April 18, 2005, Edina, MN - For the third year running, major proofing vendors from around the world will put their products under a microscope at the IPA Color Proofing RoundUP, held in conjunction with the IPA Technical Conference, June 7 - 9, 2005, in Rosemont, Illinois. Details can be found at. Attendees will witness first hand a comprehensive, independent evaluation of today's color proofing systems, at what has become the industry benchmark for evaluating proofing devices. The information and knowledge they glean will provide their companies a distinct competitive advantage through a better understanding of which proofing systems match their companies' specific requirements and workflow. Users may participate directly in this year's RoundUP by downloading RoundUP test files and producing proofs on their own devices. Attendees are encouraged to bring their proofs to the Conference for a personal evaluation by the RoundUP leadership team of experts. Test files may be downloaded at . "In addition to evaluating all major proofing systems in the market today, we will be evaluating soft-proofing systems in a unique live test, comparing press sheets to monitor proofs. Judges for the RoundUP will be chosen from among conference participants, ensuring practical, real-world evaluations," notes Dr. Abhay Sharma, Professor at Western Michigan University and IPA Roundup Team Leader. Participating suppliers will produce proofs from a special characterization data set developed by the IPA Proofing RoundUP leadership team. Proofs will be judged for: colorimetric accuracy, hard- and soft-copy visual image quality, spot color and PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and output intent. Participating suppliers include: - Agfa - CGS - CREO - DuPont Imaging Technologies - EFI - Fuji-Enovation - GMG Americas - Heidelberg - Integrated Color Solutions - Kodak Polychrome Graphics "This is a unique opportunity for conference attendees to gain new insight on proofing evaluation," asserts Steve Bonoff, IPA President. "It will expand their understanding of proofing requirements and knowledge of color management." For information on the Color Proofing RoundUP: go to http://www.ipa.org/proofing. To register for the IPA Technical Conference, call IPA at (800)255-8141 or visit: http://www.ipa.org/tech.