New Research Monograph Released: Drop2Print: A Model for PDF-Specifications to Drive the Discovery of Print Service Providers (PICRM-2011-07)

Seventh monograph in 2010-2011 research agenda is released to the public

A newly released research monograph from the Printing Industry Center at RIT details the creation of a prototype tool that allows end users to find print service providers that meet their production and fulfillment needs through a computer desktop application. Titled “Drop2Print: A Model for PDF-Specifications to Drive the Discovery of Print Service Providers” (PICRM-2011-07) the monograph is authored by Patricia Albanese, former Gannett Distinguished Professor, School of Print Media; Tona Henderson, associate professor, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences; Michael Riordan, assistant professor, School of Print Media; and Benjamin Vanderberg, an undergraduate student in the School of Print Media.

The primary goal of this research was to create an easy-to-use tool—a desktop application linked to an online database—that allows users to search for a print service provider based on the technical specifications of their PDF document. The report provides a step-by-step look at the methodology behind the creation of the application, the software development process, and information on how to use the application, and is available for download as a PDF from http://print.rit.edu/research/show/157.

Drop2Print is currently under development. More information on the project is available at http://opl.rit.edu/projects/drop2print/.

About the Printing Industry Center at RIT
The Printing Industry Center is a joint program of the RIT School of Print Media in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and RIT's E. Philip Saunders College of Business, and was established in 2001 by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as one of the Sloan Industry Centers. The Center is dedicated to the study of major business environment influences in the printing industry brought on by new technologies and societal changes, creating a forum for printing companies and associations worldwide to access a neutral platform for the dissemination of knowledge, to share ideas, and to build the partnerships needed to sustain growth and profitability in a rapidly changing market. For more information, please visit http://print.rit.edu.

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Media Contact:
Ashley Walker 
Marketing Communications Coordinator
Printing Industry Center at RIT
585-475-4231
aswppr@rit.edu