CHICAGO, IL – A.B.Dick will roll out its 2004 National Tour in Atlanta on March 2-3. A 16-city schedule over the next nine months will double the company’s previous efforts in taking the equipment showcase direct to its customers. “Our Open House format the last four years, with seven or eight programs each year, was met with overwhelming support by our customers. We thought now was the best time to expand with the National Tour,” said Scott MacKenzie, Vice President of Marketing. “Taking the market to the customer allows them to control their situation, just like our products. Many other innovative companies in other industries are doing this and experiencing good results. The world changes much more quickly than it did even a couple of years ago, and printers and products react and evolve according to these changes. Everyone wants to be more productive today so time is an invaluable commodity. Having the ability to strike a chord with our customers is why our events have been so successful. With the product mix we are showcasing, we expect a tangible response again this year.” Visiting one of these shows will find an extraordinary array of products to view and learn about. The new CXP 3000 direct-to-print solution and Vector 52 thermal metal plate- setter with chemistry-free plates headline a strong lineup. This equipment will have plenty of support with A.B.Dick’s bread-and-butter DPM Digital PlateMaster CTP system with Momentum Workflow, ScanMaster and color proofing solutions, plus the tremendously successful 4995A-ICS four-tower offset press. “The initial response to the CXP 3000 and Vector 52 was excellent,” said MacKenzie. “Customers are reporting very favorable early results. The Vector 52’s chemistry-free component answered the market’s request for a low-cost value solution. And the CXP 3000 addresses the need to produce short-run color work productively. We are planning several events this year, separate from the National Tour, that will feature the CXP 3000 by itself.” Visitors to the National Tour events can expect to find the information they need to make decisions for their shops. The programs are offered over two days with an afternoon session the first day and repeated the next morning. The Atlanta event will be held at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest from 1-6 p.m. on March 2, and from 8 a.m. to 12 noon the next day. Registration is available through the A.B.Dick web site or by calling (800) 266-8584. National Tour attendees have the opportunity to learn more about Shop.abdick.com, the company’s extremely popular Graphic Arts Superstore. Operating 24/7, it has revolutionized the online supplies ordering process with its simple, five-minute process. Since debuting on April 2, 2002, it accounts for one-quarter of the company’s business. After Atlanta, the National Tour visits the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area March 30-31 before moving on to Kansas City in April and the West Coast starting in May. The Tour ends in Houston, December 7-8 after stops in the Midwest and East, which include Boston, Chicago and New York. A complete list follows. A.B.Dick Company celebrates 120 years as a worldwide supplier to the graphic arts and printing industry in 2004. It manufactures and markets equipment and supplies for all stages of document creation – pre-press, press and post-press – and provides continuing service and support. For more information: Scott MacKenzie, Vice President, Marketing, 7400 Caldwell Ave., Niles, IL. 60714. Telephone (847) 779-1900, Web: www.abdick.com. A.B.DICK 2004 National Tour Schedule Some dates are tentative and subject to change. We strongly recommend visiting the A.B.Dick web site (www.abdick.com) often to check. Once event information is confirmed, the opportunity to register will become available. Tour Dates City March 2-3 Atlanta, Georgia March 30-31 Baltimore / Washington D.C. April 22-23 Kansas City, Missouri May 25-26 Los Angeles, California June 8-9 San Francisco / Sacramento June 22-23 Portland, Oregon July 13-14 Denver, Colorado August 5-6 Ann Arbor, Michigan August 17-18 Columbus, Ohio September 9-10 Indianapolis, Indiana September 21-22 Boston, Massachusetts October 7-9 Chicago, Illinois October 26-27 New York, New York November 4-5 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania November 18-19 Fort Lauderdale, Florida December 7-8 Houston, Texas