Top magazine publisher selects Extensis' Preflight Online service for internal use and digital ad delivery needs. PORTLAND, Ore.--Feb. 20, 2002-- Extensis today announced that Cygnus Business Media, a top-20 business magazine publishing company that publishes more than 60 titles in 14 major markets, has signed a letter of intent for a two-year partnership with Extensis whereby Cygnus will integrate Extensis' award winning Preflight Online service into Cygnus' internal computer-to-plate (CTP) workflow. Under the terms of the agreement, Cygnus Business Media (CBM), the publisher of magazines such as Modern Reprographics, Studio Photography & Design Magazine, QuickPrinting, and Print on Demand Magazine, will also be promoting the Extensis solution through its Cygnus Production Assistant website -- a site focused on providing tools and educational materials for production and design personnel creating ads for CBM publications. "It's our intention to make Extensis Preflight Online an integral part of our internal quality control system,'' said Tom Martin, CBM's vice president of manufacturing/production. "All pages of every publication will ultimately go through this preflight system so that when an issue is finally submitted to our CTP department, each page will be pristine in terms of our digital material requirements.'' In addition, CBM will use Preflight Online to screen digital ads being submitted by third party advertisers to the various CBM publications via FTP. Cygnus officials chose to adopt Preflight Online because the Extensis patent pending technology allows for rapid deployment, and includes a suite of online tools that allows the system to be customized and administered easily, without reliance on third-party integrators or consultants. In addition, CBM was looking for an opportunity to collaborate with a technology provider rather than just installing an off-the-shelf software package. "We didn't want to simply buy a software solution, but to partner with a software provider,'' Martin said. "Through this partnership with Extensis, we are part of an ongoing team that will help shape the future direction of the technology.'' Recently included in Aberdeen Group's report: "What Works: Ten Significant ASP Implementations,'' Preflight Online is a subscription service that allows users to preflight files, collect them into a single archive, and then send them directly to their printer, service bureau, or publisher using only a web browser and without having to launch or configure any additional software. Under the subscription program, service bureaus, quick printers and publishers can integrate a customized version of the Preflight Online inspection engine into their own Web sites. A demonstration version of the service is available at www.preflight.com. "Preflight Online was designed with both content providers and output service providers in mind, so it's a perfect fit for Cygnus,'' said Joseph Schorr, Extensis product manager for Preflight Online. "We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Cygnus and we know that working together with a major player in the magazine publishing industry is ultimately going to help keep Extensis on the leading edge as a provider of preflight technology.''