SCHAWK!

BLUE is a fully integrated suite of web-based enterprise software solutions that are purpose-built to provide a wide range of services vital to organizations that produce quantities of dynamic, sophisticated content. BLUE enables brand consistency, facilitates cross-media publishing, maximizes ROI in digital assets and protects valuable intellectual rights. BLUE's services include:

• Dynamic and scalable enterprise management
• Workflow management
• Online proofing
• Digital asset management
• Comprehensive e-reporting

BLUE's modular structure allows organizations to phase in solutions seamlessly, one suite at a time, in any combination or all at once. Its benefits include:

• Demonstrable increases in productivity
• Streamlined approval cycles
• Enterprise-wide content/brand management
• Intuitive search/retrievalv
• Improved production work cycles

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BLUE LE (Light Edition) enables eDAM, and monitor-based proofing and routing for mid-market customers with simple and repeatable approval workflows.

With BLUE LE's purpose-built MPX™ architecture, this midmarket offering delivers a variety of key business benefits, including demonstrable increases in productivity, streamlined approval cycles, content and brand management, intuitive search/retrieval and improved production work cycles.

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BLUE DNA™ is an ASP web-based solution offering basic DAL (digital asset library), easy-step workflow and monitor-based proofing and routing for entry-level customers with simple templated and repeatable review-and-approval workflows.

Built on the same MPX™ architecture as the enterprise version of BLUE, this entry-level offering delivers a variety of key business benefits, including demonstrable increases in productivity, streamlined approval cycles, content and brand management, intuitive search/retrieval and improved production work cycles.

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MPX™ (Media Platform Xchange™) is a web-based application architecture, exclusively designed for managing and enabling digital assets. MPX is purpose-built to address the challenges intrinsic to the storage, transformation, routing and distribution of all content file formats and sizes. MPX is designed to exist and operate in both simple and complex high performance IT environments.

MPX leverages a blend of industry standards (J2EE, SOAP), proven de facto standards (Hibernate, Spring Framework, Lucene, Struts) and emerging technologies (AOP, AJAX). MPX utilizes modern object-oriented methodologies encouraged by the Spring Framework, such as dependency injection for control inversion and lightweight Java development with POJOs.

ENVISION™ solves longstanding problems with brand management, page building and tracking for cooperative or targeted ads run in local, regional and global markets. It eliminates the need for costly paper ad kits and disparate design efforts, and eliminates uncontrolled use and mismanagement of brand objects (graphics, copy, ingredient decks, etc.). Organizations using this type of solution have realized up to a 50% reduction in cost and time associated with developing, printing and fulfilling advertisements, POP and marketing materials.

ENVISION resolves these problems through a web-based software application that provides access to pre-authorized and approved ad copy, graphics, templates and pricing delivered in high-resolution print-ready PDF format.

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MEDIALINK is a comprehensive suite of applications designed to manage large collections of digital assets where metadata is of critical importance. It is currently in use by major movie studios and many others.

All activities associated with voluminous image ingestion, correction, management and retrieval are combined within the MEDIALINK framework. This allows a single "cybrarian" to perform both annotation and image enhancement and cropping, as well as overall system management, from convenient desktop tools — all without altering the original files. A "cybrarian" literally has the ability to manage and create specific collections, reconciling image security and permissions and automating workflows around specific file sets.

MEDIALINK offers clients with complex image management, editing and distribution needs a scalable and powerful digital solution for accomplishing even the most difficult challenges facing today's content owners.

Like MEDIALINK, MEDIALINK STUDIO is a comprehensive suite of applications designed to manage large collections of digital assets where metadata is of critical importance. It also integrates basic workflow management with online proofing, allowing users to run a quick approval cycle for images.

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RPM (Retail Performance Manager) is an easy-to-use software solution that offers significantly increased productivity over traditional methods.

RPM is offered as an ASP-hosted solution enabling rapid set-up, easy web-based access and a lower total cost of ownership while maximizing ROI. RPM enables clients to leverage a scalable web-based system while consistently driving ROI, visibility and affordability across entire campaigns and retail operations.

Through the intuitive and easy to navigate RPM interface, users can initiate, manage and execute retail promotional inventory management, budget and campaign management, promotion planning and tracking, fulfillment and storage of campaign assets and campaign-centric "light" digital asset management, as well as KPI generation, tracking and reporting.

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CPM (Campaign Performance Manager) is a purpose-built solution designed to enable marketers and advertisers to affordably make precise measurements, forecasts and plans to maximize their return on marketing. CPM can manage campaigns across all brand touchpoints and accurately track the ongoing expenses compared to the campaign budget.

CPM is a role-based software application that delivers a complete solution where significant revenue is driven by marketing campaigns that involve multiple media outlets such as print, video and internet. Built on Schawk Digital Solutions' FlexSmart™ technology architecture, CPM enables powerful, robust, comprehensive and flexible campaign performance management features at a fraction of the cost of other marketing-resource-management competitors. With CPM, your team can have all the information about every campaign in a simple and intuitive place.

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Assembly

Schawk provides integrated image assembly and file preparation that ensure that images meet both client and printer specifications with absolutely no compromises of the design. Schawk leverages a wide range of technologies, ranging from the Schawk Private IP (PIP) network for file transfer; GRACoL 7 color-management (we're an industry leader); Mac, Esko and other platforms; and specialty printing tools to produce separations for extended-gamut printing. Schawk can produce film and plates worldwide. Most important, our teams combine years of industry experience with an unwavering commitment to master the cutting edge in assembly technology.

Digital Files

At Schawk it's not just the precise, color accurate, optimized digital files that we create for our clients, it's the years of specification engineering and color science backing those files. It's Schawk-developed software solutions like Media Platform Exchange (MPX) that facilitates the accurate flow of information between disparate software applications. And it's BLUE™, Schawk's web-based application designed exclusively for managing digital workflows and enabling digital assets. Whether it's a publication ad, a retail advertising printed insert, a web-based catalogue, a billboard, in-store signage or a packaging file, Schawk's digital files ensure the consistent look and compelling feel of your brand.

Color Proofs

Schawk invests heavily in the research and development of monitor proofing capabilities for content, for its significant economies. But we also offer a full range of traditional color-proofing capabilities, including: Kodak Approval Proofing, which is recognized as a preferred proof for printers in North America and is recommended for SKUs with critical color requirements; Epson inkjet proofs, used when color has been approved but content and composition have not; and online proofing, via our proprietary BLUE online proofing (OLP) asset-management product. BLUE OLP allows all stakeholders to view and approve the same file at the same time via a web browser. It gives appropriate personnel the ability to view other stakeholders' annotations in real time.

Plates

Schawk has worked extensively with offset printing since 1954 and with flexography printing since 1972, and our people are acknowledged industry leaders in these technologies. We were among the first to employ SCI-TEX digital-imagery equipment and among the very first to use computer-to-plate (CTP) devices, and our expertise continues to be absolutely industry-standard. Our facilities offer extensive capabilities in digital plates, conventional plates, computer-to-plate and file-format conversion.

Cylinders

Since the installation of our first Helioklischograph engraving machine in 1973, one of Schawk's rotogravure facilities has been a beta testing site for the Hell Corporation in Kiel, Germany, working closely to develop engraving technology improvements for both publication and packaging printing. Because we remain completely abreast of the latest gravure printing technologies through our strategic relationships, we offer full gravure cylinder capabilities, including wide/narrow web-cylinder engraving, copper and chrome plating, polishing, electromechanical engraving from digital input, microscopic engraving inspection, and proofing.