Web to Print by Amazing Print Corp Technology

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

Web2print was a hot topic recently on twitter. I used to use a hashtag of #w2p to describe web2print or web to print software, but got a message to the likes of “stop using #w2p and start using #web2print as w2p has been taken over by another group” by a member of a different movement that uses w2p to describe their services.

I liked using w2p instead of web2print as it is shorter, and in the world of 140 characters, every character counts. I have polled on linked-in, twitter and a few other places printers to see what they had to say. To my surprise, I didn’t find any loyalty to either web2print or w2p and even had a recommendation to switch to w2print as a method of keeping our unique hash tag.

I remember similar conversations with members of infoTrends on topic of keeping the hashtag that involves print. #twitterprint has been used to keep printing industry separate for people generally speaking about print, but why not claim #print like Adam Peck has recommended? #print is shorter, easier, and by some chance if we get non print industry person using #print, they may learn more about printing by just stumbling across #print.

So, in summary, when I have enough space to spell out web2print, I will. When I ran short on space, w2p will be used.

For the record, you can follow Amazing Print on twitter at http://twitter.com/amazingprint or follow Slava Apel at http://www.twitter.com/slavaapel