Munich, GERMANY (March 27 2001) - CreoScitex Europe S.A., a subsidiary of Creo Products Inc. (NASDAQ: CREO; TSE: CRE), hosted PrePrint World 2001 in Offenbach/Main from March 8-10. More than 450 entrepreneurs, executives and opinion leaders of the printing industry attended this distinguished event, which focused on customers and interested parties in German-speaking countries. CreoScitex transformed the Event Center of Offenbach's Park Plaza Hotel into an arena for networked, digital prepress technology. New CreoScitex products and integrated digital workflows were demonstrated in nearly 1,000 m2 of exhibition space. A balance of workshops, seminars and a technology show, made PrePrint World 2001 one of this year's memorable events. Workshop topics included color management, color and copydot scanning, computer-to-plate and workflow management with the Prinergy and Brisque systems. Interactive communication was featured in every corner of the exhibition hall, which was flooded in light. The architectural contrasts between the modern glass-and-steel structure and the early industrial baroque brickwork provided an exciting backdrop for the event. One of CreoScitex's top priorities was to establish a dialog with existing and potential customers, for which there was plenty of opportunity following the workshops and during breaks between seminars. The participation of CreoScitex application specialists facilitated individual demonstrations in an informal atmosphere. One common issue emerged from the numerous stimulating discussions that took place during PrePrint World 2001. Graphic arts companies are under immense pressure to improve their competitiveness and modernize their businesses. If they want to make a profit, secure new clients and retain their existing ones, they have no alternative but to keep abreast with the dramatic pace of technological advances. Rationalized, digitized production processes are the only way for printing and prepress shops to satisfy the market's constant demands for faster, cheaper and more flexible services. At the same time, all investment decisions have to be weighed carefully and future requirements anticipated wisely. The Lotem 800 Quantum, CreoScitex's latest fully automatic thermal platesetter, was presented for the first time to the German-speaking audience and featured live demonstrations. Its output of 25 imaged plates per hour and the benefits of the SQUAREspot™ imaging were widely acclaimed: it's not every day that a former class master beats its own record. Other highlights included digital halftone proofing with Trendsetter Spectrum™ as well as CTP solutions in 4-up (B2) format with the Lotem™ 400 VA. Perfect automation with three plate storage cassettes, slip-sheet removal, inline register punching and unloading onto an inline processor are among the eminent features of this Lotem model. The Lotem 400 PS/M configuration offered by CreoScitex as a new entry-level CTP solution was also the focus of considerable attention and is especially attractive in view of the relatively low investment. The semiautomatic Lotem 400 V is controlled by a Power Macintosh-based PS/M workflow. The business seminar provided representatives of the printing industry and CreoScitex managers with a chance to express their views. They elucidated new products and trends at CreoScitex and analyzed the future perspectives of the industry in general in light of increasing digitization. PrePrint World 2001 enabled CreoScitex to offer an impressive demonstration of its global competence as a leading manufacturer and supplier of integrated solutions for digital prepress and printing preparation.