August 19, 2003 -- Norcross, Georgia and Gent, Belgium – Rock Tenn Company and dotrix NV have announced a strategic partnership leading to the first high-speed, wide-web, digital inkjet solution in North America. Under the partnership agreement, Rock Tenn has not only agreed to purchase equipment, but will work with dotrix to help define inkjet technology developments for the packaging and display industries. “Today, the dotrix technology is the most advanced digital printing solution for our industry,” stated Rock Tenn CEO, Jim Rubright. “The dotrix wide-web, digital printing equipment gives us the high speed, cost effective, production-grade digital solution to provide our customers a competitive advantage.” With years of digital print experience in the security, label and decorative industry, dotrix's the.factory (pronounced “the-dot-factory”) inkjet digital press, is the company’s initial offering for the packaging and display arenas. Rock Tenn is the first U.S. company to purchase the revolutionary the.factory solution. “Rock Tenn has played an active role in defining the specifications and requirements for the North American market,” commented dotrix CEO Rob Haak. “Rock Tenn’s knowledge and vision of packaging and display markets' needs makes them a perfect partner for us to develop fully integrated, dedicated digital printing solutions based on dotrix’s advanced inkjet technology.” Rock Tenn believes that this technology has commercial applications across a number of its business units. “Acquiring the.factory technology will provide consumer products companies the flexibility to customize in-store advertising by region or by retailer at an affordable price and a short lead time. This equipment will deliver short runs or long runs that require variable copy or graphics,” remarked Jim Einstein, EVP of Rock Tenn’s Alliance Division that specializes in point-of-purchase display and promotional packaging solutions. Nick George, EVP of the Folding Carton Division added, “Most digital printing technologies have had trouble handling our thicker paperboard substrates. The unique, non-contact printing technology of the.factory addresses this concern.” Rock Tenn determined that the.factory was the most productive digital technology available. This digital solution will support short-run, production-quality, digital printing that is vital for variable data, versioning, beta tests and comprehensive mock-ups. “Similar to our pioneering investment in CTP (computer-to-plate) in the mid-1990’s, this strategic move demonstrates our commitment to the digital frontier,” Rubright concluded.