Alexandria, VA, August 22, 2008.  IDEAlliance and IPA today announce a comprehensive examination and certification program for digital production printing systems.  IDEAlliance and IPA will be working in collaboration to coordinate industry efforts focusing on digital printing.

IDEAlliance, a leader in the certification of hard and soft proofing systems, will utilize its well-established GRACoLÒ and SWOPÒ? proofing certification program and protocol to address digital press systems color rendering capabilities in 2009. A portion of the data gathered in the 2009 IPA Digital Print Forum will assist IDEAlliance's Print Properties & Colorimetric Working Group to define the tolerances and parameters used to validate each participating system's acceptable color performance and consistency.  Details of the new certification program will be provided following the meeting of the PPC Working Group.  Anyone who is interested in participating with the working group to define the process should contact Dianne Kennedy.

IPA, The Association of Graphic Solutions Providers, released its first independent, technical examination of digital printing technologies in 2008. The 2008 IPA Digital Print Forum provided a comprehensive study of digital printing covering most aspects of digital print production.   IPA will conduct its second annual examination of digital press systems, the Digital Print Forum, in early 2009. The 2009 Forum will include an even wider testing criteria, including color repeatability within a press run, color repeatability across multiple press runs, PantoneÔ color matching, cross sheet evenness, resolution, vignettes, registration, speed, rub resistance, fading, cracking, paper moisture, substrate properties, coating, VDP compatibility, JDF compatibility, PDF/X compatibility, de-inking and recyclability. Data gathered from this event will help define tolerances and protocols for a new IDEAlliance Digital Press Systems Color Certification program to be launched in mid 2009.

David Steinhardt, IDEAlliance President and CEO, remarked "The graphic communication industry is looking to its industry associations to partner and create synergies based upon their distinctive competencies. By bringing together the distinct work of IPA in the Digital Print Forum and IDEAlliance in color certification and specifications, the industry can look to a unified program for Digital Press Systems Color Certification."

"Like in earlier IPA Proofing RoundUPs, the results of this type of analysis helps business leaders make important purchase decisions and assists our vendor partners in understanding how their technologies are being applied in the marketplace. This unified approach to examining emerging technologies and defining acceptable criteria for certification will well serve our members and industry," commented Steve Bonoff, IPA President.