Members of the DAL have been warned that both the future of the group and the work it does on behalf of the industry will come under threat in 2012 if it fails to attract more sponsors.
Current sponsors of the DAL include Colour Engine, PCS, Kodak, Pr-int and London Graphic Systems/Turning Point Integration.
The not-for-profit organisation's steering committee has started discussions about possible changes to the DAL format to attract new supporters.
These include having two technical forums per year with specific agendas that are supported by vendors, one open meeting and one working with the London College of Communication (LCC), which hosted the most recent quarterly meeting.
Members attending this month's meeting heard an update on the Ghent PDF Workgroup from FE Burman director Andy Psarianos, together with a presentation on the challenges ahead for variable data printing and digital media.
Psarianos said that there are currently no standard tools or methods for creating variable data content and little happening on the application front to help people use this technology, while PDF/VT is unlikely to be implemented properly if left to the vendors alone.
He added that as each new media arrives (iPad, iPhone, Android, etc) and makes the advertising package more complex, it is important that print keeps up with this
"Print is becoming a more difficult commodity to supply and sell," he said. "We need to make things simpler as we are becoming the odd one out with difficult specifications when it comes to ad creation."
There were further discussions on the pros and cons of cloud computing, leading to a request for case studies at the next quarterly meeting in June, including someone running their business via the cloud and someone totally against running their business via the cloud. For more information email hannah@leafagency.com.
The session concluded with an open dialogue between some LCC students and DAL members centred on how the DAL members can help the students get into the industry and support their needs whilst they are studying.
