Archive for the ‘Digital Printing’ Category

Another Super-Cool Fold of the Week

Monday, March 5th, 2012

This week’s fold comes from SPC, Specialty Print Communications in Niles, IL. This Mystifying High Speed Inline Pop-up Mailer is a self-mailing piece printed on 100 lb. sterling matte text. Amazingly, these mailers were finished 100% inline from end to end. This is a great example of an exiting mailer than can be printed in high quantities and can apply to a variety of clients and marketing campaigns. Watch the video for more!

When Am I Going to Start Getting Targeted Catalogs?

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

The high volume of catalogs I receive has always irritated me, but after doing a series of interviews with printers who have installed the new generation of high-speed inkjet presses (those capable of producing commercial quality color), they irritate me even more. It’s time to stop sending bulk catalogs — period.

I’m one of those people who only shops in catalogs once per year. I shop catalogs at Christmas when I’m looking for something different for family or friends. I sit down at the end of November and early December, place my orders, and then throw away every catalog I receive from that point on until the following November.

I am very consistent. I do it every year.

I’m also consistent in something else. I don’t buy luggage from catalogs. I don’t buy men’s shoes. I don’t buy tools. But I do buy jewelry, children’s educational toys, and electronic gadgets. Why are these companies wasting paper sending me information on hundreds of items I have never bought through catalogs and never will?

If it’s because it’s been most cost-effective to send undifferentiated catalogs than to print targeted ones, those days are over. It’s time to improve ROI through more effective use of their lists and stop hogging up the landfills while they are at it.

Maybe it wasn’t cost-effective to create slimmer, targeted catalogs even a few years ago, or perhaps the quality wasn’t there, but it is today. It’s time somebody told them so.

Food for Thought:

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Two years later – have you gotten up to speed?

Almost two years ago American Printer published an article titled “Get up to Speed”, written by Kenneth Rizzo at PIA.  This article contained some information that really challenged the status quo within our industry.  What have we learned over the last two years, and where are we today?  I’d like to share some thoughts upon re-reading the article.

Technology and productive innovation have continued to accelerate and are often still perceived or presented as the solution. Operations are still too often treated as process siloes, with metrics based on faulty assumptions or poor data collection and analysis.   In some cases, there are no actionable metrics at all.   The most knowledgeable staff members have dwindled with attempts at cost reduction through downsizing or attrition, and the ones remaining are fighting more fires than ever.  The staff is still often the focus for problem resolution “we’ve gotten more aggressive on writing people up”, is a phrase we heard recently from a manager at the end of his rope.

Mr. Rizzo puts forth several valuable recommendations on skills that printing management must learn to employ to optimize their business performance, which can be found in the article.  My take away from these is that as members of the print industry, we need to optimize the whole process and all the steps involved, from content creation to format to production through delivery in order to have the most efficient and effective offering, versus optimizing the around and for the most expensive technology or an individual function or activity.  The key principles of Business Process Improvement provide a way for each enterprise to analyze, prioritize, and implement process and organizational change, to “Get up to Speed” and be competitive within the industry delivering customer-focused solutions.  When you read this article, what are your thoughts about what has happened in the last two years, your own company’s progress, and where do you need help?  The following link will take you to the original article.

Richard J Losch
Partner, R3D2 Consulting LLC

High-Speed Inkjet: Willing to Take the Risk

Friday, February 24th, 2012

The first significant round of high-speed, full-color inkjet installs went into the field mid- to late last year, and I just finished a round of interviews with early adopters to understand what drove their decisions to invest early and what their experiences have been.

There were some very clear patterns that transcended company size, vertical, and specialty.

1. The decision to invest in high-speed inkjet was likely made long before the install. They had simply been waiting for the technology to be commercially viable.

2. The investment was driven by specific customer needs so compelling that these companies were willing to let the technology be tested and the bugs worked out even while they were in production.

3. Paper handling, high-speed imaging heads, and the ability to match pre- and post-press to the speed of the new technology were the biggest implementation issues they faced (or were facing).

