(REISTERSTOWN, MD – November 25, 2002) – In the graphic arts industry, there has never been a guide for folding. Printers have not had a resource to share with designers or other industry professionals that would explain the folding process and all of the different folding styles they can offer to their customers. Designers have never understood all of the folding options available to them, and have not had access to the math behind proper digital document set-up. Until now. Finishing Experts Group, Inc., a Baltimore-area publishing company, has just released FOLD: The Professional’s Guide to Folding, a first-of-its-kind, two-volume set that creates an essential system for the printing and design industry by establishing naming conventions and standardizing the folding process. The guide documents and classifies more than 180 folding styles, breaking them down into eight folding families (accordions, basics, exotics, gates, maps, parallels, posters and rolls). Each folding style is named, numbered and illustrated. Then, each style is diagrammed with proper folding compensations for accurate digital document setup. There are also tips and considerations for each. The book, authored by Trish Witkowski, a creative director with a Baltimore marketing firm, is the product of five years of industry research. Geared toward print and design professionals, industry organizations, binderies, folding machinery manufacturers, and the graphic arts education market, FOLD: The Professional’s Guide to Folding provides a common language for designers and printers/binderies, giving everyone the same frame of reference and saving valuable time and resources. “As a professional designer, I would often become frustrated with the lack of a comprehensive resource for folding,” said Witkowski. “This guide fills a vacuum in the industry. My hope is that the book not only will be the go-to guide in the industry for folding, but that it also can serve as a springboard for creativity.” Added Martin Anson, President, Bindagraphics Incorporated, “The Professional’s Guide to Folding will ensure good communication and accurate results from the start of a job to the finish. This is a must-have resource for print and design professionals.” Trish Witkowski is currently the creative director for a marketing and communications firm in Baltimore. She earned her master of science in graphic arts publishing from Rochester Institute of Technology’s world-renowned School of Printing Management and Sciences and a bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design. She has taught design and desktop publishing at the college level, and is the co-author of The Adobe InDesign Guide (1999, Macmillan). FOLD: The Professional’s Guide to Folding is available on www.expertsinfinishing.com