CHICAGO, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- xpedx Printing Technologies will open the first-ever Ryobi press demonstration and learning center on Oct. 22 in Lenexa, Kansas. Printers are invited to bring their toughest print jobs to test the capabilities of Ryobi equipment first-hand. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061010/NYTU044LOGO ) The 20,000 square-foot center will provide high-level education and demonstrations of Ryobi press capabilities, as well as detailed information on the latest print technologies such as UV, chemical embossing, spot-metallic color and lenticular printing. xpedx Printing Technologies is the exclusive marketer and distributor of Ryobi-branded printing equipment in the U.S. xpedx has a network of 50 sales and service dealers for Ryobi presses nationwide. Presses shown at the Lenexa facility will rotate, enabling printers to see demonstrations and gain extensive technical and business knowledge about specific Ryobi presses. When the facility opens, the following presses will be shown: -- RYOBI 755. A 23x29" five-color press with coater. -- RYOBI 525GX. A 14x20", high-speed two-up sheetfed press with coater. -- RYOBI 784E. An economy, 23x31" four-color, six-up press that requires 40 percent less floor space than the RYOBI 754. It has all the capabilities of a 23x29" press with a smaller footprint and a bigger sheet size. -- RYOBI 524HE. An entry level, economy 14x20" two-up, four-color press. -- RYOBI 3404E DI. An A3-plus size portrait format 4-color offset press with direct imaging. xpedx Printing Technologies wants to showcase Ryobi print quality and press performance through Ryobi Print Test Challenges. Printers can send in their most challenging print jobs to the center where facility technicians will demonstrate how Ryobi presses can print high-lpi screens and heavy solids on challenging substrates. In addition to showing press capabilities up close - an "under the hood" look - the new demo and learning center will double as a complete pre- production facility, with part of it strictly dedicated to managing and handling digital files. Technicians at the center will produce plates and demonstrate a variety of production scenarios and workflows. The facility also is GRACoL G7 certified to meet state-of-the-art print production standards. A full-time technician certified to teach G7 process controls for printing, including press fingerprinting, ICC profiling and color management will be on staff at the facility. The company will also host G7- certification classes at the center to train individuals to become G7- certified consultants. "Our technical expertise is where we really differentiate ourselves from other demo centers. We can help printers bring the latest print technologies to their customers-cost-effectively and with strong ongoing support from xpedx, our network of 50 dealers and Ryobi," said Darren George, operations manager of xpedx Printing Technologies. xpedx Printing Technologies has six staff members on site to educate printers as well as train new Ryobi press owners. Staff includes a technical support person from Japan on site, year round and a newly named sheetfed press demonstrator and trainer, William Stahl. Stahl is a 21-year-veteran pressman with expertise in UV production equipment, high-end bookwork, annual report production and more. International Paper and Stora Enso are the preferred providers of uncoated and coated papers to the Ryobi demonstration and learning center as well as for all tradeshows. About Ryobi Graphic Systems Ryobi Graphic Systems Division of Hiroshima, Japan, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of offset printing presses and is a business unit of Ryobi, Ltd., founded in 1943. Ryobi offers multi-functional offset printing presses, hardware and software that handle all aspects of a print job, from pre-press to binding. It is a world leader in high-precision large-, mid-size and small presses, DI presses and CIP4-JDF compliant digital workflows. With pressroom installations worldwide, Ryobi presses are respected for their superior print quality, cost-effectiveness, ease of press operation, high reliability and precision machining. About xpedx Printing Technologies xpedx Printing Technologies, a wholly owned division of xpedx, offers rapid-response, local technical support, press operator training, a large parts warehouse and a demonstration and learning center at its headquarters in Lenexa, KS. It has a team of executive, sales and technical staff and a network of 50 dealers across the U.S. responsible for local sales and service. Information about Ryobi and xpedx Printing Technologies is on the web at ryobi.xpedx.com. The phone is 800-553-4980 In the U.S., xpedx Printing Technologies markets and distributes a wide variety of presses and printing technology including the following core offerings: -- RYOBI 920 series, 8-up 24x36" series of four- and five-color presses; -- RYOBI 750 series, 6-up high-speed multi-color 20x29" and 23x29" sheet size offset presses; -- RYOBI 680 series, 4-up-plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses; -- RYOBI 520 series, 2-up plus size high-speed multi-color offset presses; -- RYOBI 3404 DI series, 2-up size portrait format 4-color offset presses with direct imaging. The 750, 680 and 520 series can be equipped with perfectors, coating units, UV curing units and infrared dryers. About xpedx Loveland, Ohio-based xpedx, a business of International Paper, is one of the largest business-to-business distribution companies in the U.S. with more than $6.7 billion in 2006 revenues. xpedx distributes a wide range of paper and graphics, packaging and janitorial-sanitary supplies and equipment from manufacturers worldwide. Customers include printers and publishers, manufacturers, retailers and facility managers among many others. xpedx, which has more than 260 locations across North America, does business with the majority of printers in the U.S. It also provides detailed operations consulting for printers to help them improve productivity and profitability. xpedx is one of the largest providers of post-consumer waste content and recycled printing papers in North America and has Sustainable Forestry Initiative(R) (SFI) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of- custody certification at all of its U.S. locations. For more information, visit xpedx.com. For more information, visit xpedx Printing Technologies and Ryobi at booth 3808 during Graph Expo, visit ryobi.xpedx.com or phone 800-553-4980. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061010/NYTU044LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: xpedx, a business of International Paper CONTACT: Darren George, xpedx Printing Technologies, Lenexa, KS, +1-913-631-8700; Jeff Higgins, xpedx corporate Director of Marketing Services, +1-513-965-2923; Press-Analysts: Erik Godchaux, Media Strategy Group, Madison, Wisconsin, +1-608-256-4540 Web site: http://www.internationalpaper.com/ http://www.ryobi.xpedx.com/

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