In all cases, selection of a vendor was based on past relationship or close proximity to the production location. That’s a loud statement about early adopters’ acceptance of the reality that the technology still has some kinks. Several talked off the record about the fact that imaging technology was, in some cases, still developing, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the investment. They’d just fix or upgrade it in the field.

These patterns transcended format size, personalization / static, planned / JIT and so on. This was not, “Build it and they will come.” This was, “It hurts. When are we going to be able to fix it?”

News on the 2012 USPS Barcode and Mobile Promotion

Monday, February 20th, 2012

The 2011 Mobile Barcode Promotion was so successful because it utilized emerging technologies and the prevalence of smartphones to integrate direct mail with modern devices. Customers and businesses alike benefited from the ease of use and the postal savings affiliated with this promotion.

The following information describes the proposed 2012 incarnation of the promotion:

The 2012 Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion provides mailers with an upfront postage discount on qualifying Standard Mail® and First-Class Mail® letters, flats, and cards that contain a mobile barcode or similar print technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device.  The technology must lead the recipient to either:

1. A webpage that allows the recipient to purchase a product or service on a mobile device.
or
2. A personalized URL, which leads to a web page that is unique to an individual recipient.

Program Parameters

Registration Begins: May 1, 2012

Program Period: July 1 through August 31, 2012

Discount Amount: 2% of eligible postage. The mobile barcode discount is calculated in PostalOne!® and applied to the mailing statement at the time of mailing. Normal postage prices as listed in the published price schedule apply to the mailing, and the discount is applied to those prices.

Eligible Mail Classes: Standard Mail® letters and flats, Nonprofit Standard Mail letters and flats, First-Class Mail® presort and automation letters, cards and flats

Registration Requirements

Program Registration: Participants and/or mail service providers must register on the Business Customer Gateway.  Mailers agree to participate in a survey about the promotion. Registration opens May 1, 2012 and will continue throughout the promotion period.

Mailing Submission Requirements

Documentation/Postage Statement:  Mailings must be submitted electronically via mail.dat, mail.xml or Postal Wizard.

Participating mailers will be required to affirmatively claim this promotion on electronic postage statement submissions.  All mailpieces in a mailing statement must be eligible for the promotion. Note, the discount must be claimed at the time of mailing and cannot be rebated at a later date.

Mailing Date:  Mail must be tendered for acceptance during the promotion period, July 1, 2012, through August 31, 2012.  Qualified PVDS mailings that are verified and paid for by August 31, 2012, will be accepted at destination entry postal facilities through September 15, 2012.

IMB Requirements:  Automation mailpieces must contain an Intelligent Mail barcode.

Postage Payment Method: Postage must be paid using a Permit Imprint, or Precancelled Stamp permit.  Some Meter Permit mailings may qualify.  OMAS and “Official Government Mail” mailings are not eligible for the promotion.

Mailpiece/Mailing Content Requirements

The two-dimensional barcode or similar print technology which takes a consumer to a mobile optimized site that either enables mobile commerce or is personalized for the recipient. All qualifying mail must contain a mobile barcode or equivalent technology that can read or scanned by a mobile device (this includes two-dimensional barcodes, tags, and watermarks).  The mailpiece must also contain text near the barcode or image providing guidance to the consumer to scan the barcode or image. Additional requirements are listed below.

Mobile Commerce

If the barcode is used to facilitate mobile commerce:

  • The destination web page(s) must contain information relevant to content of the mailpiece, and some or all of the service(s) and/or product(s) advertised in the mailpiece must be available for purchase on a mobile device.
  • The destination web pages must reside on a web site platform that contains (or is deeply integrated with) a checkout functionality so that consumers can complete the purchase of the good or service referenced in the mailpiece through a complete mobile optimized experience.
  • Websites used for e-bill payment of prior purchases, or regularly scheduled payments (weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, etc.) for goods and services are not eligible.

Mobile Personalization

If the barcode leads to a personalized website:

  • For each mailpiece recipient, the web address is unique to the recipient, as is the content of the web page.
  • Unique web page content is based on relevant customer data such as prior behavior, life stage, segmentation, and demographics.

