RESTON, VA – Graphic Arts Show Company today announced the postponement of the inaugural edition of the newly created DIGITAL OUTLOOK Conference, originally to be held June 16-17, 2004 in Long Beach, CA to coincide with the Gutenberg Festival. (The GUTENBERG FESTIVAL will still be held at the Long Beach Convention Center, CA June 17-19, 2004.) The Conference, focusing on digital print in all its forms, including variable data printing, short run digital, JDF and Xserve, PDF, Digital Asset Management, color management for digital devices and other forward looking topics, and sponsored by industry leading companies like Apple Computer, CREO, BCC Software, Xerox Corporation, and a range of industry publications, will be held in the future at a date and location to be announced. “The Conference program is a strong, forward-looking and relevant one, the speakers top notch, and the concept viable, but the entire industry’s attention for the last few months has been focused on technology and capital expenditure items at drupa. That focus left little room for graphic communications professionals to consider the training and educational component necessary to using and applying those technologies effectively. This is a conference whose time will soon come, but is not right at this moment,” noted Regis J. Delmontagne, President of GASC, the event’s organizer. “We examined the program and the current conditions both economically and from an industry standpoint, and made a business decision to place the DIGITAL OUTLOOK Conference at a more advantageous place on the calendar,” he continued. The Conference was slated to provide 15 educational sessions, three General Sessions with visionary speakers from the top echelon of the industry, tabletop displays and networking opportunities for communications professionals seeking information on digital production strategies for the future. That opportunity has been postponed until a more opportune time in the national event calendar. Announcements on the new dates and location for the conference will be forthcoming once they have been determined by GASC. “We were excited about the new Conference, and looking forward to sharing our vision of the digital printing future with the conference participants. We understand that the timing of the launch of any new product is critical to its success, and applaud GASC for making the move to seek a more suitable time frame to launch this important learning opportunity,” noted John Hamm, Vice President, Marketing for Xerox Corporation, and one of the General Session speakers for the event.