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web-to-print and variable printing

Web-to-Print for the past years has been looked at like a great companion for any type of printing. Whether it is litho, thermography, digital, web, short run, long run or transactional, web-to-print software has been paired to fit those models. Some of the most successful implementations of web-to-print technologies online have been attributed to the methods of printing above.

But what about silkscreen, embroidery, wide format and mainly variable printing? Variable printing or variable data printing in  web-to-print storefronts has been a silent topic. And yet, web-to-print for variable printing is probably the most profitable type of w2p. Just imagine, your customer uploads their own data, sorts its own imagery, chooses it’s own mailing routes, proofs the entire job online and pays you premium money for having the ability to see text or images appear in an unusual format, that only web-to-print for VDP allows them to do.

Variable Printing and Web-to-Print should almost be as synonymous as web to print and business cards. Considering on a scale of anything that you could be printing utilizing web enabled order procurement technologies, VDP should be not only most profitable, but also most desirable, as not too many printers yet can offer that as a service, hence you will be able to charge a premium and not be afraid of the competition.

So, to keep with the spirit of top 5s, here is my list of
Top 5 reasons to offer web-to-print and variable printing online:

  1. Outsource the hardest part of the project to your client using web-to-print. Data sorting or providing you with clean data.
  2. Make more money where others can’t. VDP is still new to a lot of printers.
  3. Make more money with less effort. It is up to your customer to approve the creative online.
  4. Excellent way to get into fulfillment business. Get even more money from the same customer.
  5. Make more money from time on your press. It takes you just as long to print a pre-made VDP piece as a static one. Except you get to charge more for that piece.

Your comments are welcomed.

Slava Apel, CEO
Amazing Print Corp
905-738-9920
http://www.amazingprint.com
http://twitter.com/slavaapel

http://twitter.com/amazingprint

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 30th, 2010 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Web to Print, printing, printing software, web2print. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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