Vandalia, OH – August 19, 2004 – Esko-Graphics, the market leader in packaging pre-production solutions and world leader in digital imaging of flexo plates, will demonstrate complete label and packaging workflows during Labelexpo Americas, September 13-16, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL. At Booth 5311, Esko-Graphics will demonstrate its new Scope workflow configured for label applications and the Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) Spark XT. At the Hewlett Packard booth, #3223, the Scope workflow will be driving an HP Indigo digital press, while at the Pitman booth, #5704, a CDI Spark XT and Scope workflow will be displayed. Labelexpo Americas 2004 is the biggest narrow web event on the American continent. Visitors from over 60 countries are expected to attend: from across North America; from all over Europe; and from Australasia and the Far East, including Japan, Korea and the Philippines. Esko-Graphics’ booth 5311 at Labelexpo is the venue for the first major U.S. demonstration of the new Scope workflow, Esko-Graphics most advanced workflow environment extending and integrating its many software products for packaging service providers. Scope covers a wide range of functions, from job and product specification, through graphic and structural design and expert pre-production operations, to platemaking for printing and toolmaking for converting. Scope adds capabilities for project coordination, digital asset management and distributed proofing and approval, enabling the many partners and stakeholders across the entire supply chain to communicate and collaborate globally, effectively and in real time in a global networked environment. Esko-Graphics Scope workflow offers the ideal environment for producing sophisticated labels, packages and tags - complete with PackEdge to edit packaging designs, Plato to create print-ready sheet layouts, BackStage as the digital workflow server solution and the FlexRip, a multi-purpose RIP. At Hewlett-Packard’s booth 3223, a complete printing solution will be demonstrated, including HP Indigo digital printing presses and Esko-Graphics Scope front-end workflow system. Label printers and converters receive considerable market focus from both Esko-Graphics and HP. An Esko-Graphics Scope workflow system, capable of driving a conventional press, also drives a HP Indigo ws2000/4000 press. Use of the Scope workflow – with advanced color management such as Kaleidoscope, a device-independent color engine and IntelliCurvePro, a highly sophisticated application to control and calibrate presses – results in higher throughput, as well as better predictability and reproducibility on HP Indigo presses. The Pitman Company, a distributor of Esko-Graphics products, will exhibit the Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) Spark XT, the most recent addition to the CDI Spark product line, at booth 5704. CDI Spark XT images digital photopolymer plates in sizes up to 48” x 35” – the most popular flexo plate format. The CDI Spark XT features a long-life, low-maintenance fiber laser and is available in three versions with imaging speeds from 16 to 43 square feet per hour. It supports any imaging resolution between 2000 and 4000 dpi, freely selectable from job to job. CDI Spark XT is delivered with a built-in plate loading/unloading table and with EasyClamp to easily apply and securely hold down plates up to 250 thousandths thickness on the drum. Like other family members, CDI Spark XT can easily image any smaller size plates, too – perfect for narrow web presses and rush jobs. “Esko-Graphics continues to set the standard for prepress hardware and software for narrow web applications, such as label printing. We also believe in open systems, partnering with leading industry vendors to provide the most productive systems for our customers,” comments Mark Vanover, Esko-Graphics Director of Marketing, North America. “At Labelexpo we will demonstrate a complete range of significant solutions covering complete workflows from the designer to the converter, digital flexo platemaking featuring the most popular imager in the industry, and a digital workflow that complements an HP Indigo digital press.”