From March 14-17 in San Diego, California, the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (TAGA) will host its 62nd Annual Technical Conference. The organization has recently released details about its four keynote speakers, who are: Randy D. Vandagriff, Dr. Ken Museth, Roland Ortbach, and Bengt Larsson.

First Keynote Speaker: Randy D. Vandagriff

General Manager, Graphics Inkjet Platform Center, Kodak's Graphic Communications Group

The topic of Vandagriff's presentation will revolve around inkjet printing and how it is transforming the industry. Only a small percentage of the 77 trillion pages printed annually in the world utilize digital printing. He will touch on growth areas in inkjet such as books, direct mail and catalogs/inserts, and what factors determine penetration into these applications. Mr. Vandagriff has had more than 27 years of experience in research, product development and manufacturing of inkjet printing equipment, and he also holds multiple patents in continuous inkjet technology.

Second Keynote Speaker: Dr. Ken Museth

Senior Engineer and Research Scientist, DreamWorks Animation SKG

Dr. Ken Museth's keynote address is called "Short-cuts to reality: the art and compromise of software development for physics-based visual effects." He will provide information about some of the latest techniques and production tools used in visual effects for life-action and feature-animation production. Discussing some of the fundamental design developments behind these effects, he will talk about different criteria necessary for success. Among his experience with visual effects in movies are titles such as: Pirates of the Caribbean 3, The Golden Compass, The Mummy 3 and 2012.

Third Keynote Speaker: Roland Ortbach

Vice President, Commercial Web Sales, manroland, Inc. North America

Roland Ortbach's presentation is titled "Printing press technology in a global marketplace: a perspective from a global press manufacturer." He will talk about how technology in the printing industry is adapting to meet the rapidly changing application demands. His discussion will touch on challenges for printers and and how they can stay successful. Ortbach has more than 26 years in the industry, and draws his experience from working on three different continents, in all offset printing markets.

Fourth Keynote Speaker: Bengt Larsson

Graphic Development, IKEA Communications AB

This keynote presentation will focus on the transition in picture production that is currently taking place at IKEA. Touching on how IKEA works with photography, digital files and rendering, Larsson will describe the workflow and history of visual 3D using various illustrations and samples. Fundamentals in production such as proofing will also be discussed, as well as colour management technology. Bengt is highly involved with IKEA's Catalogue, using his knowledge of colour management, printing and 3D photorealistic rendering to decrease lead times and increase the Catalogue's quality.

For more information on the 2010 TAGA Conference, click here.