Rochester, NY — PODi, the Digital Printing Initiative, leads the way in providing innovative business strategies and support for every company that uses digital printing or owns a digital printing press. The AppForum digital printing and direct marketing conference, January 31 - February 2, 2011 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas helps companies beat the commodity trap and increase profits. One of the major focuses this year is the opportunity digital printing creates for companies who develop Print-on-Demand solutions.

An alternative to the Marketing Service Provider (MSP) business model, which will also be showcased at the conference, a successful Print-on-Demand (POD) strategy addresses declining print volumes, overcapacity, and price competition with digital printing solutions that give customers what they need, when they need it, at a lower cost. Says Caslon General Manager David Erlandson, “POD puts the customer in control. Simple, online ordering and collateral management eliminate inventory and waste. It’s more than just short-run printing; it’s a new way of doing business. Our attendees will learn how to minimize risk and speed up their own POD transformation.”

- Mimeo.com is experiencing tremendous growth with groundbreaking POD and web-to-print solutions, and Mimeo’s VP of Strategy, Charlie Corr, will be an AppForum Keynote Speaker. “The leading innovators in our industry come to AppForum,” he says. “I think this audience will be very interested in the latest market forecasts on POD. I’m looking forward to meeting them, and sharing some great case studies and my own experience with developing killer apps for print-on-demand.”

- Consolidated Graphics is one of the largest printing companies in the US, but as a collection of over 70 individual businesses, they have a unique perspective on the challenge of Print-on-Demand. CGX VP Cliff Hollingsworth will speak on the business culture and mindset required to deliver POD solutions

- Web-to-print expert Jennifer Matt takes attendees on a Pre-Conference Intensive exploration of what it takes to build an online business.

- PODi Affiliate dotgain’s Tony Hodgson presents results of research on the increasingly customer-focused profile of digital printing businesses in the UK

- Phil Larson of AFPress shares his first-hand experience of choosing and implementing a W2P system that has already delivered $1,000,000 in annual savings – a do-not-miss session for anyone who needs to explain the value of POD solutions to their customers

- Joe Farage, CEO of the Buffalo Printing Company explains how ecommerce automation dramatically changed order processing and cash flow, while opening opportunity for a wider customer base

- CGX Manager of Graphic Technologies Cory Sawatzki reveals tips on harnessing technology to improve image quality

- Associates International COO Dave Zamorski presents the tools and concepts for Value Stream Mapping, a workflow process vital to lean manufacturing

Companies interested in learning more about using a Print-on-Demand business model to grow their digital printing profits, will find a full schedule of presentations designed to guide them. For details, visit http://www.appforum.org

2011 AppForum sponsors: Gold Sponsors – Canon, FUJIFILM, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Pageflex by Bitstream, Xerox, xpedx / Silver Sponsors – CGS Technologies, Finch Paper, HP, Online Print Solutions, Ricoh / Bronze Sponsors – Avanti, MindFireInc., Page Technologies, Printable, PrinterPresence, Rollem International, XMPie. Media Sponsors – CANVAS magazine, In-plant Graphics, Printing Impressions, Print Media Centr, Process Magazine, Quick Printing, The Seybold Report, WhatTheyThink. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are still available.