November 24, 2003 – In one of its first voting decisions since Networked Graphic Production (NGP) became an independent, industry-wide organization; the NGP Partners have approved four new partners that will join this strategic initiative. The new NGP Partners include prepress workflow vendors Global Graphics Software and Rampage Systems, digital content management and distribution provider WAM!Net, and management information system developer Tharstern Limited. Networked Graphic Production now includes 33 member companies. These NGP Partners are developing JDF-based, cross-vendor integrated solutions that are designed to automate production processes and enable NGP Partners’ solutions to link efficiently with each other. Members also passed a majority vote that requires all NGP Partners to become members of CIP4—the organization that creates and oversees the JDF specification. The majority of NGP Partners are already CIP4 members. The NGP Partners decided that being a member of CIP4 is a natural prerequisite for membership since the NGP partnership is committed to actively participate in the evolution of the JDF specification, and will ensure that the efforts of the NGP partnership support the goal of making JDF the standard for integration across vendors in the graphic arts industry. New NGP Partners Global Graphics Software Inc. is the developer of the Harlequin® and Jaws® RIPs and the Jaws PDF line of technologies for PDF creation, management and output. The company supplies its RIP, PDF, workflow and color solutions mostly to a customer base of Original Equipment Manufacturers, system integrators and other software application developers serving the commercial print, newspaper and digital print industries, as well as the graphic arts and corporate enterprise markets. "Global Graphics is excited to join these leading industry vendors in the quest to deliver truly integrated JDF solutions and to showcase them at Drupa,” says Ralph Lloyd, vice president of Product Marketing. “Clearly, the Networked Graphic Production initiative is focused on creating working JDF integrations that help printers and print buyers decrease costs, increase revenues and streamline operations from idea-to-delivery. NGP has a specific and detailed development path that will enable vendors’ systems to communicate via JDF and ultimately enable multi-vendor integrated workflows from idea to delivery. This development path is one of the ways in which we will be able to deliver results to our customers, faster and more efficiently." Rampage Systems, Inc. has developed and sold a comprehensive prepress workflow solution to the graphics arts market for more than 10 years. Rampage has joined the Networked Graphic Production partnership because it is focused on delivering a one-to-many development cycle among vendors that will enable JDF to link workflow solutions to management information systems for estimating, job ticket generation and actual cost collection. This type of integration with open standards will ultimately deliver value to Rampage customers by helping to increase efficiencies through automation, and improving cost control through data collection and actual cost reporting back into MIS systems. WAM!NET, a division of SAVVIS Communications Corps., is a global provider of digital content management and distribution services. WAM!NET enables customers to plug into a collaborative workflow, integrate existing applications and connect to global communities of interest without capital investment. WAM!NET is committed to JDF as a standard to better support its customers’ distributed network environments and to integrate into existing capabilities. WAM!NET supports NGP as a way to drive integration and success for its customers to achieve their return on investment. UK-based Tharstern Limited is a leading supplier of management information systems to the printing industry. The company’s preproduction solutions include estimating and cost rate manager; shop floor data collection; production scheduling; stock control; invoicing, account integration, customer service with contact management, inventory control, and online proofing. NGP Development on Schedule The roadmap to JDF integration across the NGP Partners is on track and progress was made at two recent technical meetings that were held in Europe and the United States. Technical specialists from each NGP working group (MIS and Production Planning, Creative and Prepress, Press, and Postpress) representing members of Networked Graphic Production Partners, recently attended meetings in Düsseldorf, Germany and Chicago, USA to define the integration points that will determine the highest value to customers. These meetings were successful and development timelines are on target.