Who We Are

Take a cross-section of the international graphic arts community’s best minds, and have them work together to develop best practices for the benefit of the profession worldwide. This is The Ghent Workgroup.

Also known as the GWG, The Ghent Workgroup is an international organization made up of graphic arts users, associations & developers building best practices for publishing and packaging workflows. The resulting recommendations and specifications make it easy for increasing numbers of professionals around the world to successfully create, process, and exchange graphic arts files for numerous applications.

Benefits of Membership

Building a Premiere Graphic Arts Think-Tank

Perhaps the fastest growing, global best practice organization for graphic arts; GWG was founded in June 2002. The initial idea for the GWG took hold among a group of professionals representing Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, at that time working toward consensus on PDF creation and preflight settings. The process was complex, and it became clear that a more coordinated approach was needed then and for the future.

Industry experts from around the world joined the GWG in increasing numbers, and a unique, collaborative infrastructure for creating and testing international specifications was born. The results have been so positive that the group is on the way to significantly expanding the scope of projects it can undertake on behalf of the worldwide graphic arts community.

What you get

  • Member meetings: The GWG holds 3 meetings a year in different international locations where you can freely discuss all issues. A perfect opportunity to network with industry leaders.
  • Seminars: The GWG holds several free seminars during the year in different international locations where, as a member, you can participate as an attendee or as a presenter.
  • Access to ftp server: A world of information is available to members only on our ftp server.
  • Publications: Since its inception, the GWG has successfully produced and made available free, by download, specifications for the use of PDF and PDF/X-PLUS in a variety of vertical graphic arts segment applications.
    The GWG has also the Ghent Output Suite, widely used to test the ability of workflows to correctly handle PDF files in production. Additionally the GWG has published many white papers and instructional documents to help members and the industry understand many of the issues that affect graphic arts production.
  • Exposure on the GWG website: As a member you are listed on the GWG website and have your own space where you can promote and link to your own association or company.
  • Recognition as a member: Being a GWG member provides you with recognition within your industry and allows you the use of the GWG logo

And there’s more on the way…always.

What do you think?

Tell us what you think about the GWG site and the specifications. We’re all about working together, and so we want your input. Tell your friends and colleagues what we’re about, too. The more of you involved, the better for all of us.