SEWICKLEY, PA - September 25, 2006 - Printing Industries of America (PIA)/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF), the world's largest graphic arts trade association, today announces that Julie Shaffer has been appointed the new director of the Digital Printing Council. "Julie has impressive credentials in prepress and graphic arts technology, and a superb track record with PIA/GATF as head of the Center for Imaging Excellence. Her skills and knowledge are recognized and well known within the industry. We're fortunate to have her in this position," says Michael Makin, CEO of the PIA/GATF. "I'm very excited to take on the role of DPC director, and to build on all the programs and initiatives in place, including completing the Year of Digital Print celebration. I look forward to working with our members, sponsors and supporters as we further step up our service offerings to keep pace with the growth of digital printing, while we continue to educate and support our members by providing them with the resources they need to succeed," says Shaffer. Shaffer takes over the helm of the DPC from Joanne Vinyard, who Makin and other colleagues say provided outstanding direction in her eight years of leading the DPC. Vinyard will continue to work in the industry. At her departure, Vinyard remarks, "There has been a groundswell of interest and support for the DPC this year, during the 2006 Year of Digital Print. Julie is an expert in the industry who will lead the DPC to its next growth level to further impact the industry." Under Vinyard's direction, the DPC has grown, expanded, and flourished as a program of PIA/GATF. Membership more than tripled since January 2006 after the DPC became a core service offering of PIA/GATF, making it the largest digital printing association in the world. DPC program offerings have expanded since its founding, marked by a single newsletter, digits; to today's wealth of DPC programs and publications, including the groundbreaking Marketing4Digital (M4D) study. Shaffer has been with PIA/GATF since 2000, serving as director of its Center for Imaging Excellence. She is well known for her graphic production expertise and is often called upon for training, international and national speaking engagements, and to provide on-site consulting throughout the world. She conducts research on diverse topics such as PDF, color management and web-to-print, and is a frequent contributor to printing industry publications. Shaffer is co-author of the highly popular book, The PDF Print Production Guide (1st and 2nd edition).