Printing.com previously used its own template-based tools for designing business cards online.

The extra font control and other features make it possible to offer a broader range of print products, said Printing.com chief executive Tony Rafferty. We believe it is going to help us win new business.

ControlP launched edit2print at Ipex following testing at five sites. It is based on standard PDF files, which ControlP believes is currently unique among template-based systems.

Its no surprise to see a forward-thinking company such as printing.com taking on this technology, said ControlP Software general manager Daniel Emerson.

ControlP chairman Warren Tayler thought the market had only recently woken up to e-commerces potential to deal with the perennial problem of over-

capacity. People are looking at ways to make the most of their capacity, he said. E-commerce allows this to happen.

Printing.coms move is part of its Vision2 plan to develop its underlying IT infrastructure, to make sure it is based on scalable technologies for when it carries out its planned expansion into mainland Europe and North America.

It is looking at adding other software to enable it to offer soft proofing, annotation, revision control and colour management as part of a complete production and management workflow provided on an ASP model.

Rafferty couldnt put a date on the firms expansion beyond the UK, but said it depended on it reaching some pre-determined sales and profit targets.

Story by Barney Cox