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Quark, K-NFB Reading Technology, and Baker & Taylor Partner to Offer First Complete Solution for Digital Publishing 2.0NEW YORK --(Business Wire)-- Quark, a leading provider of publishing software; K-NFB Reading Technology, creator of the Blio e-reader application; and Baker & Taylor, the world's largest distributor of physical and digital media products, today announced their partnership at Untethered - a digital media conference in New York. The three companies are collaborating to offer content creators the first complete solution for Digital Publishing 2.0. The partnership brings together experts in digital content creation, digital content distribution, and the digital e-reading experience to offer content creators and providers a simple, cost-effective digital publishing solution. "Digital Publishing 2.0 is defined by design-rich, interactive content that can be delivered to the mass market through all leading digital devices," said Ray Schiavone, President and CEO of Quark. "We are excited to work with K-NFB Reading Technology and Baker & Taylor to combine our expertise to help publishers and other content creators capitalize on this emerging market. Together we make it affordable and efficient to create compelling digital content that is ready for the Blio e-reader application and available through a world-class distribution network to deliver the ultimate consumer experience." The Quark, K-NFB, and Baker & Taylor solution ensures the delivery of content that emotionally engages readers through a variety of unique features, including video and audio clips, interactive Web pages, integration with social media, note-taking, exporting capabilities, and more. Put simply: the partners transform static, black-and-white pages into rich, engaging digital media content. The solution:
"K-NFB and Baker & Taylor chose to partner with Quark, a leader in dynamic publishing, to help content creators efficiently and cost-effectively create design-rich, interactive content in QuarkXPress - content that can then be automatically exported to the Blio format and shared with consumers through Baker & Taylor's broad worldwide distribution network," said Ray Kurzweil, CEO, K-NFB Reading Technology. "Together, our three companies are providing content creators the technology they need to improve their own publishing experience as well as advance the consumer experience." Tom Morgan, CEO of Baker & Taylor, added, "Baker amp; Taylor is proud of this partnership with Quark and K-NFB. We open the door for thousands of new content creators and providers to create digital, interactive content and then access Baker & Taylor's unparalleled worldwide distribution network. We have teamed up to provide a simple way to transform static media content into rich digital media content that 21st century consumers demand." Quark reduces publishers' reliance on programmers and customized applications to deliver engaging content to digital devices, lowering the cost of digital publishing and helping content creators introduce digital products faster and support all leading digital devices. Quark will release its solution for publishing to the Blio e-reader application from QuarkXPress later this year. About Quark Quark Inc. (www.quark.com) is a leading provider of publishing software for professional designers, small and mid-sized businesses, and large organizations in more than 160 countries. Two decades ago, Quark's flagship product - QuarkXPress® - changed the course of traditional publishing. For more than 25 years, Quark has built on its knowledge and experience in design and publishing to provide software solutions that support collaborative workflows and automated publishing across multiple channels. Today, Quark is revolutionizing publishing again by setting new standards in XML-based publishing across print, the Web and digital media as well as by helping owners and employees of small and mid-sized businesses promote their products and services easily, professionally, and affordably. Denver-based Quark is privately held. About Blio and K-NFB Reading Technology Blio (http://www.blioreader.com/faq.html) is revolutionary e-reader software designed for reading electronic versions of books, newspapers and magazines. Blio raises the bar for the graphical display and navigation of e-content, delivering a superior, full-color, 3-D reading experience. Unlike standard e-ink e-readers, Blio preserves a publication's printed format, including layout, fonts, colors and images. Blio was created by K-NFB Reading Technology (http://www.blioreader.com/aboutus.html), a privately-held company dedicated to developing cutting-edge imaging solutions for accessing printed material from a variety of mobile and fixed platforms. K-NFB principals created the first generation of computerized reading technology to aid individuals with disabilities, including the visually impaired. Click here to view a demo of Blio: http://dynamicpublishing.quark.com/digitalpublishing/partners.html. The first Blio-powered devices are expected to launch in summer 2010, with support from all leading devices rolling out throughout 2010 and beyond. About Baker & Taylor Baker & Taylor, Inc. (www.baker-taylor.com) is the world's premier provider of physical and digital media products. The company services more than 30,000 publishing partners by distributing their content via its vast global distribution network, which includes retail partners, device manufacturers, libraries, academic institutions, as well as corporations. Baker & Taylor powers Blio, the world's most advanced, flexible and engaging e-reader software application, developed by K-NFB Reading Technologies. Based in Charlotte, N.C., Baker & Taylor has been in existence for more than 180 years and is majority owned by Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P., an institutional private equity fund managed by Castle Harlan Inc., a leading private equity investment firm. About Digital Publishing 2.0 Marked by a move from simple, black-and-white electronic books, Digital Publishing 2.0 capitalizes on the proliferation of powerful digital devices with large color displays to deliver design-rich and interactive content to consumers. To succeed in the 2.0 era of digital publishing, content creators must differentiate their electronic products from their print products by producing "enhanced" content that can be delivered to all digital devices, regardless of platform. Quark, the Quark logo and QuarkXPress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Quark, Inc. and its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Baker & Taylor and the Baker & Taylor logo are trademarks of Baker & Taylor, Inc. Blio is a trademark of K-NFB Reading Technology, Inc. Other company and product names mentioned for identification purposes may be trademarks of their respective owners. NOTE TO EDITORS: Artwork to illustrate this story is available on request.
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