COLE'S NEWSWIRE, Dec. 6, 2000

Dec. 6, 2000
Vol. 6, No. 41

COLE'S NEWSWIRE is a weekly distribution of information about the sales and installations of publishing technology and the latest news on new products developed by suppliers to the industry.

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(EDITOR'S NOTE: The Nov. 29 issue of COLE'S NEWSWIRE was unavoidably delayed and we have skipped that issue.)

ADSTAR.COM
This Marina Del Rey, Calif.-based company has signed a distribution agreement with BuySellBid.com, a Vancouver, Wash.-based network of on-line multimedia classified advertising. Advertisers who use BuySellBid.com's services will be able to place ads in newspapers across the country via a co-branded version of AdStar.com's Advertise123.com classified-ad sales channel located at www.BuySellBid.com.

AdStar is on the Web at http://www.adstar.com/.

ARTESIA TECHNOLOGIES
Based in Rockville, Md., this provider of digital asset management solutions has announced that it has secured $26 million in "mezzanine round" funding from a consortium of technology, industry and venture capital leaders.

New investors include BEA Systems Inc., Enron Broadband Services, Vignette, Razorfish and Protege Virtual Management Solutions. Since Artesia's 1999 formation, the company has added nearly three-dozen new customers and will use this latest round of funding to expand a number of new global offices providing localized sales, marketing, professional services and customer support operations.

Artesia Technologies is on the Web at http://www.artesiatech.com/.

ATEX MEDIA SOLUTIONS The Bedford, Mass.-based provider of content management, editing and pagination systems solutions for print, Web and other media has decided to discontinue the development of Omnex, a content management system that was being developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, Omnex Technologies, Inc. (OTI).

The company said it has chosen to emphasize the further development and marketing of its Prestige Editorial Content Management System.

Atex officials said that after pursuing a process of "careful consideration and evaluation," they had elected to discontinue development of the content management system that was introduced at NEXPO 1999 in Las Vegas.

The company expects that some of the modules already developed for Omnex will be able to be adapted to Prestige. OTI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atex Media Solutions, Inc., will be shut down.

Atex is on the Web at http://www.atex.com/.

HARLEQUIN INC.
Based in Waltham, Mass., this provider of open systems-based software for digital printing and publishing applications has made a group of announcements:

-- ScriptProof, a new ScriptWorks Edition RIP (raster image processor) that generates color-accurate digital proofs from low-cost inkjet printers has been released. The ScriptProof RIP is designed for use in single-user and networked environments by graphic designers to output preview proofs and by pre-press and printing professionals to produce contract proofs for target printing presses.

-- Harlequin has extended the list of devices supported by its new ProofReady output plug-ins for Harlequin ScriptWorks RIPs. The new set of ProofReady plug-ins adds support for the new Epson Stylus Pro 7500 and 9500 archival-quality devices, as well as for the Hewlett Packard DesignJet 1000, 2000 and 2000 product lines and several Encad NovaJet Models.

-- The subsidiary of Global Graphics has also signed an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement with ArtQuest to use Harlequin's ScriptWorks RIP in ArtQuest's Crescendo system. Intended for publishers and graphic designers, Crescendo converts PostScript, PDF (Portable Document File) as well as Scitex files into PDF-IT 1.3 files, and Adobe-compliant (PDF 1.3) high-resolution bitmaps. The PDF-IT 1.3 format is the result of processes developed by ArtQuest for the graphic communications industry and is compatible with the PDF language developed by Adobe.

-- The company has also signed an agreement with Scitex Digital Printing Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. Harlequin's Loadable Editions (LE) RIP, which allows for maximum "branding" and customization of OEM products, will be used to support Scitex Digital's high-speed digital printing systems and the Scitex Composer suite of applications.

-- PISCES-Print Imaging Sciences Inc. of Nashua, N.H., has entered into an OEM agreement with Harlequin to use its ScriptWorks RIP in PISCES' JetPlate System, offering a computer-to-plate (CTP) system with digital color proofing included as part of the system package.

-- Also integrated under an OEM agreement, is the Rampage RIPing System from Rampage Systems of Waltham, Mass. ScriptWorks RIP is being used to support the full functionality of the Rampage System, including its existing trapping technology. Rampage is currently beta testing its system with the new Harlequin PostScript Language Level 3 compatible RIP, running on Windows NT, and will ship the system in the fourth quarter of this year.

Harlequin is on the Web at http://www.harlequin.com/.

KODAK POLYCHROME GRAPHICS
Gretag Cymbolic Sciences of Richmond, B.C., has announced a mutual accreditation of the PlateJet with T-Wave technology platesetter in support of this Norwalk, Conn.-based company's Thermal Printing Plate/830. The PlateJet Emerald is an entry-level thermal computer-to-plate (CTP) device that delivers the benefits of thermal CTP to small and medium-size printers. Combinations of the PlateJet platesetter and Kodak's thermal Printing Plate/830 have been running successfully at three beta sites in the U.S. and U.K., and half a dozen additional installations have been scheduled before 2001.

Additionally, Pantone Inc. of Carlstadt, N.J., has accepted Kodak Approval XP/XP4 systems with Recipe Color software as "PANTONE Calibrated." The designations makes it possible for Kodak Polychrome Graphics' Approval XP/XP4 system customers to reproduce more than a thousand industry-standard PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEMS Colors.

Kodak Polychrome Graphics is on the Web at http://www.kpgraphics.com/.

KNIGHTRIDDER.COM
eFANshop has announced an agreement with this San Jose-based provider of local information and services on the Web to operate the on-line store, which was scheduled to go live this past October, of ThatsRacin.com, a resource for news and information about NASCAR.

Under the arrangement, eFANshop will design, develop and maintain the ThatsRacin.com store, from merchandising and customer service, to order processing and fulfillment.

KnightRidder is located at http://www.knightridder.com/, while eFANshop is on the Web at http://www.efanshop.com/.

H.H. SAUDI RESEARCH AND MARKETING
Founded in 1977, this London-based publisher of Arabic language newspapers, with offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has installed Dundee, Scotland-based Televisual's Asset on-line publishing system.

Upon completion of the commercial and technical specifications, Televisual developed and installed an Arabic version of its Asset on-line publishing system running on Windows NT servers at Saudi Research and Marketing's (SRM).

SRM is on the Web at http://www.hhsaudi.com/, while Televisual is located at <http://www.televisual.com

TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Headquartered in Chicago, this global media content provider has announced that it is integrating the Los Angeles Times Syndicate's (LATS) domestic syndication and multimedia operations. LATS international syndications operations and the NewsCom content distribution subsidiary will remain in Los Angeles and will report to Tribune Media Services (TMS) executives in Chicago.

As a result of the amalgamation, 34 positions in Los Angeles will be eliminated and nine added in Chicago.

TMS is on the Web at http://www.tms.tribune.com/.

WORLD ASSOCIATION OF NEWSPAPERS
This Paris, France-based industry organization has redesigned and relaunched its web site. The World Association of Newspapers' (WAN) new site, which is supported in part by advertising from major suppliers to the newspaper industry, is divided into six main areas, all reached from its home page.

Press freedom: conferences, training programs and events; young reader programs; the World Editors Forum for senior news executives: research and policy; and membership, including contact information for 66 national newspaper associations and other members of WAN.

WAN is on the Web at http://www.wan-press.org/.

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COLE'S NEWSWIRE is compiled by Aimee Beck and distributed by The Cole Group, publishers of THE COLE PAPERS, COLE'S NOTES and NEWSINC., and consultants to newspapers and magazines worldwide. To receive more information about The Cole Group, send e-mail to: info@colegroup.com.

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