COLE'S NEWSWIRE, April 14, 1999

April 14, 1999
Vol. 5, No. 15

The NEWSWIRE is a weekly distribution of information about the sales and installations of publishing technology and the latest news on new products developed by suppliers to the industry.

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ATEX MEDIA SOLUTIONS INC.
Atex, an international publishing systems supplier based in Bedford, Mass., has announced a new distributorship to serve customers in Africa. The New Media Technology Group, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, will serve publishers in Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Uganda.

Atex is on the World-Wide Web at http://www.atex.com/.

CANTO SOFTWARE
Canto, a San Francisco-based supplier of media asset management tools, has begun shipping its Cumulus Network server Version 4.0.5, which supports the new Mac OS X server software from Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.

The latest version of Cumulus supports Mac and Windows clients as well as TCP/IP, remote administration of servers, AppleScript and QuickTime 3.

Canto is on the Web at http://www.canto.com/.

CCI EUROPE
CCI, a Danish publishing systems supplier with U.S. offices in Kennesaw, Ga., has announced the recent sale of its CCI NewsDesk editorial system to the 196,000-circulation SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. The 151-seat Windows NT-based system, which will replace a legacy Atex system, will be installed in 2000.

CCI is on the Web at http://www.ccieurope.com/.

CYBERGRAPHIC INC.
Cybergraphic, an Australian publishing systems supplier with U.S. offices in Burlington, Mass., has announced the recent sale of its Integrated Editorial Pagination System to the 38,000-circulation English-language ASAHI EVENING NEWS in Japan.

Included are CyberNews reporter and editor workstations, CyberPage pagination and NAILS (Newspaper Automated Intelligent Layout System). Installation will be done by PDI, Cybergraphic's distributor in Japan.

Cybergraphic is on the Web at http://www.cybergraphic.com/.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
The parent company of DTI, Oldham Associates LLC of Springville, Utah, has announced it will acquire DPS Typecraft Ltd., of the United Kingdom and merge it with DTI. Other specifics were not announced.

DPS Typecraft, a subsidiary of the publicly traded Highbury House Communications PLC, was the first company in the world to license the DTI software, which it has supplied to the newspaper industry in the United Kingdom and Eire for the last 14 years.

The acquisition of DPS Typecraft means that DTI now controls its distribution everywhere in the world. Until now, the United Kingdom and Eire had been the only major market for the company where it had a current re-seller agreement.

DTI said there were 50 people employed at DPS and that there were no anticipated layoffs.

DTI is on the Web at http://www.dtint.com/.

FUTURETENSE
FutureTense, a supplier of web publishing tools based in Acton, Mass., has announced that its IPS Xcelerate product will be used by Central Newspapers Inc. of Phoenix to manage its on-line sites operated by its ARIZONA REPUBLIC in Phoenix and INDIANAPOLIS STAR and INDIANAPOLIS NEWS.

IPS Xcelerate will help the sites manage and deliver content as well as streamline production. Installation in Phoenix will be completed by early may and in Indianapolis by mid-summer.

FutureTense is on the Web at http://www.futuretense.com/.

NEWSINC.
Pity poor agate, for the Web will make sure its days are few, writes NEWSINC. Editor-Publisher David M. Cole in the April 12 issue of the newsletter about the business of the newspaper business. The many capabilities of the Web -- searchability, instant access, continuous updating -- make it a better way to present and get the kind of information traditionally found in a newspaper's agate, Cole writes. Newspapers can gain from this shift, Cole suggests, because they'll save money on newsprint -- but they're also at risk of losing readers, unless they can win eyes on-line.

Inside the April 12 issue, Correspondent Jon Fine assesses the trend toward the 50-inch web, which major newspapers are embracing for cost savings and reader friendliness. Also inside, Senior Editor Pete Wetmore explores new links across media, as shown by changes at two Tribune Co. properties. Wetmore also talks with a Knight Ridder executive about the costs -- financial and human -- of the company's move to San Jose, how newspapers thwarted the Melissa virus and a new effort to encourage diversity in print and newsrooms.

For more about the April 12 issue of NEWSINC., visit The Cole Group on the Web at http://colegroup.com/.

OPTRONICS INTERNATIONAL CORP.
Optronics, a manufacturer of imaging systems based in Chelmsford, Mass., has announced a distribution agreement with BESCO Graphic Systems Corp. of Chicago. Under the accord, BESCO will be Optronics' primary U.S. dealer of Aurora PlateSetters for computer-to-plate production and ColorGetter scanners, with a marketing focus on service bureaus and commercial printers.

Optronics is on the Web at http://www.optronics-intl.com/.

SOFTWARE CONSTRUCTION CO.
SCC, an Atlanta-based supplier of archiving solutions, has announced the recent installation of its MediaServer production and archive workflow database system at the 156,000-circulation FRESNO BEE and 83,000-circulation MODESTO BEE.

The two California newspapers are owned by The McClatchy Co. of Sacramento, whose SACRAMENTO BEE already uses MediaServer and has more than 150,000 photos and 200,000 text records on file. The three systems are connected via a wide-area network, enabling users at all three papers to access and exchange text and photos.

SCC is on the Web at http://www.swcc.com/.

TRENDWATCH
TrendWatch, a monitor of trends in the graphic arts industry based in Harrisville, R.I., has announced the release of its Creative Demographic Atlas and Market Segmentation Guide, a compendium of data about 62,000 sites in the graphic arts industry.

The new publication shows that the Apple Mac OS remains the favorite platform for creative professionals, and is gaining ground over Windows. The TrendWatch survey finds that since 1997, planned purchases of Mac and PowerMac workstations have risen by 4.9 percent while stated interest in buying Windows workstations has fallen 19.9 percent.

For more information about the atlas and guide, visit TrendWatch on the Web at http://www.trendwatch.com/.

ERRORS & OMISSIONS
In its April 7 issue, COLE'S NEWSWIRE mistakenly reported that several companies involved in a patent litigation case had agreed to a "post-trial" settlement.

In fact, the agreement was a pre-trial settlement involving Harlequin Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., along with Japan's Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Israel's Scitex Corp. Ltd., and two U.S. companies, Island Graphics Corp. and DK&A Inc.

COLE'S NEWSWIRE regrets the error.

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COLE'S NEWSWIRE is compiled by Pete Wetmore and distributed by The Cole Group, publishers of THE COLE PAPERS and NEWSINC., and consultants to newspapers and magazines worldwide. To receive more information about The Cole Group, send e-mail to: info@colegroup.com.

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