Requirements at the time of mail acceptance and post- mailing

At Mail Acceptance:  The mailer must provide a hard copy, unaddressed sample of the mailpiece showing the placement of the mobile barcode to the acceptance clerk. If a mailing contains mobile barcode mail from multiple mailers, a hard copy sample of each mailer’s mailpiece must be presented. If mobile personalization is used, at least two samples must be submitted in order to demonstrate that the web addresses are unique to each recipient.

Post Mailing Requirements:  All mailers who receive the discount must retain an electronic or hard copy sample of the mailpiece until October 31, 2012, and if requested by the Postal Service must forward such sample to the promotion program office.

This post was provided by Rich Cicha who writes for the SourceLink blog. It provides excellent information for the direct mail industry from a company who specializes in “connecting data, design & delivery.” 

Another Super-Cool Fold of the Week!

Monday, February 13th, 2012

This weeks fold is the Accordion with Rockin’ Millboard covers sent it from Print It in Vancouver, Canada. This promotional piece highlights print technology and expertise at its finest. The piece features a long accordion fold which is actually two different folds seemed together. The front and back covers feature 60 point millboard to add weight and stability to the piece. Adding an additional creative feature, Print It embellished the front cover with perfectly die-cut and centered circles. Not to be outdone by the front cover, the back cover boasts of black letter press. See for yourself!

Can Print Improve Cause Marketing?

Monday, February 6th, 2012

Cause marketing is a well-minded marketing initiative that connects the cause of non-profit organizations with the reach and audience of businesses to create a mutually beneficial relationship. The strength in this approach is the business’ ability to provide greater visibility to the non-profit and to capitalize on people’s point of purchase decisions. Non-profits benefit from cause marketing through the ability to share their message with larger audiences and to solicit donations and support from these audiences. The business benefits from a positive brand reputation through the association with a non-profit organization. It’s a win-win situation.

Cause marketing can take a few different forms. Think of pink Yoplait’s “Save Lids and Save Lives” program that benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Another popular campaign is Project Red at the Gap where proceeds from sales benefit The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis & Malaria. While these are all highly successful and integrated campaigns, others are not quite so innovative.

When checking out at the grocery store, I’ve been offered tickets to donate $1, $3, or $5 to help feed a child. Maybe I’m just an evil person because I know this is a great cause, but nothing about the offer compels me make this donation. It’s just another way in which people are constantly asked for money. Another example are the tear-off pieces of paper that you can write your name on and post on a wall in return for a $1 donation to some specific cause. While I like the idea of showing solidarity in support through the arrangement of papers on the wall – this is still not something that really inspires me or moves me to act. Yes, it’s easy (and that’s part of the success with point-of-purchase cause marketing), but it’s not compelling.

This is where I can envision an opportunity for print excellence to excite the world of cause marketing. Marketing service providers and print shops are so skilled at creating promotional items that you want to pick up and immerse yourself in. Why not tap into this excellence to promote the non-profit world?

Here’s what I’m thinking… Imagine waiting in line at the grocery store and instead of leafing through a tabloid magazine, you pick up a perfectly bound book complete with full color photos on fresh, glossy paper illustrating the plight of Tigers in Eastern Asia or a struggling village in Libya. Would you be motivated to add $1 to your grocery bill to help this cause? I imagine this book would move you to act much more than a paper-wrapped can or a simple graphic tear-off paper begging your donation. (Of course, the grocery store would want to secure the photo book to the check out area, but I’m sure that is possible).

Or what if when you donated to a cause, instead of receiving a tear-off paper, you received a glossy postcard with an image of those tigers or village residents? The donor could then mail this postcard to a friend or relative and essentially say, “I just donated to XYZ cause at XYZ store. Stop by XYZ so you can support this cause, too! Or visit www.XYZ.com for more information and to activate your support.” Now, not only has this postcard effectively solicited a donation, it has also communicated the cause to another individual, hopefully prompting their visit to the store and ultimate donation.

Personally, I love the idea of cause marketing. Maybe this post is optimistic, but I’d love to see more creative tactics and I know print can help create more impactful communications. In the end, it’s all about reaching customers in just a way to compel their support of the non-profit and I’m positive that print creativity can do just that.

