GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., and San Jose, Calif., X-Rite, Incorporated, the world leader in color management, measurement and communication technologies and the Color Management Group (CMG) today unveiled a new web-based resource center for digital imaging professionals who are upgrading to X-Rite's new line of i1 Professional Color Management Solutions. Customers visiting www.i1upgrades.com, can learn about the new line of products, choose the most appropriate upgrade package to suit their needs, purchase on-site or WebExTM training sessions and obtain expert technical information, in just a few simple steps".

"CMG has been a long-term strategic partner of X-Rite's," says Buzz Apostol, X-Rite's VP of sales.  "This latest initiative is a further testament to their commitment and expertise with our products.  In fact, many of their consultants were part of the beta teams that helped drive the development of our new i1Color Management Solutions. We are thrilled with their initiative and have every confidence that i1upgrades.com will prove to be a high-value source of information and guidance for digital imaging professionals throughout North America."

"CMG's experience in handling the fulfillment of upgrades for other industry leaders is second to none.  With i1upgrades.com, CMG has created a user-friendly resource center that includes everything a customer might be looking for when thinking of upgrading, from pre-sales information to help them choose the most appropriate solution, to an highly-efficient and easy-to-navigate upgrade system, to post-sales support with a technology and FAQ corner," comments Jim Luttrell, X-Rite's Field Marketing Manager for the Americas.

Designed to accommodate all levels of proficiency and expertise, X-Rite's new line of i1 Professional Color Management Solutions consists of a combination of hardware, software, and comparative color targets specifically focused on meeting the unique needs of packaging, pre-press, and publishing professionals, to provide them with exceptional value at very attractive price points.  

"X-Rite's color management technologies are the cornerstone of graphic arts color workflows. Our experts have relied on X-Rite technology to serve their customers' color critical applications for years, helping them produce consistent, accurate color. The Color Management Group is passionate about color and we are very excited to partner with X-Rite on this effort. X-Rite's latest software, i1Profiler, is the culmination of industry-leading technologies that raise the bar on color performance. We look forward to helping our experts, and their customers, experience these great new benefits," comments Marc Levine, Color Management Group's Director of Business Development.

The portfolio is comprised of i1Basic Pro, i1Photo Pro, i1Publish Pro and i1Publish (software and target suite).  All four feature groundbreaking new i1Profiler software technology designed to accommodate all skill levels, and provide the power and control needed to create the highest quality color profiles, as well as the new PANTONE Color Manager color swatch bridging software.

i1Photo Pro and i1Publish Pro include i1Profiler software, an i1Pro spectrophotometer, PANTONE Color Manager software, ColorChecker Proof target, mini ColorChecker Classic target, and ColorChecker camera calibration software. i1Publish includes all of the above except for the spectrophotometer.

For more information on these solutions, upgrades, and pricing, please visit: www.i1upgrades.com

"Since our founding, CMG alliance companies have been instrumental in executing technical and partner programs that meet both industry goals and customer needs. We are delighted to partner with X-Rite, and look forward to evangelizing and helping our expert resellers creatively market this long-anticipated software. The new technologies, combined with the skills of our members will benefit customers worldwide," states Lida Jalali Marschke, Founder, Color Management Group.