Pittsburgh, PA, August 27, 2008-The PIA/GATF Technical Research Department is seeking commercial digital printers to participate in a digital benchmarking study which will examine the best practices needed to become an efficient and profitable digital printer in a commercial environment. Participants can receive a personalized report analyzing their results.

Digital color printing has had a significant impact on the commercial print market and has proven itself as a viable short-run alternative to lithography. As more digital presses move into a commercial environment, the market becomes more competitive. Those who can operate these printing systems with the most efficiency will be the profiteers. The digital benchmarking study was developed with this concept in mind.

PIA/GATF's digital benchmarking study will not only look into the productivity of the equipment, but it will also examine the printing process and operations. By supplying all participants with the same print job, PIA/GATF will be able to track this job through the production cycle and document key steps and processes, thus indentifying the most efficient-and profitable-techniques in commercial digital printing.

Participation in the study is open to both PIA/GATF members and nonmembers. PIA/GATF members will receive their personalized report at no charge; nonmembers will be able to purchase a personalized report for $25.

The complete results of this study will be presented at the PIA/GATF Color Management Conference and during a PIA/GATF webinar this December. The results will be also published and available to purchase through PIA/GATFPress.

For more information and to become a participant in the digital benchmarking study, visit www.piagatfresearch.org/digitalstudy. All the files needed to take part in the study are available for download when signing up online. Results must be returned to PIA/GATF by October 24.