Have you planned your sustainability projects for the year yet?

Monday, January 30th, 2012
You may think with the economy still in “recovery” you don’t have either the time or resources to pour into sustainability projects this year. Well, I’m here to convince you otherwise. Yes, “green has become commonplace. It’s expected to a degree, by your customers, your employees and other stakeholders who have an interest in how you do business.
 
So how do you prioritize? Is your mindset focused on the most important of all green attributes, that of economic sustainability?  Well here are a few simple, fast and proven ROI ideas that if you haven’t yet implemented them yet shouldn’t be put off any longer.
 
Facility-wide energy-efficient lighting is not just for offices anymore. Consider skylights, LED floods, fast-start ballasts and dynamic motion sensors for your production and warehousing facilities. (There’s something pretty cool about watching warehouse lamps flash on and off as employees make their way through the lanes, tracing their paths of travel).
 
Natural gas-enabled fleets. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a minivan, a bobtail or a semi, LNG and CNG technology (and conversion) has greatly matured in just the past few years. Infrastructure is the name of the game, and publicly accessible fueling stations are multiplying exponentially. Consider that in some markets, natural gas is half the cost of petroleum!
 
The Cloud migration. It’s not just for apps. Consider moving your entire infrastructure away from your facilities’ area of responsibility. The savings in technology upgrades (both hardware AND software), processing power, storage capacity, energy use, space, maintenance, knowledge and expertise are all deferred to a “higher power”. Yes, you pay for it, but the savings are proven and quantifiable.
 
http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_designing_lighting_warehouse/
http://www.digitallumens.com/intelligent-lighting-system-overview/
http://www.ecoengineering.com/markets-served/warehouses-and-distribution-centers.html
http://www.cleanenergyfuels.com/main.html
http://www.ngvc.org/
http://w3.efi.com/fiery/Products/EFI%20PrintMe
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/readynow/
http://www.rackspace.com/
 
All of the technologies mentioned here are not speculation, bleeding edge or experimental. They are real and in use by printing facilities of all sizes. The dependency is on infrastructure and support, but where feasible, the ROI is impressive. Now go get Green!

Understanding Different Applications for Personalization

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

“Personalization” continues to be a prominent topic in a number of different circles: marketing, publishing, eCommerce, social networking, and search. It’s no wonder why: personalization helps boost response rates and profitability in cross-media campaigns, helps marketers drive conversion on their Websites & landing pages, and much more.

Wikipedia provides a very broad definition of personalization, which I do like: “using technology to accommodate the differences between individuals.” Specific to the groups that I am referring to, I believe that personalization can be more precisely defined as leveraging data to deliver relevant content to specific individuals.

That’s still pretty broad; what kind of data? what kind of content? what channels are being used? With this many constituencies looking to use personalization in their own ways to meet specific goals, those answers can range extensively. Furthermore, when these groups end up talking to each other about personalization, it can cause confusion and miscommunication. To clear the air, so-to-speak, I wanted to shed some light on the different ways personalization is being employed by these different groups.

