Miami Beach, Florida—(February 4, 2005) – Xplor International, the worldwide electronic document systems association, today announced a change to their Global Electronic Document Systems Conference originally scheduled for November 6-10, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. In a joint press conference held today with Graphics of the Americas, the two organizations announced that Xplor would co-locate their 2005 conference to the 31st annual Graphics of the Americas, held February 3rd - 5th, 2006. Together, the combined conference and exhibit will provide both attendees and exhibitors with a venue that addresses the needs of both end-users and printers with a one-of-a kind showcase for the convergence of knowledge, products and technology. In addition, the partnership builds upon the strengths of both organizations, bridging the gap between digital and non-digital worlds that is both education and exhibit oriented. “The event market has changed, in that there is increasing pressure placed on the educational value and return on investment for every dollar spent,” said Skip Henk, EDP, president & CEO of Xplor International. By moving our November conference and co-locating with Graphics of the Americas in February 2006, attendees can enjoy one venue that maximizes their educational dollar while gaining exposure to the latest products on the exhibit floor. In addition, exhibitors will have access to a larger and more varied customer and prospect pool all in one place.” Xplor has a rich history of being at the forefront of document technology and providing variable-data and IT oriented curricula, while Graphics of the Americas has a legacy of design and has provided attendees with the latest “ink on paper” printing technology. These once unrelated parts of the industry are now converging as offset printers are expanding into new digital-based products and services while digital and document providers are expanding into commercial printing markets. The conference organizers feel that together, the combination of two events would provide an introduction for Xplor’s audience into the traditional print, composition and design markets while giving Graphics of the Americas attendees the educational curricula needed to become successful in the digital and variable-data markets. “We are excited that Xplor has selected Graphics of the Americas as the venue to bring their strong end-user educational focus, “upstream” technologies and digital printing conference curricula to Miami Beach in 2006,” said Chris Price, vice president and general manager for Graphics of the Americas. “We believe that by providing this unique conference and exhibit experience it not only benefits attendees and exhibitors, but serves as an example to industry at large,” said Michael Streibig, president of The Printing Association of Florida (PAF) and Graphics of the Americas conference organizers. Looking Ahead to Graphics of the Americas 2006 Both attendees and exhibitors of Graphics of the Americas 2006 can look forward to a unique event featuring over 500 exhibiting companies, covering 500,000 square feet of exhibit space and attended by over 22,000-plus printers and creative professionals from around the world. With the addition of Xplor’s well-know educational curricula, participants can look forward to over 150 conference sessions covering the latest topics facing document, printing, designers, art directors and advertising individuals.