DUSSELDORF, Germany--May 8, 2004-- Creo Inc. joins Adobe Systems Incorporated and Xerox Corporation at drupa 2004, the largest international trade show for print media production. The companies are demonstrating an integrated digital print and commercial prepress workflow with automation between creative and production processes. These solutions take advantage of the benefits of open standard workflows, such as JDF and PDF-based workflows. This allows printers to respond effectively to customer demands with fewer errors, reduced make-ready times and faster turn-around times. Increasing Efficiency for Printers Creo, Adobe and Xerox are committed to developing JDF-based solutions that increase efficiencies through automation, integration, cross-vendor interoperability, and improved communications. In response to demand for shorter print runs and faster job cycle times, Adobe, Creo and Xerox solutions provide the advanced automation, flexibility and efficiency needed to help commercial printers and their customers compete and be profitable today and into the future. "Open standards, such as JDF and PDF, enable applications to deliver better collaboration and increased automation to help commercial printers succeed," said Stan Coleman, corporate vice president, printing workflow solutions, Creo. "The Prinergy and Brisque prepress workflow systems, the Spire(TM) color server and other Creo workflow modules support open standards, such as JDF and PDF." Creo and Xerox Collaborate Commercial printers can now add digital printing capability with ease. At drupa, Creo is launching the new Digital Print Integration for Prinergy workflow management systems, which integrates offset printing with the Spire color servers and the Xerox DocuColor digital color presses. Creo has collaborated with Xerox to enable Prinergy to launch the Xerox FreeFlow(TM) Print Manager and to submit jobs for digital printing to the Spire color servers driving the Xerox digital presses. Print jobs can be changed from one press to another with minimal time-and costs-for changeover. Initial work on a print job can be completed without a prior commitment to the particular method of print. At the click of a mouse, operators will instantly direct work to either a digital or a commercial offset press. This feature allows customers to deliver a full range of printed products with unmatched quality and efficiency. JDF-based Integration: From Creation In a joint solution demonstration, hosted in the Creative Alley by Xerox in Hall 13 at drupa, Adobe joins Creo and Xerox to show how JDF and PDF-based workflows can improve automation, lower the cost of business and increase productivity. Open standards, such as JDF and PDF, ensure reliable, predictable data exchange between creative professionals and print service providers from project concept, through prepress, press and postpress systems, streamlining communication and eliminating errors or delays in production. The demonstration features several products from each partner: Adobe features JDF concept technology based on Adobe Creative Suite - with Adobe InDesign for professional layout and design, and Adobe Acrobat for PDF creation, print job verification and file transfer. Creo features the Synapse InSite Internet portal into prepress. In addition to job verification and file transfer, Synapse InSite allows print buyers to perform job submission, proof files, and collaborate online. Synapse InSite is fully integrated with the Prinergy and Brisque prepress workflows and the Spire color server. Creo also features the Prinergy prepress workflow system for PDF processing and job management, and the Spire color server for file processing for digital print. Xerox features the Xerox FreeFlow Print Manager for submitting digital print jobs, and the Xerox DocuColor 6060 and DocuColor iGen3 digital color presses for digital print output. Demonstrating Integration from Creative to Print The drupa demonstration represents an actual print job that begins in the creative environment when an account manager or print buyer collects requirements, solicits, reviews and accepts a printer job estimate, then works with JDF concept technology based on Adobe Creative Suite to create a JDF-based job intent. The creative designer uses this file with Adobe InDesign to design a job and collect the assets to create a final PDF. Demonstrations will highlight how designers and print buyers use products such as Adobe Acrobat and Synapse InSite to verify the job content on screen, ensure all files are in order, and transfer the files to printer. When a job estimate is converted to a job in the printer's management information system (MIS), it automatically initiates job creation in the Prinergy workflow system via JDF using Synapse Link software. Demonstrations show how job files transferred from the creative desktop can be automatically dropped right into job context in the Prinergy workflow. The job files are verified by the customer service representative or prepress operator using Adobe Acrobat or Synapse InSite. Then proofing can take place or the files can be immediately processed for output. In this digital printing demonstration, operators launch the Xerox FreeFlow Print Manager from within Prinergy. This shows how prepress operators can easily manage digital and offset production workflows from one central Prinergy interface. The Xerox FreeFlow Print Manager validates the JDF job description with the capabilities of the Spire color server, and transmits the digital printing job instructions to the selected press. The Spire drives Xerox DocuColor presses to maximum productivity, for high-quality digital printing. The Value of Tighter Integration: Automation "Integration of Adobe software and Xerox production printing systems into commercial print environments with Creo prepress workflow allows the print shop to use a common mechanism for managing and scheduling their offset and digital printing jobs," said Michael Kucharski, vice president, Xerox Workflow Business Solutions. "Using JDF as an industry standard provides an open interface for connecting multiple vendor products into a tailored workflow solution for our customers." "The demonstration at drupa 2004 shows an automated workflow featuring Adobe Creative Suite with JDF creation from the desktop, working with Xerox digital production systems and Creo prepress workflows," said Don Walker, general manager, Publishing Technologies & Services Group at Adobe. "JDF is the glue that ties these technologies together and delivers what print providers and buyers need to increase workflow efficiencies and profit." To compete in today's competitive environment, printers must reduce their prepress costs, and be able to turn jobs around in record time. Creo workflows have the most automation and the highest productivity available today. Creo's workflow solutions are designed and developed around the PDF and JDF standards to support integration with over 35 industry leaders via the Networked Graphic Production(TM) initiative.