MEI, eMerge Sign Co-Marketing Agreement

May 6, 2009 - PRLog -- Managing Editor Inc. (MEI), an Adobe premier development partner and a leading provider of software solutions for the publishing industry, today announced a joint effort with eMerge Consulting to market and support integration between the vjoon K4 Publishing System and Scriba™ XML workflow engine.

MEI is the exclusive distributor of K4, the leading editorial workflow system for Adobe® InDesign® and Adobe InCopy®, in the Americas. K4 has been integrated with Scriba since 2007, when the system was developed by PCI. eMerge is now the distributor of Scriba and is handling ongoing research and development responsibilities. As part of the new co-marketing agreement with MEI, eMerge will also provide K4 training and installation services to both new and existing customers.

“Publishers recognize that delivering content to a wide variety of electronic formats is no longer an option, but a necessity,” said Michael Sweet, managing partner at eMerge. “K4-Scriba integration provides a robust solution that supports all aspects of XML workflow, including print-to-Web, Web-to-print, content aggregation and electronic delivery.”

The powerful K4 database provides a managed, collaborative workflow during the content-creation process. With the configurable K4 XML Exporter, users can organize and export individual articles or complete issues to XML directly from the database. Scriba’s rules-based processing engine complements the K4 XML tools by applying sophisticated transformations and formatting to XML exports.

eMerge has implemented the K4-Scriba solution at several publishers, including Christian Science Monitor, McGraw-Hill and AARP. These customers use Scriba to automate XML transforms, to upload packages to the Web or digital-asset-management systems and to automate the delivery of syndicated content to content aggregators.

As part of its new development, eMerge has made Scriba even easier to deploy through the introduction of its new software-as-a-service (SAAS) model. This offers customers a highly customized XML workflow solution with a low upfront cost and an affordable monthly subscription charge. Scriba also remains available under conventional licensing terms for those who want to deploy on site.

“Scriba plays an important role at some of our K4 customers, so we are delighted to be working with eMerge to make it more widely accessible,” said Mark Walter, director of business development at MEI. “The XML expertise and K4 experience of the eMerge team are real assets to the K4 community, and this agreement reinforces MEI’s commitment to bring complementary technologies into the K4 ecosystem.”

Visit http://www.maned.com/news/webinars/scriba to view a pre-recorded webinar demonstrating how K4 and Scriba can be connected to facilitate multi-channel publishing workflows.

About K4
The vjoon K4 Publishing System, integrated with Adobe InDesign and InCopy, allows publishing professionals to manage design and editorial workflow and to control the entire production process. With its multi-level security controls, open SQL architecture and robust customization options, K4 supports a transparent and secure production workflow for individual workgroups or entire publishing enterprises. K4 is a product of vjoon GmbH (formerly SoftCare) of Hamburg, Germany. With more than 300 systems installed in publishing houses, agencies and magazines worldwide, K4 has already revolutionized the editorial workflow for more than 16,000 users. MEI is the exclusive distributor of K4 in the Americas, with 140 installations managing nearly 9,000 users.

About eMerge
eMerge Consulting is an industry-acknowledged expert in the Editorial Systems Integration and XML Workflow marketplace. Specializing in systems integration and support, the eMerge team has a long history of providing customers with the highest level of service possible. eMerge staff are leaders in the content engineering field, offering best-in-class XML products and services to content creators. eMerge applies its expertise and innovative technology to help companies meet today’s complex electronic content delivery demands and prepare them for tomorrow’s challenges. The company provides customer-centric, scalable solutions that streamline the management and flow of information, allowing clients to unlock the power and value of their content. Visit www.emergeconsulting.com for more information.

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About MEI
Managing Editor Inc. is an industry leader in the development of quality, proven software solutions for the evolving publishing industry. The Page Director® Series of Advertising and Classified Layout Systems, K4 Publishing System, Integrated Production Suite (IPS) and IPS AdTrac deliver automated pagination, workflow and digital asset management solutions to newspaper and magazine publishers, as well as to other print and electronic publishing markets. MEI is an Adobe premier development partner and has twice been named a laureate of the Computerworld Smithsonian Collections. Additional information regarding MEI’s products and services can be found on the company’s Web site at www.maned.com.