  • Cross-media Direct Marketing: You’re likely familiar with the personalization model for cross-media campaigns: a digitally-printed direct mail piece (or e-mail) with variable text and graphic elements and a personalized URL, which links to a personalized microsite with variable text and graphic elements, often highlighting the recipient’s name in some way. Personal and demographic data is primarily used to drive the personalization in these applications. Depending on the client/campaign, additional data may be used for more granular, relevant content.
  • Digital Marketing: Personalization is popular with digital marketers. E-mail is a popular spot for personalization: according to a 2011 study by marketing technology provider Alterian, 72% of marketing professionals surveyed reported using personalization for their e-mail campaigns. E-mail marketing complexity ranges from mass blasts to segmentation to real-time individualization, typically using customer data and purchase history data to make recommendations. Another prominent personalization tactic for marketers is retargeting, which involves serving ads to a specific user after they have left a Website in efforts to raise brand awareness, recapture their attention, and drive people back to their Website.
  • eCommerce: Business-to-consumer eCommerce was and still is a center of innovation in Web personalization, driven by Amazon.com and other eTailers looking to provide a custom-tailored experience for each individual user in hopes of getting them to buy more. For these sites, personalization often comes in the form of a recommendation engine, which tracks your browsing habits, shopping cart, wish list, reviews, purchase history, and other facets to deliver personalized recommendations on what the system thinks you would like. It should be noted that digital marketing goes hand-in-hand with eCommerce; real-time individualized e-mail marketing is common for eCommerce companies, and retargeting helps bring back shoppers that left the conversion funnel.
  • Publishing: For print publishing, personalization often means mass customization, specifically in the print-on-demand model for books, where eCommerce orders trigger specific books to be printed, often in one-off fashion. Services like MagCloud and Time Inc’s Mine Magazine endeavor represent personalization efforts for magazines. On the Web and in digital media, personalization is geared more toward delivering relevant content based on an individual’s specific interests or preferences. Sometimes meeting this objective requires readers to input specific information about their tastes; other times, information like a Twitter, Facebook, or Google Reader account may be analyzed to assess your interests and deliver content based on who you’re friends with, who you follow, or what news you already read. A great example of this method is exhibited through Zite, a “personalized digital magazine” mobile app.
  • Social Networking: Social networks are rife with different types of individuals’ data, making them ideal for personalization. Social networks typically employ personalization to deliver relevant content feeds from a user’s friends or connections on a network, as well as to deliver highly-targeted display advertising. For content delivery, networks may use algorithms to interpret connections, interactions, and profile information among users and deliver content based on what it believes is most relevant to each user. For advertising, networks typically act a facilitator between advertisers and users, presenting key profile characteristics of users that advertisers can choose to target.  Facebook generated over $3.5 billion in revenue through this type of advertising.
  • Search: Search engines have always utilized algorithms to determine the display results of a user’s query, but these algorithms have recently started to take user information, such as profile or location data, into consideration before displaying results. Just recently, Google stepped up its game in this area, launching “Search, plus Your World“, which integrates a user’s Google+ data into everyday search queries. Advertising is a critical component to search, and generated over $35 billion in revenue worldwide for Google in 2011. Up until now, most search ads have been delivered based on the content of users’ search queries, but location information and even personal information are starting to be used to deliver more targeted search ads to users.

At its core, all that is needed to enable personalization is data, content, and a mechanism to have one drive the other. As has been covered, applying personalization for different use cases has a substantial impact on the type of data being used, the content that is being tied to that data, and the types of delivery mechanisms that enable that personalization. Understanding these differences and requirements for each application can help different stakeholders communicate more effectively when pursuing personalization, as well as open the door to new opportunities

The Latest Super-Cool Fold of the Week

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

This week, we showcase the Iron Cross with Stitched-in Booklet submitted by Digital Ink in Alexandria, VA created for the American Bankers Association. The piece first opens in gate format to reveal two sides that fold out to create an iron cross format. The innovation doesn’t stop here. The interior boasts of a 12 page stitched booklet. This booklet provides an excellent opportunity to include marketing material into a leave-behind brochure or mailed item. Watch the video for more!

Super-cool Fold of the Week

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Welcome to the first FOW on The Digital Nirvana in 2012! I’m sure this year will bring plenty of innovative and fun new folds. This week’s Fab Kaleidoscope Cover Invitation comes from Schmitt’s Press in Baltimore and was created back in 2005 for a fundraising event for Maryland Institute College of Art. What makes this fold so interesting is how the die-cut shape on the front cover interacts with the graphic beneath to create a kaleidoscope effect. This is a superb example of creative designing with simpler folding.

As always, think finishing at the beginning. Enjoy!

