Noel Ward As usual, the question of the day is, "What do you see that you like?" This is journalist/analyst talk for 'Did you see anything new or is it SSDS--same stuff, different show?' For the most part, this first day of the 9th annual On Demand Printing and Publishing conference doesn't have a lot that is truly new, but that's only to be expected coming on the heels of Euroshow IPEX in Birmingham, England. Only a few of the biggest movers and shakers in the North American printing business ventured across the pond, and press releases have flowed from IPEX like a relentless high tide, so most of the news isn't new anymore. Nevertheless, On Demand is the key American venue for many companies' news this spring. For a glimpse of some of the breaking news, see the upcoming coverage by Carol Alexander on the latest moves by Xeikon and HP/Indigo and she will also document the session that has the top executives from Xerox, Scitex Digital Printing, NexPress and Canon U.S.A. Regarding Xeikon and HP Indigo, these firms are re-inventing existing firms with new ownership and revised strategies for competing in the changing commercial printing and publishing marketplace. Indigo is particularly interesting because it represents a new direction for both Indigo and its adopted parent Hewlett-Packard. Will their big bet and new approaches to the corporate and commercial printing markets pay off? For Xeikon, the new ownership by Punch is another step on a long and winding road for this digital printing pioneer. What are their strategies for building market share and competing with Xerox, Heidelberg and HP/Indigo? Can they effectively differentiate themselves in a market with lots of potential but resistant to change? And later this week, pre-press guru Alex Hamilton will be covering changes in RIPs, those arcane devices that enable much of digital printing. And eXpert Row regular Paul R. White will be bringing you the latest on companies like IKON, Danka and T/R Systems. Where so they fit into a market in flux, and what solutions do they offer customers? More announcements will follow on Wednesday, with news from Océ and Quebecor World and Scitex Digital Printing and more. So check back here for the latest takes on On Demand 2002.