xpedx Emerges as Prime Supplier to U.S. Digital Print Specialists

Highlights:

-- xpedx Provides Much of What Digital Printers Need Today, Including Printing Papers, Digital Workflows, Color Management, Presses, Graphics Supplies, Online Graphics Training, Customized Operations Analysis and More;

-- Partners With Digital Print Producers Plus Core Customer Base of Commercial and In-Plant Printers Seeking To Grow Digital Capabilities;

-- Offers Largest Variety Of OEM-Branded, Mill-Branded and Private Label Digital Printing Papers and Substrates From Top U.S., European and Asian Manufacturers;

-- Delivers Significant Cost-Savings To Buyers Who Bundle Orders

xpedx, already the largest provider of digital printing papers andsubstrates in North America, is deepening business relationships withU.S. digital print specialists by providing them with a single sourcefor key print production supplies, equipment and services they need togrow efficiently and profitably.

xpedx is expanding its U.S. and globally-sourced papers fordigital printing, adding new digital printing equipment, new digitalworkflows from leading OEMs, new color management tools as well asself-paced, 24/7 online training in all the leading graphics programs.The company will continue to add important new products and servicesfor digital print providers through 2006 and 2007.

xpedx is also providing detailed consulting to commercialprinters, in-plant printers and print fulfillment companies on ways tointegrate digital technologies and become more productive,cost-efficient and profitable producers of print.

"xpedx understands that digital print specialists--and ourcustomer base of commercial and in-plant printers--need strong,long-term partnerships with a core group of important suppliers," saidDan Wish, general manager of the xpedx National Technology Center inmetro Cleveland, Ohio, and one of the nation's leading authorities ondigital print production. "We've got the supplies, equipment,expertise, global reach and local presence to execute well forcustomers."

xpedx representatives will discuss the company's offerings andservices at On Demand 2006, Philadelphia, Booth 2857, including:

-- Printing Equipment. Live demos on a Konica Minolta LD-5100 digital press. The LD-5100 is an affordable digital printing press for short-run, high-quality color work.

-- Printing Papers. A wide selection of papers for digital printing presses and production-rated equipment. The papers are from leading U.S. and overseas papermakers.

-- HP Indigo papers. A new portfolio of HP Indigo coated printing papers launching at On Demand will be commercially available in June. The new line of HP-branded coated papers and the established line of uncoated papers for HP Indigo presses are available exclusively through xpedx. The eight coated and five uncoated HP Indigo sheets are made and converted in the U.S and available with 24-hour delivery in major US markets.

-- Digital workflows. xpedx will highlight various new CIP4-JDF compliant digital workflows from major manufacturers, including Agfa's Apogee, Artwork Systems' Nexus and Xitron's Xenith Workflow.

-- Color management. xpedx will show new EFI color management software and GretagMacbeth color measuring/color precision that helps ensures total color accuracy on digital print. In addition, the entire line of PANTONE chips, books, tools and software is available from xpedx and SuiteShop, at suiteshoponline.com, at discount pricing.

-- Online training. Self-paced courses in more than 40 prepress and graphics programs for Mac and PC users are accessible online, whenever and wherever it's convenient with a low annual fee. Topics include PDF workflow, imaging, file preparation, layout, color management, imposition and Mac OS.

-- Expanded Vector DI gradeline and new swatchbook. Vector papers for DI presses will be available nationwide by mid-2006. xpedx continues to expand the portfolio of papers for digital presses.

About xpedx and its businesses

Loveland, Ohio-based xpedx, an International Paper company(NYSE:IP), is North America's largest marketer and distributor ofprinting papers and graphics supplies and equipment. It is also alarge distributor of packaging supplies and equipment and facilitiessupplies and equipment. xpedx has more than 7,000 employees in 250locations in the U.S. and Mexico. Major customers include commercialprinters, publishers, manufacturers, retailers, facility managers andcompanies across many industry segments.

In addition to delivering the world's largest offering of printingpapers from a single source, xpedx provides graphics professionalswith advanced digital prepress equipment, hardware and graphicssoftware, Ryobi presses and digital workflows, color management tools,finishing, bindery and packaging systems. xpedx also offers detailedoperations analysis, advice and financing to help make a customer'sprinting operations more efficient and profitable. xpedx is one of thelargest providers of post-consumer waste content and recycled printingpapers in North America. It offers the greatest variety of ForestStewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)certified papers in the U.S.

Other xpedx owned-and-operated businesses include New York-basedBulkley Dunton, Lenexa, KS-based xpedx Printing Technologies/Ryobi,the xpedx National Technology Center (NTC), a pre-press laboratory anddemonstration center based in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as a network of140 retail paper stores in 32 states that operate under the namesxpedx Paper & Graphics, xpedx Paper Store, If It's Paper and ArveyPaper & Office Products. xpedx also operates one of the largestbusiness-to-business e-commerce sites, xpedx.com, and is theexclusive, full-line importer and distributor of Ryobi printingpresses in the U.S. xpedx also operates suiteshoponline.com forgraphics professionals.

During On Demand 2006, visit xpedx representatives at Booth 2857.

Editor's Note: xpedx is spelled all lower case.