Printable to Partner With DirectSmile For Variable Imaging.

CHICAGO -- Printable Technologies, Inc., a world leader in Web-to-Print Workflow and Variable Data Printing (VDP) solutions, and DirectSmile, of Berlin, Germany, are taking VDP to a new level of personalization. By bringing together the powerful FusionPro(TM) VDP document composition engine and the unique image personalization technology offered by DirectSmile(TM), Printable gives graphic communications providers an Internet-based Web-to-Print solution that delivers the next generation of data-driven communication.

"We can vary the images, colors, layout, and content of a document based on conditional logic incorporating any number of variables, but we have never been able to actually vary the content of the images themselves," said Coleman Kane, President and CEO of Printable. "We use business rules to pull in variables, including images, to create documents that are personalized and relevant to the target audience, and now with DirectSmile, those images are even more personal. After all, what is more personal than seeing an image that incorporates your name?"

Personalization the DirectSmile Way

Creating customized images is similar to composing a variable data document. To create a document, a template is built and text is varied according to data contained in a database. With personalized images, the background image is the template and the text is constructed using character sets that incorporate tiny images to produce the letters.

Each letter in the set is built on a "wire frame" with images or glyphs arranged around and over the frame to create the final character. Glyphs can be stars, snowflakes, leaves, footprints - any image that will make your message more personal.

Dynamic text effects that provide the maximum personalization include:

--Text Path Contouring - create images where the variable text follows curved lines or shapes.

--Vector Writing - create names that appear to be written with rope, wire, vines, etc.

--Random Blur and Scaling Random Rotation and Opacity - create photorealistic effects by introducing random size, position, and opacity for the images (such as leaves, snowflakes, stars, etc.) used in the letters.

--Motion Blur - create the impression of movement with the graphic elements used in each letter; for example, text made with falling raindrops or letters on the side of a fast-moving car.

--Color-Gradient Mask and 3-D Shadow - give the visual impression that a light source is shining on 3D objects forming letters within an image, for example, alphabet letters in soup or footprints in the sand on a sunny day.

Marketing campaigns that include this sophisticated dynamic imaging technology tap into the emotional impact of personalized images for true one-to-one marketing. After all, what is more personal than seeing your name in lights (or stars or snowflakes), as a license plate on a beautiful car, or as an integrated part of the graphic imagery making up the campaign design?

A Win-Win Partnership

"In our search for the right variable imaging partner, we wanted the best technology available," said Kane, "and DirectSmile had the most flexible and easy-to-integrate variable image engine out there. Compare DirectSmile to FusionPro; FusionPro is a very powerful, robust content engine and you can do just about anything with it. DirectSmile is a similar 'image content' engine and with it we can provide our customers and their clients any kind of character set they want."

Christoph Schacht, CEO of DirectSmile, concurred, "Printable Technologies has an outstanding reputation in the printing industry and I am pleased to offer DirectSmile image personalization to Printable's users. The integration of DirectSmile image personalization technology and Printable's powerful Internet-enabled print solution offers graphic professionals and print service providers a platform with which they can capture business with uniquely personalized communications."

Product Availability

The DirectSmile variable image capabilities will be available as a module incorporated into the Printable PrintOne Customer Center and the Printable Dashboard in the fourth quarter of 2005. Users will have access to 82 character sets designed by DirectSmile and a wide range of standard character sets created by Printable graphic designers for the North American market. Custom character sets will be built to order. For module pricing and monthly ASP charges, please contact Joe Manos, Printable VP Sales and Customer Support, at 1-800-220-1727.

About Printable Technologies

Printable Technologies is a world leader in providing Web-to-Print and Variable Data Printing (VDP) Solutions to commercial and digital print service providers, ad agencies and direct marketing companies, and the enterprises using their services. Three modules - PrintOne Customer Center, Printable Dashboard, and Printable Manager - comprise the Printable System, delivering real-time integrated business communications applications, online ordering and e-commerce, versioned and variable documents, job submission, and file transfer.

Printable solutions easily integrate with ERP solutions such as Ariba, SAP, and Oracle; content management solutions like Documentum; accounting and shop floor management applications such as Prism and Quantum; and major digital production workflows from Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Xerox, NexPress, and more.

Today more than 500 service providers around the world use the Printable VDP and online workflow systems to serve more than 1,300 corporate customers. Improved efficiency for every aspect of the procurement process means printers enjoy higher revenues, new business growth, and better customer retention. For more information, go to http://www.printable.com.

About DirectSmile

DirectSmile offers industry leading image personalization software solutions for print service providers, commercial artists, agencies, and enterprise marketing clients that make direct marketing more targeted, more efficient, and highly emotional. DirectSmile is recognized business partner of HP and has delivered variable data publishing (VDP) solutions for Axel Springer Publishing, Ford, m-material, NKL, and OBI. DirectSmile software solutions have been implemented by prominent print service providers in more than 20 countries around the world, including Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Sweden, Israel, Australia, Brazil, and Mexico. For more information, go to http://www.directsmile.de.

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