inkjet customers and prospects more
ammunition to encourage growth, it is
also designed to enable a deeper dive
and more relevance than can typically
be achieved at a generic trade show
event. Membership is growing, as is its
annual conference, which saw about 500
attendees in 2017, up from about 300 its
fi rst year.
Th e organization took member
engagement to a new level in 2017,
measuring 12,000 interactions between
members using a low-range Bluetooth
bracelet (opt in). When members
wanted to connect, they each clicked
the bracelet and information was automatically
exchanged. Th e organization
paid for the bracelets. Th ey are a bit
gimmicky (they light up) but are also
a great ice breaker; attendees were
more proactively looking to exchange
information. Next year, the bracelet
functionality will be increased to allow
attendees to click the bracelet when
they see a slide on the screen they are
interested in, and it will be sent to them.
CIP4
CIP4, of course, took the lead on the development
of JDF and continues to refi ne
the standard and ensure interoperability.
Its goal is to establish and maintain
standards for the industry to use and to
create a space for collaboration designed
to continue evolving the industry standard
(primarily JDF, Printtalk and XJDF).
A challenge for an organization like
CIP4, which relies on volunteers to carry
out its mission, is fi nding the volunteers
who have the time, expertise and
dedication to help get the work done.
Membership levels are also aff ected by
industry consolidation, since primary
members are corporations. One of the
most popular destinations on its web site
is the interoperability matrix, which is
constantly being updated with information
from customers and vendors.
Dscoop
Dscoop is arguably one of the industry’s
biggest success stories, with more
than 8,000 members worldwide. It was
initially founded to support HP Indigo
owners and is an independent organization
whose by-laws protect the fact that
it is basically an HP users group. Over
the years, it has expanded to include
educational information on other business
areas relevant to HP, including wide
format and production inkjet. Th ere is
no membership fee, but to qualify as
a member, the business must own at
least one piece of HP equipment from its
graphic arts portfolio. Th e highlight of
the organization is its conferences – the
largest being in North America with
annual conferences also held in Europe
and Asia. Aft er two years of holding
the conference in convention centers,
this year’s conference was back in a
Gaylord property and featured about 90
exhibitor/sponsors as well as a robust
educational schedule. Th e North Amer
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