6 Social Media Threats You Need to Know About

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

I recently read an article from Visible Technologies about six social media threats to be aware of when implementing a social media strategy. It struck me as interesting because social media is so buzz worthy now – it seems to be integral to any marketing plan as more businesses adopt a social media strategy. Social media is great for building brand awareness and interacting directly with customers. However, I’ve rarely thought about the dangers of social media and I found this article to be an appropriate reminder of things too avoid. Below are the six risks from the article:

  1.  Lack of social media policy – Every company should have some guidelines in place to outline how employees can and should us social media. Failure to do so could result in poor brand representation or even legal repercussions.
  2. Internet security – Employees must always be aware of potential hackers hoping to obtain corporate information, especially when downloading software.
  3. Network security – Similar to above, social media users should have up-to-date antivirus protection to prevent unnecessary headaches.
  4. Mobile phone apps – These apps can make using social media easier and more convenient. Stick to trustworthy apps or brands as some apps contain malware that could reveal private information or destroy data… scary!
  5. Lack of presence to address a crisis – Social media creates a world for people to talk about your brand whether you are promoting that discussion or not. A company needs to be ready to address issues quickly and effectively before a (potential) crisis escalates.
  6. Employees – Employees can be your best brand promoters on social media sites. However, they can also represent a risk if they do not fully think through posts and/or if they are not well versed in the company social media policy. Be sure that your employees are educated on this policy and remind them to always post with the well-being of the brand in mind.

While I love social media and think it can be a powerful brand tool, it’s nice to be reminded of the associated risks. It reaffirms the fact that social media needs to follow a developed strategy just like any other marketing tactic a company might implement. You can read the full article here. There is even a link at the bottom for more specific tips on how to minimize each risk. Happy social networking!

Reflections on 2011

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

As we reach the end of a year, we typically take time to reflect on the past year and make plans for the New Year approaching. In reading several interesting year-end reflection articles, I observed common themes regardless of the industry or location. These themes bear consideration for us in the Printing Industry as we enter into 2012.

Any year has its share of passings, but 2011 seemed to hit Americans defined by their creativeness, competitiveness, and strong individuality particularly hard. Betty Ford and Maggie Daley, two women whose bravery and openness in fighting cancer while driving their causes saved countless lives. In the technology world 2011 saw the loss of Ken Olsen from Data General, Michael Hart, the father of the e-book and founder of the Gutenberg Project in 1971, and of course Steve Jobs, whose impact is undeniable.

American Politics had its usual share of “won’t they ever learn moments”, including the ‘Super Committee” failure to find savings to sufficiently reduce the debt, and the terrible mess with the US Postal Service which it seems is more politics than business. Financially, the economy continues to struggle in efforts to recover, and we find the term “jobless recovery” popping up all over. Perhaps no industry is more troubled by the economic woes than the Print Industry which continues to contract and struggle with customers shifting to digital and multi-channel communication.

We continue to see the expansion of the volumes and uses for data, and the real question is, how will we use all this data and convert it into useful information in running our businesses? Will we be able to find the right data, and will it help us to just get a bit better or can we generate meaningful change and new opportunities?

Macro trends with direct impact on our industry include:

  • Mobile communication is here to stay with 5.1 billion people owning a cell phone according to Mobile Marketing Association. Consumer time being spent on mobile devices is rising faster than all other media. Integrating mobile into our customer communication campaigns to inform, engage and entertain customers must be a priority for all business and consumer communication companies.
  • Companies seeking to secure current customers and attract new ones are putting the customer relationship first. They are looking to connect more deeply and more often, putting customers at the center of their efforts to remain relevant to them despite fast changing preferences and demands.
  • Marrying communication design and technology is mandatory. We have to get smarter about how we plan and develop the customer communication experience. As budgets shrink and options increase we must adopt a design once and deploy frequently approach. How to integrate the multi-channel options for the most impact across the geo-demographic base is a major challenge.

All of these themes are intertwined and related. Taking steps to understand how they have impacted us and how we will react is important in how we go forward into 2012. As for me, I believe that eliminating silos and taking an end-to-end view of business improvement is critical to continue to increase productivity and competitive success. What is your most pressing need in 2012 and how can others help?

Wake Up For Printers

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

My first reaction after listening to Dr. Joe Webb’s economic webinar last week was to go out and slit my wrists. The forecast for the economy in general continues to be poor and for print there seems to be no hope.

