Printway.com - Press Releases

FASTER AND CHEAPER METHOD FOR DELIVERING LETTERS AND MANUALS TO CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES

IBM, NetPub and the Sweden Post Combine Forces to Offer New Service for Next-Day Overseas Delivery

NEW YORK, MAY 4, 1999. . . NetPub and the Sweden Post today announced a new service for next-day overseas delivery of letters and manuals to consumers and businesses. Utilizing IBM digital printing technologies and the Internet, NetPub and the Sweden Post are introducing the first such service between the U.S. and Sweden. Supporting many types of high-volume, high-quality documents, such as multi-page letters; perfect bound books and loose-leaf manuals, theprintway.com* enables the distribution of these at the-point-of-need.

Information Delivery

For next-day delivery, U.S. customers simply e-mail their digital files, saved in any format, to NetPub by 7:00 a.m. Eastern time. The files are then printed in Sweden the same day and shipped by the Sweden Post for arrival the next day. For the next-day delivery of documents originating in Sweden, the digital files need to be at the Sweden Post by 1:00 p.m. local. The files, printed at NetPub in Poughkeepsie, NY, are shipped by UPS for next-day arrival in the U.S.

"The ability to offer theprintway.com in Sweden is a major milestone. As we continue to enhance our technology infrastructure, we are reducing the costs of producing and shipping documents by 60 percent," said Nizze Gustavsson, director of sales, Sweden Post. "We believe that what we are doing here will influence other countries to implement this print-on-demand technology."

Introducing new opportunities to postal industry, courier services and print shops around the world, theprintway.com improves mail delivery services for both consumers and businesses. Consumers who need product documentation quickly, or those who do not have e-mail, can now obtain such mail cost-effectively. Businesses can also reduce costs and improve delivery time of manuals and catalogs -- documents that often take several days to reach their destination.

"This alliance provides NetPub with the opportunity to work with one of the most digital postal infrastructures in the world as we grow our international business," said William R. Grogg, president of NetPub "As the number of manufacturing, banking, and service organizations doing business in the United States from the Swedish bases is increasing, this alliance marks the beginning of a new era."

"Once again, digital printing is helping customers change their business model to become more competitive and extend their global reach by printing where and when it is needed. As Infoprint customers, NetPub and the Sweden Post are expanding on their traditional way of operating to become global e-businesses," said Anthony Santelli, general manager, IBM Printing Systems Company.

Technology

Enabling this revolutionary process, the Sweden Post's and NetPub's manufacturing facilities are identically equipped with IBM Infoprint** solutions. Data is transferred between the two facilities using IBM Infoprint Manager, a comprehensive software solution for managing digital output, and a dedicated, secure network provided by WAM!NET. At each site, the output is produced on an IBM Infoprint 4000 printing system and immediately prepared for next-day delivery. The IBM Infoprint 4000 will output 464, 8.5" x 11" impressions-per-minute (ipm) in the U.S. and, 436, 8.25" x 11.75" ipm in Sweden.

For delivering, the pages are:

inserted into letter-size envelopes; or
finished as perfect-bound, 22 - 800-page books with wraparound soft covers; or
finished as a loose-leaf manuals with three-hole punched pages placed in binders.

Pricing and Availability

An example of a typical mailing of a 10-page document originating in Stockholm, printed and bound in the U.S., and distributed for next-day delivery to 50 addresses would cost approximately $16 per address. This service will become available to users in the U.S. and Sweden beginning June 1, 1999.

About NetPub

NetPub is an information distribution organization located in Poughkeepsie, New York, that services publishing, manufacturing and software industries, as well as service organizations. NetPub's core services include a wide range of manufacturing capabilities, digital printing in both black-and-white and color, data management, one-to-one marketing programs, custom-manufacturing, storage and fulfillment.

About the Sweden Post

Sweden Post was founded in 1636 and is one of the world's oldest continuous working postal distribution organizations. Included in its letter division is eBREV, an electronic distribution organization, made up of 11 digital print sites. Based on a hybridmail solution within Sweden, eBREV handles approximatetly 10 percent of all the next day mail delivery in Sweden. The location of these sites allow eBREV to print near the end-customer. Print on Demand has been added to the eBREV manufacturing facilities in Stockholm.

About IBM

IBM Printing Systems Company, based in Boulder, Colo., is a vertically integrated, global organization that specializes in print solutions for the enterprise. It focuses on solutions and support for market segments including statement printing, book printing, industrial, reprographics, distributed printing and one-to-one marketing. The company's offerings include printers, printing software, consultation, systems integration, supplies and maintenance.

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* Trademark or registered trademark of NetPub
**Trademark or registered trademark of IBM.

For more details, visit: printway.com.
The Sweden Post can be reached at pod@epp.posten.se
The NetPub home page can be found at www.netpub.net
The IBM Printing Systems Company home page can be found at www.printers.ibm.com

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