Digital Printing-The Right Technology for the Times

By Jeff Hopp, Sales & Marketing Manager, Ripon Printers

For years digital printing suffered from over-hype and under-delivery. There were a lot of reasons for the shortfalls, but now the stars seem to be aligning in digital print’s favor.

First, there is the technology itself, which progressed considerably from the early days on black-and-white systems relegated to simple short-run projects. A major advancement occurred when digital color printing systems matured into technologically advanced and economically feasible processes for higher volume production.

Digital printing is now on a real growth spurt. Industry analyst firm InfoTrends forecasts overall U.S. revenues for digital presses in the high-volume, “1M+ average monthly impressions” category will grow from $3.5 billion in 2006 to $13.5 billion by 2010. Other statistics show that more than half of all printing companies provide some form of digital printing and about one-third provide web-to-print capabilities.

Market Forces at Work

The main reason digital printing fits today’s markets is an across-the-board trend toward shorter runs. Today, 70 percent of all print runs are in quantities of 1-2500, with more than 50 percent under 500 copies. Factors influencing this movement are:

• An emphasis on better targeting and more use of personalization to acquire leads, increase sales, build loyalty and improve marketing R.O.I.

• A transition to more demand-based print and fulfillment models that reduce production and distribution costs along with inventory and obsolescence expense.

• A need to gain competitive advantage by getting to market quickly while at the same time meeting customer expectations for fast, timely and relevant print materials.

Technology developments continue to support market trends. The latest digital printing systems again raised quality levels and expanded the reach of digital print. Many industry authorities believe that further development of in-line finishing, simplified digital asset management, more sophisticated web-to-print software and further reduction in the cost of digital print will cause even greater usage.

Getting Over the Cost-Per-M Hurdle

A carryover from the age of mass marketing is an obsession with cost per thousand. That approach made sense when we were selling relatively undifferentiated goods and services to broad audiences. Lower print unit costs helped increase sales and profits. The formula made sense for the times.

The big change today is that customers expect customized products and communications. Companies now focus their marketing efforts on winning individual customer share rather than market share. Digital print, and especially variable data digital print, addresses the new marketing model by being able to produce highly customized materials for markets as small as one. And while the new technologies now make short run, variable data print more affordable than ever, it is still carries a higher cost-per-thousand that longer run static print.

What marketers are rapidly learning, however, is that digital print’s highly customized output is capable of generating far higher response rates—often five times higher or more—along with correspondingly higher sales and profits. Unfortunately, many procurement people are still trapped in a unit-cost mentality and fail to grasp the R.O.I.-generating potential of variable data digital print.

Just-in-Time Benefits

The old method of taking a forecast (usually inaccurate) and then printing and inventorying marketing materials has many hidden costs. This approach ties up money, occupies expensive warehouse space and often results in obsolete materials exceeding 25 percent.

Digital print enables marketing organizations to move to demand-based systems that are more cost-efficient and customer responsive. In fact, many organizations with large-scale literature fulfillment requirements integrate digital and offset print to take best advantage of each platform. Companies also utilize online ordering systems to further streamline the process of creating and fulfilling marketing materials.

Web-to-Print Adds Another Dimension

This relatively new technology combines the Internet with variable data digital print. It enables authorized users to go to a branded website, view document templates and add custom content within preset parameters. The systems can accept payment, if desired, and then transmit the order to the printer for output and fulfillment. It’s ideal for serving large national sales force as well as agents, dealers, distributors and other channel partners.

Web-to-print systems are capable of producing a wide range of personalized materials including:

• Product & price sheets

• Presentations

• Brochures

• Self-mailers

• Newsletters

• Postcards

• Catalog covers

• Custom publications

• And more

About Ripon Printers
Ripon Printers provides print solutions to small and mid-size catalog marketers and publishers. We recently expanded our digital offering by installing a Canon imagePRESS C6000, which provides up to 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution and 256 levels of grayscale. The press consistently reproduces clear, sharp images with the lifelike skin tones, smooth gradients and the color accuracy needed in today’s marketplace. Variable data capabilities allow you to create personalized print materials within a responsive, demand-driven environment.

For more information about how our digital printing services can increase your marketing ROI, please contact your Ripon Printers representative or make an email inquiry to .