  • GDP is still sluggish
  • 2012 unemployment to “improve” – for the wrong reasons
  • CPI “moderating” – but prices too high when real wages keep falling
  • 2011 Inflation Adjusted Print and Print Services Shipments continue to be at or below 2010 and lowest in 5 years
  • Forecast for US Commercial Print Shipments from 2011 to 2017 by WTT ERC drops from $85 B to $ 52 B

However, when I thought about many of the companies I know in the industry, they continue to actually thrive and not just survive, so what is their secret and how do we increase the number of companies being successful in the industry?

We all need to realize that continuous change is going to be a part of the way we do business for the near term, and will be required for long term survival. We depend on technology, and the equipment and software rate of change continues to increase. Channels and methods of communicating are expanding, and customers’ preferences evolving, and after all, we are really in the communication business.

Think about the conservative banking industry, which took a long time to move from personal banking to ATM’s and online services, and now have gone mobile, allowing checks to be deposited from a smart phone by taking a picture. Balances can be checked, and even transfers from account to account take place any time and from anywhere. The successful companies I know and read about are listening to their customers and are open to modifying their business models to accommodate customer demands. This is not a surefire solution and certainly not easy, as it means moving from our areas of comfort and experience.

What I think the industry needs more than anything now is to find ways to help each other make the industry strong, and to establish networks and resources to accelerate change. Companies should focus on customer service, putting the customer needs first, and find ways to diversify and differentiate themselves as partners in selective service areas complementing their core offerings. Companies and owners need to choose an area of expertise, and then utilize all the resources available including supplier expertise, associations, and consultants to fill in gaps and build upon their own expertise. Organizations need to resist the temptation to do everything themselves and build partnership relationships with other service providers in providing a complete solution set.

As we end this year we should not view the position as hopeless but rather recommit ourselves to working together and to embracing the change around us. Let us each and every one commit ourselves to staying relevant to the changing needs of our customer base. As General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff, U. S. Army said “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”

 Looking to grow your print business? Visit MyPressGo for your personalized business development program created by and for digital printers.

Paper + Finishing = Profit

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Since being launched in 1995, digital production presses have continued to evolve with improved speed, image quality, and lower cost of operation. Digital printing has become integrated into commercial print shops and in-plant environments for small runs and on-demand printing. In addition, Web-enabled printing and new finishing capabilities have created a number of new business opportunities directly linked to substrates. These emerging and profitable applications include labels and packaging, photo books, personal publishing, point-of-purchase signage, and an array of creative direct mail pieces.

The range of substrates that can run through the digital press needs to be a key consideration in making the digital decision. Marketers view the paper as one opportunity for their target audience to hold the firm’s identity in their hands. This rare and intimate occasion can vastly influence the recipient’s perception of the organization – is the firm a “discount” provider with basic materials or a “high quality” marketer with rich paper stocks and vivid colors?

The Canon imagePRESS Series is about versatility with paper selection. The Canon imagePRESS Series lets commercial and in-plant printers offer customers the right stock for the job. The system can print on lightweight, coated, uncoated, and specialty media with weights from 60 to 325 gsm and sizes from 13″ x 19.2″. Automatic duplexing is supported on all stocks. Users can produce full-bleed booklets, thicker business cards and postcards, and forms or inlays on thinner lighter stock.

The Canon imagePRESS Series also comes with a wide range of finishing options so that the commercial printer or in-plant can take on more jobs. Documents can be stacked for flat or offline finishing. In addition, there are in-line options that include the ability to print and create perfect-bound books with up to 200 sheets. The press can create tabbed, hole-punched training materials and catalogs. The use of an integrated saddle stitcher can produce full-bleed, three-side trimmed booklets of up to 100 pages that lay perfectly flat. Print facilities can also saddle-stitch jobs printed on custom-size paper and mixed media.

The range of paper stocks and finishing capabilities can make a big difference in the bottom line, optimizing the return on investment for the commercial or in-plant printer. The Canon imagePRESS Series has the ability to drive high-value and more complex applications that clients request, including brochures, books, magazines, photo specialty products, promotional fliers, and personalized direct mail. With this new system, print providers can enter the lucrative digital color print market or expand their existing capabilities.

Visit OceWow.com to view the Canon imagePRESS Series demo video!