NEW YORK--March 9, 2004-- EFI, the world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial and enterprise printing, today announced version 2.0 of EFI Digital StoreFront(TM), an integrated solution that simplifies print job submission and procurement throughout the order and production process. Digital StoreFront improves customer service and streamlines print center operations by seamlessly integrating the flow of data from initial submission to printed output for optimum efficiency and profitability. Digital StoreFront is a customer owned and branded web-to-print system that allows print centers to serve customers via a robust, personalized interactive Intranet and/or Internet presence 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A simple interface allows print customers to submit digital files from their PC or Macintosh computers, view PDF proofs of their documents for immediate review and approval, and easily enter their own job specifications for production and finishing. Once that information is entered, Digital StoreFront creates a job ticket and the file is automatically submitted into the print center's workflow, billing systems, print servers and output devices. "With essential new tools for greater workflow efficiency, Digital StoreFront 2.0 is a valuable solution for print providers to establish and expand their web-based services, maximize customer satisfaction, and increase productivity," said Ghilad Dziesietnik, Vice President, Core Software & Workflow Applications, EFI. "Customers have convenient round the clock access while their print provider benefits from reduced labor and costs by automating the flow of jobs from start to finish." Heath Cajandig, Digital Production Manager at University of Missouri-Columbia's Printing Services, is thrilled with the results delivered by his Digital StoreFront software. "Getting the file from the customer to the printer is a challenge faced in every digital print production environment," said Cajandig. "Digital StoreFront gets a file on the customer's terms. When the customer sees the soft proof on their screen, she can feel comfortable knowing that's what we're going to print. And that comfort level allows her to keep coming back and using it. She may change a document ten times before approving it and nobody in our department has invested any time in those changes. Digital StoreFront is a simple, elegant solution, made with the customer in mind." Digital StoreFront 2.0 is the first software release since EFI acquired T/R Systems in October 2003. Using an entirely new software architecture, Digital StoreFront 2.0 provides greater scalability, speed, and reliability than ever. New automation features eliminate manual handling of files to accelerate online proofing and job turnaround time. Automated file conversion to PDF and job tracking notifications also speed approvals, billing and reporting cycles. Key Product Highlights: PDF Print Drivers -- Integrated PC and Macintosh-based PDF-generating print drivers make submitting print-ready jobs to print centers as easy as printing to a desktop printer, and can be deployed to an unlimited number of Intranet and/or Internet clients. Template-Driven VDP -- A new optional template driven variable print module lets customers quickly and easily typeset, proof and approve their own business cards, stationary and letterhead before submitting to the print center workflow. EFI Workflow Integration -- Print orders from the web are automatically routed to the appropriate output device with seamless integration to EFI Fiery servers, EFI Balance(TM) and EFI MicroPress workflow solutions. Jobs can also be configured to flow directly to the queue of an output device without operator intervention. Enterprise Integration -- Print center administrators have greater security control with enterprise authority for authentication and privilege mapping via Microsoft Active Directory and/or corporate LDAP (Local Directory Access Protocol) server support. EFI Digital StoreFront 2.0 joins the portfolio of EFI web products as a system designed for print operations that wish to host their own web solution. Other web products offered by EFI include EFI Exchange(TM), a job submission tool designed for print providers with no MIS system that do not wish to host their own web solution, EFI PrinterSite, designed for PSI, Logic and Hagen MIS customers, EFI PrintSmith Site(TM) designed for PrintSmith MIS clients and PrintChannel, a catalog and VDP application for printers that wish to set up web sites for multiple, high volume corporate clients. Availability Digital StoreFront 2.0 will support English, French, Italian, German and Spanish languages, and will be available through authorized EFI reseller partners in Q2 2004. For a product demonstration, please visit the EFI booth (#3119) at On Demand, March 8-10, 2004, at Javits Convention Center in New York.