Cites Idealliance’s Work in Advancing Digital Printing Standards and Worldwide Education, and Building a Global Bridge to the Future.

Idealliance CEO Timothy Baechle delivered the keynote address and was among the dignitaries cutting the opening ribbon at K-Print 2018, the Korea International Printing Machinery, Labeling, Packaging and Digital Print Show & Conference, held in Goyang, South Korea, last month. Idealliance is a non-profit industry think tank with 12 strategically located offices around the world. It is recognized by ISO as the industry’s foremost certifying body for competencies, systems, materials, and facilities and the world’s foremost contributor to ISO standards.

“When we create standards and specifications, we’re not only creating them for today, we’re creating them for the future of the industry,” said Baechle in his keynote, “The 4th Industrial Revolution: How our Specifications and Work Were Designed for the Digital Industry.” Addressing the audience at South Korea’s largest industry trade show, he detailed Idealliance’s tremendous contributions to industry standards and specifications from offset to digital, including standards that are now an integral element of hundreds of devices, tools, and software used in every print process.

“Our focus is, and has always been, on innovation and industry transformation,” said Baechle, citing Idealliance’s work over the last 20-plus years—from the formation of a GRACoL task force in 1996 to the development and introduction of GRACoL, SWOP, G7, XCMYK, BrandQ, workflow integration, ISO standards and updates for digital printing, and Idealliance’s newest innovation, the world’s first multi-color (ECG) dataset, profile & target.

“We share our work with the world to advance our industry,” said Baechle in a second presentation to the K-Print Conference: “Building a Global Bridge to the Future.” “Through our network of 12 offices worldwide—including one in South Korea—we advance global education, technical expertise, innovation, and the transformative initiatives that prepare graphic communications professionals for the next generation of technology, workflows, standards, specifications, and global market trends and developments in order to help guide them as they prepare to make their indelible imprint on the industry,” said Baechle.

He noted that Idealliance has developed “a vast depth of curriculum, training materials, programs, and the most recognized certifications in the world, and it gives them in service to help propel the future leaders of our industry.” Idealliance provides its training curriculum to universities, colleges, vocational and technical schools around the world; offers scholarships for its certification courses; extends invitations to participate in worldwide working groups; and sponsors networking opportunities and internships for global learning.

Baechle also spoke about the work of The Idealliance Foundation in advancing these educational and development activities worldwide and described the opportunities for companies and individuals to participate in the Idealliance Foundation Global Benefactor Society in support of these activities with annual gifts of $1,000 or more.

“The foundation’s four giving circles acknowledge benefactors’ significant investments in the Idealliance Foundation and their roles in making a transformative contribution to the indelible sustainability of the future of the industry,” said Baechle. “Idealliance is the intersection of innovation and education around the world.”

For more information on Idealliance’s global activities or The Idealliance Foundation, contact Timothy Baechle, CEO Idealliance at (703) 837-1069 or [email protected].

Idealliance CEO Timothy Baechle, second from right, takes part in ribbon cutting to open K-Print 2018, the largest printing industry trade show and conference in South Korea.