the package printing market, Latran has appointed Kevin M. Hooper to the new position of Business Development Manager, Packaging. He will be responsible for the development of business, working with the company's new sales partners serving the package and label printing market. Dr. David McCarthy, Vice President and General Manager of Latran Technologies, noted, "Latran has firmly established Prediction as the digital halftone proofing system of choice for high-end commercial offset printing and publishing environments. We are also seeing growth of new business into the label, flexo and other package printing segments. This is being driven by the demand for increased quality, more intense graphics and color usage, as well as the growing adoption of CTP and all-digital workflows." "Our new packaging industry initiative, with the implementation of strategic sales and distribution efforts directed specifically to the quality-driven package and label printing sectors, will enhance Latran's opportunities in that important business area, leverage our current success in the flexo printing market, and enable us to achieve significant growth," McCarthy added. Latran's new packaging and label sales initiative will be building on an existing customer base that currently includes several leading label producers such as DowIndustries, Syracuse Label and Wise Tag & Label.