Augsburg / Zell an der Mosel  (August 04, 2008) – In the framework of the PrintCity Alliance / f.mp. shared PRINTplusX Project, over 100 representatives from all segments of the graphic arts industry met at the first two Workshops in Augsburg (10 July) and Hamburg (15 July) to discuss the possibilities of Value Added Printing.
 
The main focus was on the impact and benefit of high-quality print products for differentiating and positioning brands and products.
 
"The project and the workshop concept are obviously just what the industry was waiting for." That is the first conclusion drawn by Anke Böckmann (UPM), the PRINTplusX Project Manager for PrintCity. "One thing became very clear: there's a great demand for expertise and for an exchange of experience and information between all concerned."
 
This view is also confirmed by Martin R. Rossmeissl, Head of Production at Publicis in Hamburg: "All the players involved gained a better understanding of the (creative) idea. In future Publicis customer projects, we will definitely make even greater use of the expertise of all the project partners in order to optimally present the value of our customers' brands and also convey it emotionally. There's no question of just using value added techniques for the sake of ‘value added’."
 
The morning was devoted to examining value added printing  from different angles. Anne Unger from Anne Unger Kommunikation spoke about "Print as a Medium for Positioning, Differentiating and Branding", after which Josef Handlos from Pantos Werbeagentur presented "The Road from the Idea to the Product" in an advertising agency. Klaus Valet from Hammesfahr printers examined "The Changed Role of Printers in the Media World". His conclusion: "Value Added Printing is an opportunity for the printing industry".
 
Also presented were the initial results of a diploma paper on the measurability of added value, which is currently being prepared in collaboration with Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien).
 
The diverse possibilities offered by finishing technologies and materials were subsequently actively elaborated on the basis of concrete cases in small working groups. The results of these creative efforts were then discussed, particularly as regards their technical and economic feasibility.
 
"I particularly liked the creative exchange of experience in the Workshop Groups. The great variety of suggestions I heard during the presentation of the results gave me a number of new ideas for print finishing," says Jörg Nagel (media production professional) from Philipp und Keuntje. "A mastery of this finishing toolkit is indispensable for picking just the right solution in a specific instance."
 
For more information, go to: www.PRINTplusX.com
Details of the agenda can be found at: www.PRINTplusX.com/de/agenda .
 
The next Workshops in the series:
      14 August in Offenbach
      19 August in Essen
There are still a few places for both events.
 
Kindly register via [email protected] or by telephone on +49 821 24654-0.
 
PRINTplusX is a joint project of PrintCity and the f:mp. (Fachverband Medienproduktioner e.V.) media marketing organisation. The project targets brand owners, industry, publishing houses, agencies and printers, its aim being to present the possibilities of Value Added Printing and make the added value of high-quality print products both demonstrable and measurable.
A communication platform for all the players involved in the process is created through workshops and the Internet.